Funnel Marketing: Definition and Strategies That Work for SaaS

Interested in effortlessly turning prospects into loyal customers? That’s where funnel marketing comes in. But what exactly is funnel marketing, and how can it supercharge your SaaS product growth?

In this article, we break down the concept of the marketing funnel and share examples of practical strategies to give you a better idea of how it helps with user engagement.

TL;DR

• Think of a marketing funnel as a dynamic blueprint mapping out how prospective customers navigate from product discovery to conversion.
• Depending on your approach to customer engagement and conversion, you can tailor your marketing funnel. For instance, after the conversion stage, you might want to add a loyalty stage to nurture customer relationships post-sale.
• Key marketing funnel stages include:

1. The top of the funnel (TOFU), focuses on drawing in potential customers and acquainting them with your product.
2. The middle of the funnel (MOFU), is dedicated to nurturing customer relationships by showcasing value and expertise.
3. The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) aims to drive conversions by presenting attractive offers and incentives.

• Here are examples of effective marketing tactics to implement in your marketing funnel:

1. Deliver educational and helpful content at the awareness stage such as blog articles, webinars, courses, etc.
2. Provide support and relevant information during onboarding using components such as in-app guidance, tooltips, gamification, etc.
3. Tailor the customer experience across their journey i.e. sending a contextual upgrade prompt during the conversion stage based on how they’ve interacted with your product.
4. Send targeted messages highly relevant to each customer’s stage in the funnel—messages that align with their immediate interests and necessities
5. A/B test upsell prompts are a savvy tactic to optimize conversions within your marketing funnel.
6. Offer incentives like discounts, account credits, or cash rewards to encourage word-of-mouth marketing and build loyalty.

• Interested in providing personalized experience across the customer journey? Book a demo to see how we can help!

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What is funnel marketing?

Think of a marketing funnel as a dynamic blueprint mapping out how prospective customers navigate from product discovery to conversion.

By understanding where customers are in the funnel, you can deliver the right message at the right time, increasing the conversion rate.

The beauty of marketing funnels is their flexibility. They can be renamed or expanded depending on your approach to customer engagement and conversion. For instance, after the conversion stage, you might want to add a loyalty stage to nurture customer relationships post-sale.

Benefits of marketing funnels

Incorporating marketing and sales funnel into your business strategies offers a structured approach to guide customers along their journey. Here’s how they simplify the process and benefit businesses:

• Funnels break down the customer journey into manageable stages, providing a clear roadmap for you to follow.
• Marketing funnels shed light on each segment of the customer’s experience. It allows you to pinpoint where potential customers drop off and refine your strategies.
• With marketing funnels, you can craft your messages and promotions more accurately so that they resonate with specific customer issues and desires at different stages of their journey—thereby boosting relevance and fostering greater interaction.

Key marketing funnel stages

Comprehending each marketing funnel stage is vital for developing an effective marketing strategy. These stages consist of:

1. The top of the funnel (TOFU), focuses on drawing in potential customers and acquainting them with your product/service.
2. The middle of the funnel (MOFU), is dedicated to nurturing customer relationships by showcasing value and expertise.
3. The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) aims to drive conversions by presenting attractive offers and incentives.

We shall explore each one of these stages thoroughly.

Top of the funnel (TOFU)

In the initial stage of the customer journey, your primary goal is to draw a large audience toward your product. This phase involves presenting your product or service and demonstrating how it addresses specific problems.

The focus should not be on simply attracting any audience, but rather one that’s high-quality. Targeting an audience with a real need for your product increases the likelihood they will convert into customers.

So, how do you bring in an audience that has quality? By providing content that is both valuable and engaging. Quality content may encompass:

• Informative blog posts.
• Product webinars.
• eBooks.
• Visually appealing infographics.
• Interactive tools such as quizzes or surveys.

Key marketing funnel metrics to track at this stage can be website traffic, webinar signups, etc.

Middle of the funnel (MOFU)

At the point where potential customers have become familiar with your product, deeper engagement becomes pivotal. The main focus is to build trust in prospects by emphasizing what sets your product apart—its unique attributes and benefits.

In the MOFU stage, prospects actively seek out information to guide them toward choosing the best-fit product or service for their needs.

Thus designed content should aid them in reaching a well-informed choice. Content personalization also plays its part here.

