In case you actually need what you are promoting to generate extra focused leads, you might have considered trying to check out your top-of-funnel content material technique.
On the planet of content material advertising and marketing, top-of-funnel content material is these weblog posts, podcasts, YouTube movies, or micro-content (suppose Instagram or TikTok) that will get your viewers’s foot within the door of your model and merchandise. At this stage, your clients may probably not know who your model is and the way you may be capable to assist them.
Due to this, most top-of-funnel content material is targeted on training and worth. You aren’t essentially telling your clients that you can remedy their issues utilizing your distinctive options. You’re solely exhibiting them options, ideas, or data they could actively be on the lookout for proper now. However you’re not but making an attempt to get them to develop into a paying buyer.
Right here’s an instance.
Your services or products may very well be an company of graphic designers who focus on social media advertisements and content material. You may then spend money on writing and selling weblog posts on matters like how one can develop a social media account utilizing nice photos, or give concepts on completely different visuals each enterprise ought to publish to extend their conversions.
On this article, we need to assist you to create higher top-of-funnel content material that may entice these leads and clients. However we’ll additionally present you what to do afterward in an effort to transfer your viewers down the funnel so that they really develop into paying clients.
Able to get began? Learn on to find 7 important steps to create efficient top-of-funnel content material that may seamlessly take your leads down your funnel in the direction of conversion.
7 Steps to Create and Publish High of Funnel Content material
1. Determine your purchaser persona
Having a transparent purchaser persona isn’t helpful only for creating high-value services individuals need to purchase. A purchaser persona can really be a vital instrument you need to use to brainstorm top-of-funnel content material that may get your viewers to what you are promoting.
You’ll particularly need to concentrate on the areas of your purchaser persona that let you know two particular issues: first, what options your purchaser could also be on the lookout for of their lives or enterprise; and second, the place they’re trying to find these options.
The primary one is vital as a result of this can let you know what sort of content material will pique your customers’ curiosity and get them in your web site or lead era efforts.
For example, let’s check out this weblog publish from Time Physician. The weblog publish is about how advertising and marketing companies can maximize their income after they’re outsourcing to freelancers or BPOs.
If a advertising and marketing company that was struggling to maximise their income have been to encounter this weblog publish on-line, they might probably need to learn by it and get ideas from precise companies like theirs who’ve finished the identical factor.
So guarantee that if you’re planning your top-of-funnel content material, it’s all the time primarily based on precise wants and options your clients are on the lookout for. This serves as your hook to get them contained in the door.
2. Map out your purchaser’s journey
The second step has to do with understanding your purchaser’s journey as they go from viewers member to precise paying buyer. It’s no secret that as leads go down by the funnel, they’ll require completely different content material that matches the stage that they’re at the moment in.
Let’s rapidly undergo what a typical purchaser’s journey may appear like, then we are able to see how precisely you may plan out your top-of-funnel content material primarily based on that image.
Listed below are the everyday levels of a purchaser’s journey:
- Consciousness stage. On this stage, clients know they’ve an issue or a necessity. They’re going to actively search for options to their downside. For instance, they might search on Google how one can get extra purchasers for his or her freelancing enterprise. Or they could seek for completely different ideas for managing their funds as a small enterprise proprietor.
- Consideration stage. By this stage, clients are conscious of various options to their issues. If the issue just isn’t getting sufficient purchasers for his or her freelancing enterprise, they could have found on their search that they should spend money on gathering leads and nurturing them by way of e-mail advertising and marketing and social media. They’re conscious of attainable options, so that they’ll start extra solution-specific content material, like tricks to get began with social media or e-mail advertising and marketing as a freelancer.
- Choice stage. Throughout this stage, the client already has an concept about how one can remedy their downside. They find out about completely different corporations or providers that may present these options. Within the instance above, perhaps they’re contemplating investing in e-mail advertising and marketing suppliers or different freelancers who might help them implement this technique to generate and nurture leads. Now, they’re making an attempt to determine which answer supplier to truly go along with.
For top-of-funnel content material, that is largely going to be content material that customers are on the lookout for within the consciousness stage.
Right here’s an instance: a weblog publish on social media administration instruments printed by Blue Tree, a advertising and marketing agency that makes a speciality of natural progress methods for his or her purchasers. By making a weblog publish like this one, they perceive that potential purchasers could be struggling to handle their social media themselves (downside conscious).
Purchasers are conscious that their largest downside is leveraging their social media higher. They’re exploring how one can streamline their processes and could also be trying to find instruments and ideas.
And Blue Tree’s weblog publish exhibits them instruments that assist with simply that: streamlining and managing social media pages utilizing apps, discussing every app intimately, and the way every one could be used to successfully handle completely different channels or accounts.
Get clear by yourself purchaser journey, then decide to creating content material that helps remedy their wants. After all, you’ll need to concentrate on creating top-of-funnel content material to get these leads in by the door, but additionally commit a while brainstorming and creating content material that may transfer them alongside the funnel primarily based on each stage they’re in.
3. Determine the precise key phrases
To ensure your content material stands an opportunity of getting found by your prospects and leads, you need to spend money on discovering and utilizing the precise key phrases that may get their eyes and ears in your content material.
