How To Develop a Profitable Digital Marketing Funnel (Comprehensive Guide)

For running a successful business being active online on all the platforms is not enough. You should know about the strategic approach that converts visitors into loyal customers. Let’s read about the digital marketing funnel which guides its customers through every stage of buying from awareness to converting them into paying customers. You require planning, execution, and optimization to create a profitable digital marketing funnel. It is both an art as well a science.

Today, we are here to discuss a comprehensive guide on the digital marketing funnel that not only generates traffic but converts leads into a required customer. Whether you are an experienced marketer who wants to improve your strategies or you are at your initial stage of learning about it, this guide will surely help you!

Right from the start you will be guided through every step of creating a funnel that in return generates revenue. It also creates good-quality content to get the best results out of it. Let’s bring changes to your marketing efforts and unlock the benefits of being online always. 

What is a Digital Marketing Funnel?

Want to know about the digital marketing funnel in detail? Let’s move forward with this explaining what digital marketing funnel means. Digital marketing funnel is the backbone of digital marketing. In this marketers attract customers and convert them into paying leads. This shows the actual journey of customers from the top to the bottom. The main goal of this is to increase the number of customers in the starting thereby decreasing them in the last. 

Calculating the journey of customers from the top to the bottom is done in a very systematic way beginning from attracting customers to converting them into leads. The success of a digital marketing campaign is measured through the funnel. It is divided into six steps from making users know about the products and services to making a purchase. The six steps are named below:

• Exposure
• Discovery
• Consideration
• Conversion
• Customer relationship
• Retention

Digital marketing has become an integral part of business. Users who want their business to get promoted in the market use lead generation strategies. More the leads, the more revenue will be generated.

Traditional Marketing Funnel Vs. Digital Marketing Funnel

Why is Digital Marketing Funnel Important?

The digital marketing funnel is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing efforts. Also, ensuring that the needs and preferences of the target audience must align with the marketing messages. So, let’s go deeper into the importance of the marketing funnel.

• Benefits for Businesses

The digital marketing funnel is beneficial for the business as the data collected at each stage helps them get more in touch with the customers. To know about the customer experience companies can take the pieces of information from the different types of stages. 

• Customer Journey Insights

The funnel goes deep into the customer journey letting businesses or companies know how they move through every stage of the funnel. By analyzing these stages businesses can identify the pain points, understand the patterns, and optimize the strategies. For example, companies can target the previous ads, and customize the follow-ups of existing customers so that those who are leaving the cart empty can make the purchases.

• Increased Conversion Rates

In the digital marketing funnel, the conversion rates can be higher to guide the customers through each stage of the funnel with relevant content. You also make use of conversion rate optimisation to generate leads. This further results in:

• Higher lead generation
• Reduced friction
• Personalised engagement with customers

For example, we can use the email for the leads who have shown interest but haven’t made the purchase. To encourage the conversion, they can be offered with incentives and other benefits. 

Stages of the Digital Marketing Funnel

Want to know about the stages of the digital marketing funnel? The funnel is divided into 5 stages depending upon the phase of the journey the customer is currently residing. Let’s discuss the digital marketing funnel stages in detail.

1. Awareness (Top of the Funnel – ToFu)

ToFu also called as Top of the funnel is one of the largest stages. It is the awareness stage where the buyer or consumer is made aware of their needs and wants. The aim is to grab the attention of the customers, generate leads, and make the brand popularize. 

At times the customers discover their needs on their own and sometimes they need help from the information provided by you. Once their need is fulfilled, they have entered the first stage of the funnel.

Below are the examples of ToFu Content:

• Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is a powerful tool to understand the full marketing strategy. There are platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Google, Linkedin, etc. targeting the required options allowing the customers to find out the solutions to their problems. To grab the attention of the users you can use tools like search history, online graphics, and demographics. For example, the company selling electronics can make use of Google ads to target customers who are searching for “best electronics products”. This ad will appear at the top of the search results.
• Social Media Marketing: Social Media marketing is important to target the audience even more effectively. If you post on social media regularly you can make your brand to be on the top. You can also run some paid campaigns on social media that will generate leads and understand the customer’s interests.
• Blog Posts: A blog post is a tool that helps educate its users thereby making them aware of the brand. It should be engaging and in an easy-to-read format so that more people show their interest in reading it. It serves as an introduction to your brand to the readers. Let’s suppose you run a travel industry and publish a blog on “Top 10 Hill stations in India” or “What are the places to go in the month of July-August”. It will attract the people who are a wanderlust. 
• Infographics: Infographics is a tool on which complex information can be displayed visually and shared on social media and other platforms. This increases the overall reach and brand visibility. 
• Video Marketing: Apart from reading the content, many users are attracted by the attractive videos being published on social media platforms. You can publish how-to videos that solve the problems of the customers immediately.

2. Consideration (Middle of the Funnel – MoFu)

When your problems are being identified by the prospects and then actively looking for solutions come under the consideration stage. The consideration stage is the middle of the funnel (MoFu) where your offerings are evaluated against the competitors. You have to provide detailed information that focuses on the main selling points. The objectives of this are to build trust and encourage them to think about making a purchase.

