I was recently scanning through the various LinkedIn posts and according to Roger Hurni, Managing Partner, Chief Creative Officer at Off Madison Avenue, I was discovering The Death of the Sales Funnel. That’s why I think a Content Funnel is the answer. More on that later, but first a little back story…
For those of us whom hadn’t met Hurni before, he started his post with some background of his long-standing disdain for the sales funnel.
The truth is, this isn’t the first time an obituary has been written for the sales funnel. Or direct mail. Or even email marketing.
As you may have noticed, I just pointed out how “The Death of… “ makes for good hyperbole.
But what Humi really focused on was that the media we marketers use to communicate has changed over time, we need to know our customers and how to reach them and test it, and re-target.
Hurni points out, “a customer will buy only if you know these things:
her desire to take action, her ease in making a decision and her motivation.”
Although Hurni is writing from a consumer focus, all three of those components are influenced by the communication we make with our prospects and customers.
From a B2B perspective, if you are able to create awareness of your product and show how much easier your customer’s life will be, it will be far easier for her to shortlist your company. Motivation does not only mean making the right decision for her company and staff who will be affected, but for herself too.
That’s more of a funnel than ever before. Your best, super-strategic content needs to flow into that Teflon funnel and pull customers in as they move through it.
So in reality, the sales funnel hasn’t flat-lined just because customer consumption habits, whether social or mobile have changed.
The communication funnel – as I will call it – is larger than ever and is waiting for relevant content your customer needs to make the decision to buy from you. Here is why:
Sales Funnel-Only Mindset Means Lost Customers
This old, dusty problem with the sales funnel happens when the relationship with your customer ends after the sale.
Customers aren’t informed about problems they could have solved with other products your company offers. And leads left in the funnel are not followed up on because they don’t look like an imminent sale. They are forgotten. That’s why you need…
A Content Funnel Mindset To Keep Customers Buying
Your second funnel, a Content Funnel should catch your customers, keep in touch with (or nurture) them so they enjoy your brand enough that they keep buying your company’s software.
You can inform your prospects and customers with content such as white papers, case studies, video scripts and of course e-newsletters. That’s client retention.
What do you think about the sales funnel and a communication funnel?