Figuring out the precise key phrases could be so simple as doing an auto-complete search on engines like google like Google. How this works is you begin typing out phrases inside a search bar, and these are what you suppose your viewers is on the lookout for as effectively.
In case your viewers is seeking to develop their social media platforms, for example, that is what a Google auto-complete search will present you.
Many engines like google will do that, together with YouTube and Pinterest.
You may as well transfer on to doing superior key phrase analysis, utilizing instruments that may assist you to perceive the search quantity of every key phrase in addition to the competitors you might need if you try to make use of these goal key phrases on search.
Going again to our level about understanding your purchaser’s journey: figuring out the precise key phrases additionally means understanding the search intent behind every key phrase or key phrase phrase.
For instance, if a person searches “ideas for weight reduction,” then they’re probably within the consciousness stage. In the event that they’re looking with the key phrases “weight reduction complement,” they’re probably within the consideration stage. If nonetheless, they’re mentioning a selected model in that search – e.g. “weight reduction complement [Brand Name]” or “[Brand Name X] vs [Brand Name Y] weight reduction complement” – then they’re already within the resolution stage.
Get to know all of the context you may round your chosen key phrases, so you may concentrate on creating top-of-funnel content material primarily based on clients in the precise stage, i.e. consciousness.
4. Publish content material primarily based in your clients’ choice
An vital tip we need to share is to decide on content material codecs (blogs, emails, podcasts, movies, and so on.) primarily based on what your clients actively devour themselves.
As expertise will get higher and web connections get stronger, individuals’s habits can also start to alter. For example, we’re seeing proof that micro-content, like 30-second movies or audio bites, is more and more gaining popularity.
Pay attention to normal tendencies available in the market, however in the end what ought to sway your decision-making about content material platforms and codecs is what your customers favor. In spite of everything, why make investments time in creating TikToks, for example, in case your viewers isn’t even on the platform?
Consider it as a option to maximize your top-of-funnel content material efforts. In case you’re investing time and assets in creating high-quality top-of-funnel content material items, you then need to be certain these content material items really get seen or heard by your splendid clients.
Return to your purchaser persona. Examine which platforms your clients may at the moment be on. In case you haven’t but, replace your purchaser persona by doing new surveys and buyer interviews to essentially get to know your clients’ habits.
5. Use content material to assist, to not promote
High-of-funnel content material is supposed to be useful in nature. It educates and informs clients and doesn’t suggest your model as an answer simply but.
Due to this, if you’re writing top-of-funnel content material, concentrate on delivering excessive worth in every content material piece. You’ll be able to, in fact, point out your model or product, however don’t make your entire piece about it.
Strategically place model mentions in your top-of-funnel content material, however don’t anticipate {that a} person will convert instantly. In case your prospect is trying just for data, they don’t need to be bombarded by an advert disguised as a weblog publish.
Purpose to supply options to the issues your shoppers are dealing with proper now, like this freelance pricing information printed by Waveapps. This established Waveapps as a trusted authority that is aware of its market and business. Solely when you may show to prospects and clients that you’re an professional by sharing helpful, authoritative content material will they be extra primed to be taught extra about what you are promoting and gives.
6. Gate your content material providing
A useful option to make your top-of-funnel content material work more durable is by gating it, so you may take clients by a nurture sequence that warms them up and turns them into purple scorching leads.
After all, do that sparingly. You don’t need to gate each single weblog publish. As a substitute, what you are able to do is provide a number of worth inside your predominant content material, however then inform your viewers that there’s much more data or worth you may present inside, say, a report.
This works effectively with publications like whitepapers and slideshows you may ship, however this will also be useful for lead era. Think about gating content material gives behind lead magnets like high-value webinars which can be solely accessible in the event that they opt-in to your e-newsletter.
For instance, Braze (previously Appboy) gates informational webinars with business audio system to show audiences that belief them into heat leads.
You’ll need to gate content material that helps take your viewers from the attention stage to the consideration stage. Give them useful data, then provide them methods to get much more from you if they really choose in.
7. Promote your content material
Lastly, you’ve created your content material, it’s beneficial, it’s going to maneuver your customers by the gross sales funnel – now it’s time to advertise your content material.
The fact is easy: nobody goes to find your work except you make a acutely aware effort to put it on the market usually. Go on social media to share new content material and posts. Reshare evergreen content material on different platforms.
Get your content material on common web sites and channels natively, or spend money on doing paid promoting.
Regardless of which course you’re taking, don’t overlook to trace your outcomes and ROI. Which channels are getting you the very best bang to your buck? Monitor your outcomes, and make investments extra in successful campaigns and methods.
Key Takeaways/Conclusion
High-of-funnel content material is commonly the primary touchpoint your viewers might need together with your model. Even when it isn’t, it’s nonetheless a channel the place you will get your viewers to belief you as an authority in your area of interest.
Due to that, make investments time in creating the precise top-of-funnel content material that may ultimately flip into certified leads, then proceed to nurture them with extra content material in the precise stage of the funnel till they’re able to convert right into a sale.
