This blog will be a three-part series about leveraging content to strengthen your site’s sales funnel for more leads. In this first part, we will be looking at the role of content in 3 main stages of the sales funnel.

The quality of your content can have a bigger impact on your sales funnel than you might think. The internet introduced new variables into the sales funnel where clients are better informed and the reach of competition grows larger. To make your site more competitive, you need to have quality content that speaks directly to the needs of incoming visitors.

3 Main Stages of the Sales Funnel

The modern client is more holds greater bargaining power than ever before. There is more information available for them to research and evaluate organizations without ever having to make contact, diminishing the pull of the traditional sales funnel. Instead, the client’s journey best resembles a series of touchpoints where organizations having less control over what’s available. To convert the flow of incoming traffic, organizations need quality content that strengthens the confidence of each stages in the sales funnel.

There are three main stages of the sales funnel supported by quality content – awareness, consideration, and commitment. Different types of content will have greater appeal depending on which stage of the funnel the visitor is in. It is crucial that your content strategies work together to develop all three stages.

Stage 1: Awareness

The Goal: Visibility

The awareness stage of the sales funnel is where the majority of your site traffic will be. To put it plainly, incoming visitors know of their issue or need, but are unaware of your solution. This is where the majority of your SEO-driven content like list articles, blogs and link building efforts will be most valuable as you’re competing for visibility.

Stage 2: Consideration

The Goal: Engagement

Visitors who are well informed of their needs and what your product has to offer them will find themselves in the consideration stage of the sales cycle. These visitors are searching for more detailed information that will help them compare solutions. In the consideration stage, engaging content like how-to articles, blogs, newsletters and emails, social media posts and white papers are most valuable in influencing a purchase decision.

Stage 3: Commitment

The Goal: Trust

At the bottom of the funnel is the commitment stage. This is where potential clients turn into leads as they’re now invested in your solution and are researching for value about the relationship. Content that builds trust with real-value examples like testimonials, case studies, blogs and articles about company values, demos and other branded content with strong call-to-actions are most effective.

Funneling Your Audiences

The volume of the three main stages can vary depending on the personas of your market. Products and industries that are well established and secure will have traffic that moves quickly through the three stages. Other products and industries that see frequent disruption like tech will have greater challenges keeping visitors on their site.

In our next blog, we’ll look at the ins and outs of identifying personas and assessing content strategies that best fit their needs. When your site is optimized to the needs of your market, you’ll see greater retention and fulfillment of each stage in the sales cycle.

 

With years of experience in developing successful digital strategies, Strongpages has generated significant results for clients in a variety of competitive industries. Strongpages offers professional content development services that drive conversions and generates repeated business for clients.

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