Welcome back to our Marketing Funnel Series, the place where we give you a lot of information about how to become a digital marketing baddie. We are Forge Marketing, the people you come to for digestible marketing content — and we will be your tour guides today. Our first stop, the middle of the digital marketing funnel. 

As a quick reminder before we take off, the marketing funnel is the term used to describe the journey that your customers take with your company. From the first introduction to the first purchase, the marketing funnel is every touchpoint along the way that fosters customer connection and nurtures a relationship that eventually leads to purchasing.

If you missed it, we have a rad little recap on what happens at the top of the funnel, so check that article out first. Then, buckle up and get ready to find out what happens in the middle of the funnel. 

Middle of the Funnel Goals: 

The middle of the funnel (MOFU) has one primary goal: consideration. The middle of the funnel is where most of the nurturing happens in the marketing funnel. At the top of the funnel, potential customers become aware of your business and what you do. In the middle of the funnel, you expand on the knowledge gained at the top of the final and you present yourself as a viable contender for your customer’s time and money.

For example, if you sell shoes for people with high arches you may initially interact with your potential customers on Instagram or through a Facebook ad that targets people who have looked at similar shoes before. After the initial introduction is made, you funnel these potential customers into the middle of the funnel where you begin presenting them with information on why your high arch shoes are the best and set your business up as a trusted industry expert. 

The middle of the funnel is still pretty broad because you are using a wide array of content and tactics to engage different kinds of customers. Some of your content is going to resonate a lot better with certain groups than is with other groups, so in the middle of the funnel, you still want to be using lots of different content types. 

Content and Channels:

Because good products and services solve problems, you’re going to want to focus on this again in the middle of the funnel. How does your product help somebody solve a problem? This is where you make your business the best solution for a common problem. 

A few months ago we stumbled onto a podcast about email marketing that we thought was super interesting. The podcast was hosted by an email service platform and we liked the content enough that when we were discussing what email service platforms are out there with a client, this company kept coming up. If you run a service-based business, podcasting is a great way to keep people in the middle of the funnel interested and engaged. Podcasting can be long-form content or shorter form content — but it’s a great way to really set yourself apart from the competition and make sure that you’re seen as an industry leader who solves customer problems.

Another really great way to nurture customers in the middle of the funnel is through email marketing campaigns. Email marketing is critical for a lot of reasons, but if you can get somebody to sign up for an email list at the top of the funnel then you can continue to send them curated content that will help them eventually make a purchase. Lots of times companies do this by offering discounts for signing up for an email series, but that’s not the only way to go about it. If you can create a welcome series that people are engaged with, the slow drip campaign can convert at a high rate. Make sure that you are creating content that people feel is, once again, solving their problems. 

Webinars and ebooks are also a good way to nurture potential customers in the middle of the funnel. These types of content are easily shareable and are highly valuable because you’re providing information to people who genuinely want that information. Now, this type of content may not work for your business, but if it does work it’s definitely something you should be thinking about and capitalizing on. You don’t need to invest tons of time and tons of money into these resources. A lot of times ebooks can be made by repurposing content that you already have and webinars can be as pared-down as they need to be to fit your budget, as long as the information you are presenting is top-notch. 

Cast A Web

When it comes to the middle of the funnel, perhaps the most important platform is your own website. So, before we get into the weeds with this one, we feel the need to remind you that it’s important that your website is both beautiful and user-friendly. A non-intuitive website can quickly drive away potential paying customers. You need to make sure that your website is easy to read and easy to use. Don’t use too much niche industry language or phrasing that your customers may struggle with. We also recommend investing in some simple UX/UI that can really enhance your website. You also want your website to be bug and glitch-free. If your home page loads slower than your grandpa can walk, you have a problem and you need to fix it. We’ve seen bad websites kill businesses more than once, so consider this a friendly warning. 

On your website, you need to have an up-to-date, quality FAQ page. Think through the customer experience and think through what potential customers may want to know about your business, and then include all of the answers on a single page on your website. Make the FAQ page easily accessible from the homepage. Don’t make people dig for it — because this isn’t an archaeological site and people will most likely just leave if they can’t find the answers they want right away. Think of your FAQ page as a way to nurture the customer experience and you will get it right.

Live chat is also an important part of MOFU.  If you do not currently offer live chat, we do recommend considering adding a feature like live chat (or another form of easily accessible communication) to your site.  Live Chat is great because your customers get answers right away and they can learn about your product from another person instead of just a website page, and that feels more personable and more trustworthy. 

When you build trust with your customers in the middle of the funnel, you’re increasing the chances that they purchase from you. 

So there you have it, a brief overview of our favorite part of the marketing funnel — the middle.