Meaningful and effective content is the driving force of social media, while the marketing funnel is the conduit that translates brand awareness and engagement to sales and shares. If you think about it in terms of decorating a cake, the content is the icing and squeezing, but the funnel’s tip allows for precision and results. One without the other is a waste of either materials or time.
Therefore, a successful mix contains quality pieces of content and calculated steps. Indeed, one might imagine the six stages of the marketing funnel as if they were a recipe:
Therefore, a successful mix contains quality pieces of content and calculated steps. Indeed, one might imagine the six stages of the marketing funnel as if they were a recipe:
• Research: Determine which pieces of content are most popular for a specific demographic.
• Awareness: Attract the target audience with stimulating and relatable content.
• Interest: Involve the audience in the solving of their problems through a product.
• Decision-Making: Provide simple answers and accessible on-ramps and options.
• Result: Gain subscribers and a loyal audience through community development.
• Consistency: Keep loyal patrons through sustained content and customer support.
• Awareness: Attract the target audience with stimulating and relatable content.
• Interest: Involve the audience in the solving of their problems through a product.
• Decision-Making: Provide simple answers and accessible on-ramps and options.
• Result: Gain subscribers and a loyal audience through community development.
• Consistency: Keep loyal patrons through sustained content and customer support.
These steps are crucial to funneling consumers and achieving sales and orders. Whether visual, textual or multimedia, all relevant content must align with the overarching strategy that is developed in the early research phase. Furthermore, consumer research and competitor analyses are not a one-and-done deal. Rather, consistency means that all six steps are kept current and adaptable to changes in trends and markets.
One of the best ways to generate valuable content is by connecting with your best customers. Typically, consumers are viewed as more trustworthy by other consumers due to inherent objectivity. Therefore, the reusing and republishing of positive reviews represents audience-generated content that has immediate potential for brand connection and trusted messaging.
Many audiences will be receptive to direct research and will offer opinions and preferences that make it easy for a content creator. In other words, even the best DJ could flop at a wedding, but a mediocre DJ who takes requests will always engage a good portion of the party. Consumers want to be heard, and they want their economic pains to be answered. Therefore, during the ongoing research phase, it is important to reach out to new and current followers in order to understand their needs and wants and to create consumable and shareable content. By doing so, a brand can eliminate the guessing game and corner the social interests of a particular market.
There are some general rules of content creation that translate to shareability. However, these should be tailored to research and optimized for each brand and audience.
Successful “awareness” content often features extraordinary moments that captivate hearts and minds. A simple recipe for smoothies or a quick cosmetic beauty trick can be just as effective when perceived as remarkable or useful to a specific audience.
Successful “awareness” content often features extraordinary moments that captivate hearts and minds. A simple recipe for smoothies or a quick cosmetic beauty trick can be just as effective when perceived as remarkable or useful to a specific audience.
Examples of engaging content may include quizzes, contests, questions, personality tests, simple games, raffles and more. This content is typically interactive or inter-relatable, meaning it can provide social benefits and social credit to those who share and enjoy it. That’s why videos that highlight human kindness and animal rescue stories so often go viral; there is an immediate positive benefit to sharing goodness.
Content that eases decision-making can be understood in two main ways. First, this content should be clear and concise with directing actions that allow interested consumers to progress or learn more. In other words, this content represents multiple layers of additional information that serve as a funnel to the desired end result. Second, this content should be digestible. While long feasts and wedding dinners are great on occasion, most of our meals are eaten quickly because we are busy. The same can be said of shared content. Sometimes consumers want a feast of information, but most often they want quality food fast that they can share with their busy friends. A brand can achieve both outcomes by layering its content with short, attention-grabbing multimedia for wider distribution and longer, in-depth content for captivated audiences.
Content that eases decision-making can be understood in two main ways. First, this content should be clear and concise with directing actions that allow interested consumers to progress or learn more. In other words, this content represents multiple layers of additional information that serve as a funnel to the desired end result. Second, this content should be digestible. While long feasts and wedding dinners are great on occasion, most of our meals are eaten quickly because we are busy. The same can be said of shared content. Sometimes consumers want a feast of information, but most often they want quality food fast that they can share with their busy friends. A brand can achieve both outcomes by layering its content with short, attention-grabbing multimedia for wider distribution and longer, in-depth content for captivated audiences.
Still, a cup of consistency is the true secret to an overflowing social media presence. Constant research combined with a well-crafted marketing strategy will yield the best results and the most engaged communities. Both psychologically and algorithmically, it is necessary to establish a discernible and dependable schedule of content publishing. This not only builds trust and creates momentum through rhythm, but it also retains loyal consumers by establishing a sense of relevancy and regularity in their lives and lifestyles. This subconscious pattern recognition is just as important for consumers as it is for brands. That is, many consumers find themselves grateful when they are reminded of a product or service that benefits them.
Just as positive words and cute animal videos never grow old, consistent content that shares a specific, unique and remarkable benefit will always be appreciated by scrollers and followers.
Just as positive words and cute animal videos never grow old, consistent content that shares a specific, unique and remarkable benefit will always be appreciated by scrollers and followers.
