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Level Up Your Content Marketing Funnel — Here’s How I Make the Right Content for Each Stage
There are several customer personas to consider when creating content. There’s Customer A, who doesn’t even know who you are or what you offer. Then there’s Customer B, who is trying to decide between you and one of your competitors. And finally, there’s Customer C who is ready to buy but needs one final push to make the purchase.
There are several customer personas to consider when creating content. There’s Customer A, who doesn’t even know who you are or what you offer. Then there’s Customer B, who is trying to decide between you and one of your competitors. And finally, there’s Customer C who is ready to buy but needs one final push to make the purchase.
All that to say, each of these customers is at a different stage of the buyer’s journey.
As a marketer, you need to craft a strategy that supports the different stages of your buyer’s journey. You’ll need material for every step of the content marketing funnel. Below, I’ll share strategies that work and examples of successful funnel content, according to fellow marketers.
Table of Contents
What is the content marketing funnel?
The content marketing funnel maps the buyer's journey through stages, from initial awareness, to consideration, to the final purchase decision.
Understanding this division and where your buyers are at in their journey helps you create targeted content that addresses prospects' needs and nurtures leads through each stage of the decision-making process.
Aligning content with each stage of the buyer's journey — typically top, middle, and bottom — helps you provide value, build trust, and guide customers toward choosing your product.
Levels of the Content Marketing Funnel
The content marketing funnel is divided into three stages: top, middle, and bottom. Like a funnel, the stages start wide and get narrower as buyers move through them and become more ready to make a decision or purchase.
In this section, I’ll explain what each of these levels involve and the kind of content you can create at each stage.
Top of the Funnel (ToFu)
At the top of the funnel, your focus should be on creating brand awareness. Top-of-funnel content should introduce your brand and make your audience aware of the problem you’re trying to solve.
The goal of ToFu content is to educate, inform, and engage.
ToFu content includes:
- Blog posts addressing target customers’ common struggles
- Infographics showcasing industry statistics
- LinkedIn posts sharing quick strategy tips or solutions
- Short videos explaining industry trends
Middle of the Funnel (MoFu)
The middle of the funnel is the consideration stage.
After potential buyers are familiar with your brand, they enter the research phase. This is when they start comparing your brand to competitor brands, learning more about the solution, and seeking tangible results.
The goal of MoFu content is to build trust and provide information prospects need to evaluate their options.
MoFu content includes:
- In-depth guides with tips
- Case studies highlighting customers’ success with your product
- Detailed social media posts exploring specific challenges
- Comparison charts showing how your product differs from competitors
Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu)
At the bottom of the funnel, your target persona is the decision-maker. They’re ready to make a purchasing decision, but they need one final push to decide.
The goal of BoFu content is to convert prospects into customers by offering the last piece of information or reassurance they need to make a purchasing decision.
BoFu content includes:
- Free audits, trials, or strategy consultations
- Testimonials from satisfied customers
- Live demos
- Discounts or coupons
Understanding the Buyer’s Journey in Marketing
Throughout my years as a content strategist for B2B SaaS companies, I‘ve personally discovered the buyer’s journey is rarely a straight path.
With the exception of impulse software purchases (which are rare in B2B), most decision-makers begin in an “unaware stage.” They typically fit the demographics of an ideal client or buyer persona, but they‘re unaware of the SaaS solution or don’t yet realize they need it.
A triggering event often changes their situation or highlights a pain point that needs solving. This is what kicks off their buyer's journey.
Let me share an example I've used with clients: Imagine a growing startup realizes its project management is becoming chaotic. These companies rarely decide to purchase a SaaS project management tool immediately.
Instead, they often turn to the internet to learn more and make decisions as they progress through the following stages. My job is to assist them in that decision-making process through strategic content.
Awareness Stage
In the awareness stage, B2B buyers are experiencing a problem or pain point, and their goal is to alleviate it. They're typically looking for informational resources to more clearly understand, frame, and give a name to their problem.
Content Marketing Funnel Example
A common search query a prospect might begin with is: “How to improve team productivity?” At this stage, they‘re not yet thinking about specific SaaS solutions; it’s much too early for that.
Instead, they‘re looking to contextualize their problem first. As a B2B SaaS content strategist, I’ve discovered that showing up in search engine results, even in these early stages, is crucial to establishing authority and gaining the trust of buyers starting the journey.
Consideration Stage
Moving to the consideration stage, I‘ve observed that B2B buyers have usually clearly defined and named their problem.
They’re now committed to researching and understanding all available approaches and methods to solving their defined problem or opportunity. In other words, I've seen how they start considering potential SaaS solutions.
