May 06 2021

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A Quick Content Guide for Your Marketing Funnel

The types of content you create and how it’s presented should be geared towards where your target audience is within the sales & marketing funnel.

Your website is usually the first point of contact a potential customer has with you, so it’s important that your content speaks to each stage of the marketing funnel. How you present the information can be dependent on the part of the funnel you are targeting. 

For instance, you might have a blog that helps customers determine the type of temporary building they might need, which would be useful for the Awareness Stage. Having another blog that addresses how to keep that type of building clean would be especially helpful for those in the Post-Purchase Stage. 

Choosing the right content and how to present that information can be a challenge, so we have created this quick guide to help you in this process. 

Stage 1: Awareness 

In the awareness stage of the funnel, your purpose is to get in front of your target audience as they realize they have a need for your product or service. Your customers might not be fully aware of what they are looking for at this point, so you want to provide them with the information that will help them narrow down their focus. 

Landing pages and blog posts are great for answering questions your customers might have and can be optimized through search engine optimization for the search landscape as well (see our blog post on utilizing SEO within your content strategy for more details). Social media posts spread brand awareness and can give prospective customers a better idea of your company’s voice, as well as a look inside your business’s day-to-day operations. You can use videos and infographics in your social media, as well, but they are effective pieces of content on their own and can provide helpful visuals that represent more complex processes.

Speak to Your Target Audience:  96% of surveyed TopSpot Customers believe it is important that the vendor/suppliers they are considering have content that specifically addresses their industry’s needs. (Source: TechValidate. TVID: BF6-2C0-7DD) Making sure your content speaks directly to the challenges your target audience faces and how your business can help solve them is important these days, even during the initial awareness stage.

Stage 2: Interest 

In this stage, the goal is to get potential customers interested in doing business with you. Having more in-depth information can help a customer who is still gathering data to help make their decision. 

Case studies, white papers and webinars give your potential customers more in-depth information centered on a topic of interest to them. Email marketing lets your company stay front of mind while they gather more data to make their decision.

Should You Gate Your Content? The conversation around gating content (where you request information such as an email address in exchange for providing content) is constantly evolving. On one hand, it’s a lead generation source and can give you an idea of the level of interest of a prospect. On the other, it can put off a potential customer who is not ready or willing to provide their contact information just yet. Deciding to gate your content is a decision that should be thought through carefully. 

Stage 3: Decision 

At this point in the funnel, your goal is to help customers make the decision to work with you. They’ve narrowed down what they are looking for and just need some final information to help make the decision to work with your company. 

As the customer narrows down their choices, comparisons, along with testimonials and reviews, give them the detailed data they need to make their final decisions. Detailed specifications, whether on a landing page or via consultations, also help the customer narrow their focus to exactly the product or service they need. In fact, in a recent survey of our industrial internet marketing customers, we found that 77% of them expect websites today to have detailed product information/service details such as specifications, CAD drawings, industry certifications, etc. (Source: TechValidate. TVID: 270-5D6-0CC)

The Importance of Calls to Action. Your calls-to-action also should be customized to where your customers are in the funnel. At the early stages, where the customer is gathering information, having a CTA or a form that offers to provide a consultation with one of your experts is more appropriate than a CTA that offers them a quote. Know what your customer’s needs are and tailor your CTAs to match. 

Stage 4: Action 

Similar to the Decision phase, this is the point where your content is meant to be helping your customers take the actions needed to work with you.  

Taking action at the decision phase can sometimes stall out. This is where a promotional offer or free trial can help a customer take action. Email marketing also helps here as your company is still front of mind and a well-timed email can be just the push needed. During a time when in-person facility tours aren’t an option, but can often be a differentiator that closes the deal, utilizing video to showcase your facility or equipment capabilities can also be helpful. (Learn more about utilizing video throughout your marketing funnel at our upcoming webinar!)

The Importance of Reviews & Testimonials. In a previous survey, we found that 77% of surveyed organizations agreed that a company’s online reviews are important when making a final decision about a potential vendor. (Source: TechValidate. TVID: 415-DBE-C1F) Making sure you are putting your best foot forward when it comes to your online reputation is key to closing the deal in many cases.

Stage 5: Post-Purchase 

Now that your customers have decided to work with you, you want to keep them happy and think of you for future purchases or referrals.  

Just because the purchase has been made, doesn’t mean your job is over! Having videos and blogs that address the care and condition of your products can be very useful to your customers. Surveys and emails can bring in needed feedback to know what more you can do to satisfy your Client, which could potentially lead to referrals/more new business for your company!

Build Brand Loyalty. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 65% of surveyed marketers within the manufacturing industry used content marketing to build loyalty with existing customers in 2020. This is up by 27% compared to 2019!

Next Steps

A marketing funnel can be described in many ways, some with three stages and others with far more. And just like a marketing funnel can be made up of different stages, the content that you choose for those stages can also be used at various points. Take a look at the content you have on your website and categorize them according to the stages of the marketing funnel. Identify where you have gaps or an overwhelming amount of information. Adjust your content as needed to be as helpful for your Clients as possible, whatever stage they are in.  

What This Means for You

Content (in all of its many forms) is a necessary part of a well-rounded digital marketing strategy. Setting aside time to focus on identifying content opportunities, creating a content strategy, and optimizing your new content for the search engines will not only provide your future and current customers with the information they need, it will also grow your online presence, improve your brand and assist in future lead generation over time.

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