It’s a funny thing, that funnel

In those early, heady days of building a brand, marketing tends to focus heavily into the top of the funnel. It makes sense right? You’re the new kid on the block. You need to introduce yourself, get your name out there, announce your arrival to the world.

This often means you can start to generate a bit of buzz. View counts tick up, you start racking up the likes, the engagement… It’s a good feeling, until you look closer. Lead gen is underwhelming. Conversion rates and sign ups are practically non-existent and sales? Well, maybe you can think about profits next quarter. The problem with a heavy focus on the top of the funnel means you’re drawing people in and hoping you can skip right to the bottom, to the decision, rushing past that crucial mid funnel stage that is so often forgotten.

Think of content for each funnel’s stages like a person.

The top is an extrovert. A showman. They say, “Look at me! Aren’t I interesting?” They’ll get eyes pointing in your direction and draw the crowd’s attention. At the far end, at the bottom of the funnel, is your expert advisor. He says, “You’re not sure about something in particular? Pull up a chair and I’ll break it down for you.”  They’re great for letting people dive into the nitty gritty. Putting any final apprehensions to bed and making your product seem tangible and accessible.

The mid-funnel is a far more nuanced creature though. They’re a storyteller. A guide. Once the showman has piqued people’s curiosity, they’re the ones that guide them on the journey of who you are, how you solve their problem and why you are such a great choice for them.

That mid-funnel is the stage that does the heavy lifting in influencing buying decisions, but it’s often the most neglected. It’s often only really considered (pun intended) when the chips are down and the budgets are starting to constrict, putting pressure on the content to do more than it’s supposed to in an attempt to extract the most ROI from it through a “silver bullet” approach. When a single video carries that weight of the entire marketing funnel on its shoulders, inevitably it’s going to cause it to buckle and crack under the pressure, and it ends up not even performing at the thing it’s supposed to do. Thus - the mid-funnel fracture.

The belly of the beast

Mid-funnel content carries a lot of weight. It needs to be focused in its intent and design, crafted in a way that both informs and entertains. Once you’re in the middle, you can ease off the throttle going in; you’ve stopped the scroll and got people’s interest. Just chill. Take the time to get your message across properly, craft a video that’s compelling and engaging without rushing. At the other end, it’s crucial not to get too bogged down in details. Too heavy, too technical, too dry, and you’ll bore an audience that hasn’t quite made their minds up on you yet. Depending on your product, there are certain types of content that excel at hitting that balance. 

This is the one place where explainers shine. They can make complex solutions more accessible and work best when they explain the solution you provide and the benefits that come with it, not your entire onboarding process (that belongs at the bottom). A brand film can let people get a feel for who you are, and whether you’re the right fit for them. It can be your anthem, a call to arms that makes people see themselves as kindred spirits to who you are. Product videos and showcases can show your product in action, bring it to life in style and make it feel tangible.

Mo’ middle mo’ modular (content) 

When these types of videos are built for the mid-funnel, they can be an absolute powerhouse but the focus needs to be clear. If they attract attention, it’s a bonus, never an intention. At the other end, if they seal a decision without further exploration, it’s a massive win but, again, it shouldn’t be the intention. Instead of getting too granular, guide them elsewhere with a strong CTA, push them to try a demo, read the white paper book a call or to learn more from other resources you’ve created specifically to close.

Trying to go all the way from stranger to curious to customer in a single piece of content is doomed to fail. But that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage its production to support and actually strengthen your marketing efforts at other stages. Creating content like explainers, brand films or product videos can pose a significant investment in creative production but it’s one that can scale and help you establish consistency across all your marketing efforts. With the right approach, it can be the foundation of a library of creative assets.

3D products built for animation can be repurposed for static ads. Motion systems designed for brand films and explainers can help define and guide the look and feel of your social channel content, your onboarding and tip videos. Elements from all these films can be repurposed into engaging, dynamic ads that feel consistent with your brand, signalling your intent and reinforcing your brand recognition from start to finish.

So next time you’re looking at the data, and thinking about throwing more at your ad spend, think about the mid-funnel instead. Consider considering consideration. Forget about the instant gratification of another ad and start building trust with the people that are already curious about you.