Essential Factors That Your Funnel Measures In the Customer Journey Phases

Do you understand the overarching goal of marketing funnels?

Usually, the goal is to drive traffic so that you can push your brand, product or service onto prospects in hope of generating leads or customers.

But if you really want to take control of your brand marketing strategy, you’ll need to have a deep understanding of the various factors involved in attracting prospective new customers to your website.

This comes down to being able to track the customer’s journey, which has a lot of potential touchpoints along the way from the top of the funnel to the bottom.

Once you understand it, you’ll be able to discover why some people are not making it to the bottom to convert.

Let’s dig in.

Top of the Funnel

This is effectively like the billboard of your brand — it is where potential new customers first get exposure to your brand.

Therefore, the key factors at the top of the funnel are quite obvious — exposure and discovery.

Exposure

In this early stage, a lead will first become aware of your brand, and the products and services you are offering. It is up to you to establish a strong presence so that you nurture a relationship with people.

For people who are already seeking to buy products, this is when they will become aware of your presence in the industry.

In online business, your exposure strategy will typically consist of the following four core tactics:

• Content Marketing
• Organic Searches
• Social Media Marketing
• Paid advertisements

Discovery

The discovery phase is when potential buyers will visit company websites to learn more about brands and what they have to offer. It is also known as the research phase, and consumers are trying to educate themselves and narrow down their choices.

At this stage of the funnel, you should take care not to bombard people with offers or sales talk, as that will only deter them. Instead, the aim is to provide valuable content that answers their questions and ultimately establishes your brand as the solution to their problems.

Middle of the Funnel

In this stage of the funnel, people are weighing up their options, and they will be deciding if what you offer is a suitable fit for their needs.

Consideration

The middle of the funnel correlates to the consideration phase of the customer journey, which is when potential leads move forward from the discovery phase.

Visitors are deciding whether they should become a customer, and so brands can look to nurture a stronger relationship here.

It’s easy to get obsessed with conversions instead of thinking about returning visitors. But you should realize that conversions can happen quickly, or months down the line.

At this stage, your content needs to spread your brand message and connect with prospects for one of two reasons:

• They may be just on the cusp of conversion.
• They are researching now but need a little convincing that your brand is the one to buy from, so they may return later.

Make sure that your value proposition is crystal clear, and provides all the information consumers need to know at this point. Highlight the benefits of your product or service so they understand what value they will gain.

Bottom of the Funnel

The people that make it to the bottom of your funnel are the ones that are ready to seal the deal with your brand.

Well done on getting them this far, but the customer journey is not over yet.

Conversions

There are various types of conversions, such as:

• A purchase order on an ecommerce website
• A form completion
• Leads
• Email newsletter signups

Essentially, a conversion is the completion of the desired action on your website. It is not just about making a sale.

What you must realize is this:

Your goal should not end with a conversion. That is just the first step to forging a lasting relationship with a new customer. Ideally, you want them to return to buy from you, over and over.

Good marketers develop a smart marketing strategy in a way that doesn’t just build trust so customers buy once. Instead, they convey content that establishes the brand as a thought leader in the space, which fosters loyalty so customers become repeat buyers and brand advocates.

This is known as retention.

Retention

Customers are unpredictable. Their habits and interests change over time, and we can’t always assume how and when they will interact with brands.

As a result, it is difficult and expensive to acquire new customers. It is much better to retain your existing customers.

Imagine a customer had a fantastic experience with a brand. Chances are they will return to buy from that brand again, and they may well talk about their experience with friends and family.

By nurturing this relationship, the brand can leverage such experiences to build more credibility for their brand, not only with the initial customer but also with the people that trust that customer.

Creating brand advocates is a crucial aspect of modern marketing, and essential for the enduring success of your business.

Customer Service

Some businesses don’t look past the point of conversion, and so their marketing strategy can be lacking in empathy.

Customer may be happy after they make a purchase, but why stop there?

By staying in touch, you can make customers feel valued. You can use their contact information to continue the relationship, offering useful information and letting them know about discounts and future promotions.

Align Your Funnel with the Customer Journey to Succeed

Without a solid strategy for marketing communications, your business can deter people from interacting with your brand.

It’s vital that your marketing funnel correlates with the related stage of the customer’s journey, and your brand messaging must be aligned with what people are experiencing at that stage. This takes time and effort, but the return is well worth it when you get your strategy right.

It’s also crucial that you don’t dismiss the value of having a future relationship with customers. Great customer service is vital for the health of your business, and can make all the difference in finding new customers, and retaining them after the first conversion.