Understanding the 3 Stages of a Funnel: Awareness, Consideration and Decision

Learn about 3 stages of a funnel: awareness consideration & decision & how Hotjar heat maps recordings & surveys can help optimize & increase conversions.

Understanding the 3 Stages of a Funnel: Awareness, Consideration and Decision

The buyer journey is an active research process that potential buyers go through when considering a purchase. Asking different marketers about marketing funnels will likely result in different answers, as a marketing funnel is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. It is important to understand the customer journey from the moment of awareness to the moment of conversion, and part of that is understanding how each stage works in the traditional marketing funnel model. The top of the funnel (TOFU) is where potential customers first become aware of your brand and interact with it for the first time.

They may not yet know much about your product or service, so this stage focuses on content and marketing material that promote brand awareness. The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is the last place potential customers go before making a conversion. You've captured their attention, built trust and fostered a relationship with them. Measuring the target conversion rate allows your team to make more informed decisions about each phase of the funnel, rather than just about the final outcome.

To measure the success of your marketing funnel, you need to understand how people use your website (beyond traffic and conversions) and why they behave in a certain way while browsing or buying. Then, you can optimize your marketing funnel to increase conversions at every stage of the customer experience. Hotjar heat maps, recordings and surveys can be used to optimize your marketing channel for the customer journey and increase conversions. Combining quantitative and qualitative information with these tools will help you create a better funnel that meets the unique needs of your customers and, as a result, increase conversions. From the moment potential customers find out about your product or service to the moment they make a purchase (or don't), they go through different stages of your sales funnel. That journey through your funnel may change from one prospect to another, but in the end, they'll evaluate it based on their level of interest. The first stage of the sales funnel is called the “knowledge level”, because it is where people first become aware of your product or service.

They may find out about you through your advertising, social media and even word of mouth. Potential customers in the middle and lower stages of the sales funnel are those you should pay the most attention to, since they have gone from awareness to interest. Once potential customers get to know your brand, they'll evaluate it based on their level of interest. At this point, your potential customers will move from the knowledge phase to the interest phase. In addition, since you have all your landing page email addresses, you can create a series of emails to share educational content about your offer. As potential customers move into the decision phase, you'll want to offer anything that might lead them to make a purchasing decision.

This could include a product demo, an extended free trial, or a special discount. In the action phase, you'll get new customers or discover why potential customers aren't interested in buying. For new customers, focus on education, engagement and product retention. For potential customers who haven't made any purchases, create a new series of parenting services to contact them every few months. Understanding the different stages of the marketing funnel and knowing how to implement them effectively is what will make your business grow. The conversion funnel is a continuous cycle; therefore, you should take your time to implement the different stages of the marketing funnel and be sure to analyze how they all work to capture the attention of your audience and convert them into customers.

Cassandra Paule
Cassandra Paule

Certified social media guru. Hardcore food scholar. Freelance baconaholic. Infuriatingly humble bacon specialist. Subtly charming web aficionado. Certified twitteraholic.

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