What is a funnel?
A Funnel(also known as the marketing or purchasing funnel) describes the path a customer takes before making a purchase. The first model to describe the funnel process was created by Elmo Lewis and called Aida (Awereess, Interest, Desire, and Action).
- Awareness describes the moment when the customer first becomes aware of a product
- Interest, as the name suggests, describes that the customer shows interest in the product
- Desire is the moment when the potential customer starts to want to buy the product
- Action is when the customer has ultimately purchased the product
They are enormously important due to the fact that they describe the behavior and interaction of customers before the purchase process. They provide significant information for companies to understand how to achieve the best (revenue) results. The understanding and traceability of the Customer Journey through the Funnel helps to create a better marketing campaign and identify areas that need to be optimized.
How to create a funnel?
Success methods include tools such as:
- An email marketing service
- A platform for marketing automation
- Landing Page Software
Implementing a fundamental strategy also requires the following:
- A Traffic Source(s)
- A Landing Page
- A lead generation form
- Good Content, because it applies as always: Content is King!
How your (1) Traffic-source (2) to the Landing Page (3), which contains the lead generation form (4) that they fill out to download your content.
The difference between B2B and B2C marketing funnel
Marketing-Funnel often change depending on the customer base.
- B2C customers often navigate alone through the Funnelor with family and friends who can advise on the purchase.
- B2B customers have larger, more focused buying groups. In the lower stages of the marketing funnel, B2B consumers often interact directly with sales representatives.
The adjustment of the respective Funnel to your customers - whether B2C or B2B - makes the Funnel immediately more effective for your business.
Purpose of a funnel
The purpose of a funnel is to visualize a process that guides customers through a particular customer journey. A Funnel can also be used to identify trends at different stages of the buying process. This can help improve the efficiency of the sales process and understand how customers navigate through the process.
Funnel stages
A Funnel consists of different stages that represent the customer's journey through the buying process. Each stage of the funnel plays an important role in understanding the customer's buying behavior and improving the sales process.
Top-of-the-Funnel
Top-of-the-Funnel-Marketing is a concept that aims to reach and inform potential customers when they are not yet ready to make a decision. It is an important part of the marketing funnel and includes activities such as creating content, running social media campaigns, distributing newsletters and hosting Webinaren. These activities can help raise awareness of a particular product or brand and guide potential customers into the buying process.
Middle-of-the-Funnel
Middle-of-the-Funnel-marketing is another concept that focuses on potential customers who have taken the first steps in the buying process. It involves the use of techniques such as lead nurturing, where potential customers are contacted via email or social media and guided through the buying process. The goal is to provide prospects with relevant and valuable information to persuade them to make a decision.
Bottom-of-the-Funnel
Bottom-of-the-Funnel-marketing is a concept that focuses on potential customers who are about to make a purchase decision. It involves techniques such as retargeting, where potential customers are targeted with ads that guide them on their way through the Funnel accompany. It also includes creating landing pages specifically tailored to the needs of potential customers and setting up A/B tests to optimize conversion rates.
Post-Purchase
Post-purchase marketing is a concept that focuses on customers who have already made a purchase. It involves techniques such as email marketing, where customers are notified after a purchase to encourage them to make another purchase. It also involves using social media channels to increase a brand's visibility and attract customers to make further purchases, and setting up loyalty programs where customers receive rewards for buying certain products.
Re-Engagement
Re-engagement marketing is a concept that focuses on restoring customer loyalty lost through inactive customers. It involves techniques such as sending emails or SMS to customers who have been inactive for more than a certain period of time to remind them of their last purchase. It also includes sending discounts or special offers to encourage customers to make another purchase, and hosting sweepstakes or contests to build customer loyalty.
Application of the funnel
Funnels can be used in various industries to understand customer behavior and improve the sales process. They are often used in the E-commerce, in the Online Marketing and used in sales to identify and analyze trends in the various phases of the buying process.
Concrete example: Let's say you have an online store for houseplants and accessories.
- AwarenessYou start a blog about the basics of houseplant care. Your post ranks for keywords like "houseplant care for beginners."
- Consideration: Within the blog, you link to more specific posts such as "Top 10 houseplants for beginners" or "How often should I water my houseplants?"
- Decision: These specific posts have CTA buttons or links to your product pages, such as a comparison of casting indicators.
- ActionThe product pages are then your conversion pages. This is where you want to make the deal clear. Therefore, the page should be well optimized so that it ranks for purchase-oriented keywords, such as "buy watering lance" or "watering lance XY on offer."
Advantages of the use of funnels
Funnels help companies gain insights into customer buying behavior. They can help to understand and optimize the sales process. By visualizing the buying process, companies can also identify where improvements need to be made. A Funnel can also help guide customers through the buying process and provide them with a better customer experience.
Conclusion
When you get right down to it, the Funnel Basically, like a well-oiled gearbox that guides your users fluidly and efficiently through the decision-making process. You start at the top, where the net is widest, and guide people step by step to the conversion pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
1. more than just Traffic: Funnel-Marketing in SEO is not just about getting more clicks to your website. What people do there is much more important. You don't want one-way visitors, but people who are interested and move through the various stages of the funnel.
2. segmented Content strategy: Each stage of the funnel needs its own content type. Beginner info, expert tips, product comparisons, testimonials - each content piece has its own place and purpose in the Funnel.
3. keywords with brains: Depending on the Funnel-The keywords also vary depending on the stage. In the beginning, they are often general terms, but later they become more and more specific. It's like a good playlist you put together for a road trip: At the beginning, you play chill music for cruising, and the closer you get to your destination, the more exciting the playlist becomes.
4. conversion as the supreme discipline: At the end of the day, it's all about conversion. You want people not just to look, but to buy, sign up, download, or whatever your conversion is. The Funnel helps you guide the user there as purposefully as a well-programmed GPS route.
5. adaptability: The biggest advantage in the Funnel-Marketing is the opportunity to adapt. You can see from the data where people are dropping out or getting stuck. It's like a treasure map that shows you where you need to dig to get your Funnel to optimize.
In total Funnel-Marketing in SEO is therefore a powerful tool. It's about making your user's journey as pleasant and effective as possible, so that in the end there's something in it for both sides. And believe me, if your Funnel is well set, then it's like a perpetual motion machine for your conversions.
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