The Marketing Funnel (& Why It Starts with Awareness)

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone in your target market was instantly a customer? In reality, it’s a process to move a person from not knowing your business exists to becoming a loyal customer.

The marketing funnel illustrates this progress, and understanding each stage can help you make the most of your marketing budget.

Having people be aware of your business is the first step, or top of the "funnel." This is important both so your business is top of mind when they’re looking for your product or service, and also for familiarity. You want your business name to not only show up on digital searches, but for users to recognize it when it does.

People like what we know. Our natural tendency is to gravitate toward what is familiar, and this includes when we choose who we do business with.

Studies show that radio is a top builder of trust. Long-term radio campaigns are fantastic for building brand awareness, influencing how people view your business, and also driving online search.

It is interest and need that moves people along to the next stages, so while there are fewer people, they’re the ones most likely to become your customer. The best marketing plans are designed with this change in mind.

The ad recall of creative audio combined with the ability to reach people in different places and times throughout their day makes radio effective through the various stages.

Here’s an example: a listener first hears an ad and learns about what your business offers, and their comfort and familiarity build as they hear your ad through repetition. This listener then hears your messaging again while in the Consideration stage – such as in their vehicle on their way to make a buying decision. This scenario repeats itself countless times every day in towns and cities across the country, and is part of the reason advertisers continue to keep radio as part of their marketing plan.

This Nimble Digital article has insights into where, when and how to use your marketing dollars to keep your potential customers progressing from the Awareness stage all the way through to Advocacy, where they in effect do some of your marketing for you.

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