Unlocking the Power of the Marketing Funnel

February 20, 2018

The tenets of the marketing funnel remain unchanged. The avenues to navigate through it, however, evolve daily as SEO, social media and traditional media innovate. Run through how the marketing funnel operates, and your company will learn ways to unlock its power for today’s customer.

Step One: Awareness

You can’t sell to someone who doesn’t know who you are, so be where your customer is. This may be as simple as developing a website with strong SEO, which positions your company to show up in relevant searches. Or it could be as complex as creating a multi-platform advertising campaign for traditional and digital marketing. Take a page out of Febreze’s playbook. The brand found a perfect moment and situation to promote brand awareness with its Super Bowl commercial.

Step Two: Interest

Take customers to the next step by deepening their interest in your product or service. Often a content-rich strategy is what propels a customer forward. For example, Lowe’s Home Improvement piques the interest of customers by creating how-to content. While customers are aware of Lowe’s, what they really want are tips on how to tile a bathroom, build a raised garden bed or do other home improvement projects. Providing that content keeps Lowe’s at the front of customer’s mind and browser as they move through the funnel.

Step Three: Consideration

The options are endless for customers in today’s ad-saturated culture. As potential customers move into the consideration stage, they are looking at reviews, eyeing your competitors’ offerings and contemplating what your company has to offer that’s unique. Stand out from the crowd by offering advice through blog posts, as well as expert tips that assure a customer you know what they really need. A hardware store can help customers through the funnel by sharing in-depth looks at how to get the most from tools it sells, like Acme Tools does with this article on miter saw cuts.

Step Four: Intent

Understanding the customer journey is never more important than when your prospect has moved from consideration to intent to buy. Set the pace for your customer by encouraging them to keep moving toward the sale. Support them by showing how you can solve their challenges with the specific benefits that make your company the smart choice. By positioning your company as the right solution, the finish line is in sight. Offering discount codes or coupons at key times, and presenting an overall atmosphere of customer service, can do a lot to keep pushing your customer forward.

Step Five: Evaluation

Your customer is ready to buy, but first they need to evaluate their options. Featured customer reviews, blog posts, buying guides and product demos are great resources to exploit in this phase. Find ways to incorporate user-generated content into your website and marketing during this phase because studies have shown shoppers who interact with customer content are, on average, 116% more likely to buy. Help your customer feel well-prepared to ease the journey to the final stage of the funnel.

Step Six: Purchase

You’re almost there! Seal the deal by providing an effortless purchase experience. Nothing can derail your sale quicker than an e-commerce website that doesn’t work smoothly or a long wait at the retail counter. Once you’ve made the sale, ensure your first-time customer becomes a life-long customer and brand enthusiast. Simple tokens like an exclusive coupon or discount, free shipping or a referral bonus can assure your customer that they’ve made the right choice and bring them back again.

Powerful marketing meets customers at every phase of the sales funnel by engaging proactively rather than reactively. Unlocking the power of the marketing funnel is key to finding those touch points with customers that will move them forward.

Not sure where to get started? Contact us today.

 

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