The best way to sell something is through a sales funnel. The first part of the funnel, i.e., Top of the Funnel (TOFU), will make people want more, which leads them down into the last stage, i.e., Bottom of the Funnel(BOFU), where they'll buy your product or service. But what about between these two stages? At this stage of the sales funnel, people know they have a problem that needs a solution. That means you have an interested audience. Keep reading below!
What is the Middle of Funnel?
Middle of Funnel is the second stage of marketing. It is defined as the phase of marketing that occurs after your prospects have engaged with your product/service and are starting to get more serious about buying. The goal of the middle of the funnel content is to move them from being interested to becoming an actual lead or customer.
This can be done by providing enough information to understand how the product will help solve their problem but not too much detail where it becomes overwhelming. The content should also address any lingering questions they may still have at this stage regarding pricing, timeline, etc.
8 Types of content in MOFU
With the many types of content available, you can implement the middle of the funnel stage more effectively and efficiently. The type that's most tailored for your company will depend on the resources at your disposal. Here are some examples:
1. Explanatory Videos
Explanatory videos explain how your product works, answering FAQs about the product, and demonstrating features of the product that can gauge the customer’s interest in what you are selling. In addition, explanatory videos help answer any lingering questions a customer may have as they decide whether to buy. Videos are also better at demonstrating more complex concepts than text alone.
2. Micro-blogs
Micro-blogs are more concise than blog posts and are less time-consuming to produce. They provide a quick way for companies to share their expertise with followers and prospective customers about different topics related to its products or services.
3. Newsletters
Newsletters give your constant customer updates on new releases, current trends, and other valuable information that keeps the customer informed and engaged.
4. Whitepapers
A whitepaper is a detailed format of researched content released to educate potential customers on a specific topic. Whitepaper content is an excellent way to showcase a company’s expertise.
5. Ebooks
Ebooks are an engaging source of the content as they generally offer a more detailed and comprehensive overview of the topic or products. They also include interactive features such as infographics, quizzes, or videos to illustrate the company’s message better.
6. Case Studies
Potential customers often view case studies as a way to learn about how your business operates and what it is capable of.
7. Product Guides
Product guides can provide customers with all they need to know about your product, from how it works to its benefits and features.
8. Testimonials
Showcasing testimonials for your product or service shows your customers that other people have had success with it and are satisfied.
Each type of content has its own goals. Still, they all aim at engaging the reader in some way: either by prompting them for action like clicking through for more information or providing them with new knowledge about your company offering something valuable and unique compared to others.
Objectives of MOFU Content
The two main objectives of Middle of Funnel content are to provide customers with a clear understanding of your product or service and to offer readers an incentive for choosing you:
- Educating leads about your product or service
The main goal at this stage is to make sure that people know what your company offers. Educating them through videos, guides, and other informative content is the goal at this stage.
- Offering an incentive for choosing you
It is good to give discounts or make an offer if you want people to buy from you. This will show the benefits of your company and make it easier to choose you over others.
Tracking Your MOFU Goals
There are different key metrics to track your MOFU Goals:
1. Unique Visitors and Pageviews
The number of views or unique visitors you have on your page is a key metric used to measure the amount of interest in the content at this stage.
2. Organic Traffic
You will see organic traffic when visitors come from search engines or other sites instead of clicking through direct links. At Middle Funnel, you want people who are already interested because they know about you, so your goal is to attract more qualified leads rather than increasing the number of visits.
3. Social Shares and Retweets
The number of times your content is shared on social media.
4. CTR (Click-Through-Rate)
The number of people who have clicked on your ads is divided by the total traffic. For example, if you have 1000 visitors and get 50 clicks from those views, your CTR is at 0.05 or five percent.
5. Engagement Metrics
Engagement metric means time spent on site and pages viewed per session. So, for example, if someone spends an average of four minutes on your site, then that’s high.
6. Retention Rates
Retention rate is a percentage of people that return to your website after a certain amount of time. For example: if you have 1000 visitors and 250 of them return to your site within one month, then that’s a 25% retention rate.
7. Referral Metrics
The referral metric is the number of people who come back to your website through word-of-mouth or other sources like social media posts. For example: if you have 1000 visitors and 100 of them come back to your site through referrals, that’s a ten percent referral rate.
These key metrics for the middle of the sales funnel are important because they help gauge how well your content is performing.
If you want to turn visitors into leads, Middle of the Funnel is where it's at. You're presenting your product or service and providing information about it in hopes that they'll become interested and ultimately convert to a customer.