understanding the different
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:57 am
While these terms may seem strange to you at first, they are used in digital marketing jargon (particularly in inbound and content marketing) and refer to what is called the “customer journey”. During a sales or lead acquisition process , your target goes through different stages that are often represented by a funnel. The terms TOFU (Top of the funnel), MOFU (Middle of the funnel) and BOFU (Bottom of the funnel), designate the place where the person is in the customer journey. Because obviously, before buying one of your products or leaving you their contact details, the Internet user will have gone through various stages that will gradually lead them to this end.
Let’s take a look at what these different stages of the customer journey correspond to and the actions you can implement during each of them.
What is the conversion funnel or sales funnel?
As we have seen previously, the term conversion funnel, which is mainly used usa phone number list digital marketing, designates the stages of the customer journey that lead to a purchase or obtaining a lead (qualified contact).
It is often compared to a funnel because the number of prospects will gradually reduce and become more specific until the final stage. Indeed, there is necessarily a significant gap between the number of people who will be interested in your business and those who will end up becoming customers.
The challenge of this type of practice is to identify the needs of your target and offer them content adapted to each stage, to lead them where you want. You should know that having a website and carrying out retargeting is essential to implement this type of action!
Top of the funnel (TOFU) – The top of your funnel
If we put ourselves in the customer's shoes, this first phase of the conversion funnel corresponds to a phase of discovery , of awareness. He is at the beginning of his reflection. He certainly does not know you and is not even yet aware that he has a specific need. However, everything generally starts with a problem that he wants to solve and for which he will look for informative content.
$
For example
I have heel pain when I run, so I'm going to go online to see what might be causing it and look for a solution.
At this stage of the sales funnel, the potential customer is not yet mature enough to make a purchase. Your goal will be to move them forward in the funnel until the right time, while convincing them that they should choose your company over another!
What types of content to reach my audience in TOFU?
Here, we focus on informative content such as:
A well-built and well-referenced site
Blog posts
Videos
Posts on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Tiktok, etc.)
Ads campaigns
A newsletter
$
For example
I am a company that sells sports equipment and gear. I am going to design an article on my blog “Pain when running: what if it comes from your shoes?
Middle of the funnel (MOFU) – The middle of your funnel
The potential customer has become aware of his problem and knows that he has a specific need in order to be able to solve it. We then enter what is called the consideration phase . The prospect begins to know your company or your products, but where he is still evaluating the different options available to him.
Here, she will start to be interested in the specific features of your product or the characteristics of your offer because she is considering making a purchase but does not yet know which product and from which brand.
While it's too early for him to become a customer, he may be willing to provide contact information in exchange for high-value content.
What types of content to reach my audience in MOFU?
Here, we go a little further and present slightly more technical content that will show that you are an expert in your field:
Landing page
White paper or Ebook
Podcast
Videos and interviews
Customer cases
Webinar
Product Demonstration Videos
$
For example
Still in the context of this person who has pain in the heel when running. You will share with him a white paper “The guide to choosing your running shoe” or a video that presents your product and presents the sole with its special cushioning.
Bottom of the funnel (BOFU) – The bottom of your funnel
We are getting there, the user has had his fill of information on the web and is very interested in your offer. He has most certainly already visited your website or your social networks one or more times and looked through your offers or products.
The challenge now is to convince him that he should choose your product rather than that of your competitors, with whom he is very hesitant. We are really in a phase of seduction here, you have to know how to sell yourself!
In some cases, this is also when your salespeople can come into play to create a real relationship of trust and establish contact with the potential customer . A relationship that until now was generally virtual.
What types of content to reach my audience in BOFU?
This is the crucial moment to sell your offer or product, so we focus on:
Free Trial
Free Demo
Customer testimonials in video
Estimate
Promo code
Telephone or physical appointment
$
For example
The user has fallen in love with the running shoe with a reinforced sole to solve his heel pain, but a competitor offers the same thing and he is having trouble making up his mind. A small promo code and that's it! Otherwise, you can show him a video testimonial from a customer who tells how much your running shoe has changed his life as a runner.
