As we continue our exploration of what it means to ‘convert demand‘, we need to take a step back and look at the ‘classic’ B2B buyer’s journey and the buyer or marketing funnel.
There are three or four or five stages of the marketing funnel – depends on who you ask. The Top of the Funnel (TOF), Middle of the Funnel (MOF), and the Bottom of the Funnel (BOF). *Note, I personally don’t like the TOFU, MOFU, BOFU acronyms because TLAs (three letter acronyms) are the way to go always.*
Top of the Funnel is typically when awareness of your product or the problem/solution is first learned. This generally happens not on your website, but through searches or ads or via a blog post, a social media post, an article on a news site or word of mouth (WOM). The TOF is also called the ‘awareness’ stage.
Middle of the Funnel is when the buyer is now in the education and learning stage and is considering your product or service. This stage is generally on your website and is when the user is actively navigating your site and is also called the ‘consideration’ stage.
The Bottom of the Funnel is where this site is going to focus most of our resources and energy. BOF is the stage of the buyer’s journey where the buyer is about to convert. As B2B marketers, it is when we are looking to ‘convert demand‘ into action which leads to a purchase. Bottom of the Funnel content can be case studies, product comparisons, live demos, live chat, detailed product white papers, and more.