If you’re tired of being everywhere at the same time and sharing random content that doesn’t get you the results you want, you need a full-funnel content strategy.
Now, I know what you might be thinking: “Another marketing strategy?!”
Well, this isn’t just another one of those marketing tactics that adds more tasks to your plate. Rather, it simplifies your entire process.
In this guide, we’ll break down the following:
- What is a full-funnel content strategy?
- Why does it matter for your business?
- The main stages of the content funnel
- Content ideas for each stage of a funnel.
What is a full-funnel content strategy?
A full-funnel content strategy is the process of planning a series of content ideas to nurture your ideal clients from the moment they first hear about you until they choose to buy from you.
What happens when you post content without a funnel strategy?
Take this scenario as an example:
You’re having conversations on social media, and some of these leads click the link in your bio.
They land on your website, which says nothing about what you’ve been telling them about in the DMs.
Then, they see a freebie that might be useful to them and sign up for it. After getting the resources, they don’t receive any freebie-related nurture emails because you’re busy.
Busy trying to “get more leads” from social media.
Then, after a while, you reach out to pitch your signature offer.
How good do you think your conversion rate would be? (I’ll let you be the judge of that.)
Using a funnel strategy, empower leads by optimizing your business for conversions.
This time, every piece of content you put out is intentional—from your social media content to blog posts, freebie opt-in, email funnel sequence, and sales page—with the core purpose of promoting your main offer.
The fact is 96% of visitors aren’t ready to swipe their cards and they need you to nurture them through your funnel.
And once you do, you can boost sales and customer retention by up to 52%.
Why does a full-funnel content strategy matter?
The beauty of a full-funnel content strategy is that it aligns your content and marketing efforts.
This strategy ensures every aspect of your brand message is in sync. It ensures your website copy, blog posts, social media content, freebies, and emails lead to your signature offer.
With a funnel strategy, you can finally:
- Put your lead generation & client acquisition processes on autopilot.
- Stop shouting into the void because your message, at every point, is aligned. That is, you can get the most return on investment (ROI) from your marketing effort.
- End the confusion and exhaustion from running on the never-ending content hamster wheel.
- Attract and nurture your audience toward conversions without coming off as a desperate or pushy salesperson.
- Increase brand visibility and lead generation courtesy of content personalization and flow.
Creating a funnel strategy is a form of omnichannel marketing that lets you make more while doing less.
Understanding your target clients & their journey
The most important thing that precedes every “working” content strategy is target client research.
Let’s talk about your ideal client.
The truth is, as a creative entrepreneur, you have a superpower:
The ability to connect on a personal level.
But, to effectively use this superpower and create content that connects and converts, you need to understand who you’re trying to sell to, like the back of your hands
- Who are they, basically?
- What main challenge do they need a solution to?
- What dreams keep them up at night?
- What platforms do they spend their time online?
The more real they feel to you, the easier it’ll be to create content that speaks directly to them.
Once you know who they are, tailor your content to fit their buying journey.
The buying journey is a constant cycle, but the point at which your ideal client joins may differ. That’s why it’s important to cover content for every stage.
1. Unaware: Your ideal client doesn’t know they have a problem.
Let’s say you’re an ADHD coach. This could mean that your ICs are constantly distracted and held back, but you don’t know there’s a thing called “ADHD.”
2. Problem aware: Your IC knows they have a problem and is in search of a solution.
After coming across some posts that talk about the symptoms of ADHD and what it means, they now know what the issue is and would like to get help.
3. Solution aware: They find out there’s a solution and are in search of good options.
Consuming more of your content makes them realize now that they need to work with their ADHD instead of working against it. And they’ll learn how through personalized coaching.
4. Product Aware: They compare the different options they find.
Now that they know there’s a solution, they start to compare various available ADHD coaching solutions.
5. Most Aware: They find out about your product and want to see if your offer is the best fit for them.
They discover your ADHD coaching solution and want to see how it would help them.
The main stages of the content funnel
To clarify things, a buyer’s journey is like a content funnel. They have the same mission, which is to create awareness, community, and sales.
There are three main stages of a content funnel.
- Top of the funnel (ToFU)
- Middle of the funnel (MoFU)
- Bottom of the funnel (BoFU)
Top of the funnel: Attraction
This is the point at which you attract your ideal customers and make them aware of your brand. The goal here is to get as much visibility as you can.
