If the top of the funnel is the first date, middle of the funnel content is the courting stage.
In the relationship of lead generation, you’re somewhere between your first dinner and meeting the parents. Bottom line, your relationship is developing.
At this stage in the funnel, your prospect is familiar with your brand and (thanks to some great top of funnel content) associates your name with trust and authority. Now is your time to flex your good traits, all without coming on too strong. This delicate balance makes the middle of the funnel (or, MoFu) the most complicated stage of the buyer’s journey.
Middle of the Funnel Content – Time to Woo
MoFu is akin to an awkward dating show, where one candidate appraises 30 prospects for an engagement. With a wide net of interested leads who haven’t been fully qualified, you can’t properly target each one. As a result, you might lose some great candidates, and waste time on some bad ones.
At this stage of mid funnel marketing, your content should continue to educate readers while beginning to position your company as the player that’s leading the game. Essentially, you want to master the tasteful brag. Not only do you want to subtly align yourself as the clear front runner, you want to provide information that allows a prospect to genuinely evaluate whether you’re the right choice. Otherwise, you’ll both endure some heartache (and a few wasted resources) if your new sale leaves you within the first few months.
MoFu Goals
Mid funnel content bridges the gap between awareness and commitment. As your prospects move their way through the sales funnel, they’re beginning to associate your brand name with the solutions you provide. As their mentality changes, so should your pieces of content.
Your goal is to establish a problem that needs solving and convince your readers that you’re the best org for the job. As you nurture these leads, enlist help from marketing automation tools to ensure your mid-funnel content reaches your prospects at the right time. To serve up the best courting content, we’re breaking down the many ways B2B mid funnel content can take shape.
MoFu Case Studies
Case studies allow you to lead by example by showcasing the problems you can solve all through the lens of a consumer. Case studies typically focus on a challenge faced by your client, the strategy and solutions your company provided, and the successful outcome that followed. In essence, these bad boys are in-depth problem-solving guides. By editorializing real-world scenarios, you can demonstrate the power of your tool or service through the eyes of the customer. As an added bonus, you can repurpose case studies into infographics, blog posts, social media posts, and newsletter highlights.
MoFu Whitepapers
Whitepapers are the research reports of the marketing world. These robust reads are a great way to flaunt your value through original research. Compared to blog posts, whitepapers take considerable time and effort. Your reader is going to expect niche expertise supported by rock-solid metrics. A great whitepaper gives readers answers they can’t find anywhere else. To achieve this exclusivity, choose a topic that showcases a solution unique to your operation. Not sure where to start? Think about analytics you’ve gathered in-house, it’s a sure fire way to provide data that no one else has.
MoFu How-to Articles: Product Edition
In the inbound marketing world, the middle of the funnel is commonly referred to as the evaluation stage. Here, prospects are considering whether or not they truly need a solution like yours. What better way to demonstrate your value to the industry than with an article that highlights your problem-solving skills, step by step. Compared to top of funnel how-to guides, these reads revolve around your product or service. Show prospects what you do and how you do it.
How-to guides give people a clear idea of what working with your product or service will feel like. Highlight your solution, emphasize the convenience, and demonstrate why it’s best in class. For content creation inspiration, harvest ideas from your sales and customer success teams. Learn the most common questions coming from prospects and clients and use a how-to article to address each one.
MoFu Demo Videos
Demo videos allow you to show, rather than tell, prospects exactly how your product or service works. As the happy medium between educational and promotional content, these videos can serve existing and potential customers alike. Videos provide an easily digestible first-hand look at your product or service, your solution skills, and serve as training resources to improve your client experience.
Beyond Middle of the Funnel Content – Let’s Get to Yes!
As your prospects progress to the bottom of the funnel, you’ve successfully convinced your reader they have a problem worth solving. (In case they didn’t know it. And sometimes, they don’t!) At this point, prospects are ready to settle down and commit to a purchase. Before you introduce them to your sales team, your next task is to make sure they’re ready to purchase from you.
lainey 