What is a content marketing funnel?

Content marketing is more than just a buzzword. It helps marketers around the world keep their prospects informed and engaged with the right types of content at the right time. A content marketing funnel helps marketers map out a prospective client or consumer's journey towards purchase, and helps guide the marketer to help answer that prospective client or consumer's questions with useful, quality website content at each stage in the path to purchase.

We like Sprout Social's definition of the marketing funnel. As they so simply put it, "A marketing funnel describes your customer's journey with you."

What are the stages of a content marketing funnel?

As a marketer, all content that you create should be mapped to a stage in the marketing funnel. Each stage maps to a step in the buyer's journey from when they first become aware of their problem to when they realize that your product or service is the solution. So, when done correctly, one of the biggest benefits of content marketing is that you establish your brand as both an expert and the best solution for your typical client or customer. Tip: When you start with a great content marketing strategy, it will be so much easier to create content that converts along each stage in the marketing funnel.

Awareness, a.k.a, Top of Funnel or TOFU

The top of the funnel, or TOFU, is the point when a prospect is starting to become aware of a problem. At this stage, they are consuming information about the problem from content like blog posts. They are in all likelihood, casually gathering information on the topic.

They might come to this stage in the funnel in a couple of different ways. They may passively become aware of the problem by reading content about the problem that makes them aware of it. Or, they might first realize they have a problem that needs to be solved and then actively search for more information about it.

Content created for the Awareness stage of the content marketing funnel should contain helpful, valuable information. Hard sell calls to action don't belong in this stage. This content should encourage consumers or prospects to see you as an expert on the subject so that once they're ready to act, they'll put you among options for consideration.

Typical questions asked during the Awareness stage in the marketing funnel start with "What?" or "Why". For example, someone who is looking to brush up on their marketing strategy may search, "What are the stages of a content marketing funnel?"

Typical TOFU content: blogs, podcasts, infographics, advertising, and social media content.

Interest or Consideration, a.k.a, Middle of the Funnel or MOFU

The middle of the content marketing funnel is all about presenting possible solutions for your prospect or consumer's problems. Content created for this stage should show why your brand or product is unique. What value do you provide as a possible solution to their problem?

This content can give examples of how others approach the problem. For a B2B company, this could be a case study. For a B2C clothing brand this could be an email showing how real people have styled the product. The goal here is to keep building trust and get your brand added to the consumer or prospect's shortlist of possible solutions.

It's ok to get a little more "sales-y" with this content. While it's not the time to say, "buy my company's services today", it is the time to say, "learn more" or "see how my company can help you".

Typical questions asked during this stage start with "How" or "Who". To keep our marketer example going, someone may ask "How do I use a content marketing funnel to sell my product?" or "Who can help me create content that converts along the content marketing funnel?".

Typical MOFU content: Case studies, newsletters, and eBooks.

Purchase, a.k.a., Bottom of the Funnel or BOFU

The bottom of the content marketing funnel is make it or break it time. It's the point where your consumer or prospect makes a decision after doing their research. Content at this point in the funnel should focus on why you are the best solution for them.

BOFU content should help your prospect make a decision. Comparison guides, case studies, product reviews or client quotes can all help show that you're a great solution and help support the decision to buy from you.

Typical questions asked during this stage are also "How" questions, as well as “Why” questions. It’s key in this stage to answer questions that reassure your consumer that your product will work for them, like "How has this brand helped someone like me?". Illustrating why you’re the best solution, especially when your prospect may be comparing you to another solution is also important. Show your prospect why your product or service is best for THEM. A question we push ourselves to answer at Kafen8 is, "Why is Kafen8 a great solution for content marketing for small businesses?"

Typical BOFU content: free trial, comparison guides, quizzes, and demos.

Advocacy: The often-neglected part of the content marketing funnel

At Kafen8, we believe that the Advocacy stage of the funnel, or "AFU" is the most important part of the marketing funnel. This stage is all about retention and turning those happy clients into a marketing force for you. Without happy clients or customers, your company won't last long. But more importantly, happy customers can become advocates for your brand and help spread the word.

It's also a great opportunity to upsell those happy customers into buying more products or services from you. Content created for this stage of the funnel should focus on showing love to your clients, customers, and encouraging them to share the love of your product or service.

Typical AFU content includes referral programs, onboarding programs, user-generated content marketing, and newsletters. Company swag is another nice way to keep clients engaged post purchase. My favorite recent experience with this is with Peloton. Once you hit 100 rides, they celebrate it within the app and send you a nice piece of Peloton Swag to reward you for engaging with the brand.

So, how do you create content that converts throughout the funnel?

Now that you understand the stages of a content marketing funnel, check out our post about how to create content that converts along every stage of your brand's marketing funnel.