A Content Marketing Funnel ExplainedA funnel for marketing content can let potential customers learn more about your company, find solutions to their issues, and become confident in purchasing from you. Content is best suited for every stage of the funnel.Checklists, videos and infographics are effective in attracting attention, generating leads and keeping readers involved. Gated content, like templates and guides, also works well at this stage.AwarenessAt this point, customers are only aware that your brand exists and the solutions you offer. This stage is where content is created to educate and inform potential customers about the issues your solution solves and also the differences from competitors.Consider the keywords that your target audience is using to search online. You can conduct keyword research to find out what terms your target audience is using when they search online. This will aid you in determining if your product or service is needed. These data can be used to develop a content calendar and then decide which content pieces should be designed to target these keywords.As a bonus producing content for this phase of the funnel helps you build your brand's affinity with customers. If your customers are aware about your brand, they will have greater confidence in your ability solve their problems. This translates into higher conversion rates, be it newsletter signups, purchases or click-throughs to your website. content marketing for b2b -planned strategy for content can also assist in closing this gap in conversion. If, for example, you discover that the majority of your content is targeted at generating awareness, but not enough is influencing consumers to make a buying decision, then you can increase the spending on marketing campaigns that target middle-funnel keyword phrases.Social media is another way to boost your bottom-of-the-funnel conversion. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook enable you to engage with your customers directly and give you the chance to showcase your customer care. This can range from posting positive reviews on Twitter to promoting special offers.You can also leverage existing content to push buyers into the bottom-of-funnel, such as blog posts or case studies. If you write a blog post explaining the reasons why your product is superior to a competitor's you can share it on social media and invite your readers to join your email list to get more information. You can also encourage a conversion at this point by asking your audience to tag you on their social media posts after having used your product. This will encourage other people to follow suit and will help spread the word about the brand.InquiryA good content strategy will consist of a variety types that attract customers at each stage of the funnel. Brand awareness campaigns, for example could include ad copy as well as blog posts and infographics that address common objections and concerns. This content can be further shared via social media or emails to drive organic traffic.As consumers move through the consideration stage and begin to look for specific characteristics of products that will help them to make a purchasing decision. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages are a great type of content to use in this phase. Utilize tools for keyword research such as Ubersuggest, or search popular hashtags in your industry to discover questions that your audience asks. Then, craft answers to these questions and place them in your content funnel map.During this stage it is crucial to present an unambiguous proposition that demonstrates how your product or services can solve their issues and earn them more money. This content should also highlight the distinctiveness of your brand in comparison to your competitors.This is a straightforward stage to measure because the consumer is making a purchase. Consider metrics like conversion rate, payment figures and click-through rate to determine whether your efforts are producing results.As consumers move into the advocacy stage they become loyal fans of your brand and share your content because they feel so strongly about it. This is a great method to increase the number of people who follow your brand. You'll need to develop content that encourages people to share it, instead of only focus on engagement metrics. Utilize Sprout Social, for example, to track social shares that result from your content marketing efforts. This will give you a more accurate picture of the impact you have.Decision MakingIn the final phase consumers are seeking content that confirms their purchase and outlines how to utilize the product. At this point, they want to be certain that your product will solve their problem and justify the cost. High-quality content is important at this stage, including product guides videos, case studies, and customer success stories. Your customers want to be able have questions answered and get answers from your support staff. It's a great way to please your customers and to encourage them to share their experiences.At this stage, you're hoping that the customer will become a brand advocate and recommend your product to their friends and colleagues. To convert these advocates into enthusiastic customers, you'll need to provide them valuable content that helps them make the most of your product or service. You can accomplish this by creating customized newsletters, tutorial video free trial offers, and loyalty programs.It's time to start focusing on the retention of your audience after it has changed from leads to paying clients. Content marketing funnels tend to focus on revenue as their end goal. However, consumers will continue to interact and interact with brands after they make purchases. It's essential to think of the funnel as a dynamic structure that incorporates revenue, instead of a static model.While traditional funnels for content marketing can aid in planning your strategy however, they do not take into account the complexity of the buyer journey. Reimagining the content marketing funnel as circular models will assist you in creating an integrated strategy. You can create content that is engaging your target audience and increases conversions by planning for each stage of the process. You can then utilize the data from conversions to improve and test your strategy. Ready to see the difference that this strategy can make to your company? Contact us today and request a complimentary content marketing guidebook.RetentionA funnel for marketing content is a valuable tool that helps brands plan their strategy, execute it and evaluate its success. It can also give them visibility into the gaps in their content strategy that need to be filled. If a brand has lots of content geared towards the public's attention but only few pieces targeted at the middle of funnel, it should develop content for this stage.A great way to see how well-targeted your content is is to use tools like Ahrefs to determine the average time on the page and bounce rate of each piece. The higher these numbers are the better your content is performing.It's important to update and keep relevant the content you create to ensure that you are at the top of your funnel. This will keep your customers interested in your brand and its products and services. This can be done by creating new content which is focused on key words, addresses questions that your target audience is likely to search for, and highlights the latest information regarding your business or product.When your audience arrives at the MOFU stage, they'll be looking for more information on your product or service, as well as solutions to their problems. At this stage it's crucial to build trust by providing honest reviews and demonstrating the value.The final phase of the content marketing funnel is where your audience will make a purchase. This is typically done via restricted content that requires an email address or other type of registration to access. This content is designed to turn the interest and awareness you've created at the top of your funnel into qualified leads. Your sales team can then follow up.You can still influence the journeys of your customers through your brand, even if the support and sales teams are primarily responsible for retention of customers. Create content that is enjoyable for your customers throughout the entire process of content marketing. This can include useful sources, behind-the-scenes details and special offers that only your audience has access to. If you can establish a relationship of trust to your customers, they will become your best advocates and will help reduce your sales cycle.