Best Marketing Funnel Connecting Digital Channels with Each Funnel Stage

Business owners and marketing managers have a plethora of options when it comes to connecting with customers. To maximize impact, it’s crucial to match the most effective digital marketing channels with the relevant marketing funnel stages. This enables you to develop a strong marketing strategy that utilizes various approaches to raise awareness, generate interest, build connections, and persuade people to buy. Furthermore, the use of the best CRM software allows you to map and preserve these customer connections for future marketing and sales purposes.

In this article, we will explore how to use different digital channels based on the specific marketing funnel stage. We will start by recapping the TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU marketing funnel stages, as well as the most popular digital marketing channels. Then, we will provide examples of using these channels for each funnel stage and suggest the best marketing software for each one.

Recapping the TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU Marketing Funnel Stages

The marketing funnel consists of three main stages: TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU. Although specific funnel models may vary, they all share the common characteristic of understanding which stage potential customers are currently in. The three stages are:

1. Top of Funnel (TOFU): This stage focuses on raising awareness of your business, brand, products, and services to attract potential customers to your website.
2. Middle of Funnel (MOFU): At this stage, you provide information about your products and services, creating a connection with your leads.
3. Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): The goal of this stage is to persuade customers to commit and make a purchase.

To learn more about these stages, refer to our guide on what a marketing funnel is and how it works.

Recapping Five Popular Digital Marketing Channels

There are numerous marketing channels available, but we will focus on five popular ones for online business marketing:

1. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: This channel displays ads for your products and services when people type related keywords into a search engine. It is useful at all marketing funnel stages.
2. Display advertising: Display ads in the form of text, images, and videos across different websites, particularly those related to your business. It is most useful for the TOFU and MOFU stages.
3. Social media marketing: This channel inserts ads into people’s social media feeds on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It is most useful for the TOFU and MOFU stages.
4. Content marketing and SEO: Content creation for your website and other channels to rank highly in organic search results. It is most useful for the MOFU and BOFU stages.
5. Email marketing: Marketing to people who have signed up for your email list. It is most useful for the MOFU and BOFU stages.

To delve deeper into these channels, refer to our Marketing 101 guide that discusses the basics of marketing for small business owners.

How to Use Marketing Channels for the TOFU Marketing Funnel Stage

The TOFU stage focuses on raising awareness of your business, brand, products, and services. Here are the most relevant channels to use at this stage:

• PPC advertising
• Display advertising
• Social media marketing
• Content marketing and SEO

To effectively raise awareness during the TOFU stage, follow these strategies for each channel:

PPC Advertising for the TOFU Marketing Stage

• Bid on “broad” and “phrase” search terms in your niche and create general ads that direct people to your business website and brand as a whole.
• Develop high-level landing pages that provide a helpful overview of your business, products, and services.
• Continuously track and refine your broader search terms to maximize return on investment (ROI) and brand awareness.

Display Advertising for the TOFU Marketing Stage

• Establish a strong brand and business identity that can be showcased through text, images, videos, and other media.
• Identify websites within the same broad niche as your business and approach them to discover the display ad networks they use.
• Create ads and other display materials that highlight your brand, business, and high-level products and services.
• Review your display ad analytics to determine the main traffic drivers for your website.

Social Media Marketing for the TOFU Marketing Stage

• Review your marketing personas and create social media audience groups based on broad interests and demographics.
• Develop social media ads that feature your branding and business identity to raise awareness.
• Create social media posts to enhance brand positioning and generate interest as people scroll through their feeds.

Content Marketing and SEO for the TOFU Marketing Stage

• Target organic SEO keywords that provide general information about your business, products, and services.
• Create high-level landing pages and content for the most common keyword terms.
• Focus on TOFU user intent, which entails creating initial awareness of your business and providing an overview of what you do and sell.

By utilizing these strategies, you can effectively raise awareness during the TOFU stage.

How to Use Marketing Channels for the MOFU Marketing Funnel Stage

In the MOFU stage, potential customers want to learn more about your specific products and services. All five marketing channels are useful for this stage:

• PPC advertising
• Display advertising
• Social media marketing
• Content marketing and SEO
• Email marketing

To effectively provide information and create connections during the MOFU stage, follow these strategies for each channel:

PPC Advertising for the MOFU Marketing Stage

• Bid on “phrase” and “exact” search terms for your products and services and create specific ads that direct people to informational, educational, and supportive website information.
• Develop customer-specific landing pages that answer questions, detail the features and benefits of your products, and provide a helpful overview of your business, products, and services.
• Analyze detailed information on PPC search terms and conversions to create additional ads and landing pages that meet users’ search intent.

