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Hey legend,
I’ve been looking forward to this sharing one with you for a very long time.
Why?
Because every time I’ve introduced the concept inside of this guide to someone, there’s always an ‘a-ha’ moment that happens (and I love seeing it!)
Just like a switch that goes off, they suddenly “get” how marketing works, and specifically, how your content fits into the overall marketing of your personal or business brand.
And in this guide, I’m doing the same for you.
A recurring question I get from solopreneurs, marketers, and founders when it comes to their content creation looks like a blend of these recent responses I received:
All basically saying:
“I don’t know what content to create”
And with a never-ending sea of content being shared across our newsfeeds, it can feel crippling to know what direction to take with your content.
So let’s make it easy.
Each piece of content you create needs to do these 3 things:
- be focused on serving your audience
- be clear on its purpose or role within your brand
- be delivered in a way that leads to an outcome for your marketing
And how do you do this?
You create a game plan for your content a.k.a “strategy”
A strategy will help inform and guide every decision you make with your content creation and marketing efforts.
And this is best visually represented by a marketing concept called the “Content Funnel“.
The Content Funnel
A Content Funnel represents the different stages of awareness that your audience goes through, from their first exposure to your content, right through to deciding if they want to engage with you, or your products and services.
It also helps you visualise your entire content strategy, so you’ll have clarity on the purpose that each piece of content serves, according to the stage of your audience’s awareness.
If this concept is completely new to you and you haven’t got your head around it yet – don’t worry!
In this guide, I’ll break down into the 3 key stages of your Content Funnel in the same way I’ve been doing it during our Storyteller Sprints, which led to Hanny sharing at the end of her workshop that:
“I’d never heard of the funnel before but that’s made it all click for me.
I realise that I’ve been too focused on trying to push the “sell” with every piece of content, so I now realise I need to help others become aware of the product first”
– Hanny
By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to build your own Content Funnel and start being more intentional and focused with your content creation, just like Hanny.
Ready? Let’s build your Content Funnel together.
Top of Funnel (“TOFU”)
🤔 Stage of Awareness
Problem Aware → Solution Aware
This is like the first date…your audience is just meeting you for the first time.
This stage is focused on attracting attention by providing valuable content to your audience, that provides a solution to their problem, while also sparking interest in your brand.
The most effective types of content for this stage are educational and entertaining (or “edu-taining” if you can do both at once).
That’s because they help your audience discover your brand while they’re searching for a solution to their problem, and it showcases your expertise and authority in your specific topic, niche or industry.
Examples of this kind of content can include:
- “How-to” guides
- Mistakes and myths
- Infographics or checklists
- Any beginner-friendly content
While there isn’t a single format you have to adopt, short-to-medium form content formats tend to be the go, as they are punchy and help solve a problem straight away, such as:
- E-Books
- Articles/blog posts
- Quick video tutorials
Michael Lim, an online writer (and another legend in our Storyteller Sprint), writes practical and tactical Medium articles that both educate and entertain his audience on the topics of self-improvement, entrepreneurship and mindset.
As your audience continues to see more and more of this type of content from your brand, you’ll become a “familiar face” to them and will be a “known” authority in your audience’s mind for solving that problem/s.
And at this stage, they’ll follow or subscribe for more content to hear from you more!
Great work my friend!
…but this isn’t enough.
We’ll need to incorporate content that helps them get to like you.
I mean, I know you’re awesome…but your audience doesn’t (yet!)
Middle of Funnel (“MOFU”)
🤔 Stage of Awareness
Solution Aware → Brand Aware
This is like the 2nd and 3rd dates…we’re warming up but want to learn a little more about each other.
And just like a funnel, you’ll have fewer people at this stage but they’ll be more willing to interact with your content as it’s resonated with them or relates to where they’re currently at.
This stage is focused on building a relationship with your audience by diving deeper into your story, your values or your unique framework for overcoming the problem/s.
The most effective types of content for this stage are personal and relatable because, at this stage, your audience is considering whether they’d want to engage with you and align with what you stand for.
Examples of this kind of content can include:
- Behind-the-scenes
- Recent projects/case studies
- Storytelling about you/your brand’s journey
Again while there isn’t a single format to adopt here, medium-to-longer form content formats tend to be the go, as your audience is more invested in you and are willing to spend more time getting to learn more about you, through your content such as:
- Newsletters
- Free courses/challenges
- Longer form video/podcasts
Michael Francis, a Chartered Accountant (and a legend in our Storyteller Sprints), helps purpose-driven entrepreneurs by sharing long-form YouTube videos on his methods, strategies and approaches towards helping them achieve their financial goals.
More importantly, by watching Michael’s videos, it’s like he’s talking directly to you and you can get a sense of his personality, without having to meet him.
That’s the power of creating content – it acts as a 24/7 replica of you that helps build relationships with your audience at scale.
That is, you create one piece of content that can interact with hundreds, or thousands, of people on your behalf indefinitely into the future and all you had to do was make a one-off investment of your time to create it – HOW GOOD!
Alright my friend.
Now that you’ve got your MOFU content humming along, nurturing relationships with your audience and helping you become “liked” by them, it’s time to add the third and final piece to your Content Funnel.
Bottom of Funnel (“BOFU”)
🤔 Stage of Awareness
Brand Aware → Offer Aware
This is where your audience decides if they want to commit to “dating” you or not, whatever that may look like for you and your brand.
As you can see in the diagram, you’ll have the smallest portion of your remaining audience here but they’ll be the most engaged and willing to take things to the next step.
This stage is focused on establishing trust in your product or service by providing testimonials results and addressing specific questions related to what you offer and helping them decide if it’s right for them.
The most effective types of content for this stage are social proof, benefits or answering their questions because they give your audience a clear understanding of how they would specifically get the solution to their own problem.
Examples of this kind of content can include:
- FAQs
- Testimonials & reviews
- Product demonstrations & previews
At this stage, you’ll want to adopt formats that are solely focused on conversion, so that your audience has as much information necessary to make an informed decision if they want to proceed or not, such as:
- Landing Pages
- Email Campaigns
- Webinars/Livestreams
Harshdeep Kaur, Head of Content & Community at Flux Finance (and another legend in our Storyteller Sprints) is part of a team that makes the topic of money accessible and fun for all Australians.
They achieve this by encouraging their audience to download their app that helps gamify the savings process, upskill their knowledge and become financially empowered.
Including the logos of well-known and reputable brands that have featured Flux Finance in their content, adds a level of credibility to the audience.
Showing in-app features and benefits helps the audience see what they’ll be getting
Lastly, reviews from app users help reinforce the value and benefits of using the app.
And that’s it my friend – the 3 stages of your Content Funnel!
In summary, your Content Funnel consists of 3 stages:
- Top of Funnel (“TOFU”) – To establish your authority
- Middle of Funnel (“MOFU”) – To establish a relationship
- Bottom of Funnel (“BOFU”) – To establish trust
I’ll see you in the next one!
🕺🏽 Mamba