How can you build a profitable content marketing funnel? Writing great content isn’t enough anymore. It’s important to drive traffic, build your brand, and monetise your content. Well, there are a lot of factors like branding, community building, and great content, among many more. It’s not easy but it can be done. 

Content marketing can be a numbers game, but it’s also about attracting the right kind of readers who are interested in your niche. Here’s how you can build a profitable content marketing funnel by attracting the right audience and turning them into loyal business partners that promote your website for you.

It’s easy to get lost in the world of content marketing. There are so many platforms and tools for which you can write, strategise, and manage your online marketing. You need to know what works and what doesn’t. If you’re not sure where to start, try out these 5 tips that will help you build a profitable content marketing funnel.

You can only build a profitable content marketing funnel if you understand your buyer

Let’s say your organisation is a furniture store. You have the best products and can get those products to market before your competitors. You have all of the pieces in place to be successful, but you just can’t seem to attract enough customers. Why? Because you don’t understand your target audience or their needs. Your content marketing isn’t focused on delivering solutions that help potential buyers overcome their challenges.

For example, if one of the biggest problems that people struggle with is how they don’t know what kind of furniture they want and why they need it, you could create a blog post around this topic that shares insights into how different types of furniture serve different purposes (e.g., what type of chair is best for working at home vs relaxing at home) or how specific kinds are not only functional but can also convey style (e.g., choosing an armchair). How do you do this? By keyword research using free tools like Google Keyword Planner. Research indicates that educational content leads 131% of consumers to buy from you.

At the top of the content marketing funnel, attract and engage your target audience with useful, informative content

The top of the funnel is all about engagement. You’ll want to create content that attracts and engages with your target audience. This content should be useful and informative, be it a blog post on how to solve a problem or an infographic about your industry’s most pertinent trends. The important thing is that you’re feeding your target audience with the information they need to make decisions.

Once you’ve created this engaging content, you’ll want to make sure it gets in front of the right people. You can do this by being intentional about where and how you publish your content (and don’t forget about internal linking). A blog post will look different from an infographic, which will look different from a video. Make sure each piece of content is tailored for the appropriate platform, so that it reaches its intended audience wherever they are online. You can also use targeting tools such as keywords and search engine optimisation (SEO) tools like Yoast SEO and Rank Math to get even more specific with who sees what pieces of your content.

According to the 2022 report by the Content Marketing Institute, videos, webinars, courses, research reports, and blog posts less than 3000 words produced the best results for B2B companies. And almost half the companies outsource their content marketing requirements.

Nurture visitors into leads with relevant content

Some people want more information about your offer, but they’re not ready to commit yet.

You can use email nurturing to keep your content in front of them until they are ready. A good nurturing campaign will build a relationship with these leads and provide the right content at the right time.

A good email nurture should have some basic elements: compelling content offers, relevant messages that move customers through the sales funnel, personalisation, and an easy way to opt out of emails.

Convert leads into customers with great offers and products

The final step of your funnel is converting leads into customers. You’re going to need a solid offer and/or product to accomplish this goal, so take the time to create one that really converts.

When creating an offer or product, think about what objections people are going to have before buying. For example, if you’re selling content marketing software, you probably know that some people may not be willing to pay for it because they already have many other tools and aren’t sure if yours will be more valuable than the ones they already have.

So what do you do? Create content that helps them realise how much more effective your tool is than the other ones out there. Some examples include webinars where you demo your tool and show people how it’s different from the other tools; a comparison infographic; specific case studies on how your tool can help solve problems; testimonials (specifically social proof); or even live events or workshops where you give demonstrations of your tool.

Create loyal advocates by delighting customers with great service

Spanish apparel retailer Zara has built a loyal customer base by focusing on providing customers with a great experience. Personalised, consistent, and relevant customer service has played an important role in their success. The company uses sales assistants from over 70 countries, who speak local languages and know the local culture. This enables them to provide excellent service to shoppers from around the world.

To delight your own audience, customer service must be at the heart of your business strategy. Your brand should be polite, friendly, and helpful at all times. And when you make a mistake – as many brands do – you need to apologise and strive to regain trust. Having compelling ‘call-to-action’ buttons are just as crucial to your sales. Like the one we have: get a free strategy call.

Conclusion

Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. Instead of pitching your products or services, you’re delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.

The Content Marketing Funnel offers a logical outline for creating and distributing content with the right mix of SEO and social media marketing strategies. The best part is that it’s not difficult to put this method into practice. You don’t need to be an accomplished writer or have a deep understanding of SEO to make this funnel work for you. It is all about finding your audience and providing value on a consistent basis. 

The same way that you would create a buyer persona for your product or service, it’s important to create a buyer persona for your content. This will provide clarity for what type of content to produce and how to distribute the material so that it best matches the needs and desires of your target audience.

Whether it’s a blog, an email newsletter, or something else entirely, your choice of content marketing vehicle will depend on the nature of your industry and the message that you’re trying to convey. What’s most important is that you have one. That’s the only way to ensure that you can keep nurturing and engaging with new audiences without having to reinvent the wheel every time.