When looking at the classic illustration of the marketing funnel, you may feel a bit overwhelmed at first. But here at Red Shark Digital marketing agency Raleigh, we know a thing or two about full-funnel marketing, and want to help you understand why it is so important to consider when it comes to digital marketing campaigns. The idea of the marketing funnel stems from the shape of a classic funnel - this will help you to visualize the process of turning leads into customers. Simply put, the top of the funnel is the largest and it gets smaller as you move down the funnel. In marketing, you start at the top of the funnel by casting a wide net to capture as many leads as possible, and as you move down that funnel, it narrows and your marketing efforts become more focused on the audience that is most likely to convert. Still with me? Let’s discuss the three stages of the marketing funnel to help you understand further.

Stages Of The Marketing Funnel

Depending on your industry and the types of products or services you are trying to market, the funnel can differ slightly. Red Shark Digital marketing agency Raleigh considers these to be the main three stages of the marketing funnel regardless of your industry:

• Awareness - This is the top of the funnel where you must make your potential audience aware that you exist. The focus here is to draw attention from potential customers through engaging, educational, and easy-to-discover content that caters to their needs. Since impressions and reach are key at this stage, Red Shark Digital recommends tactics like online display, pre-roll video, and content marketing to generate awareness and to keep your brand top of mind.
• Consideration - This is the middle of the funnel. At this stage, you have captured your prospects’ attention and they are actively seeking or interested in information that helps solve their problem. The focus here is on building trust and continuing to engage them with relevant marketing messages, so they think about you over the competition. Here at this stage, clicks to your website and your overall click-through rate is key, so Red Shark Digital recommends tactics like paid search, email marketing, and social advertising to help reinforce your particular brand while also ensuring brand visibility and discoverability as potential consumers are searching for your brand's product or services.
• Conversion - By this stage, the very bottom of the funnel, prospects are already familiar with your brand and have been receptive to your brand communications. They are now weighing up their options, so the key here is to make it easy for them to say yes, click, and complete the sale. To get the most conversions, our digital marketing agency Raleigh recommends tactics like retargeting (site, click, search, and video retargeting) aid in reinforcing and encouraging action.

Red Shark Digital | Digital Marketing Agency in Raleigh

By following this full-funnel marketing approach, you can nurture prospects and existing customers from the stage of awareness to consideration and conversion. Most importantly, don’t stop once a conversion has taken place! Turn the funnel full-circle by measuring, evaluating, and using your data to inform your future efforts. To learn more or to work with the best digital marketing agency Raleigh has to offer, contact Red Shark Digital today!