What is a marketing funnel? | Sprout Social

A marketing funnel describes your customer's journey with you. From the initial stages when someone learns about your business, to the purchasing stage, ... Closenavigation Sendusanemail Sendusanemail Whoareyoutryingtocontact? Sales Support Other "Closethisform" "Closefiltermenu" Filterby Topic AllTopics AllCareerGrowth   Diversity,Equity&Inclusion   Leadership   LevelingUp   MarketingDisciplines AllMarketingInsights   CultureStrategies   CustomerExperience   DigitalTransformation   What'sNext AllNetworks   Facebook   Instagram   LinkedIn   OtherPlatforms   Pinterest   ReviewSites   TikTok   Twitter   YouTube AllSocialMedia   Branding&Creative   CommunityManagement   CompetitiveStrategies   CustomerCare   EmployeeAdvocacy   ReviewManagement   SocialCommerce   SocialListening   SocialMediaAdvertising   SocialMediaAnalytics   SocialMediaContent   SocialMediaEngagement   SocialMediaPublishing   SocialMediaScheduling   SocialMediaStrategy   SocialMediaTrends   SocialSpotlight   TeamCollaboration   Video AllSproutSocial   SproutEngineering   SproutinAction   TeamSprout   Updates&Enhancements FutureofMarketing Type AllTypes CaseStudies Guides DataReports Interactive Templates&Tools Webinars Industry AllIndustries Agency ConsumerGoods Finance&Banking Food&Restaurants Gaming&Esports Government Healthcare HigherEducation Legal Media&Entertainment Nonprofit RealEstate Recruiting Retail Sports Technology&Software Travel&Hospitality ExperienceLevel AllExperienceLevels Beginner Intermediate Expert Search FilterResults Reset Filter Amarketingfunneldescribesyourcustomer’sjourneywithyou.Fromtheinitialstageswhensomeonelearnsaboutyourbusiness,tothepurchasingstage,marketingfunnelsmaproutestoconversionandbeyond.Withcarefulanalysis,amarketingfunnelletsyouknowwhatyourcompanymustdotoinfluenceconsumersatcertainstages.Byevaluatingyourfunnels,youcanpotentiallydrivegreatersales,moreloyaltyandstrongerbrandawareness.TheEvolutionoftheMarketingFunnel Attheendofthe20thcentury,EliasSt.ElmoLewiscreatedamodelhighlightingthestagesofacustomer’srelationshipwithabusiness.The“AIDA”modelindicatesthateverypurchaseinvolves: Awareness:Theprospectisawareoftheirproblemsandpossiblesolutionsforthem.Interest:Theprospectshowsinterestinagroupofservicesorproducts.Desire:Theprospectbeginstoevaluateacertainbrand.Action:Theprospectdecideswhethertopurchase.DefiningtheMarketingFunnelThebasicsofthemarketingfunnelhavestayedthesamesincethe1900s.However,nosinglemodelisuniversallyacceptedbyallcompanies.Someprefertokeeptheirmodelsimple,usingthe“TOFU-MOFU-BOFU”strategywhichreferstothetopoffunnel,middleoffunnel,andbottomoffunnelasdistinctelements.Othersbelievethatadding“loyalty”and“advocacy”stagestothefunnelimprovesthemarketingstrategy.Afterall,businessesloseupto$1.6trillionayearwhencustomersleavethem.StrategiesforEachStageoftheMarketingFunnelThemarketingfunnelworksasaunifiedwhole.Thismeansthateverysectionneedstoworkperfectlyforthejourneytobesuccessful.Therearemanythingsthatreducefrictionintheirmarketingfunnel.Forinstance:Awareness:Brandedcontentstrategiesappealtoaudiencesandmakethemreceptivetofutureinteractions.Consideration:Brandadvocatesandsocialproofassistcustomerswhenthey’recomparingyouagainstcompetitors.Conversion:Asimplepurchasingprocessreducestheriskofbuying.Loyalty:Aloyaltyprogramwithregulardiscounts,emailinteractionsandsocialmediamaintainscustomers.Advocacy:Receptiveindividualsinyourloyaltyprogramsupportyourfuturemarketingfunnels.TheBenefitsofMarketingFunnelsMarketingfunnelssimplifythecustomerjourneyandmakeiteasierforcompaniestofollow.Thesesolutionsmapouteachstageoftheirclient’sdecisionprocessandplanthestepstheywanttotakeineach.Amarketingfunnelappliestoalmostanycustomerinteraction.Whetheryou’relookingforonlinesales,generatingtrafficforyourbrickandmortarstoreorcollectingclicksasanaffiliate,youneedamarketingfunnel.Thefunnelispowerfulwaytobringvisibilitytoeverystageofconnectingwithyourcustomer. Thebiggestbenefitofmarketingfunnelsistheirmeasurability.Yourfunnelshowsyouwhereyou’relosingcustomers,tohelpyoupivotyourstrategy.Forinstance,ifyoulosecustomersbeforetheyevergettothesecondstage,youneedabetterbrandawarenesscampaign.TheDifferenceBetweenB2BandB2CMarketingFunnels Marketingfunnelsoftenchangedependingonyourcustomerbase. B2Ccustomersoftennavigatethefunnelaloneorwithtrustedadvisorslikefamilyandfriends.B2Cclientsmayneverinteractdirectlywithacompanyrepresentative.B2Bcustomershavelarger,morefocusedbuyinggroups.B2Bconsumersinteractdirectlywithsalesrepresentativesinthelowerstagesofthemarketingfunnel.Adjustingyourfunneltosuityouruserpersonasinstantlymakesitmoreeffective. 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