Content Marketing Funnel Example
From my work, I know that a typical search inquiry a prospect would make at this stage might be: “Project management software vs. traditional methods?” In the consideration stage, the prospect isn't yet ready to buy, but they are deciding on the potential solution for them.
My strategy here is to consider indirect competitors and educate prospects on the pros and cons of various SaaS options.
Decision Stage
Once they've progressed to the decision stage, B2B buyers have typically decided on their solution strategy, method, or approach.
Their goal now is to compile a list of available SaaS vendors, make a short list, and ultimately make a final purchase decision.
Content Marketing Funnel Example
Prospects at this stage make search inquiries like: “Asana vs. Trello vs. Jira.” At this point, they‘re ready to invest in a solution.
They’ll likely go with a SaaS provider they like, know, and trust so long as that provider can meet their specific business needs.
Why Creating Content for the Buyer's Journey Is Important
As in all marketing disciplines, it’s essential to understand your audience: how they think, the answers they seek, and the path they tend to take to find a solution.
From that research, you can begin crafting a documented content strategy that maps your content to the various stages of the buyer's journey.
When you don‘t completely understand your audience, it creates a disconnect between your business and your potential customers.
I asked Colleen Barry, head of marketing at Ketch, about the importance of the content marketing funnel and she made an excellent point about getting your content strategy right.
"Content isn’t just about attracting clicks, it’s about guiding potential customers through a decision-making process,” she says. “If your content doesn’t match their stage in the journey, you’ll either overwhelm them with too much information too soon or leave them hanging without enough details to make a decision.”
In Barry’s words, ToFu content sparks curiosity, MoFu content builds confidence, and BoFu content helps prospects justify their purchase. She adds, “A strong content strategy ensures buyers get what they need at the right time, reducing drop-offs and improving conversion rates."
Creating the right content at the right time can, however, be a challenge.
Building a content strategy starts with identifying the types of content you’ll need to reach your audience according to their progression through the buyer’s journey. It’s also essential to use content marketing software to keep prospects organized no matter where they are in the funnel.
Below, I’ll guide you through the types of content you can create for each stage of the content marketing funnel.
Creating Content for Each Stage of the Buyer's Journey
Once you have an idea of your buyer persona and how prospects move closer to purchase, you can begin creating content for your buyer at different stages and tailor that content per channel.
Doing so can help you map your content to the relevant stages of the buyer’s journey to make a marketing funnel.
Your journey may look very different depending on your industry, business model, product, pricing, and audience.
Some B2C customers, for example, spend very little time in the middle of the buyer’s journey compared to B2B customers, who require far more nurturing, engagement, and relationship development before a purchase is made.
A $50 pair of sneakers, for instance, requires a lot less hand-holding when it comes to making purchase decisions than a $10,000 business software investment.
H3 (New) Content Marketing Funnel Template
Because audiences can vary widely based on industry and intent, buyer persona research is of the utmost importance. Using a content marketing funnel template can help you map out the existing content types you have and which content would be beneficial to add.
By understanding prospects’ unique process for awareness and evaluation, you can create a truly effective content marketing funnel and strategy packed with custom content that best supports their journey toward making a purchase.
Now, we’ll explore each stage of the buyers journey in greater detail.
Content Ideas for Each Stage of the Buyer's Journey
Let’s take it from the top and start from the beginning of the buyer’s journey.
ToFu: Awareness
At the awareness stage, a buyer is looking for top-level educational content to help direct them to a solution, like blog posts, social content, and ebooks.
Their value as a lead is low because there’s no guarantee that they’ll buy from you. But those who find your content helpful and interesting may journey on to the middle of the funnel.
The ideal channels for the awareness stage may include:
- Blogging
- Search Engine Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
Let’s run through the different content formats best suited for these channels.
1. Blog Post
A blog post is an ideal piece of content to target people in the awareness stage.
By addressing a pain, problem, or topic your target audience wants to discover and then posting helpful information about it on your website, you’re creating a brand asset that’s crawlable by Google and discoverable by search engine users.
You can also promote your blog content across other channels, giving you more content to share and increasing your potential reach.
Natallia Slimani, content manager at time tracking software, Traqq shared with me that blog content in the awareness stage should do exactly that: bring awareness to the problem.
“People may need your product but don’t always realize it,” she says. “For example, people might search for productivity tips or remote work advice before they even know they need a time tracker.”
