Stages of marketing and sales 

Let’s now talk a little about each of the stages of the two funnels, marketing and sales, so that you understand what they consist of and what is the most recommended content for each of their parts.

Marketing funnel

Funnel top

At the top of the marketing funnel , users are still in the discovery phase—they’re curious about a topic but don’t yet fully understand what their problem is.

This stage is therefore defined as the part where users are educated, helping them discover something they don’t know. Some examples of content for this stage are:

Blog posts

Blog articles or basic materials to answer questions such as: what, how, why, that help solve the discovery phase of a user’s problem, for example:

• 10 Content Marketing Lessons From Netflix
• Nostalgia marketing: why is it so effective?

Both are articles that are well suited to this type of content, as they focus on explaining a topic in a basic and global way, to spark interest or help identify a need.

At this point in the funnel, it’s not worth malta mobile database making an offer to users because we’re not yet clear on what problem they have.

Infographics

They are easy and quick to understand, which makes them ideal for the educational stage.

Podcasts

Similar to blog posts, podcasts have the advantage of being more leisurely and keep users on your website longer.

Newsletter

An excellent way to create connections with people who will begin to learn more about your product or service and move through the funnel through nurturing.

Enter to learn in depth about the development of some of these  top-of-the-funnel contents .

Middle of the funnel

In the middle of the funnel , users recognize that they have a problem and begin to take an interest in ways to solve it.

Although the company, product or service should not be specifically mentioned here, it is now possible to present the different existing solutions to the problem (even solutions that the business does not address).

Depending on the case, you can start talking about the brand, but without going into too much depth. The ideal content for this stage is: 

Blog Posts

Just as they can present a problem at the should therefore be favored portable top of the funnel, they can also serve to present solutions.

Ebooks

Although they are more complex to produce, they are responsible for starting a relationship with the user (similar to a newsletter). They can be produced from content already published on the blog.

An example of a middle-of-the-funnel ebook is this one on Google Analytics :

To get back to the point, when they reach this second stage, suspects become  prospects , also called leads. This means that they allow for a closer approach, they want more content and more attention.

At this stage, personalized emails, email marketing and the use of  newsletters are valid . Content is distributed more frequently.

This last aspect has demanded marketing automation , since it is necessary to segment and deliver the correct material to the interested people. 

At this stage, it is essential for the company to offer more in-depth content.

Thus, it is worth investing in “how-to” processes and techniques, presenting advantages and disadvantages of products, services, tools and methods.

It is also interesting to offer practical guides and other materials that can add value to the product or service that the company wants to sell. 

The best content format options for the middle of the funnel are:

• whitepapers,
• virtual books,
• videos,
• blog posts,
• infographics
• and online presentations.

In this way, it is easy to perceive that the content has to be useful, educational and provide additional information on concepts.

Continue reading about the contents of the middle of the funnel at the link.

Bottom of the funnel

Those who have reached this point have already identified their problem and even understand that your company offers an attractive solution. These users are ready to consider a solution and take a purchase action.

It is very important that at this stage it is clear that your business has everything the user needs to solve their problem, which is why it is allowed to talk about products and services here. It is recommended to invest in content such as:

Blog posts

Deeper than the previous two, they are usually content that speaks directly about the solution to the problem, with a brand present, most of the time.

An example of this content is as follows:

• Rock Content Methodology in Content Marketing: Know the stages of maturity

Success stories

These are recommendations from other customers that can serve as a reference for people who are thinking about buying your product or service.

Discounts

Discounts can serve as a differential and encourage purchasing decisions.

Webinars or demonstrations

Demonstrating how your product or service works is often very interesting for those who are considering your company and want to get to know you better.

Contact a consultant

Making it easy for the user to contact a sales representative can be a determining factor in the purchase (this is where the sales funnel alarm bells start ringing!).

One last tip for this part: when you’re going to create content for the bottom of the funnel, try to combine good content with an attractive call to action that invites the client to speak with a specialist or consultant. This can open doors for new business!  

Also learn in detail the  types of content that are part of the bottom of the funnel .

Sales funnel

Top of the funnel (TOFU)

At this stage of the funnel, sales has a potential lead that has already been qualified by marketing (i.e., marketing has captured and nurtured the lead and now understands that it could become a potential customer).

Here the first direct contact is made through the personal information that the lead has already provided, in addition to an investigation with the aim of discovering:

• If the lead really intends to solve their problem with the product or service,
• If you have other problems not yet identified
• and if you have the capacity (economic and time) to make the purchase.

Middle of the funnel (MOFU)

The second part of the funnel consists of showing the potential client the solutions that the company can offer them, through a diagnosis and analysis of the current situation of the lead (identified at the top of the funnel).

Here the sales team can use the rich materials that marketing has created as a way to reinforce their diagnosis to the user.

Bottom of the funnel (BOFU)

At the bottom of the funnel are users who are already convinced that they need help and are considering purchasing the product or service.

At this stage, the sales team must work on the best possible proposals that meet the contact’s expectations and convince them to close the deal, sign a contract and become a client.

Conclusion

Is the development of the Sales and Marketing Funnels clear? We hope so.

We also wanted to highlight one thing. It is aqb directory clear that we want our businesses and brands to be flooded with sales. Ultimately, that is our ultimate goal, isn’t it?

Without sales we simply could not continue offering our products and services. Hence the importance of the funnel, for example.

However, let’s remember one thing:  a sale is the consequence of good content.

That’s why we invite you to download our free Content Marketing e-book. With it, you’ll be able to orient your content to each phase of the funnel and generate more sales opportunities!