Content marketing is used to drive traffic to the website. The content on a website leads to awareness. After that, call-to-action pops-up, and campaigns are going to take care of the rest.
However, it is not so simple. Readers who come through the top of funnel content needs to go a long way before they turn into paying customers. Creating awareness is only a small step, and content marketing is also used for supporting users.
As per a Salesforce report, 68% of companies never measured sales funnel, and thus 79% of the leads never made it to the sales conversion list. Therefore, it is very difficult to convert your leads to sales without using a proper sales funnel strategy.
When someone talks about the bottom of the funnel content, they mention assets that persuade the potential to purchase from your business. The sales team generally uses the content. Usually, the materials focus on the products and services directly, and high-quality content is used for building trust.
The tactics and the channels used are; CRMs, Sales enablement, and User Communities.
The bottom of the funnel content can take the form of blog posts, but it can also be delivered through other mediums such as audio, video, emails, and PDFs. It is a combination of sales and product marketing.
Top funnel content is measured differently than the bottom of the funnel content. For instance, measuring traffic alone will help understand that the funnel's bottom isn't so useful. Tying the funnel's bottom connects to some conversations is quite reasonable, but only if it is factored into the attribution model. Nevertheless, the best way to measure it is to get in touch with the sales team and find out if it is useful or not. They will tell you if the content helps generate leads during the sales cycle.
So, what are the goals of marketers at the bottom of the funnel? The primary goal of the content offered to the buyers; Speeding the deal cycle, Inspiring confidence in the customer's purchase decisions, and Position the brand as superior to the competitors.
At this point, the question posed by the buyers is a little logical. They tend to ask how the product they like actually work, what benefits the internal stakeholders expect from it, and who needs to be involved in the purchasing decision.
You should know that 34% of the business to business buyers have stated that the number of team members who are a part of the purchasing decision has increased. At the bottom of the sales funnel, you have to offer content that your primary contact will share internally to make sure that the purchase conversation is moving forward.
The mid-funnel and top-funnel communication's trust-developing broader theme content needs to be used in the product context. It needs to focus on the company's unique value proposition and explain how you are standing up against your competitors. These content types will let the buyers review the options, feel empowered, and make the right decision.
You already know the goals and the relationship that is played at the bottom of the funnel content. Creating content about topics related to these ideas given below will help users understand how suitable it is for them.
Comparing a shop is never easier. Hence, it would help if you assumed the prospects for considering the competitors and alternatives. Hiding from the fact is not going to help. So, it is better to acknowledge it. After that, create content that will enable you to own the conversation on the comparison.
Educating the readers is essential towards the bottom of the funnel. However, it doesn't have to be an educational hub. You can provide and teach context around the product in any format of content. You can do this by composing engaging updates that entertain and inform or post some tutorials.
LApart from in-depth success stories, you should also explore content related to the consumers. For instance, repurpose the case studies in some other format. Pieces such as interviews and storied of customers will help in contextualizing case studies and also the product.
Another excellent way to contextualize the product is to talk about it directly to the bigger picture of the industry. This looks at the trends straight from the product's lens and also their value proposition.
Since you know the content topics to include at the bottom of the sales funnel, it is time to consider the format to present them. This is another area where the bottom and top-funnel content differs.
You want the lead generation content to be findable and visible such as landing pages and search-optimized blog posts. As soon as you start a relationship with a prospect, you are going to have different goals. When someone moves through the sales funnel, they have come to your website to join the list. Since the landing pages and the blog post work here, lead generation and SEO can be lower priorities for the content you are creating.
It is a step by step process to bring in customers to buy your product/services via buying decision consisting of decisive actions like emails, landing pages, articles, videos, and PDFs that do the selling part.
After you learn what a sales funnel and the bottom of the sales funnel is, check out the content formats that work well through the funnel.
The PDF download format is handy for educational books or product brochures. It can be used for almost everything. PDF can be useful when multiple departments are using the content.
Video training courses and webinars can also serve as a great type of content for the sales funnel's bottom. Webinars are potent audiences and list all building tactics to be powerful closer to the sale.
When the potential customers watch the team on video, it will help develop a closer relationship with the business.
Success stories and case studies are another type of content that can work successfully anywhere. However, it is compelling when it is placed at the bottom of the sales funnel. In case someone is considering whether or not they should purchase from you, case studies and examples prove to be most helpful. Customer success stories and some proof and data help the customers envision themselves as the customers and show what they can do with the product.
The bottom of the funnel content needs to prove the purchase value. It needs to explain how the product and services you are offering will be implemented in the organization. So, it needs to be data-driven and closely associated with the product.
