While some blame Gen Z for “breaking” the marketing funnel, your marketing funnel has likely been broken for longer than you realize. If you have low conversion rates, receive negative feedback, or struggle to reel in high-quality leads, it might be time to assess your full-funnel marketing strategies.
The key to a successful marketing funnel is creating targeted content for the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. You may have content that fulfills each stage of the funnel, but it’s not personalized enough to gain loyal consumers. On the other hand, creating content focused on brand awareness and attracting consumer interest is easy, but it lacks any call-to-action (CTA) to lead to a sale.
Each stage should have unique content and designated touchpoints to keep consumers consistently engaged. Here’s how to identify and fix common issues within your marketing funnel.
Even the most well-planned marketing funnels can break down at some point, but regularly reevaluating them is crucial for converting leads into loyal customers. Here are some signs that your marketing funnel is broken, along with strategies to address these issues.
Low conversion rate. If you see a lot of website traffic but not enough clicks and purchases, it might indicate an issue with your content being lackluster or a poorly designed website. In fact, a survey of 6,000 online shoppers revealed that 42% decide whether to stay on or leave a website within 10 seconds and 60% abandon purchases due to poor website user experience.
Take a look at your website’s average session time; if visitors spend only a short amount of time on your site, they might not find what they’re looking for, or your content might not be engaging enough.
A low number of pages per session means visitors aren’t exploring your site further, possibly due to poor navigation or irrelevant content. Also, suppose most of your traffic comes from a single source or a less reputable site. In that case, you may need to diversify your marketing efforts to expand your reach and improve targeting for high-quality lead generation.
Cart abandonment. If people aren’t completing their purchase, determine if it’s due to a complicated checkout process or high shipping costs. Capturing their email will be essential to guiding them to a purchase. Offer an exclusive discount if they sign up for newsletters so they can be incentivized to complete the purchase, or you can send them a personalized email about the item they left in their cart. If your brand is service-based, offer some time to chat about any questions or concerns they might have!
Poor customer service. Another important part of maintaining a positive brand image is high-quality customer service. Ensure your customer service team is well-trained, empathetic, and equipped to handle inquiries and complaints efficiently.
Anyone can share anything online, so it’s best to handle and resolve issues privately before they reach others. If it’s a larger issue, you have to be transparent and sincere on all channels. Your brand image will help strengthen your marketing funnel because it demonstrates that you’re committed to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
Information needed. If you’re receiving a lot of questions about the product or service, create content such as infographics or tutorials so it’s less complicated for the customer. Similarly, if you captured their email or phone number, nurture this relationship by offering testimonials, friendly reminders, or if there’s any on-going promotions.
You want to make you give everything the customer needs to complete the sales process or repurchase. However, be cautious of being too pushy or overwhelming as this can cause them to unsubscribe and it’ll be harder to reach out again and repair the relationship.
Negative reviews. One of the most obvious signs that your funnel is broken is a poor brand image or lousy customer service. Brands should always positively engage with followers to help build a community of loyal customers that will more likely defend your brand against negative comments. However, if you’re receiving many bad reviews on your website or negative comments on your social channels, it’s time to be proactive about your brand image.
An uptick in negative reviews is a surefire way to lose potential customers and can quickly erode trust with existing customers. Don’t ignore these comments; acknowledge and value their concerns by apologizing for any inconvenience and committing to resolving the issue.
Take the time to read through the reviews to see if there are common complaints and ways to improve in the future. In order to repair relationships in the present, offer solutions such as refunds, replacements, or discounts on future purchases.
High attrition rate. If you constantly have to replace lost customers, it’s a sign that your funnel isn’t effectively retaining customers. Focus on strategies to keep your repeat customers coming back.
Offer rewards and incentives through a loyalty program to establish long-term relationships. Send personalized emails to customers after their purchase as a thank you, offer special promotions, encourage them to write a review, or recommend products based on their previous purchases.
Another important aspect of this is how you act as a brand. Today’s consumers are more loyal to brands that align with their values and demonstrate consistency in their actions.
Successful full-funnel advertising requires immediate fixes and long-term strategies across the company.
First and foremost, marketing and sales must work harmoniously to guide the customer from brand awareness to advocacy. Make sure both teams are aligned in their marketing objectives and KPIs. It is essential to establish a feedback loop where the sales team can provide insights into the quality of leads, and the marketing team can fine-tune their strategies accordingly.
Use customer data to identify patterns and preferences to segment your audience and tailor your messaging to different groups. Track user behavior on your website and other channels to understand how customers interact with your content. This can reveal where potential customers drop off in the funnel and what content drives engagement. Brand messaging should also be consistent across all channels, including your website, social media, email campaigns, and physical stores. This will help build trust and reinforce your brand identity.
A/B testing will be beneficial in identifying what works best with your audiences. Test different variations of your marketing materials like your ad copy, email campaigns, landing pages, CTA buttons, etc. Switch up the length, wording, and value propositions or test different images and videos to increase engagement. For example, if your email campaign has low click-through rates (CTR), you should test different content, subject lines, and images to determine what resonates the most.
By addressing these issues and implementing these strategies, you can repair your marketing funnel, convert more leads, and foster a loyal customer base. Regularly reevaluating and optimizing your funnel will ensure its continued effectiveness and drive long-term success. With AdRoll, you can deliver meaningful, personalized advertising that drives results at every stage of the marketing funnel. Request a demo to check out our advertising capabilities!
Last updated on July 25th, 2024.