When a user follows an advertisement to your company’s website and ultimately makes a purchase, they are moving through your business’s marketing funnel. The marketing funnel is a step-by-step process a user takes from becoming aware of your brand through to making a purchase. The top of the funnel is larger, as many people will become aware of your brand. As users move through the funnel, only a small percentage of qualified users will make it to each next step.

4 Main Marketing Funnel Stages

Awareness (Top of the Funnel)

The top of the funnel is when a user first becomes aware of your brand. The main marketing goal at this stage should be to reach new potential customers who have never heard of your brand before. In order to introduce users into your funnel, your marketing strategy should focus primarily on gaining visibility and introducing the value of your product or service offering, rather than trying to get the user to take a significant action. Some potential strategies for awareness and visibility can include SEO, Blog Posts, Influencer Marketing and PPC Search and Display Advertising. Awareness campaigns should focus on getting your brand in front of as many users as possible. The key metrics to pay attention to when analyzing data from top-of-funnel campaigns should be impressions and impression share. Once the user becomes familiar with your brand and is aware you offer a product or service that could be valuable to them, they have the potential to move to the next stage of your funnel.

Interest (Middle of the Funnel)

Once users are aware of your product or services, it is time for users to move to the next step of your funnel. After a user knows your brand exists, your next focus should be to generate interest in your brand and your business offerings. The goal in this phase is to educate the user on what your business does and what products or services your brand provides. The marketing strategy in this stage in the funnel should focus heavily on showcasing your brand in a way that builds trust among potential customers. The idea here is to engage potential customers with your brand. Some helpful strategies and tools for this stage include generating email sign ups, giveaways, retargeting ads, and content showing your product or service. At this stage in the funnel, you should be focusing on building trust with the audience and getting them to engage with your brand on a more casual level rather than attempting to make a sale.

Desire (Lower Middle of the Funnel)

Once the user starts to become interested in your brand, the more qualified audience members will move along to the next step in the funnel. In this stage, your focus should be on showing your potential customers why they should want your product or service. You want to show how your product or service offering can solve a problem your audience may have. Some good strategies to employ during this stage are case studies, client testimonials, product demos, and sharing pricing. These strategies will help you connect with your target audience in a way that will help qualified users move to the final step in your funnel.

Action (Bottom of the Funnel)

The final step in the funnel is when a user takes action. The goal of this step is to convert your leads into customers and generate revenue for your business. You want the user to make a purchase or book a service. In this final step, you want to use strong calls to action, including any deals you may have, to help sway the user to move through the checkout process. 

The marketing funnel encourages the audience to get to know and trust your brand. The funnel is designed to make sure users are comfortable and ready before making a purchase. Skipping stages of the funnel or hard pushing a sale too early can cause the audience to drop out of the funnel, which can lead to fewer conversions. 

As users move through the funnel, it is important to check-in with your analytics to determine if any part of the funnel needs to be tweaked in order to move as many qualified users as possible through the process. Determine if any parts of the funnel are causing more of the audience to drop off than others. Be sure to A/B test copy, visuals, and CTAs to find out what resonates best with your audience. As your campaigns progress, you’ll be able to test and improve your funnel based on audience behavior.

Digital Marketing Company in Atlanta

Ready to turn more clicks into customers? Let’s map out a funnel that drives sales. Give us a call to see how we can help your business build a successful marketing funnel. (404) 953-KOOL (5665)