[Guide] How to Build a Full-Funnel Marketing Strategy in 2024
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 8:07 am
Up to 96% of people who visit your website are undecided about making a purchase. However, that doesn't mean you can't convince them.
The process of developing brand awareness among a target audience, obtaining potential customer contacts and converting them through ads, content, emails, etc., is part of what is known as the marketing funnel.
The marketing funnel is a way of structuring the customer journey. It allows you to identify the different stages that a potential customer goes through until they become a customer.
These stages can also be grouped according to their position in the funnel: “top”, “middle” or “bottom”:
Top of the funnel (Awareness): The first stage, awareness, is when the brand seeks to attract a large audience of people who have not yet heard of it and who might be interested.
Middle of the funnel (Consideration/Engagement): The target audience is nurtured through content and interactions with the brand. They learn more about the product and begin to consider becoming a customer.
Bottom of the funnel (Conversion/Purchase): This is the last phase of the funnel, in which the prospect is convinced to make a purchase and becomes a customer.
Post-funnel (Retention/Recommendation): The goal at this stage is to keep customers satisfied so that they continue to be customers and even become brand ambassadors, recommending the brand to their friends and colleagues.
So what is a full-funnel strategy?
A full-funnel marketing strategy is when all these stages are active and connected so that the target audience enjoys a complete, unified and coherent experience with the brand, throughout their journey from the moment they become aware of the brand until they make the purchase, and even after becoming customers.
If a brand has a really strong top-of-funnel strategy but fails to nurture its relationship with its potential customers throughout the mid-funnel, the number of conversions will remain low.
If your top-of-funnel strategy is weak, you'll find it harder to generate a pool of mid-funnel software managers email database leads with conversion potential.
With a full-funnel marketing strategy that is robust across all stages, you will increase brand awareness, lead numbers, conversions, and average customer value. Therefore, it is imperative for businesses to not only optimize all stages of the funnel, but also ensure that they are connected and work together to maximize the full potential of the funnel.
Let's go through all the stages of the funnel step by step and explore what a full-funnel strategy actually looks like.
Top-of-Funnel: Attracting potential customers
The Top-of-the-Funnel (TOFU) is the point at which potential customers begin to learn about your company or product. They may not have heard of your company before or are only vaguely familiar with your offering. At this stage, brand awareness and recognition are typically low.
Messaging used in the TOFU stage should focus on the problems and needs of the target audience, not the company. It's not yet time to talk about specific products or solutions. Don't focus on your brand or product, but on the situation the customer is going through or a related topic that is relevant or interesting to them. This way, you can build trust and value in your brand with your target audience, paving the way for further nurturing them throughout the funnel.
The process of developing brand awareness among a target audience, obtaining potential customer contacts and converting them through ads, content, emails, etc., is part of what is known as the marketing funnel.
The marketing funnel is a way of structuring the customer journey. It allows you to identify the different stages that a potential customer goes through until they become a customer.
These stages can also be grouped according to their position in the funnel: “top”, “middle” or “bottom”:
Top of the funnel (Awareness): The first stage, awareness, is when the brand seeks to attract a large audience of people who have not yet heard of it and who might be interested.
Middle of the funnel (Consideration/Engagement): The target audience is nurtured through content and interactions with the brand. They learn more about the product and begin to consider becoming a customer.
Bottom of the funnel (Conversion/Purchase): This is the last phase of the funnel, in which the prospect is convinced to make a purchase and becomes a customer.
Post-funnel (Retention/Recommendation): The goal at this stage is to keep customers satisfied so that they continue to be customers and even become brand ambassadors, recommending the brand to their friends and colleagues.
So what is a full-funnel strategy?
A full-funnel marketing strategy is when all these stages are active and connected so that the target audience enjoys a complete, unified and coherent experience with the brand, throughout their journey from the moment they become aware of the brand until they make the purchase, and even after becoming customers.
If a brand has a really strong top-of-funnel strategy but fails to nurture its relationship with its potential customers throughout the mid-funnel, the number of conversions will remain low.
If your top-of-funnel strategy is weak, you'll find it harder to generate a pool of mid-funnel software managers email database leads with conversion potential.
With a full-funnel marketing strategy that is robust across all stages, you will increase brand awareness, lead numbers, conversions, and average customer value. Therefore, it is imperative for businesses to not only optimize all stages of the funnel, but also ensure that they are connected and work together to maximize the full potential of the funnel.
Let's go through all the stages of the funnel step by step and explore what a full-funnel strategy actually looks like.
Top-of-Funnel: Attracting potential customers
The Top-of-the-Funnel (TOFU) is the point at which potential customers begin to learn about your company or product. They may not have heard of your company before or are only vaguely familiar with your offering. At this stage, brand awareness and recognition are typically low.
Messaging used in the TOFU stage should focus on the problems and needs of the target audience, not the company. It's not yet time to talk about specific products or solutions. Don't focus on your brand or product, but on the situation the customer is going through or a related topic that is relevant or interesting to them. This way, you can build trust and value in your brand with your target audience, paving the way for further nurturing them throughout the funnel.