What is full-funnel marketing?
For many shoppers, research and discovery happen across multiple channels at once. If you’ve ever scanned product reviews on your phone while shopping in store, or scrolled between a brand’s social media feed and website while watching a TV commercial, you’re not alone. 69% of in-store shoppers research reviews on their phones as they browse the aisles, and 71% of Americans use a second screen to look up content related to content they are watching on TV.
The ubiquity of mobile devices and social media means that online and offline shopping journeys are becoming more fragmented—making it critical to adopt a full-funnel strategy that drives awareness and demand across multiple channels simultaneously.
Why is full-funnel marketing important?
Marketing funnels are linear; customer journeys are not.
When we say “funnel,” we’re referring to the marketing funnel, which outlines the most straightforward journey your customer might take in the path to purchase. The top of the marketing funnel represents shoppers in the awareness stage, and the bottom of the funnel represents shoppers in the purchasing stage.
Upper-funnel marketing refers to strategies to build brand awareness. For example, many TV commercials are designed to build awareness among audiences who may not have a need for the product yet.
Mid-funnel marketing strategies typically focus on building consideration and standing out in your category.
Lower-funnel marketing drives purchase among shoppers who show potential to buy. For example, remarketing ads with calls-to-action like “Buy now” can bring shoppers closer to the point of purchase.
A full-funnel marketing strategy builds awareness, consideration, and purchase simultaneously.
The marketing funnel is a helpful framework for engaging audiences. At the same time, customer journeys and funnels aren’t interchangeable concepts. Funnels are linear, but customer journeys rarely move directly from awareness to consideration to purchase.
A full-funnel strategy can help you reach more shoppers across more touch points
Shoppers can enter the funnel at any stage, or seemingly skip stages. You may not be able to predict the steps shoppers take before buying your product, but a full-funnel approach is a good framework for an engagement strategy that helps you meet customers where they are.
5 steps to building a full-funnel marketing strategy
1. Make sure your products are sought-after
2. Reach shoppers who are most likely to purchase
3. Stand out in your category
4. Expand your reach
5. Optimize each campaign
4 benefits of full-funnel marketing
1. Reach new audiences - up to 21% more new-to-brand sales
2. Increase consideration - up to 2.5x more ad-attributed detail page views
3. Drive sales - up to 8% higher sales growth
4. Build loyalty - up to 1.9x more due to “informed” customer allegiance
Some marketers view loyalty as a separate stage of the funnel, but research suggests investing in a full-funnel strategy, rather than pursuing loyalty as a separate tactic, is the best way to set your brand up for repeat purchases.
When you adopt a full-funnel marketing strategy, you’ll likely see compounding effects that lead to stronger results in every stage of the funnel, from building awareness and purchase intent to increasing ROAS and growing sales.