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Sales funnel: pros and cons of the tool
Understanding consumers and their needs is at the heart of marketing activities. Specialists develop various models to effectively interact with the target audience and attract potential customers. One fundamental model is the sales funnel, which shows the buyer’s path from first exposure to the product to purchase. The funnel also helps to measure marketing efforts and evaluate their effectiveness.
This way of interacting with the audience is standard. It is an effective tool for planning and executing marketing efforts. The model works well in most cases. However, it assumes that all customers follow the same path.
There are drawbacks to this method. The funnel limits the flexibility of communication between the company and the consumer, which is essential for a deep understanding of the audience. It standardises customer behaviour when today’s consumers are impulsive, volatile and unpredictable. The sales funnel does not always allow you to adapt quickly to these changes and take into account all the nuances of behaviour.
How to improve your approach
You don’t have to abandon the sales funnel, but you can optimise it with other, more effective approaches. The following steps will help you improve your marketing effectiveness:
- The funnel should be secondary to the sales funnel. The model can remain the foundation but not the primary tool. The optimal approach would be to expand its stages and not expect standard steps from customers. This will allow you to see opportunities to attract another consumer category whose behaviour differs from the usual scenario.
- Continuous interaction with the consumer. Social networks are an ideal tool for this. They allow you to get to know your target audience better and to communicate with them constantly. This helps companies to offer consumers relevant and valuable solutions that meet their interests and needs.
- Different generations require different approaches. Each age group requires a unique approach. For example, Generation Z prefers to watch videos with subtitles, even if audio is available. This isn’t as important to millennials and boomers.
- Build community. Users need to connect and look for a comfortable and authentic environment to do so. This characteristic opens up opportunities to build a community around a brand. Such a community brings together an engaged and loyal audience that shares the company’s values.
- Strong brand storytelling. Quality content will engage users more than just advertising. It is important to talk about the company’s product in a format that is interesting to the audience. In this way, it is possible to gain the trust of consumers.
Do not limit your marketing efforts to the sales funnel. Even if it works well, you can use other tools to extend your reach to consumers.