Targeted content that delivers value and showcases expertise, such as white papers, articles, and case studies are key tools for achieving this.

Bottom of the funnel (BOFU)

The final phase of the funnel is where prospects become actual customers. They are now familiar with your product and have likely engaged with what you’re offering. Your goal at this moment is to transform these individuals into paying customers.

During this critical stage, leveraging customer feedback and showcasing customer testimonials play an essential role in establishing credibility and facilitating conversions among prospects.

Providing personalized product trial experiences, product demos, or instructional materials can dispel doubts and support their purchasing decisions.

Examples of funnel marketing strategies for SaaS

Shifting the focus to pragmatic approaches, it is crucial to apply marketing strategies that refine every phase of the marketing funnel.

Let’s see examples of practical marketing tactics you can use!

Deliver educational and helpful content

Providing instructive and beneficial material is an essential tactic for drawing in prospects and presenting your offering as a problem-solving tool.

When at the awareness stage, this kind of informative content fosters initial interactions with your company. This strategy not only pulls potential customers into the sales funnel but also establishes your business reputation as a credible authority.

Consider developing:

• Articles that address frequent queries from your target audience.
• Webinars demonstrating how your product can rectify certain issues.
• Comprehensive online courses on subjects pertinent to what you offer.

Incorporate interactive experiences during onboarding

Incorporating interactive onboarding is a powerful approach for SaaS companies. Guiding users actively through the essential features of your product offers an impactful introduction and ensures their grasp of its benefits.

To provide proactive support and relevant information during onboarding, consider integrating these components:

• Guides within the app.
• Step-by-step tutorials.
• Explanatory tooltips.
• Interactive pop-up prompts.

In addition, adding elements of gamification like incentives for task completion or exploration of sophisticated features can enhance enjoyment and involvement in the onboarding journey.

Personalize the experiences across the customer journey

Tailoring the customer experience across their journey can boost conversion rates, especially when integrated into targeted marketing campaigns.

For instance, offering a contextual upgrade prompt during the conversion stage based on how they’ve interacted with your product can be very effective.

Consider a user who is regularly hitting the feature limits of your free version. This presents an ideal upsell opportunity to send them an upgrade invitation for full access to this feature.

A well-timed message like this, rooted in their usage patterns, has the potential to effectively encourage the step towards conversion.

Send targeted messages to drive user engagement

Utilizing targeted messaging to boost user engagement and conversion rates within your marketing funnel is a powerful strategy.

You can send targeted messages highly relevant to each customer’s stage in the funnel—messages that align with their immediate interests and necessities.

For example, consider a new customer who has just completed onboarding and is currently exploring features during a trial period. As their trial expiration approaches without upgrading, sending a timely reminder or offering a live demonstration could encourage them to make a buying decision.

A/B test upsell prompts to improve conversions

Implementing A/B testing for upsell prompts is a savvy tactic to optimize conversions within your marketing funnel.

By creating two variations of the upsell prompt—one with text and the other with a micro video—you can compare their effectiveness in encouraging users to upgrade or make additional purchases.

For instance, you might send one group of users a text-based prompt highlighting the benefits of upgrading. Meanwhile, another group receives a micro video demonstrating the added features in action.

Using a tool like Userpilot, you can automate such experiments and result analytics.

Incentivise loyal customers for product reviews and referrals

Remember to value your loyal customers. You can launch loyalty programs to motivate existing customers to provide testimonials or recommend your product.

Incentives like discounts, account credits, or cash rewards can be effective encouragements for such behavior.

For example, when customers express high satisfaction on NPS surveys, you could offer them incentives to share their positive experiences on platforms like G2.

This not only shows appreciation for the customer but also helps in building social proof for your company. Such social validation can attract more prospects into your sales funnel, leveraging satisfied customers as brand advocates.

Conclusion

In essence, funnel marketing is not just a concept—it’s a dynamic framework that empowers SaaS companies to optimize their marketing efforts.

By understanding marketing funnel stages and implementing targeted strategies at each step, businesses can attract, engage, and convert prospects into loyal customers

Interested in providing personalized experience across the customer journey? Book a demo to see how we can help!

Try Userpilot and Take Your Product Experience to the Next Level

Get a Demo

• 14 Day Trial
• No Credit Card Required