Focus on creating helpful and interesting content that addresses the main challenge, pain points, and interests of your ideal clients. Your content can be blog posts, social media content, podcast episodes, or YouTube videos.
Just ensure that your content is:
- Educational
- Inspirational
- Entertaining.
Content ideas for top-of-the-funnel stage
- “What is ADHD? Everything you need to know.”
- “The utlimate guide to productivity for ADHDers”
- “Do you have ADHD? 5 Signs to watch out for.”
- “What is the best lifestyle when you have ADHD?
- “What does an ADHD coach do?”
Middle of the funnel: Retention
At this stage, your audience is aware of their problem and is actively looking for solutions. Your job is to engage prospects and position your brand as a viable solution.
Provide in-depth information that highlights your expertise and the benefits of your products or services. Focus on building relationships and providing ongoing value through exclusive content and offers, aka content that puts them on your email list.
The content here should be:
- More detailed and specific
- Demonstrating your expertise
- Showcasing your unique approach.
Content ideas for middle-of-the-funnel stage
- Pricing | “How much does ADHD coaching cost?”
- Comparison post | “ADHD coaching vs. therapy: What’s best for you?”
- Downloadable | “The exact ADHD template planner I use for my clients”
- Quiz | “What type of ADHD do you have? Take the test”
- Case study | How Erin built her entire offer suite in 90 Days ( 10x’d productivity).
Bottom of the funnel: Conversion
Your audience is this close to making a decision, and your message needs to give them that final, gentle nudge to choose your product or service.
At this stage, your content should:
– Address any lingering doubts or objections
– Highlight the benefits of your offer/working with you
– Make it easy to take the next step
Content ideas for bottom-of-the-funnel stage
- Process breakdown | “What to expect when you book a coaching session with me”
- Social proof | “Client confessions: 7 Reasons my ADHD coaching program is worth the Investment”
- Product tour | “What it is like inside my ADHD coaching program”
- Video testimonial | “How Sarah manages business and personal life as an ADHDer”
- Free consultations | “Book a 30-minute coaching call.”
As you can see from these examples above, every sample content idea is in alignment with ADHD coaching, not some random topics on customer management or business name ideas.
This way, when an ADHD lands on the website with content laid out for each stage of their journey, they’ll convert faster.
Am I saying non-niche content is bad? No.
In fact, they can be a good source of traffic when they have large search volumes and low difficulty. But, the purpose of creating a funnel is to align your content marketing efforts, so you can maximize ROI.
How to create your full-funnel strategy
Now that we’ve explored each stage of the funnel, let’s talk about creating your content strategy.
Map out your funnel
Start with researching your ideal client—visualize their journey and the actions they take at each stage.
Next, scrutinize your offer—features, benefits, process, and topics.
Now, combine insights from audience research and offer breakdown to form a unique funnel strategy that sells your signature offer.
It’s the framework I use to create OLed content funnels.
Your funnel map creates a solid foundation for the rest of your strategy. It guides your content creation and promotion efforts because you can identify where to focus your resources for maximum impact.
Create your core content pieces
Develop content that addresses customer needs at each funnel stage, but start with your core pieces.
There are several content ideas you can create to drive brand awareness and generate leads. But when you’re starting, it’s more profitable to focus on content that:
- Targets each stage of your buyer’s journey
- Revolves around your major expertise or signature offer.
This is how you ensure each piece aligns with your overall marketing goals and speaks to your target audience.
Your core content pieces should include:
- Some offer-led posts to drive visibility
- A lead magnet or freebie to make them “opt-in”
- Email sequence to nurture and convert them
- Conversion-led sales page for your signature offer.
P.s. Want to nurture qualified leads and increase your funnel conversions? Grab this FREE email funnel template.
Track performance
Your strategy isn’t set in stone.
Implement analytics tools to monitor how your content performs at each funnel stage.
Look at metrics like impressions, engagement rates, conversion rates, and time spent on the page. Use this data to identify which pieces are most effective and where improvements are needed.
Regularly review and adjust your strategy based on these insights to optimize your full-funnel approach.
Building a full-funnel content strategy
With a well-executed full-funnel strategy, you can attract more leads and nurture them effectively, leading to increased conversions.
Setting up a funnel strategy takes time and effort, but the results are worth it.
If you want to scale your business with a working funnel system for your business, check out my OLed content funnel solution.
Looking to boost the conversion rate of your existing funnel? Download this FREE email funnel template.
