Surely you have heard of Funnel in marketing . Or you have seen the classic image of the funnel to represent it. This definition, however, is no longer completely correct.Find out why and what stages make up an effective sales funnel.
What is a funnel?
The funnel (also known as sales funnel or marketing funnel) is the process through which companies guide people towards the purchase of their products or services.
The typical Funnel is divided into several stages , which differ depending on the particular sales model used. One of the most common ways is the AIDA model .
The AIDA Model
AIDA is an acronym that stands for Attention Awareness , Interest , Desire and Action .
This model is widely used in marketing to describe the steps that occur from the moment a person first comes into contact with a brand until the moment they decide to purchase.
The phases of the AIDA model
Let’s look at the phases of this sales model in detail:
The Attention Phase: represents the moment in which potential customers become aware of the existence of the product or company.
They could learn about it through various sources: advertising, social media, word of mouth.
Depending on where and how we are discovered, we start more or less “advantaged”.
The Interest Stage: This is when potential customers show interest by researching the product, visiting our website, or interacting with our content.
The Desire Stage:
This is when potential customers examine competitors’ solutions as they move closer to making a final purchase decision.
The Action Phase: This is when a final decision is reached and the products or services are purchased.
Who works on the sales funnel?
All stages of the Funnel involve the marketing team, sales managers and all other key figures in the company. This is why it becomes important to adopt common strategies , tools and tactics to optimize each stage.
The company’s sales and marketing capabilities determine the passage of users from the initial to the final sales phase. Therefore, the lower and intermediate phases of the funnel are those that need to be treated the most and to which to pay the most attention. In fact, only if effective strategies are created will it be possible to take potential customers from awareness to interest.
The 3 phases of the Funnel: ToFu, MoFu and BoFu
These are abbreviations that refer to the three phases of the funnel.
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Let’s analyze them in detail:
Top-of-funnel (upper part of the funnel);
Middle-of-funnel (middle part of the funnel);
Bottom-of-funnel (lower part of the funnel).
This model is used to regulate our what is seo approach to the target and the contacts we collect. In fact, for ToFu, MoFu and BoFu the different sales approach to ch leads the potential customer and also the care towards the contacts collected are fundamental.
Only if we know what stage a potential customer is in can we choose the right type, volume and frequency of marketing communications . It is certainly important to maintain the interest of people and contacts without being too insistent and consequently alienating them.
Let’s look at the three phases of the funnel in detail:
ToFu (top of funnel)
It focuses on a high volume of users reached .
Unless it is an impulse purchase (typical, for example, of low-cost products), at this stage there is a tendency not to put pressure on potential customers with overly aggressive and sales-oriented communication.
Instead, we prefer to use a “softer” communication by offering relevant information that responds to a need, question or problem that our audience may have.
Content at this stage can include blog posts
Educational or informational videos , or lead magnets such as free eBook downloads. In fact, in many cases it is useful to use lead generation tactics in the ToFu stage .
Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting potential customers into contacts (emails, but can also be phone numbers).
MoFu (middle of funnel)
This is the key moment to position your company as the best supplier of a product or service that meets the needs of potential customers.
Different strategies can be used and one of these is to plan lead nurturing actions .
What is it?
Lead nurturing is the creation of personalized and relevant content for our contacts. This can include targeted offers and content, such as free product demos or testimonials from satisfied customers.
BoFu (bottom of funnel)
It’s the closing phase, we have to get to the goal and sell !
At this stage, many companies seek one-to-one contact to build a relationship with the potential customer . Assistance, chat, telephone…
Content may include live demonstrations, emails with offers, discount coupons, phone calls or meetings with the sales manager.
The Contemporary Funnel
Funnel means “funnel”.
However, nowadays, you have to imagine the funnel not so much as a funnel, but more as an ecosystem , that is, a map of contact points with people. In fact, the better we are at intercepting the needs and requirements of people along their path of awareness, the greater the possibility of discovering us and making them buy our products.
Excerpt:
“The way people make decisions is messy , and it’s only getting messier. But there are some things we know about buying behavior. We know that what happens between the trigger and the purchase decision process is not linear. We know that there’s a complicated web of touchpoints that differs from person to person. What’s less clear, however, is how shoppers process all the information and choices they uncover along the way. And what’s critical, what we aim to understand with this new research, is how that process influences what people ultimately decide to buy.”
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But remember: in this context the choice of channels and tools is a consequence not a starting point. In fact, strategy comes first and then tactics.
The Funnel includes different phases for which an effective strategy is needed that leads to concrete results. As a Digital Strategist I can provide you with the tools and support needed to accelerate your online project. Let’s get in touch and talk about your goals.
