What are funnels and why are they important for your business.

We hear more and more often about funnel marketing and its importance. But what are funnels? And why are funnels useful for a business?

Let's start with the basics. “Funnel” literally means “funnel”. The term was not chosen by chance. In fact, funnel is the process through which a company skims, filters and sifts all possible customers, transforming them into paying customers.

The funnel, just like a funnel, starts from a large audience, generally interested in the product or service that the company offers and through various actions carries out a selection of contacts, with the aim of converting them into sales.

The idea behind this strategy therefore concerns the possibility of proceeding towards an audience that is increasingly interested in what is proposed in the sales path, which obviously, to work, must include steps designed to transform a general audience into customers.

How are funnels used?

Having said that the funnel is a theoretical model that draws the hypothetical journey of a contact from stranger to customer, in marketing it is therefore used to define a series of stages, internet pages, actions, mechanisms, which push the contact to decide to purchase a service or a product.

Using the funnel means creating a strategic path to transform a stranger into a person who knows you, who trusts you and who wants to purchase your services or products.

Your funnel, if done well, can transform a stranger into your loyal customer!

How do funnels work?

Now we know the theory. But how do we get a stranger to end up in the funnel and convert him into a customer?

To guide the consumer in the processes and in each phase they are in, in order to make them customers, the funnel operates in 5 different phases.

Phase 1: Awareness

The awareness phase is found in the highest part of the funnel, and is where the first contact with the general user occurs.

Through advertising, the consumer becomes aware of the existence of that product or service, or even of the company itself, and begins to consider the possibility that it might be useful to him.

And it is here, in this first phase, that it is necessary to attract users with interesting content (created through content marketing) and stimulating as well as engaging, creating an initial relationship and making themselves known.

Phase 2: consideration

In this second phase the consumer wants to find out more, to know who you are. So he checks the reviews and testimonials of your brand and the product and/or service he is interested in and puts it in his personal list. Thus your brand is remembered and becomes familiar and recognizable among all the others.

The user, therefore, after having collected the information he needs, begins to show familiarity with the possible purchase.

Phase 3: conversion

In this phase the consumer switches to direct action: he requests a quote or information relating to the product or service via email, calls and asks for information, and comes to the store. For this reason it is very important to develop a strategy based on incentives that can accelerate this process, such as, for example, dedicated discounts, personalized promotions, temporary discounts. The sooner the consumer is stimulated to act, the better he is in the decision-making process.

Phase 4: purchase

This is certainly the most important phase, because the consumer finalizes the purchase and you, the company, obtain the first result of your marketing funnel programming work. However, it should not be considered as the final stage of the funnel, as the customer is not yet loyal.

Phase 5: loyalty

Here we are, the consumer has become your customer. And now that the customer has purchased your product and/or one of your services, he uses it and then asks himself questions, whether he is satisfied with the purchase or whether "Is this product in line with my expectations?". In this phase, which is the last of the funnel, the one in the lowest - and narrowest - part of the funnel, it is very important to develop re-marketing strategies, incentives to carry out positive referrals and word of mouth to build customer loyalty and ensure that they purchase from you several times and perhaps bring other customers.

Why are funnels important for your business?

Funnels are important because, as explained previously, they allow you to work on every single phase of your customers' purchasing process. From when they are still strangers, to the point of building their loyalty.

Creating an effective digital marketing funnel is therefore a decidedly important process for every company, but also delicate, complex and detailed, and which leads to concrete results over time.

Doing it in a professional way can definitely make a difference.

Funnels in fact require a lot of expertise and therefore it is advisable to turn to industry experts to best create your funnel.

Do you own a company and want to create funnels that allow you to convert potential consumers into customers?

Gilbi.co is at your disposal. Ask one of our consultants for help!