For around 100 years, marketing experts have been using the marketing funnel model to guide end consumers and convince them of their product or service. The first step is to approach the customer in order to persuade them to make a purchase decision with ever new measures over the course of the campaign. As soon as an interaction is triggered or the more specifically we address potential end consumers through advertising, the deeper we move into the funnel – all the way to closing the sale. We will show you the three most important phases in the marketing funnel and show you how to convince new customers of your product or brand!
1. Upper funnel: sensitisation of the customer
In the upper funnel, the customer has their first contact with a brand or product. In this phase, the aim is to generate awareness of the brand, establish initial contact with as broad a group of consumers as possible and reach the potential target group. This is not yet the time to trigger the customer’s intention to buy – it is more about familiarising them with the brand, introducing them to the benefits of the product and building trust.
The actual sale of the company’s own product or service initially takes a back seat.
In order to present a brand to the customer in the best possible way in the upper funnel, it is extremely important for companies to have precise knowledge of their target group. Questions must therefore be asked such as: What does the target group really look like? What needs do they have, what challenges need to be overcome? How can these be met?
Step by step, companies succeed in drawing the attention of potential customers to the product, placing the company or brand on the radar of the target group and utilising the channels used in the best possible way and in a way that appeals to the target group.
2. Middle funnel: Separating the wheat from the chaff
The second phase of the marketing funnel involves sorting out the wheat. Not all users who come into contact with a company or brand have a high purchase probability. This highly relevant target group must now be crystallised. How do potential customers react in the further course of the funnel? One clue, for example, is to analyse how users continue to deal with the information they learnt about the brand and product in the first phase. For example, users who access the site when first approached and those who approach the website independently via a search engine after the initial contact should be analysed. However, users who visit the physical branches are also relevant for further communication! As you can see, it is extremely important to constantly analyse additional data and information about customer behaviour along the customer journey in order to meet each user where they are in the funnel and fulfil their needs.
In the middle funnel, you should concentrate more and more on the group that shows a real interest in the brand and product. All others are gradually eliminated from the funnel. In this way, potential customers are gradually converted into valid business contacts (leads).
3. Lower funnel: The final persuasion work
In the last phase of the funnel, the aim is to convert as many leads as possible into paying customers. Interested parties who have already looked into the product or service in the past, but then dropped out, can also re-enter the funnel at this point.
The last uncertainties or doubts should be cleared up in this process in order to bring about a purchase intention.
At the same time, you as a company should use the information generated and existing customer data to categorise and validate further leads and pave the way for a further individual approach.
Conclusion: Many paths lead to the goal, but holistic thinking is a must
Sure, it would be great if customers became aware of your brand all by themselves. In reality, however, it usually takes a lot of persuasion to introduce a completely new person to your brand and turn them into a customer. A clean data strategy and a holistic approach that includes all existing communication channels and contact points with the customer (online and offline alike) pave the way through the marketing funnel. Above all, the upper funnel, where branding takes place, must not be neglected under any circumstances! What all sections of the marketing funnel have in common is a focus on the real needs of customers. The better you understand what information potential customers need from you at any given moment, the more likely they are to buy the product or service in the end.
