Marketing Funnel in B2B for Technical Writers

In 1898, businessman and psychologist E. St. Elmo Lewis introduced the idea that customers move toward a purchase decision in a funnel rather than a straight line. This concept of the marketing funnel has been a foundation for marketers for over a century. However, the marketing funnel isn't as straightforward for B2B businesses, especially those dealing with technical products. Since decision-makers and internal experts are the ultimate targets of B2B marketing, treating all visitors the same can negatively impact your brand.

Most B2B companies overlook the importance of the marketing funnel. Nearly three in four businesses (68%) have never tried to identify or implement the stages into their marketing processes. The good news is, repositioning your marketing funnel doesn’t have to be complicated. By equipping your B2B strategy with a few general guidelines, you can easily scale your marketing efforts to address top, middle, and bottom-funnel customers.

Understanding the B2C Marketing Funnel

The concept of a marketing funnel is simple at first glance – it’s about labeling customer relationships and understanding how they change. Just like real-life funnels in weather, cooking, or mathematics, marketing funnels direct a large number of prospects into a smaller, more focused group of qualified leads.

The average marketing funnel has a conversion rate of 3.1% to 5%, depending on the industry and marketing efforts. You can retain 36% more customers by nurturing leads through the proper stages. Effective B2B funnels close deals six times faster than companies that aren’t using a funnel.

Typically, there are four stages in a B2C funnel:

• Awareness
• Interest
• Desire
• Action

Most visitors begin at the Awareness stage — they’re just beginning their relationship with your brand. This progresses through Interest, Desire, and finally to a purchase decision in the Action stage. However, the B2B model is much more complex.

The Typical B2B Marketing Funnel

B2B marketing funnels must adapt the B2C approach to technical decision-makers and C-suite executives. They usually operate under specific use cases and take much longer to close a deal, often up to 84 days on average. There are typically six B2B funnel stages:

1. Interest: B2B clients are usually aware of their pain points well before discovering your company. They investigate your brand and its offerings from a high level.
2. Consideration: Users who believe your brand might be a good fit explore more of your middle-funnel content, including case studies, technical tutorials, blogs, and articles.
3. Intent: Here, the user is expressly considering you as a future business partner. Bottom-funnel content, such as use cases, product comparisons, and video courses, becomes relevant.
4. Evaluation: The final step before a purchase decision, this stage involves customers discussing your brand with their internal stakeholders, teams, and leadership groups.
5. Purchase: This is where customers buy into your product, and onboarding becomes important, especially for SaaS or service-oriented brands.
6. Ambassadors: Satisfied customers may become ambassadors, more likely to purchase additional products and advocate for your brand, creating a renewable sales cycle.

The Biggest Differences Between B2B and B2C Marketing Funnels

There are three major differences between B2B and B2C funnels:

1. Funnel Width: B2C funnels are typically much wider than B2Bs. More people are interested in consumer products like coffee makers than specialized B2B solutions.
2. Targeting Accuracy: B2B marketers must know their target audience inside and out, while B2C marketers can afford to be less specific.
3. Speed of Completion: B2C customers can make quick purchase decisions, whereas B2B clients, with their complex decision-making processes, take weeks, months, or even years.

The B2B Content Marketing Funnel

B2B marketing funnels and B2B content marketing funnels are similar but not identical. Marketing funnels focus on active leads interested in purchasing your product or service. Content marketing funnels may capture audience members who don’t yet know your product but are exploring solutions.

There are three major stages in the B2B content marketing funnel:

ToFU (Top of Funnel)

ToFU content targets the widest audience. These individuals may not know your company but are exploring solutions you offer. Examples include:

• Ultimate guides on specific topics
• Short introductory videos
• Social media posts revealing industry information

MoFU (Middle of Funnel)

MoFU content targets audiences familiar with your market and somewhat aware of your brand. They’re not necessarily ready to buy but understand the industry jargon. Examples include:

• Technical videos and tutorials
• eBooks and lead magnets
• Webinars

BoFU (Bottom of Funnel)

BoFU content targets audiences ready to buy. They may be considering switching from another solution or making a purchase. Examples include:

• Blog content discussing comparisons and alternatives
• Customized demos and walkthroughs
• Case studies

Some B2Bs also use RoFU (Retention of Funnel) content to keep customers engaged after conversion. This includes guides, product updates, and industry news.

Practical Applications of the B2B Marketing Funnel

Using the marketing funnel correctly within your B2B strategy is more than just a best practice. It can dramatically boost customer traffic, product interest, and your profit margin. Here are some practical applications:

• Streamlined Budgets: A good use of the marketing funnel allows you to make the most of your marketing budget. An efficient funnel allocates money more effectively and protects against wasted ROI.
• Improved Processes: Identify critical points of improvement and optimize your content based on performance. For example, focus more on blog posts if they move customers through the funnel better than other content types.
• Nurtured Leads: Properly implemented B2B funnels help avoid becoming top-heavy with marketing. Balanced content at all levels of awareness ensures a steady flow of inbound B2B customers.

Refining Your B2B Marketing Funnel

The B2B marketing funnel can impact all areas of your business. With it, content teams create more efficient value, head marketers nurture more targeted campaigns, and B2B customers at all levels of engagement are encouraged to interact with your brand. Understanding the B2B buyer’s journey is just the first step in refining your marketing process. For early-stage startups or scaling businesses, starting off on the right foot is paramount to success.