Your marketing funnel isn’t going to cut it anymore (and other marketing lies)
Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by the “perfecting your funnel” or “the secret to internet business is building your funnel” IG carousel ads 🙋🏻♀️
Along with the XYZ FIGURE MONTHS ads these are my least favourite things to see on the internet. And while we are obvi fans of the marketing funnel spoiler alert you’re in one now 😱. I also don’t think any one thing is the answer to your marketing and business strategy.
There is no such thing as cut and paste success – despite what the IG 10k month girlies and tech bros would like up to believe.
Class is in session ✏️// What is a marketing funnel? And do I need one?
Marketing funnel from Vouge Business "Gen Z broke the marketing funnel" Short answer: maybe 🤷🏻♀️
I’m not gonna bore you with another business 101 recap of the marketing funnel. To break it down really simply the marketing funnel brings potential customers through a journey casting a wide net to bring them to product aware to a conversion (sales 🤑!) From Sprout Social:
Awareness: Branded content strategies appeal to audiences and make them receptive to future interactions.
Consideration: Brand advocates and social proof assist customers when they’re comparing you against competitors.
Conversion: A simple purchasing process reduces the risk of buying.
Loyalty: A loyalty program with regular discounts, email interactions and social media maintains customers.
Advocacy: Receptive individuals in your loyalty program support your future marketing funnels.
To use real human language and not business speak an example of a marketing funnel for an internet business (say…ours) looks like this.
Awareness: An reel served to you on your explore page, likes, engagement, Ad for FREE.99 workshop, blog post 👀
Consideration: Website visits! Video views! Sign up for a freebie The beginning of a relationship is established
Conversion: Email newsletter Clicks, class signups, memberships bought AKA sales
Loyalty: Think “keep em coming back for more”, where we continue to nurture our relationship with our audience even after the initial sell/sign up etc.
Advocacy: Referrals “omg you totally gotta try this” – This is when your customers start your funnel for you, sharing posts,
There are a lot of asterix I could include, that sometimes a customer jumps around the funnel, that is isn’t always linear. What if we could think of the 2024 internet business model of marketing funnels more like… a spectrum!? A galaxy of touch points and possibilities we use to build trust, community and RELATIONSHIPS with our audience and customers? 🥰
We love a marketing funnel. We’ve made and implemented… dare I say? thousands? of funnels in our decade of internet business. You’ve probably landed here because our marketing funnel is doing it’s job. But, and, also… a marketing funnel isn’t going to be a successful, reliable or NEEDED thing depending on the industry you’re in, what you’re selling and who your client base is.
Changing buying habits
I don’t think out marketing funnel creation is GOING ANYWHERE, necessarily. But, the way we engage with the internet is changing. The consumer marketing funnel (and what I would argue is a pretty narrowly defined path) was designed for an internet that… doesn’t exist anymore. *gestures to the last idiot thing Zuck did*.
We’re living in the age of internet that has much different priorities than what the 2000’s era tech bros imagined when they were cracking open their cans of soylent and dawning their Patagonia quarter zips ready to make some money off of simple ad spends. How quaint .🥰
We’re shopping on our social media app but and also we’re asking it to be our news source, community, entertainment. A LOT is influencing our buying decisions while we’re making our buying decisions.
The brands that are standing out in 2024’s buying are the brands that are touching on each of these. They are inspiring, crafting community, and gaining loyalty along the way (kinda sounds like our marketing funnel – no? 🧐).
Some highlights from Archival’s latest study
77 per cent of Gen Zs and 79 per cent of millennials in the US are actively seeking style inspiration at least monthly, with almost half of those looking for style inspiration on social media.
70 per cent of Gen Zs and 69 per cent of millennials only trust a brand after carrying out their own research.
40 per cent of Gen Zs look for reviews from online influencers (versus 31 per cent of millennials)
Immersive Marketing 🌷🪄🪐
Marketing, at it’s heart is world building, storytelling. When we place our customer (IE main character!) at the centre of our universe, when we build a story that includes their senses, makes them feel uniquely seen, we get to craft that inspiration, community and make 3D real connections and relationships through our content, emails, podcast episodes, branding AKA…storytelling!
Instead of just…. leading them down a pre determined path (funnel! 🌪️) world building and immersive marketing helpx the audience/client understand the world and language of your business. It helps educate them on your values, your brand, the transformation you provide by providing that transformation (that wow this is a new feeling!) every step of the way… from pitch to testimonial.
What if the interaction of what we had to offer didn't begin at services rendered, but from the moment they discover who you are – if the audience can feel the power of your work from the very beginning touch point – then the whole relationship is more powerful. Immersive marketing isn't (just) virtual reality (google it), or the Zuck standing on stage convincing us METAverse is the future of connection (weird move bro) — it’s the difference between results and transformation.
Yes, your clients will see results from working with you – that’s a given, you should sell that and talk about it, but they will FEEL the transformation of your work if they are immersed in the world you see and are trying to build from the very beginning. This isn't about brand colors. This is about the way you run your business, to the language you use, to how they see you live out your values.
And while I am not (just yet) ready to throw out our tried and true funnel, I know that we more we infuse the real real, the juicy the 3D the connection and the opportunity to shift with the tides. The more I know we create a lasting impact with our customers.
We do this together inside our Studio Day’s where we look at you, and your business and the universe it lives.
Where we craft the language, vibes, vision and values to craft that 3D world! We work to translate and determine what story’s to tell and when - AKA World building 🪄AKA Story telling AKA Marketing funnels. 😉
