Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have many powerful advertising features that help you attract, keep and grow your customers. If you’re not sure what social media channels you should use in your marketing funnel, this blog is for you. But first, what is a marketing funnel and why is it important?
What is a marketing funnel?
A marketing funnel, or customer path to purchase, is the journey a consumer takes to make a purchase decision. Depending on the price of the product, the journey may be long or short. The higher the price, the longer the journey.
(You wouldn’t spend too much time researching hand soap before you buy it. A car, however, you’d spend a good few months researching.)
There are three stages of the marketing funnel – awareness, consideration, and conversion.
Awareness: At this stage of the marketing funnel, your primary objective is to make your target market aware that you have a product or service that suits their needs or solves their problem.
Consideration: People generally don’t spend money on something without knowing much about it. They’ll research it, read reviews, compare prices and connect with multiple providers before making a decision. The consideration phase is your opportunity to persuade your potential customers to choose you.
Conversion: Finally, the conversion phase. The pointed end of the journey where your potential customers are close to making a purchase.
Why is a marketing funnel important?
You don’t need to be a marketing specialist to understand that people consult various sources online before making a purchase decision. You do it all the time. Think about the last purchase you made. Where did you go to get the information you needed to make your decision?
Your marketing funnel is there to ensure you have a plan to meet your potential customers at each stage of their purchase journey.
What social media channels should I use in my marketing?
Awareness
- YouTube
Paid advertising on Facebook helps increase your brand’s exposure and drives leads to your website. Create an awareness campaign that introduces your brand to your target market.
Facebook pages are a great way to build a community of people who are interested in your product or service. Creating and managing your Facebook page is 100% free (although we do recommend strategically boosting your posts to get additional exposure.)
Instagram, with features like Shoppable Posts can raise awareness of your service and drive purchases too.
Don’t forget Pinterest and YouTube.
YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google. People visit YouTube to get inspiration and ideas, so it’s a good way to connect with potential customers.
Pinterest is the number one place for people to get their daily dose of inspiration. Create a Pinterest Business account and start pinning images of your product or service in action.
Before people buy from you, they need to know about you. Awareness ads and organic activity on your Instagram profile and Facebook page help people get to know you. If they know you and like you, they’ll work with you or buy from you.
Consideration
- YouTube
Facebook and YouTube are two common platforms that people visit when they’re trying to make a purchase decision. Facebook reviews and customer testimonials on your YouTube channels are two very easy ways to build up your credibility and nurture your lead to a sale.
You can also run consideration campaigns on Facebook. These campaigns can be set up to target people who have visited your website (thanks to the Facebook pixel) reminding them to choose you.
Conversion
And finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for. The conversion.
Facebook has conversion ads that help get the sale/sign up over the line. Use tactical messaging or special offers to get the conversion you desire. Instagram’s shoppable posts are an excellent way to get conversions directly from your content.
Need some help building your marketing funnel? Focus SME helps small to medium-sized businesses generate leads through social media and digital marketing services. To discuss your business or marketing, contact Focus SME here.