Content Marketing Funnel: What Works at Each Stage?

⬇️ Prefer to listen instead? ⬇️

• Aligning content with what buyers need at each step means many more sales.
• When content matches each step of the marketing funnel, fewer people leave quickly, and more people interact with it.
• 70% of people making decisions, especially in business-to-business sales, use content to help them decide what to buy.
• Businesses that use content automation get up to 50% better results in helping leads become customers.
• More than 86% of adults online use social media. This shows how important it is for getting people interested first.

Good content marketing does more than just get clicks. It must reach your audience right where they are. The content marketing funnel helps you do this by lining up your content with what buyers are doing. When you make the right content for each step and add automation to help you do more, you can guide leads better, build trust, and get more sales with less work.

Advertisement

What Is the Content Marketing Funnel?

The content marketing funnel shows how to move potential customers from finding your brand to buying from you again. It shows that not everyone wants to buy right away. Some people need to learn things. Others are looking at different options. A few are almost ready to buy.

The funnel usually has three main parts

• Top of Funnel (ToFu) – Awareness stage
• Middle of Funnel (MoFu) – Consideration stage
• Bottom of Funnel (BoFu) – Decision stage

Each step is an important change in how people decide what to buy. Your content for each step should be based on what people are doing, asking, and needing at that exact time. Having a good content marketing funnel is very important. It makes sure your message matches where readers are in deciding. This helps you get better results.

Why Content Mapping Matters

Content mapping links what your audience needs to the content you give them. If someone just figured out they might need help, they don’t want a price list. They want answers. But if someone is ready to buy, giving them another general article might make them not want to buy.

Here’s why content mapping is important

• Personalization: Makes messages fit where users are.
• Relevancy: Stops you from sending sales messages too early to people who don’t know much yet.
• Efficiency: Helps you put time and money into content for a reason, not just making content because.
• Conversion boost: Helps leads move forward and buy, by guiding them instead of pushing sales.

Think of it like guiding readers to buy by offering choices that match how they feel right now.

Understanding the Buyer’s Steps

The buyer’s steps show what someone does before they decide to buy something. Knowing this is key to making the right content for each funnel step. If you don’t know this, your funnel is just a guess.

Awareness Stage

At this point, buyers find out they have a problem or something they need. They might not know exactly what the problem is. But something is not right or missing.

• Objective: Educate and inform without selling.
• Buyer mindset: “I’m not sure what I need, but something’s not right.”

Consideration Stage

Now the buyer knows their problem and is looking into how to fix it. They want details and ways to compare things.

• Objective: Position your product or brand as a potential solution.
• Buyer mindset: “Let me figure out the best way to fix this.”

Decision Stage

The buyer has picked a few options and is ready to buy. They want proof through demos, what other customers say, and looking at prices.

• Objective: Close the deal.
• Buyer mindset: “I want to feel confident before I commit.”

Knowing these steps changes how you plan content. Instead of just putting content out, you focus on what the user needs first.

Top of Funnel (Awareness Stage)

This is when you get people to notice you. Potential customers might find your content from search engines, social media, or looking for information. They are looking for answers, not ads.

Goals

• Drive initial brand awareness.
• Establish credibility.
• Spark curiosity that brings readers back.

Recommended Content Types

• Blog posts that help people find you in search engines and talk about problems they have.
• Educational videos that explain problems.
• Shareable social media content.
• Infographics that make hard ideas easy to understand.
• eBooks or tip sheets that are helpful.
• Interactive quizzes or calculators that provoke thought.

The main thing is to make helpful content people will share, without clearly trying to sell. For example, a blog post called “10 Signs Your Team Needs a New CRM” could be just right for a reader at this stage.

According to Backlinko, over 86% of internet users aged 18 and up use social media. This shows why places like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are good for sharing ToFu content.

Metrics to Track

• Organic visits
• Social shares and likes
• Time spent on page
• Pages per session

Being successful here is not about selling. It’s about getting people interested and getting them to look at more.

Middle of Funnel (Consideration Stage)

Now you have their attention. It’s time to build trust. Potential customers are looking more closely at their problem and comparing ways to fix it. This is where your brand intimacy needs to strengthen.

Goals

• Guide people with content just for them.
• Answer objections and clarify benefits.
• Motivate decision-making through proof.

Recommended Content Types

• Case studies with measurable results.
• Solution guides and comparison articles.
• Webinars and workshops.
• In-depth whitepapers or research reports.
• “How to choose the right [product]” tutorials.
• Long blog articles that show you know a lot.

Kevin Dam said a product comparison page with lots of details led to 30% more sales than a simple one. This was because it answered questions people had and showed real proof with case studies. This shows how much people trust you when you help them decide with confidence and clear facts.

Get these audiences interested with content they get after giving you their email. Then keep talking to them using emails about what they care about.