Mentioning below the examples of MoFu:

• Newsletter: Newsletters are the best way to keep an active engagement with your customers. By providing them with recent updates and offers you can maintain their interest and further guide them down the funnel. For example, a digital company might send a newsletter showing case studies and upcoming webinar invitations. 
• Webinars: Webinars are sessions with lots of information allowing you to engage with the users in recent times. In this, you can focus on your expertise, answer questions, and build trust and loyalty among the customers. 
• Whitepapers: Whitepapers consist of detailed information on a particular topic. This form is beneficial for B2B and B2C giving them valuable insights to the customers. For example, a whitepaper explaining the new developments in data security has been explained by cybersecurity experts. 
• Case Studies: It helps in solving the real-world problems of the customers. Previous stories about the customers are also displayed in it who benefited through it. 

3. Conversion (Bottom of the Funnel – BoFu)

The conversion Stage also called the bottom of the funnel (BoFu) where your leads show their interest in becoming loyal customers. This is the main stage for which the digital marketing funnel is started. This stage takes time as the customer evaluates the product through different parameters such as price, value added by the product, etc. But sometimes it is done more quickly than expected. 

Examples of MoFu are as follows:

• Consultation: Offering consultations for free can make you aware of the customers’ needs thereby guiding them with the best solutions.  You can provide personal recommendations to your customers to fulfill their needs. 
• Testimonials: This shows the stories of the customers who are happy with our services. This shows proof and assures that the prospects are satisfied with our offerings.
• Pricing Information: This stage also contains the details about the price allowing its customers to make purchases if the products fit within the budget.
• FAQs: FAQs contain a set of questions and answers that arise in the minds of common people. This builds confidence in the customers about the products and services. 
• Special Offers: Providing clear and creative CTAs allows customers to make decisions immediately. These offers should be precise and easy to redeem. For example such as “Buy one Get 3 free”.

4. Retention

Retention is the fourth stage of the digital marketing funnel. In this you make your customers feel satisfied with the products they have purchased. This ensures them to make the purchases again and again. With this, you can make a long-term relationship with your customers. You can also take the interview of the client to create a case study which can be used in the previous stages. Some of the strategies for retention are customer support, loyalty programs, and regular engagement with customers.

5. Advocacy

Last but not least, now that you have converted your customers, they still wait for your support and guidance on future purchases. Creating a satisfying shopping experience is essential to turning a consumer into a dedicated brand ambassador who will gladly recommend you to friends and family, post content on social media, write positive reviews and even provide you with user-generated content!

How to Create an Effective Digital Marketing Funnel?

Types of Digital Marketing Funnels

There are five types of digital marketing funnels. Let’s dive deeper into each one of them:-

1. B2B Marketing Funnel

B2B marketing funnel also known as sales funnel in digital marketing. It is a funnel in which you can calculate the journey of customers before they get converted into active customers. It explains through various stages starting from knowing about the product till they covert them and make purchases. Let’s the example of Zoom. It attracts customers by posting blogs, webinars, etc related to remote work. They make you feel interested by sharing tests, success stories, and emails. Just like Zoom, your main aim is to convert the leads into loyal customers. The B2B marketing funnel contains clients such as CEOs, accountants, supervisors, etc.

2. B2C Marketing Funnel

The B2C marketing funnel is also named as consumer purchase funnel. The B2C marketing funnel comes under the different stages of the digital marketing funnel. The stages are explained above in detail.

• Top of the funnel
• Middle of the funnel
• Bottom of the funnel
• Retention
• Advocacy

3. Linear Funnels

Linear funnels are the traditional form of funnel which is also used for calculating the journey of customers through the different stages of the funnel. This journey begins from the top where customers learn about your product and services. Slowly and gradually they move step by step through the funnel ending with making the customers repeat buyers. 

4. Hourglass Funnels

The Hourglass funnel takes the customers beyond the level of purchase and moves them forward to further stages like onboarding, engagement and loyalty. Doing so builds strong long-term relationships among customers. The hourglass funnel focuses mainly on lifecycle marketing, early product activation, and lifetime value. 

5. Growth Loops

A growth loop is also called a feedback loop designed to generate the output of one cycle into the next input. It spins speedily and allows the customers to return the funnel to make purchases. It is in the form of a cycle that starts with awareness and ends with advocacy.

Now think about it which of the above-mentioned funnel suits you? Make sure the type of digital marketing funnel should align with your brand strategy.

Different Types of Marketing Funnels

Conclusion

Businesses that want to succeed in today’s competitive world must understand the basics of the digital marketing funnel. Each step from awareness to conversion is critical in helping potential buyers make a purchase decision. Companies can effectively attract, engage, and convert leads into loyal customers by understanding the importance of audience targeting, content optimization, and strategic engagement across various digital platforms. Companies can optimize their marketing efforts and achieve sustainable success in the digital space by adopting these expansion-stimulating principles.

Looking to create an impressive marketing campaign? Don’t worry when AI tools are by your side. Make yourself aware of all the stages of the digital marketing funnel i.e. Top of the funnel (ToFu), Middle of the funnel (MoFu), Bottom of the funnel (BoFu), Retention, and advocacy. We, at W3era always try to give the best and most creative solutions for all your problems.