Despite having started as a trend, Content Marketing is today one of the most valued and used tools by companies that want to generate more leads and increase public engagement with their brand.
According to a report by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), MarketingProfs and ON24, 42% of the 800 marketing professionals interviewed stated that content should be the company's revenue center. After all, it is through informative materials that the company instills trust in visitors who, consequently, become leads and, later, complete a purchase.
However, for a content marketing strategy to be fully utilized, it needs to help potential consumers move forward in a business’s sales funnel. Want to know how to create a content funnel that generates results? Check out this article:
what is a content funnel;
Content Funnel stages;
advantages of using the content funnel;
how to create a content funnel;
What is the content funnel?
You probably already know that the sales funnel is a chile whatsapp data process, or rather, a path that a consumer goes through when making a purchase on a given website. At each stage of the funnel, a different strategy is used to help the visitor move towards the final goal: buying.
This funnel is divided into three stages: top, middle and bottom of the funnel. The main objective of the content funnel is to identify which materials should be used in each of these stages, with the aim of taking leads from the top to the bottom.
Basically, it works like this: a person who is interested in learning to skateboard searches for the subject on Google and finds one of its materials entitled: “The first steps to learning to skateboard”.
This person is at the top of the funnel, and most likely they won't buy your skateboard right now, but from this material, you'll be able to collect the data needed to turn this visitor into a lead and nurture them with materials that will gradually move them to the bottom of the funnel.
In other words, content marketing will help users on their path to purchasing a particular product, but for this to happen, it is important to provide the right information at the right time. Understand how to apply content based on the stages of the funnel:
The stages of the content funnel
Consumers have different mindsets at each stage of the funnel, which are related to the stages of the buying journey. A consumer who is just discovering a product or service has a different behavior than one who is already at a more advanced stage of the journey.
There are several ways to produce online content and each of them has a greater affinity with one or another stage of the funnel. See which content is most relevant at each stage:
Top of the Funnel (ToFu)
Top-of-funnel content is used to attract visitors who are discovering or learning about your product or service. The first contact, that is, the first impression someone will have of your business, is through the information you convey to them.
To create a user-brand relationship, it is necessary to use basic attraction tools, such as blog articles, videos and social networks. Generally, these contents have broader themes about your niche, which answer questions such as: what it is, how to use it, what it is for and other terms that help educate the audience.
Furthermore, at the top of the funnel, you must awaken the user’s pain — often unknown — and make them interested in learning more about that topic. Therefore, interesting content such as general curiosities related to your brand are necessary.
Middle of the Funnel (MoFu)
Once you've captured users' attention, you need to start nurturing them with more advanced content. It's common for leads in the middle of the funnel to already be aware that there's a problem, but they're not sure about the solution.
At this stage, it is important to nurture leads with a focus on guiding them to the final stage, showing why you are the best solution to their pain. The materials here contain more detailed information about the niche, and can be e-books, infographics, and even courses.
But of course, the content is only delivered if the visitor responds to some type of interaction, such as answering a form or landing page and watching a webinar. Engagement in the articles continues and, this time, the content is more focused on the company's services or products.