Display Advertising for the MOFU Marketing Stage

• Expand your publisher research to find non-competitor websites in similar niches as your products and services.
• Create targeted ads and other display materials that highlight the features and benefits of your products and how they can solve problems for customers.
• Experiment with ads that cater to different customer personas and products, and focus on the most effective approaches.

Social Media Marketing for the MOFU Marketing Stage

• Narrow down your social media audience interests to target people who are more interested in your specific products and services.
• Create ads and posts that directly address particular problems or solutions for customers, clearly showcasing the benefits and features of your products.

Content Marketing and SEO for the MOFU Marketing Stage

• Target more specific organic SEO keywords that inform and educate users about your products and services.
• Create in-depth blog posts, articles, case studies, and lead magnets that answer specific questions, demonstrate how your products can help, and build authority in your niche.
• Focus on MOFU user intent, which involves deeper investigation of product features and benefits, comparisons with competitors, use cases, and showcasing how your offerings will improve customers’ lives.

Email Marketing for the MOFU Marketing Stage

• Create an email signup form on your website to add people to your mailing list.
• Use lead magnets and incentives to encourage people to join your list.
• Develop an email strategy and campaign, typically a series of “drip” messages that provide helpful information to subscribers and share information about your products and services.
• Experiment with different email subject lines, message content, formats, and other factors to maximize email open and click-through rates.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively provide information and create connections during the MOFU stage.

How to Use Marketing Channels for the BOFU Marketing Funnel Stage

In the BOFU stage, the goal is to persuade customers to commit and make a purchase. The most relevant channels for this stage are:

• PPC advertising
• Content marketing and SEO
• Email marketing

To effectively persuade customers during the BOFU stage, follow these strategies for each channel:

PPC Advertising for the BOFU Marketing Stage

• Bid on specific “buy now” related keywords for your products and services.
• Directly link to product information pages with prominent calls to action for purchasing.
• Track your conversion analytics and further refine your campaigns.

Content Marketing and SEO for the BOFU Marketing Stage

• Target very specific organic long-tail SEO keywords that directly address a buyer’s intent.
• Create product and service description pages with clear calls to action that link to your purchase or signup process.
• Experiment with on-site promotions and incentives to nudge customers into buying now.
• Focus on BOFU user intent, which represents a desire to purchase.

Email Marketing for the BOFU Marketing Stage

• Create email messages that offer incentives to purchase, such as discount codes or free shipping.
• Incorporate these messages towards the end of your drip campaigns.
• Carefully track open rates and click-throughs that do not result in purchases.
• Develop follow-up emails to provide extra incentives to visit and buy.
• Experiment with different email subject lines, message content, formats, and other factors to maximize email open and click-through rates.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively persuade customers during the BOFU stage.

Experiment and Refine Your Digital Channels for Each Marketing Funnel Stage

The key to successful marketing and a strong return on investment (ROI) is to track your metrics and determine what is working and what is not. Monitor your keywords, click-through rates, and conversions closely. Test different headlines and content to determine what engages your customers the most. Conduct split-tests on ads and landing pages to identify the most effective approaches. Then, implement the necessary changes to maximize conversions while minimizing costs.

The Best Marketing Software for Your Digital Channels and Marketing Funnel Stages

Fortunately, there are excellent software solutions available to help you create content, manage marketing channels, automate your business marketing, and track effectiveness. Here are some of the top software options for each channel:

• PPC keywords, campaign management, and ad creation: Google AdWords
• Visitor tracking, website analytics, and behavior analysis: Google Analytics
• Display advertising networks: Google Adsense, AdRoll, RollWorks, Adstream
• Social media marketing, tracking, and posting: Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social
• Content marketing keywords and tracking: Google Search Console, Google Analytics, HubSpot, SEMRush, and other tools
• Email marketing and tracking: Constant Contact, MailChimp, and other tools

By combining these tools with your marketing strategy, you can create powerful, automated messages that engage with your customers, drive traffic to your website, and persuade them to make a purchase.

In conclusion, connecting digital marketing channels with each marketing funnel stage is crucial for a successful marketing strategy. By understanding the specific channels and strategies that work best for each stage, you can effectively raise awareness, provide information, create connections, and persuade customers to buy. Experimentation and refinement are key to optimizing your marketing efforts, and utilizing the best marketing software can greatly enhance your results.