One successful ToFu content Traqq created was a blog post on how to calculate time differences in Excel. It’s an educational topic that offers practical advice for their target audience. “This question might be part of a larger time management issue, so we subtly introduce our time tracker as a potential solution,” explains Slimani. “However, the article is still about helping, not selling.”
Pro tip: When I’m having trouble ideating topics that align with my audience’s pain points, HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator can come in handy — just type in a few details about your audience or content, and the platform will generate catchy titles relevant to your input.
Featured Resource: 6 Free Blog Post Templates
2. Social Media Post
According to Backlinko, 86.1% of all eligible audiences aged 18+ are active on social media. This makes it a great channel for the awareness stage. You can use social media to promote your other content, and you can also create content specifically for the channel.
Since I target B2B SaaS companies, my social channel of choice is LinkedIn.
In the above example, I’ve shared a carousel on my top tools on LinkedIn. These formats are popular on LinkedIn, as the content is created to be snackable with short-form takeaways.
3. Whitepaper
A whitepaper is an organization’s report or guide on a particular topic.
Whitepapers typically discuss an industry trend or topic, sharing key statistics, original findings, or case studies. They are especially useful as downloadable offers when readers want to go more in-depth on a specific subject they’re reading about.
I‘ve found it’s crucial to provide original data or information your audience can‘t find elsewhere, which helps audiences understand the report’s value and compels them to download it.
Every year, HubSpot publishes a report on the state of marketing to provide helpful guidance based on thought leadership to marketers, sales professionals, and business owners. Inside, readers find statistics from a broad survey and industry experts’ opinions on what the data means and where the industry is going.
Pro tip: Depending on how broad or in-depth your whitepaper goes, you can also use it further down the funnel as MoFu content.
4. Checklist
For complicated tasks with many moving parts, your audience may simply want a blueprint that spells out what they’re supposed to do to achieve their end goal.
This onboarding checklist from business consulting firm Nextant is a perfect example of this. Nextant offers a free downloadable checklist using its proven onboarding framework. What I like best about this checklist is how it includes data-driven results that can be achieved by using this template.
5. How-To Video
My experience has taught me that sometimes, the best way to solve a pain or problem is to learn a new skill.
While a purchase may be required along the way, your audience often needs to become more informed about the problem and potential solutions first. That‘s where I’ve seen instructional video content really shine.
HubSpot Marketing’s YouTube channel offers hundreds of free video tutorials dedicated to teaching viewers digital marketing tips and strategies in easy-to-understand language and visuals.
6. Kit or Tool
I‘ve learned that informational content for a broad audience isn’t always sufficient for buyer personas to make a decision.
In some cases, they require more utility or personalization. That‘s why I’ve found kits and tools to be excellent content pieces for guiding readers along their path to purchase.
Nerdwallet creates content around several financial topics, budgeting being one of them. It can be challenging to create a budget, though, so they developed a calculator that allows users to provide their own numbers to receive customized recommendations.
7. Ebook or Tip Sheet
Similar to whitepapers, I've had success using ebooks and tip sheets as downloadable content. I typically make tip sheets shorter and actionable, but ebooks can be more comprehensive to provide as much value as possible for readers.
Catalina Grigoriev, content marketer at Planable, a social media scheduling tool, shared with me a successful guide her team created for their content marketing funnel. The guide was about social media approval workflows — a major pain point for marketing teams.
“This content worked effectively because it addressed a specific challenge while subtly positioning Planable as the solution,” says Grigorie. “It naturally led readers to explore our platform further, resulting in increased engagement and conversions.”
Featured Resource: 36 Free Ebook Templates
8. Educational Webinar
A webinar is a web seminar where information is provided through video.
A webinar can be prerecorded or streamed live, which opens up many possibilities for disseminating information to an audience that wants both visual and auditory content.
At HubSpot, we create webinars as a key part of our content marketing strategy and often run a valuable topic multiple times to get more mileage out of the content.
MoFu: Consideration
Moving on from the awareness stage content, let’s delve into the next stage of the buyer’s journey.
When someone moves into the consideration stage, it means you’ve captured their attention. They know they have a problem that has to be solved, and now they’re trying to discover the best solution. The need for a future purchase commitment creeps up as they’re evaluating their options.
This stage is typically a point of extended engagement where you’re nurturing a lead, building a relationship, and establishing trust between the audience and your brand.
The ideal channels for your consideration stage may include:
- Website or Blogging
- Search Engine Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Social Media
Let’s go through the best content formats for this part of the buyer’s journey.
1. Product Comparison Guides
In the consideration stage, the buyer persona is still considering solutions to their pain or problem and have probably narrowed it down to a few options. For this reason, product comparisons are a great way to help them decide.
