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ARTICLE
When it comes to getting organised with your marketing, mapping out your marketing funnel and considering how best to optimise it can help you not only increase your bookings but also better understand your customers.
Before we get started, what exactly is a marketing funnel?
The concept for the marketing or sales funnel was first introduced by a guy called John Dewey way back in the early 1900s. He realised that no matter what kind of purchase people were making, they followed the same general path when deciding what to buy and how much to spend.
Dewey broke down this path into various stages and today these five stages form the basis of the modern marketing funnel:
TOFU - Problem / Need Recognition (TOFU): A customer has a problem you can solve, but they may not know it yet. These people are at the very top of the funnel (TOFU).
Information Search (MOFU): The customer recognises they have a problem or need and goes about searching for more information on potential solutions to that problem. They have entered the middle of the funnel (MOFU).
MOFU - Evaluation of Alternatives (MOFU): Still in the middle of the funnel, the customer starts comparing alternative solutions and evaluating the pros and cons. Which business will fulfil their needs best? (Hint, it’s yours!)
BOFU -Purchase Decision (BOFU): The culmination of the previous three stages sees the customer make a purchase decision. They have now reached the lower reaches of the funnel (BOFU) but they’re not at the very bottom just yet…
Post-Purchase Behaviour (BOFU): The purchase has been made but what happens afterwards – in the post-purchase phase – is just as important. Satisfying the customer at the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is a sure way to get referrals and repeat purchases.
In 2021, there are infinite variations on the funnel identified by Dewey. A quick Google search will bring up a slew of variations from marketers across the world: some using the TOFU / MOFU / BOFU signifiers, others breaking the process down into a much more granular diagram with many stages. Some marketers even argue that people move up and down the funnel repeatedly before converting into a paying customer. Most funnels are limited to 5-7 stages, but you can use however many you feel comfortable with. The important thing is to think about your current marketing efforts – write them down if that helps – and consider which stage of the funnel they are fulfilling.
Once you’ve summarised your marketing efforts and decided where in the funnel they fit, take some time to consider who your customers are, how they might find you and what process they go through when they book you for their event.Where in the customer journey do you reach people? What information do you provide them with at each stage? Perhaps you’re reaching lots of people at TOFU but not moving them to MOFU. Or maybe your MOFU marketing efforts are really solid, but you simply aren’t reaching enough people at TOFU – you need to shout about your business a bit more.
In order to explain the different stages of the marketing funnel in more depth, I’ve taken one of the most common funnel structures and highlighted some of the marketing activities that can help nurture customers at each different stage.Much like Dewey’s, my marketing funnel is split into five stages: Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Evaluation and Purchase. However, this could easily be stretched out into seven stages, should you wish to go into more detail.
Once you’re familiar with the funnel, why not have a think about how these stages apply to your own marketing strategy? Where can you improve? Are there any stages in the customer journey where you feel your customers may get lost or drop out of the funnel? If so, put a plan in place to provide the information that will move them down the funnel instead. By understanding the process your customers go through and how your marketing affects this process, you can optimise the customer journey and bring in more bookings for your DJ business. Good luck!
How can somebody choose you if they don’t know you exist? The initial phase – awareness – is all about letting your target market know who you are and what you do.
In some respects, marketing for ‘awareness’ is easy – and things get trickier to do the further down the funnel you go. Many of the marketing-related pieces found in this magazine (my own included) relate to the awareness stage. Social media posts, YouTube videos, SEO, print ads, events and radio can all be utilised for awareness campaigns.
Remember, for an awareness campaign you need to assume that the person has never ever heard of you – they know absolutely nothing about you or your business. What do they need to know about you? And what problem of theirs can you solve? Keep it simple.
Before we get started, what exactly is a marketing funnel?
The concept for the marketing or sales funnel was first introduced by a guy called John Dewey way back in the early 1900s. He realised that no matter what kind of purchase people were making, they followed the same general path when deciding what to buy and how much to spend.
Dewey broke down this path into various stages and today these five stages form the basis of the modern marketing funnel:
TOFU - Problem / Need Recognition (TOFU): A customer has a problem you can solve, but they may not know it yet. These people are at the very top of the funnel (TOFU).
Information Search (MOFU): The customer recognises they have a problem or need and goes about searching for more information on potential solutions to that problem. They have entered the middle of the funnel (MOFU).
MOFU - Evaluation of Alternatives (MOFU): Still in the middle of the funnel, the customer starts comparing alternative solutions and evaluating the pros and cons. Which business will fulfil their needs best? (Hint, it’s yours!)
BOFU -Purchase Decision (BOFU): The culmination of the previous three stages sees the customer make a purchase decision. They have now reached the lower reaches of the funnel (BOFU) but they’re not at the very bottom just yet…
Post-Purchase Behaviour (BOFU): The purchase has been made but what happens afterwards – in the post-purchase phase – is just as important. Satisfying the customer at the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is a sure way to get referrals and repeat purchases.
In 2021, there are infinite variations on the funnel identified by Dewey. A quick Google search will bring up a slew of variations from marketers across the world: some using the TOFU / MOFU / BOFU signifiers, others breaking the process down into a much more granular diagram with many stages. Some marketers even argue that people move up and down the funnel repeatedly before converting into a paying customer. Most funnels are limited to 5-7 stages, but you can use however many you feel comfortable with. The important thing is to think about your current marketing efforts – write them down if that helps – and consider which stage of the funnel they are fulfilling.
Once you’ve summarised your marketing efforts and decided where in the funnel they fit, take some time to consider who your customers are, how they might find you and what process they go through when they book you for their event.Where in the customer journey do you reach people? What information do you provide them with at each stage? Perhaps you’re reaching lots of people at TOFU but not moving them to MOFU. Or maybe your MOFU marketing efforts are really solid, but you simply aren’t reaching enough people at TOFU – you need to shout about your business a bit more.
In order to explain the different stages of the marketing funnel in more depth, I’ve taken one of the most common funnel structures and highlighted some of the marketing activities that can help nurture customers at each different stage.Much like Dewey’s, my marketing funnel is split into five stages: Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Evaluation and Purchase. However, this could easily be stretched out into seven stages, should you wish to go into more detail.
Once you’re familiar with the funnel, why not have a think about how these stages apply to your own marketing strategy? Where can you improve? Are there any stages in the customer journey where you feel your customers may get lost or drop out of the funnel? If so, put a plan in place to provide the information that will move them down the funnel instead. By understanding the process your customers go through and how your marketing affects this process, you can optimise the customer journey and bring in more bookings for your DJ business. Good luck!
Awareness
How can somebody choose you if they don’t know you exist? The initial phase – awareness – is all about letting your target market know who you are and what you do.
In some respects, marketing for ‘awareness’ is easy – and things get trickier to do the further down the funnel you go. Many of the marketing-related pieces found in this magazine (my own included) relate to the awareness stage. Social media posts, YouTube videos, SEO, print ads, events and radio can all be utilised for awareness campaigns.
Remember, for an awareness campaign you need to assume that the person has never ever heard of you – they know absolutely nothing about you or your business. What do they need to know about you? And what problem of theirs can you solve? Keep it simple.
Interest
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 108, Pages 68-71.