These are the three main phases of the sales funnel, to which we could of course add the loyalty phase , which would complement it. If you build your digital strategy in this way, it will allow you to obtain a much better conversion rate . Of course, you will have to take care of your targeting (have you already thought about your buyer personas ?), create quality content for each phase of your funnel, and think about the different ways to distribute them.
Let’s take a look at what these different stages of the customer journey correspond to and the actions you can implement during each of them.
What is the conversion funnel or sales funnel?
As we have seen previously, the term conversion funnel, which is mainly used usa phone number list digital marketing, designates the stages of the customer journey that lead to a purchase or obtaining a lead (qualified contact).
It is often compared to a funnel because the number of prospects will gradually reduce and become more specific until the final stage. Indeed, there is necessarily a significant gap between the number of people who will be interested in your business and those who will end up becoming customers.
The challenge of this type of practice is to identify the needs of your target and offer them content adapted to each stage, to lead them where you want. You should know that having a website and carrying out retargeting is essential to implement this type of action!
Top of the funnel (TOFU) – The top of your funnel
If we put ourselves in the customer's shoes, this first phase of the conversion funnel corresponds to a phase of discovery , of awareness. He is at the beginning of his reflection. He certainly does not know you and is not even yet aware that he has a specific need. However, everything generally starts with a problem that he wants to solve and for which he will look for informative content.
$
For example
I have heel pain when I run, so I'm going to go online to see what might be causing it and look for a solution.
At this stage of the sales funnel, the potential customer is not yet mature enough to make a purchase. Your goal will be to move them forward in the funnel until the right time, while convincing them that they should choose your company over another!
What types of content to reach my audience in TOFU?
Here, we focus on informative content such as:
A well-built and well-referenced site
Blog posts
Videos
Posts on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Tiktok, etc.)
Ads campaigns
A newsletter
$
For example
I am a company that sells sports equipment and gear. I am going to design an article on my blog “Pain when running: what if it comes from your shoes?
Middle of the funnel (MOFU) – The middle of your funnel
The potential customer has become aware of his problem and knows that he has a specific need in order to be able to solve it. We then enter what is called the consideration phase . The prospect begins to know your company or your products, but where he is still evaluating the different options available to him.
Here, she will start to be interested in the specific features of your product or the characteristics of your offer because she is considering making a purchase but does not yet know which product and from which brand.
While it's too early for him to become a customer, he may be willing to provide contact information in exchange for high-value content.
What types of content to reach my audience in MOFU?
Here, we go a little further and present slightly more technical content that will show that you are an expert in your field:
Landing page
White paper or Ebook
Podcast
Videos and interviews
Customer cases
Webinar
Product Demonstration Videos
$
For example
Still in the context of this person who has pain in the heel when running. You will share with him a white paper “The guide to choosing your running shoe” or a video that presents your product and presents the sole with its special cushioning.
Bottom of the funnel (BOFU) – The bottom of your funnel
We are getting there, the user has had his fill of information on the web and is very interested in your offer. He has most certainly already visited your website or your social networks one or more times and looked through your offers or products.
The challenge now is to convince him that he should choose your product rather than that of your competitors, with whom he is very hesitant. We are really in a phase of seduction here, you have to know how to sell yourself!
In some cases, this is also when your salespeople can come into play to create a real relationship of trust and establish contact with the potential customer . A relationship that until now was generally virtual.
What types of content to reach my audience in BOFU?
This is the crucial moment to sell your offer or product, so we focus on:
Free Trial
Free Demo
Customer testimonials in video
Estimate
Promo code
Telephone or physical appointment
$
For example
The user has fallen in love with the running shoe with a reinforced sole to solve his heel pain, but a competitor offers the same thing and he is having trouble making up his mind. A small promo code and that's it! Otherwise, you can show him a video testimonial from a customer who tells how much your running shoe has changed his life as a runner.
These are the three main phases of the sales funnel, to which we could of course add the loyalty phase , which would complement it. If you build your digital strategy in this way, it will allow you to obtain a much better conversion rate . Of course, you will have to take care of your targeting (have you already thought about your buyer personas ?), create quality content for each phase of your funnel, and think about the different ways to distribute them.