Funnel Love: Why We Choose to Specialize in Marketing Funnels (2024)

For years, we were paid for output, not strategy.

We had a set number of posts to publish, a set number of ads to run, a set number of shoots to fulfill. That’s it. We didn’t have to think beyond delivering output.

Yet, we tried. Something in us bristled at the thought of merely taking orders and fulfilling them—nothing wrong with that kind of business model, it just doesn’t feel right for us.

We weren’t good at it, though. We didn’t know what we were doing, and it’s laughable thinking about it now. Every month, we would conduct these “strategy” sessions for each account, starting over and trying to come up with new things to try based on the most recent marketing trends.

No data analysis, no deep research, no actual insights.

It’s nice to look back on those days and see how much we’ve learned. But now, our practice—our chosen positioning—is based on research, insights, strategy, plans, and our favorite tool: the funnel.

In this article, I’ll try to clarify the reasoning behind our decision to specialize in marketing funnels.

What is a marketing funnel?

First, let’s define what a marketing funnel is.

A funnel is a roadmap designed to guide potential customers from brand awareness to purchase—and potentially, to repeat purchase and advocacy. It’s wide at the top, narrow at the bottom. Hence, a funnel.

At the top of the funnel, we cast a wide net to capture as many leads as possible. Then, by providing value through a series of interactions, we slowly nurture and qualify the people who will benefit most from our offerings until a small percentage of them become paying customers at the bottom of the funnel.

Elias St. Elmo Lewis conceived this concept in 1898 when he developed the AIDA model, which goes like this in its simplest form:

• Awareness: prospective customers learn that you exist
• Interest: a certain percentage become interested
• Desire: an even smaller percentage decides that your product or service is the one they want
• Action: some of them will buy or take whatever action you want them to take

Despite the perceived simplicity of funnels, they can get too complex too quickly once executed. Add to that the different models deployed by many marketers, and it’s easy to get lost in the weeds, especially if you study them from the inside. That’s why it’s important for us to start with an overview. To see the forest from the trees.

Marketing Funnel Variants

To minimize confusion, we need to understand there’s no universal model. It all depends on the industry, types of customers, buying cycles, and business goals.

Aside from the original AIDA model, here are the typical versions you’ll see in the wild:

• Top of the funnel (TOFU) > Middle of the funnel (MOFU) > Bottom of the funnel (BOFU)
• Awareness > Consideration > Conversion > Loyalty > Advocacy
• Awareness > Opinion > Consideration > Preference > Purchase
• Awareness > Interest > Evaluation > Commitment > Sale > Repeat
• Awareness > Interest > Consideration > Intent > Evaluation > Purchase
• Awareness > Interest > Consideration > Purchase > Retention

As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all marketing funnel out there. And as you probably noticed, some use different words that essentially mean the same things.

Why we love funnels

Now, on to the reasons why we chose to be known as marketing funnel experts.

• It forces us to know our target audience well. This is elementary. The starting point of a good marketing plan is understanding the needs, wants, and demands of target customers. Yet, with so many marketing tools, channels, and trends out there, it’s easy to lose track of this first principle. Using a funnel forces us to define our target audience because it’s the only way we can figure out which lead magnets are effective in nurturing our prospects.
• It provides structure to an otherwise chaotic practice. Music is my favorite analogy to the importance of structure—absolute freedom is no freedom at all. If we only produce random sounds and beats, we can’t call it music. We can’t follow it. There’s no rhythm, no pattern, no harmony. It’s pure chaos. We create music when sounds follow patterns overlaid on top of patterns. That’s how we produce harmony, melody, and emotion. Marketing can be the same way. There are too many platforms, tactics, trends, algorithm changes, and methodologies out there. If we pick ones at random, results are sporadic. We need the right amount of order and harmony to create “music.” Funnels provide that framework.
• It’s based on an actual exchange of value. Not hype, click-baits, or obnoxious sales tactics. It’s The Law of Reciprocity at work. At every stage of the funnel, we have to give something of value for the potential customer to remain in the journey.
• It allows people to self-select. It acts as a sieve—a match-making tool—qualifying people who are most likely to benefit from our offerings and disqualifying people who don’t have a need we can fill. People decide if the value we’re giving away is for them—they can opt in and out any time they want. Used right, we can ensure only good-fit buyers enter the bottom of the funnel.
• It’s measurable. Once we set up a funnel strategy, we can continuously refine it to get better and better results. If we’re winning lots of people at the top of the funnel but aren’t converting, maybe we need to optimize our offers and sequences at the bottom of the funnel instead of starting from scratch every time we get poor results.
• It helps with consistency. The funnel works as a unified whole, with every marketing activity connecting to it. This means the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing. If we need to experiment on a marketing tactic, say podcast-guesting, we can ask ourselves these questions:
• “How does this connect to our primary funnel?”
• “Which landing pages do we send listeners to? Should we create new ones for this?”
• “At which stage do they come in? Are these people warm leads or hot leads?”
• “Which email sequence do we use to further give value and nurture these leads?”
• It’s easier to close deals. When leads do land at our doorstep, there’s no need to go into convince-mode to close the sale. Leads already vetted themselves. They know the business and what it can do for them. They only want to see options and offers.
• It saves time and money. The majority of the heavy-lifting is done at the beginning. Once properly set up, we can automate the entire process, monitor results, and keep making refinements. Say goodbye to spray-and-pray advertising!
• It’s easier to foster loyalty. Because only good-fit buyers get to the bottom of the funnel, they are more likely to become loyal customers and buy repeatedly. They’re also more likely to tell their peers (who might belong to the same demographic and psychographic group as our ideal customer) about their purchases.
• It’s easier to predict cash flow. Knowing how long potential customers go through each stage of the funnel allows us to make more accurate financial projections.

Common strategies, tools, and tactics for each stage of the funnel

To help visualize the stages of a funnel, here are some general marketing activities and tactics and where they fall on the funnel system. To keep it simple, we’ll use a three-stage funnel of Top-of-the-funnel (TOFU), Middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU), and Bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU).

TOFU: Awareness

Potential customers have a common pain point but aren’t aware of it. The goal is to draw attention to the specific problem.

Common marketing activities:

• Target market research
• Brand identity design
• Content or inbound marketing
• Blog articles
• E-Books
• Whitepapers
• Videos
• Social media marketing
• Search engine marketing
• Influencer or affiliate marketing
• Paid ads strategy
• Engagement strategy
• Dream 100 strategy
• Guesting and speaking engagements
• Referrals
• Trade shows, conferences, and other events
• Direct email

MOFU: Interest/Desire/Consideration/Intent

Potential customers are problem-aware and solution-aware. The goal is to provide valuable information that help them understand and solve their problems in exchange for their name and email.

Common marketing activities:

• More content marketing
• Lead magnets
• Value ladder strategy
• Email marketing
• Webinars
• Paid ads retargeting
• Landing pages
• Case studies and testimonials

BOFU: Action

They know that you can help them solve their problems and they’re waiting for a good deal. The goal is to create enticing offers and close deals.

Common marketing activities:

• Free trials and demonstrations
• Low-ticket item offers
• Paid diagnostics
• Short courses
• Masterclasses

Although most people enter at the top of the funnel, a small percentage enter the funnel in the middle or even at the bottom because have already been indoctrinated somewhere else (by competitors or through their own research). They’re just waiting for The One—the right-fit company or offer that will help solve their problems.

The process remains the same regardless of which stage they enter the funnel.