Early- vs. Mid-Sales Funnel Content: What Works Best?
I stumbled across some research that explored a common revenue generation question: What works best to attract top-of-funnel leads versus nurturing mid- and late-funnel leads?
In a DemandGen study, B2B marketers were asked which tactics proved most successful in engaging top-of-funnel sales leads.
The respondents cited the following:
- Webinars (48%)
- Email campaigns (43%)
- Industry events/trade shows (41%)
- Case studies (34%)
- Videos (30%)
When asked about the best practices for engaging middle- and late-stage leads, the top four tactics were as follows:
- Webinars (39%)
- Lead nurturing content (39%)
- Personal events/dinners/meetings (39%)
- Videos (31%)
TW’s Take
This study confirmed our experience that there are differences in content engagement strategies for various stages of the sales funnel. Top-of-funnel leads are interested in product/service features, benefits, and education. All of this is performed on line. The content that meets these needs should be easy to find, read, and respond. That’s why webinars and email campaigns featuring educational and problem-solving content are the most effective for these prospects. Later-stage leads have narrowed their choices and demand deeper solution definition and comparison, and peer validation. How-to webinars and lead nurturing content more effectively fulfill the needs of these buyers.
For a copy of the study, email rwhitmyre@tizinc.com.
Source: Demand Generation 2023 Benchmark Survey, February 2023.