Metrics to Track

• Content downloads
• Time spent on comparison pages
• Webinar registrations and attendance
• Email open and click-through rates
• Return visits

At this step, readers show they are serious potential customers — if your content is good.

Bottom of Funnel (Decision Stage)

This is where buyers need that last push. They almost believe you but need to be sure. Will this work for me? Is this worth the money?

Goals

• Drive conversions.
• Make it easy to buy.
• Overcome final mental blocks.

Recommended Content Types

• Product demos
• Customer testimonials and case studies
• Free consultations or discovery calls
• Limited-time discounts or offers
• ROI calculators or pricing tools
• Satisfaction guarantees or risk reversals

Dirk Alshuth saw 35% more requests for demos by giving people an ROI calculator. This helped with worries about price by showing them what they would get. Tools like this make things clear. They talk to what people deciding care about, like getting their money’s worth and not taking risks.

This is also where urgency can make a difference — limited-time offers, bonus content, or purchase guarantees help drive action.

Metrics to Track

• Conversions (sales, demo bookings, sign-ups)
• Cart abandonment rates
• Direct-response click-through rates
• Time to purchase (from first touchpoint)

BOFU is about making it easy and sure for people to buy. Remove complexity, add trust elements, and offer a clear value case.

Automation and the Funnel

Content marketing works best when it can change quickly. Trying to guide every lead through the funnel by hand takes too much time and work. That’s why marketing automation helps.

Automation Use Cases by Funnel Stage

• ToFu: Automatically post blogs, make social media posts people will share a lot, put together content that helps you get email addresses.
• MoFu: Send email series based on what people do on your site, show ads to people who visited before, give them content they get after giving you their email.
• BoFu: Connect with sales tools to reach out to people, show ads to people who left items in their cart, automatically set up calls.

Automation helps you do more things like

• Using content again in new ways (like making a webinar into a blog post or social media pictures).
• Dividing your list based on what people do and where they are in the buying steps.
• Giving people helpful content when they need it, all the time.

Tip: Use AI writing tools and platforms like ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, and ConvertKit to set up automatic steps.

Platform Considerations

Not every place works just as well at all steps. Make sure you’re using each platform to its strength:

For example, LinkedIn is very good for sharing MoFu content for software companies. People there are focused on business and are ready for content with facts and numbers.

Real Estate Example: The Funnel in Action

Want to see how this works? Here’s how a real estate company could use TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU content, one after the other

• ToFu Blog Post: “How to Get More Real Estate Leads Online” — for people looking for ways to get more business.
• MoFu Guide Download: “Top 5 CRMs for Real Estate Pros Compared” — for someone thinking about using technology tools.
• BoFu Landing Page: “Schedule Your Free CRM Demo & Get an Exclusive Realtor Discount” — for getting people to buy.

Each does not try to sell too early. But they move smoothly to the next step.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even if you mean well, it’s easy to make mistakes with your funnel that mess up your plan. Avoid these

• Trying to sell during the awareness content.
• Thinking that getting MoFu content downloaded is the end, instead of a chance to talk to them more.
• Not showing ads again to BoFu leads who looked at your content but didn’t buy.
• Failing to measure performance — without data, you’re guessing.

Always ask: What should the user do next? Are we helping them do it?

Metrics for Funnel Success

Seeing how well you are doing at each step helps you stop people from leaving. It also helps you make your plan better.

Use tools like Google Analytics, CRM dashboards, email platforms, and heatmaps to see what people do and what happens.

Building Your Funnel Strategy with Templates

One simple way to make content for the funnel is to use templates for planning.

Try making a Content Matrix. Put the funnel steps in rows. Put your audience’s problems or goals in columns.

You can also

• Use one piece of content in different ways (like making a blog post into social media pictures or a video).
• Give MoFu content after someone gives you their email. This helps you get more emails and group people by what they care about.
• Set things up so you show ads again to people who visited your BoFu pages.

Efficiency and consistency are your content funnel’s best friends.

How a Content Automation Platform Can Transform Your Funnel

A good content automation platform helps you not work your team too hard. It also helps you get things moving on all channels.

Features to look for

• AI-generated outlines for each stage.
• Style guidelines to maintain voice and tone.
• Smart scheduling tools across multiple platforms.
• Steps for content for each part of the funnel.
• How it connects with your analytics and CRM tools. This lets you see how things work and make changes.

What happens? You get content just for each person and each platform, matching what buyers want. And you can make lots of it.

Content That Converts Starts with Intent

Being good at content marketing is not about writing more. It’s about making the right content for each person, when they need it as they are looking to buy. When you match your story, how you show your product, and automatic tools to what buyers are doing, your content helps you get sales, not just visits.

Start making your content marketing funnel today. It will help you get more sales.