Marketing or Sales: Who owns the funnel? Marketing has evolved dramatically over the last decade. The internet has challenged all traditional forms of marketing and has displaced most outmoded efforts.
Previously, a client seeking your expertise might have contacted you directly by phone and worked with a dedicated sales team.
Nowadays, the web is our first point of contact with any business, large or small. When people are searching for keywords related to their problem, it is critical to have content that is visible, compelling, and visually appealing.
The Marketing Funnel is a type of funnel that is used to market products
Effective content marketing not only aids SEO efforts, but also all aspects of digital marketing in general. Let us now examine the Marketing Funnel:
Prospective customers are becoming aware of a problem at the top of the funnel. This problem’s potential solutions are being discussed. At this point, good content serves as education. It gives them the information they need to decide which solution is best for them at the time.
The funnel’s middle section transitions from awareness to interest. The prospective customer is now weighing their options for resolving their problem.
Content at this stage of the funnel is intended to further educate leads by providing information about their options. This allows them to narrow their options and get closer to making a final purchasing decision.
Moreover, users are ready to act and convert into paying customers as we are near the bottom of the marketing funnel. At this stage, content provides a gentle nudge in the direction of a purchase, allowing them to make an informed decision.
Flipping the funnel: the customer experience
An increasingly common practice for marketing, sales, and customer service and experience managers is to “flip the funnel” into a customer experience funnel. This funnel outlines the process of turning customers into ambassadors.
Important stages of the customer experience funnel:
Repeat
Starting from the bottom, you would want to repeat customer after they have made a purchase. How can you do this? By improving retention and encouraging customers to make purchases again.
Loyalty
Customer loyalty is when a customer develops a preference for a brand and begins to identify with it. You can make your customers stay loyal to you by engaging with them through social media and by personal connections through outreach.
Referral
A loyal customer is more likely to recommend your products to their friends and family, resulting in an increase in potential customers.
Advocacy
You would want your customers to be your products or brand’s ambassadors by writing product reviews and posting about products on social media. This will help produce more new leads.
Furthermore, external recommendations can be a great influence on potential buyers. You can also ask them to take part in case studies and consumer-generated content on social media.
Lastly, the whole concept is to increase the number and size of purchases and for awareness and referrals to fuel the funnel.
