I was recently contacted by a reporter who wanted to know more about top-of-funnel marketing. She was writing an article and wanted some background information to build her story and then (ideally, for me) would come back for some quotes.
The story ended getting killed by her editor before it ever saw the light of day, so I thought it would be good to share my answers to the reporter’s questions here. What follows is a high-level summary, designed to dispel a few myths and explain what top-of-funnel marketing is all about.
What is top-of-funnel marketing?
Top-of-funnel marketing is essentially the beginning of a business relationship. A marketer is wooing his or her prospect with valuable, unbiased, educational content with the goal of getting the prospect to ask for more information.
Put another way, it’s gaining the attention of someone you’d like to do business with by demonstrating you have knowledge that can help them:
- Solve a problem
- Achieve an objective, or
- Satisfy a need
What is top-of-the-funnel marketing NOT?
The main thing it’s not is sales material. At this point in your relationship with the prospect, you shouldn’t be bragging about your product. In fact, you really shouldn’t mention your product at all.
There’s a reason why I talk about “wooing” and a “relationship”. Top-of-funnel marketing is very much like dating. When you first meet someone, you want them to like you, so you’re on your best behavior. You don’t want to brag about yourself, but you do want them to think you’re smart and charming. If all you do is talk about how great you are, you won’t get past the first date.
It’s the same with top-of-funnel marketing. You don’t want to come on too strong with a bunch of product features and benefits. Instead, you explain how to solve their problem at a high level or outline what they need to solve it.
What is the basic logic of this part of the funnel, and what does it try to accomplish?
The logic is that people prefer to do business with people they like and trust, so top-of-funnel marketing is all about gaining trust and credibility with someone who is in the position to buy your product or service. Even in B2B sales scenarios, it still comes down to a person making a buying decision. They don’t want to be sold; they want to buy. The subtle difference for marketers is that instead of trying to persuade them to buy your product, you’re simply sharing enough information that they decide to buy on their own. Or, at the very least, that’s what you want them to think.
When is this kind of marketing appropriate?
This type of marketing is most appropriate for complex sales cycles, rather than a commodity purchase. If someone is looking to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of software or industrial equipment, they aren’t going to buy on a whim – they need a lot of information, and not just product information, either.
They need to be able to justify the purchase to their CEO or even in their own mind if they’re a small business owner. Conversely, a purchase of say, an eraser, isn’t as expensive and doesn’t have as much at stake, so the purchase decision probably comes down to price.
Who should use it?
Marketers who need to generate leads and pass them on to a sales team are the most likely users of top of funnel marketing. They need to establish the relationship and get the prospect to raise their hand for more information, which is then provided by a nurture or drip marketing campaign, and then eventually, a salesperson.
Of course, in this day and age of empowered buyers who do a lot of online research, top-of-funnel marketing works well there, too. Even marketers for products targeted to consumers can use it, if they know their prospects’ buying behavior includes online research. That’s where top of funnel marketing really shines.
What are the content guidelines and tips we can provide for top-of-funnel marketers?
Best practices for top-of-funnel marketing all go back to the goal – which is NOT to sell the product, but to establish credibility, trust and rapport with the prospect. Content needs to be educational about the prospect’s needs or problems, rather than why the product is so good.
For example, you wouldn’t jump directly into promoting the advantages of your product right away. It’s too soon for that. You’re just starting the relationship, and no one would be successful in a relationship if all they talked about was themselves. It’s more important to help the prospect learn about how to solve their business problem or achieve their goal.
Share information from other sources that provide context and ideas. Third-party data can be very effective, as it bolsters your credibility. For example, if Gartner has recommendations for your product category, and your product meets them, by all means share the information from Gartner. This is where marketers need to rein in their desire to talk about how great the product is – that’s for after the prospect has been hooked.
One big mistake we see a lot is boring copy. Just because the product isn’t “sexy,” that’s no excuse for copy that isn’t interesting and well organized. There’s always a way to inject some drama into it. One of the best ways is to paint a picture of the customer’s pain point. That’s sure to get their attention.
What should be expected after the execution of these tips? What is the result we expect to see?
Done well, top of funnel marketing can not only generate large numbers of highly qualified leads, it can also weed out those who are just kicking the tires and not really in a position to buy. This focuses sales teams on the most likely buyers, which is more efficient and leads to greater revenue. So, in marketing-speak, this type of marketing widens the top of the funnel (gets more people interested) and keeps more prospects from dropping out of the funnel before they buy. All of which leads to greater revenue at a more efficient operating cost.