Of course you want a website with engaging, high-quality content that attracts a steady stream of visitors. But have you wondered how your business can position the right content in the right stages to the right visitors? The answer is, through “conversion funnels.”
If you already have a conversion funnel, great. You only need to optimize it to create better customer journeys. If you don’t already have one, it’s time to get started.
According to a HubSpot survey, 69% of marketers feel their top priority should be converting prospects/leads into customers. However, building a conversion funnel is not an easy task and you won’t be able to accomplish it overnight. It’s something you need to carefully assess, evaluate and plan in order to create impactful customer journeys.
A conversion funnel (or sales funnel) helps organizations visualize, understand, and plan processes through which a prospect or website visitor will follow when they visit your website. The process is called a “funnel” as it is used to guide customers toward the conversion point. It also helps with:
A customer journey is the entire path a prospect travels to reach the end of the conversion funnel and become a customer. It also includes stages after conversion (advocating, retention, word-of-mouth impressions, and so on).
Unlike a linear conversion funnel, customer journey maps depict different paths prospects or customers take starting from the time they discover your business until they make a purchase.
Here’s a simple example. Let’s say you’re a travel blogger who sells travel guides. Here’s how customer journeys can differ for your business:
The final steps for customers X and Y are almost the same; it’s the journeys that differ.
In simple words, conversion funnels help business owners identify where customers are in their buying journey and how to keep them engaged. On the other hand, a customer journey is a broad concept. It typically defines how prospects behave before they find your brand and after they become customers (post-purchase).
Research shows that 50% of B2B prospects aren’t ready to make a purchase when they’re converted into leads. To guide them properly through the conversion process and improve their buying journey, you need to optimize the conversion funnel.
A traditional conversion funnel comprises 3 segments: Top of the Funnel (TOFU), the middle of the funnel (MOFU), and the bottom of the funnel (BOFU). Each of these segments can be optimized to increase the number of prospects who convert into customers.
This is the phase where awareness is created. A prospect enters TOFU when they engage with your business (through an ad, email, social media, or your website).
How to optimize:
Type of content you can use for optimization:
This is the phase where prospects consider whether they want to engage with your business and learn more about it. They may follow you on social media or subscribe to your newsletter.
How to optimize:
Type of content you can use for optimization:
This is the phase where prospects convert into customers. They reach this phase before purchase. At this point, you can encourage them to convert by offering special discounts, providing a free trial, or simplifying the buying process.
How to optimize:
Type of content you can use for optimization:
Properly planning your funnels with content takes time. For best results, don’t rush the process! And depending on the response, be prepared to modify your content and/or offers to ensure you’re delivering a meaningful, effective customer journey.