A successful content marketing funnel moves people from knowledge of your business product and service to satisfied customers of your business. On average, a person consumes 11.4 pieces of content before making a purchase decision, according to Forrester. Some of that content is likely a direct answer to the question, “Should I buy A or B?”
But think about your purchasing behavior. For example, when searching for an office space or car you started by comparing the prices of two or more office spaces or cars? It’s fair to assume that many of your product buyers (you and I included) started the process long before we got to that final choice – we requested quotes, we talked to friends and colleagues, we read reviews and a blog post or two or even 10.
In this post, we’ll discuss the content funnel and how to create an impactful content funnel that gets you the right result.
Let’s get started!
What is a Content Marketing Funnel?
A content marketing funnel is a roadmap for how to systematically attract new prospects and turn them into leads through content. It’s a way of crafting the buyer’s journey around content. When customers first encounter a piece of content by your brand, they enter your funnel. If done well, every piece of content they’re served thereafter helps progress them through the funnel toward a sales decision.
We call it a funnel because your goal is to attract as many leads as possible, narrow them down based on who is most qualified/interested, and turn them into customers. For example, when you create content regarding life insurance or auto insurance, your goal is to attract multiple leads, then filter them based on insurance policy, location, and even pain point.
The Stages of the Content Marketing Funnel
One fact is that not every person that comes in contact with your website content or ad content will go on to make a purchase or even become a repeat buyer. The reality is that a majority of your leads will drop off at some point. By breaking down your website content marketing funnel into stages, you can easily identify exactly what type of content you need to serve to each type of lead, thereby minimizing the chance of drop-off.
Here’s what each stage of the content marketing funnel looks like, and the type of content you should serve leads at that stage.
Top of the Funnel or TOFU content introduces new prospects to your company with valuable information that helps them solve problems or meet goals related to your product. Examples of top of funnel content include:
- Blog posts (utilizing SEO best practices)
- Email newsletters
- Videos
- Webinars
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Social media content
Middle of the Funnel or MOFU content generates leads and nurtures them using content that clearly establishes your brand as an expert and begins to show people how your product(s) can help them. Gently offer your lead the following types of content:
- Case studies
- How-to guides that feature your product
- Demo videos
- White papers
- Ebooks
- Worksheets
- Data-driven reports
- Explanation of product/service use-cases
Bottom of the Funnel or BOFU content supports lead conversion to paying customers with product-focused information that clearly establishes your product(s) as the best choice for your ideal customers.
- Free trials
- Customer testimonials
- Product reviews
- Brochures
- FAQs
- Discount offers
How to Create Content For Each Stage
Now that you know the different stages of content marketing funnels you can use for your website marketing, it’s essential that you learn how to create content for each of them. Here are three best practices for creating an effective content marketing funnel.
1. Think about your audience
Your audience is a critical component of your content marketing sales funnel. You’re trying to appeal to them to get them to move down through the funnel. If you want to create an effective content funnel, you must think about your audience. Ask yourself questions such as:
- What problems are they facing?
- What questions are they asking?
- How can you make their lives easier?
- What matters most to them?
When you think about these questions, you can create content that is better suited to your audience’s needs.
2. Research popular content
When you’re selecting keywords or titles for your content and coming up with content ideas, it’s important to know what’s already out there. If you want to create effective marketing, look at content that covers the same topics you’re thinking about writing. These are your competitors. Check out their content to see how they fulfill the user’s search query. See what they do effectively, identify their content lapses and improve on it.
3. Make content interactive
If you want to create quality content, make it interactive for your audience. Give them a reason to click, input their email, or comment. This is especially important for TOFU content because you need to catch your audience’s interest and lure them in. The more your prospective leads interact with your content, the more likely they will remember your agency and choose you.
Creating better content for your Insurance agency website
Every industry and business in today’s digital world are looking for better ways to market their product and services. And a content marketing funnel is one of the go-to marketing strategies for millions of businesses around the world. Learning how to create and use a content marketing funnel to your agency marketing advantage, can help you move your audience towards conversion and increase your agency revenue.