{"id":26178,"date":"2023-08-09T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstpagesage.com\/?p=16401"},"modified":"2023-08-09T09:00:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T16:00:08","slug":"digital-marketing-funnel-stages-fc-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redesign.fpsclients.com\/wp\/digital-marketing-funnel-stages-fc-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Digital Marketing Funnel Stages, Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/b><\/p>\n

In digital marketing, demand generation<\/a> brings prospects to your website. Once they\u2019re there, the series of pages they visit, in a single session or multiple sessions, determine their likelihood of converting into customers. This entire process is known as the digital marketing funnel.<\/p>\n

When diagrammed, a digital marketing funnel shows the psychological state of your would-be customer as they travel through your website. It is divided into distinct stages for a clearer understanding of their changing experience and attitude towards your brand (visualized below).<\/p>\n

Practically speaking, someone traveling through the stages of a digital marketing funnel is visiting various online \u201clocations\u201d on their path to conversion, such as a marketing e-mail, an ad, the Google search results, your website, and your competitors\u2019 websites.<\/p>\n

In this piece, we illustrate the digital marketing funnel in all its stages. Afterwards, we offer recommendations for improving your conversion rate at each stage of the funnel, citing examples of successful funnels along the way.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the digital marketing funnel stage looks like:<\/p>\n

\"\"Discovery \u21d2 Interest \u21d2 Appraisal \u21d2 Confirmation \u21d2 Conversion<\/b><\/p>\n

The table below breaks down each stage, giving your prospect\u2019s online location within that stage; and the KPIs that determine whether you\u2019re succeeding at getting enough prospects to that stage.<\/p>\n

The Digital Marketing Funnel Stages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Funnel Stage<\/b><\/td>\nOnline Location<\/b><\/td>\nKPIs<\/b><\/td>\nDescription<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Discovery<\/b><\/td>\nGoogle Search Results<\/p>\n

Web or Social Ad<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • New unique visitors<\/li>\n
  • Ad clicks<\/li>\n
  • Search rankings for unbranded keywords<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
A potential customer comes across your brand for the first time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Interest<\/b><\/td>\nYour website’s blog articles, landing pages, and resources<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Page views<\/li>\n
  • Time on site<\/li>\n
  • Micro-conversions (downloads, tool interactions, email subscriptions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
The potential customer skims your blog and landing pages for a quick overview of your brand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Appraisal<\/b><\/td>\nReviews, both on your website and on 3rd party review sites.<\/p>\n

Competitor websites to compare products<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • Backlinks<\/li>\n
  • Search rankings for unbranded keywords<\/li>\n
  • Rankings on 3rd party sites<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Armed with basic information and interest, the potential customer branches out, digging deeper on your site and visiting competitor and 3rd-party sites for evaluation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Confirmation<\/b><\/td>\nYour website’s case studies and conversion focused landing pages<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Repeat visitors<\/li>\n
  • Returning email and social media clickthroughs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Convinced your product or service seems best, the potential customer returns for more details and a final push<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Conversion<\/b><\/td>\nYour website’s contact page or product checkout page<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Conversions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Finally, the potential customer makes their first purchase, or reaches out to your sales team and becomes a lead<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/h2>\n

Stage 1: Discovery<\/h2>\n

The Discovery stage of the digital marketing funnel is where a potential customer first learns about you and your products, often without knowing they\u2019re missing something or exactly what they\u2019re looking for. Often, they\u2019ll simply be trying to solve a problem or researching a pain point on Google, or browsing LinkedIn or Facebook when they happen to see your name.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A searcher discovers Salesforce through Google Search<\/i><\/p>\n

You need to entice them to take the next step and bring them to your website where the next digital marketing funnel stage takes shape. While many marketers will tell you that doing so starts with good ad design or witty copy, it actually begins earlier: with targeting the right audience.<\/p>\n

Optimizing your funnel at the Discovery stage starts with researching your current customers, and understanding exactly what brings them to you. You should develop audience personas<\/a> that lay out their challenges, their goals, and their aspirations. This allows you to narrow your focus to target only people who are actually interested in buying your product, making every campaign you run that much more effective. Once they\u2019ve clicked on your ad, your page in the results, or on your social media link, they move into the next phase of the funnel: Interest.<\/p>\n

Stage 2: Interest<\/h2>\n

A user sees your company\u2019s name and clicks through to your website. This is the moment of dawning interest\u2014or not\u2014in which they unconsciously decide if your expertise or product appeals to them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A blog article captures visitor interest<\/i><\/p>\n

There are a lot of people at this stage of the journey and only a handful are likely to move down the funnel. You need to put your best foot forward and provide valuable information and key insights at every opportunity. Quickly address their pain points and show them what you have to offer. Strong, concise writing is essential here\u2014stay away from overly sales-oriented language and hyperbole. Your goal is to establish credibility and pushing too hard for an immediate sale will make visitors lose trust, leaving your site.<\/p>\n

To improve your conversion rates<\/a> at the Interest stage, examine the pages that visitors first land on when they reach your site. These will be the landing pages that your ads point to, the blog articles shared on your social media, and the pages that have the highest rankings on Google. It is absolutely essential that these pages put your best foot forward. Here\u2019s what we recommend:<\/p>\n