Patience Hurlburt-LawtonOkay, so, I’m in the middle of Digital Marketer HQ’s Content Marketing Mastery certification course and I’m pulling a whole lot of information about content creation for each level of the infamous sales funnel.
This information-overload inspired me to blog about the uber-valuable stuff I’m learning. In last week’s blog, I went over what a sales funnel is, and how the content we create for your website needs to cater to prospective leads who are at the top of the funnel.
Now, let’s continue down the funnel, shall we?
Goals for Middle of the Funnel Content
When we say “middle of the funnel,” we are referring to a prospect that is aware of the problem your brand solves and we are trying to get them to consider you as their solution.
So, content marketing for the middle of the funnel should:
- Help Grow Your Email List and Leads
This means the content should be asking prospects to swap their contact information in exchange for the valuable information you’re about to give them.
- Grow Retargetting Lists
We went over this in last week’s blog, as it applies to each level of the sales funnel. These ads that follow prospective leads around the internet are pretty effective at bringing past visitors back to your site.
- Boost Initial Customer Acquisition
This content technique looks something like this: a prospect reads your blog, then an ad pops up with a relevant, low-dollar offer to quickly turn a prospective lead into a customer. This is also called a tripwire, low-dollar offerings that are (hopefully) perceived as high-value by potential customers. Generally, they are extended immediately after a customer has opted into the lead magnet and their #1 purpose is to get people to part with those initial few dollars that will shift them from potential customer to actual customer.
Middle of the Funnel Content Types
At this stage of the funnel, nothing is more important than a lead magnet. A lead magnet is, of course, an enticing “bribe” that offers immense value in exchange for contact information.
Lead magnet content may be in the form of:
- An educational/useful resource
- Case study
- White paper
- Cheat sheet
- Template
- Tool kit
- Free eBook
- Guide/report
- Software download
- Coupon or discount
- Quiz
- Survey
- Event or webinar
Lead Magnets: Important Rules
No matter what your lead magnet (middle of the funnel content) is, there are a few rules to keep in mind to make sure it’s successful:
- Keep it specific
- Promise one big thing only
- Provide a large value, and make sure it is perceived as valuable
- Make sure it can be consumed quickly
- Speak to the end-result your reader wants
Moving on Down the Funnel
Next week, we’ll plunge further down the sales funnel and learn what makes for bottom of the funnel content. See you there!