Depending on how detailed your comparison page is, and how much research your prospect has already done, a product comparison page may successfully convert the prospect into a buyer.
Kevin Dam, CEO and founder of Aemorph shared with me that one of his team’s most effective content marketing funnel pieces was a detailed comparison page.
“We didn't just list features, we also answered common complaints, added case studies, and made the call to action strong,” says Dam. “The page did better than its competitors and had a 30% higher sales rate than a normal product page.”
2. Case Study
I've successfully used case studies in both the consideration and decision stages. From my experience, a well-crafted case study is effective because it convinces the reader that our solution works by showcasing real results for actual customers.
When I create case studies for my B2B SaaS clients, I make sure to appeal to both emotions and logic. I tell a compelling story about the client's challenges while providing detailed, quantitative data on how our solution solved their problems.
HubSpot Partner Agency Blueleadz tells a story about their client and their problems while providing a detailed account of how they solved them.
Featured Resource: 3 Free Case Study Templates
3. Free Sample
A free sample is another example of content or an offer that overlaps between the buyer’s journey stages.
For example, VistaPrint offers a free business sample kit that includes examples of its business cards, door hangers, brochures, and more print materials small businesses may need.
VistaPrint knows its business is tactile, and digital content alone is not enough to close a deal. Once their prospective customer holds the sample in their hands, it’s easier to make the final purchase.
BoFu: Decision
Now that you’ve provided content to help customers list out or sample their options, it’s time to move them into the decision stage.
As prospects near the end of the buyer’s journey, they’re evaluating providers down to specific or specialized offerings.
Marketers, in turn, want to go above and beyond their expectations and provide an easy and frictionless customer experience that can win them over their competitors.
Handling objections, remove hesitation, position ahead of comp
In my experience, the most effective channels for decision-stage content include:
- Website
- Email Marketing
- Live Chat and Chatbots for Service
Here are the content formats I've found most effective in helping prospects get closer to purchase.
1. Free Trial or Live Demo
Free trials are a great way for B2B SaaS companies to let customers experience the power of their tools firsthand.
Once they see how new tools impact productivity and efficiency, they’re much more likely to become paying customers.
Buffer does this well. Though they have a free plan with limitations, they know that offering a free trial upfront is the key to getting clients into their larger tiers. Their pricing page sets the prospect’s expectations and points them to the free trial.
It’s also a good idea to consider how the content you create earlier in the funnel can lead people to free trials or demos.
Dirk Alshuth, CMO at cloud management platform emma, shared with me that one of his team’s most effective BoFu content pieces is an in-depth ROI calculator that helps drive demo requests.
“Potential customers often hesitated due to pricing concerns, so we built a tool that showed exactly how much time and money they could save,” says Alshuth. “This worked because it tackled a major purchasing objection with real, personalized data. It increased demo requests by 35% because prospects could clearly see the value of our product before even speaking to sales.”
2. Consultation Offer
A consultation is another example of providing just a little bit of service in exchange for the opportunity to close the sale.
The best consultation reduces the anxiety of entering into a sales conversation by promising something concrete they can walk away with (a strategy or actionable advice) in exchange for their time.
In my B2B SaaS strategies, I often include consultation offers. I've found they work best when the prospect walks away with concrete, actionable advice.
To increase conversions, I always make scheduling as frictionless as possible and use automated booking systems like Calendly.
3. Coupon
A coupon appeals to a fear of missing out (FOMO) mindset.
By reducing the price by a certain amount, a coupon is handing a price objection while convincing the prospect that they’re leaving money on the table if they don’t use the coupon. This inertia is enough to win the prospect’s business.
Pet brand Finn does this well by gamifying its coupons.
By spinning the wheel, the website visitors have the chance to get a coupon before checking out the products. They’ll likely evaluate the products that are a good deal with the coupon they won.
While traditional coupons aren‘t as common in B2B SaaS, I’ve seen successful uses of limited-time offers or special pricing for early adopters. This creates a sense of urgency and can be the final push a prospect needs to make a decision.
Mapping Content Across All Stages of the Buying Cycle
In my years of experience as a content strategist, I’ve learned that every business has a unique buyer’s journey — one that demands a tailored approach for optimal results. I can't simply replicate a strategy from one client to another.
And that starts by getting to know your audience and understanding their needs, pain points, and decision-making process. Once you have that understanding, you develop a strategy that maps custom content — whether it’s educational blog posts or product demos — to each phase of their journey.
When a content strategy truly matches a buyer's journey, it improves customer relationships while boosting conversions and loyalty.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
