Funnel, this stranger
Why do we call “funnel” the audience skimming process? it’s simple: it has the ultimate goal of isolating the ideal target for a certain product or service. But that’s not all: it is the construction of a real customer journey to guide the user through five gradual steps: awareness, interest, evaluation, commitment, and sale.(See our eBook on UX Writing to discover all the secrets of proper writing on your website).
TOFU (Top Of The FUnnel): recognition of the need or problem
In the 50s advertising was a tool used to create a need, but today the perspective has turned upside down: a good funnel, and current advertising, instead, lead the user to recognize an existing need. If this need does not exist, it is highly unlikely that it will lead to purchase.
The advertiser’s task is to lay the foundations for a possible resolution of the user’s problem. For example, “are you looking for a car? We have the right one for you.” The segment of public that does not want to change cars will not interact with the campaign, automatically excluding themselves. Or, attracted by a good image choice or a good copy, they will click out of pure curiosity and will probably be excluded in the second phase of the funnel.
MOFU (Middle Of the FUnnel): information search
After recognizing the need or a problem, the user will naturally look for more in-depth information. He could simply make a research on Google – and here it would help to have good indexing of the site through SEO techniques, or he could rely on content created specifically by the advertiser: landing pages, articles, eBooks, pages of the website.
It is important, for this intermediate phase, to do an upstream search of the keywords most used or typed by users in the area of interest for our funnel.
MOFU (Middle Of the FUnnel): evaluation of alternatives
At this point, much of the user’s decisions and evaluations will depend on the type of service or product he is looking for. If he is considering whether or not to register with a Social Media programming platform, he will compare different prices. In this case you can help him by creating educational articles that list the best criteria to make a choice.
BOFU (Bottom Of The FUnnel): purchasing decision
Our user, at this point, admitted that he had a need/problem, informed himself about how to solve it, and evaluated the different possibilities. Now it’s a matter of buying.
To support him in this last step you can create content that illustrates previous cases of success after the purchase of the product/service. At this point, only one thing could hinder the purchase decision: negative reviews, online and offline (especially offline reviews).
BOFU (Bottom Of The FUnnel): post-purchase phase
The funnel does not end with the purchase: the next phase is also important. Following the user with a thank you email or a review request, especially if shared, helps to confirm his choice and give him the feeling of having done the right choice. The absence of emails or other confirmations may make him feel disoriented.
And now that you know all the secrets of an effective funnel, we wish you a good strategy.
