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what are the phases of Marketing Funnel?

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Question added by Mohamed Hendy , Commercial director & Co- founder , The matchers
Date Posted: 2013/04/25
Deleted user
by Deleted user

The marketing funnel is simply a reminder that there are different stages of behaviour and types of needs that customers move through.
It’s called a funnel, but it can also be visualised as an upside down pyramid.
The reason behind the funnel / pyramid metaphor is that there are potentially many customers entering the funnel at the Awareness stage, some then go on to the Consideration stage, fewer still go on to the Conversion stage, fewer again to the Loyalty stage and so on.
The trick for businesses is to recognise that there are potential customers out there at each of these stages, and to tailor your marketing activities accordingly.
Awareness – arguably, almost all of us are at the awareness stage some of the time.
We’re taking in brands (even sub-consciously) and making mental notes of which businesses provide particular goods and services, how they do it, what sort of reputation they have etc.
As a business, the challenge here is to create a great brand and to establish a profile so that the market is aware of you.
Think advertising, word of mouth, PR etc.
From a digital strategy point of view, think social media and branded content (e-books, You-Tube); things that people will share and remember.
Consideration – this describes the stage whereby a potential customer has decided that they want to buy the types of goods and services that you offer.
They’re comparing suppliers and products / service variants.
As a business, its about providing customers with the ability to easily compare your offering with others, and giving them a compelling reason to buy from you.
From a digital strategy point of view, this could involve a section of your website containing product photos and specifications, customer reviews etc.
Conversion – at this stage, they’ve decided to buy from you, which is great news! If you want them to continue moving down the funnel towards Loyalty and Advocacy though, your work doesn’t stop here.
Make the purchasing process an easy one.
If you’re selling motor vehicles for example, perhaps this means providing finance.
In the online world, it could mean providing an easy, trustworthy method of online payment.
Loyalty – some of your customers, if treated right, will go onto become loyal customers.
There are all sorts of things that businesses can do to encourage this, from simply establishing a great rapport and focusing on long-term relationships, to offering loyalty programs, special pricing, added value etc.
From a digital strategy perspective, an opportunity may exist to leverage their email address and send them a special newsletter or birthday greeting.
Advocacy – this is about word of mouth.
Once upon a time, there was little that businesses could do here other than hope.
In this digital age though, we can provide customers with tools that make spreading the word easy.
Think comment boxes, social media share buttons, and social media engagement in general.

Ghina Said
by Ghina Said , Public Diplomacy and Media Outreach Expert , European Union Delegation to the UAE

They are exactly what Faizan stated, but I will add that in the past, they relied on a broadcast type of funnel and the funnel was accompanied by: 1) tv and radio broadcast 2) direct mail 3) testing of the product 4) in-store purchase 5) joining a loyalty program Nowadays, the funnel is accompanied by a more of a "pull" technique : 1) generate a buzz via search engines and blogs 2) online research and reviews 3) social networks 4) group discounts offered, mobile purchases 5) Friending via fb or twitter etc 6)reviews, likes and follows etc

Faizan Ahmad
by Faizan Ahmad , Regional Head - Digital Sales , Kasturi and Sons Ltd (The Hindu Group)

Phases of Marketing Funnel are : 1.
Awareness 2.
Consideration 3.
Conversion 4.
Loyalty 5.
Advocacy 5.
Word of Mouth

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