I have a confession to make: I am a chronic review reader. I start every purchase with a Google search. To make my final decision, I rely on content – both from reviewers and from companies themselves.
So here’s what I know firsthand: Buyers look for different types of content at different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Here is an example. I recently decided to automate my LinkedIn thought leadership. To find the right solution, I read listicles about social media management tools.
After familiarizing myself with the market, I searched for product overviews. I then watched demos to see how the tools worked. When I finally decided to use Buffer, I had dozens of pieces of content to support my decision.
As a marketer, you need to develop a strategy that supports the different stages of the buyer’s journey. You need material for every step of the content marketing funnel. Below, I’ll share strategies that work – both as a marketer and as a consumer.
Let’s dive in.
Table of contents
What is the Content Marketing Funnel?
The content marketing funnel maps the buyer’s journey from initial attention through consideration to the final purchase decision.
Understanding this division—typically top, middle, and bottom—allows you to create targeted content that addresses prospects’ needs and drives leads at every stage of the decision-making process.
By targeting content at each stage of the buyer’s journey, you can add value, build trust, and help customers choose your product.
Levels of the content marketing funnel
As I highlighted in the previous section, you can divide your content marketing funnel into three stages.
In this section, using my own company as an example, I’ll explain what each of these levels entails and what type of content you can create.
Top of the Funnel (ToFu)
At the top of the funnel, I focus on attracting B2B SaaS decision makers who are just beginning to realize they face content challenges. My goal is to educate and inform, not to offer my services directly.
I create content like:
- Blog posts that address common issues with B2B SaaS content
- Infographics with content marketing ROI statistics
- LinkedIn posts with quick content strategy tips
- Short videos explaining content trends in SaaS
I hope to attract potential customers and demonstrate my expertise in the B2B SaaS space.
Middle of the funnel (MoFu)
In the middle of the funnel, I target B2B SaaS prospects who are actively looking for content solutions. You compare options, so I position my services as the ideal choice.
I develop content like:
- Detailed instructions for creating effective SaaS content strategies
- Case studies illustrating my success with other B2B SaaS customers
- Detailed posts on specific content challenges in SaaS
- Comparison tables show how my approach differs from internal teams
This content helps prospects evaluate my services and builds trust in my expertise.
Bottom of the funnel (BoFu)
At the bottom of the funnel, I focus on B2B SaaS decision makers who are ready to select a content strategist. My goal is to address any final objections and encourage them to get in touch.
I offer content like:
- Free content audits or strategy consultations
- Testimonials from satisfied B2B SaaS customers
- Detailed breakdowns of my content strategy process
- ROI predictions based on past customer results
The goal of this content is to convert potential customers into customers by providing them with the final information or reassurance they need to choose my services.
Understanding the buyer’s journey in marketing
Over my years as a content strategist for B2B SaaS companies, I have personally found that the buyer’s journey is rarely a straight path.
With the exception of spontaneous software purchases (which are rare in B2B), most decision makers start in a state of “ignorance.” They typically fit the demographics of an ideal customer – what I call buyer persona – but don’t know the SaaS solution or don’t yet realize they need it.
A triggering event often changes their situation or highlights a pain point that needs to be resolved. This is where the buyer’s journey begins.
Let me give an example that I have used with clients: Imagine a growing startup discovers that its project management is becoming chaotic. These companies rarely decide to purchase a SaaS project management tool right away.
Instead, they often turn to the Internet to learn more and make decisions as they move through the following stages. My job is to support you in this decision-making process with strategic content.
Consciousness phase
In the awareness phase, B2B buyers experience a problem or pain point and their goal is to alleviate it. They usually look for sources of information in order to understand, formulate and give a name to their problem more clearly.
A common search query a potential customer might start with is, “How to improve team productivity?” At this point, they are not thinking about specific SaaS solutions; it’s far too early for that.
Instead, they first try to contextualize their problem. As a B2B SaaS content strategist, I’ve found that appearing in search engine results, even in these early stages, is critical to building authority and gaining the trust of buyers starting the journey.
Consideration phase
During the consideration phase, I found that B2B buyers usually clearly defined and named their problem.
They now strive to explore and understand all available approaches and methods to solve their defined problem or opportunity. In other words, I’ve seen them start to think about possible SaaS solutions.
From my work, I know that a typical search query a prospect would ask at this stage might be: “Project management software vs. traditional methods?” In the consideration phase, the prospect is not yet ready to buy, but they decide to go for it him possible solution.
My strategy here is to consider indirect competitors and educate prospects on the pros and cons of different SaaS options.
Decision phase
Once they reach the decision stage, B2B buyers have typically decided on their solution strategy, method, or approach.
Your goal now is to compile a list of available SaaS providers, create a shortlist, and ultimately make a final purchasing decision.
At this stage, prospects are asking searches like: “Asana vs. Trello vs. Jira.” At this point, they are ready to invest in a solution.
They will likely choose a SaaS provider that they like, know, and trust, as long as that provider can meet their specific business needs.
Why it’s important to create content for the buyer’s journey
As in all marketing disciplines, it is like that It’s important to understand your audience: how they think, what answers they seek, and what path they tend to take to find a solution.
Based on this research, you can begin developing a documented content strategy that maps your content to different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Not fully understanding your target audience creates a gap between your business and your potential customers.
For content marketers like me, this usually means publishing content that your readers can’t really relate to, which can cause you to lose them.
To avoid this, you need to consider what stage your target audience is at, how you will meet them there, and which channels can best be used to present the content to them. The Internet has made it easier for marketers (and salespeople) to target customers at different stages of their journey using content marketing.
This is one of the main reasons for this 14% of marketers Consider content marketing as the marketing channel with the highest return on investment (ROI).
HubSpot’s marketing platform offers powerful automation tools that can help streamline this process. I love how you can use the platform to create personalized content experiences, see how users interact at every stage of their buying process, and send tailored content when users need it.
However, creating the right content at the right time can be challenging.
Building a content strategy starts with identifying the Types of content You need to reach your audience based on their progression through the buyer’s journey, and we’ll guide you through this from a marketing flywheel perspective.
Creating content for every stage of the buyer journey
Once you have an idea of your buyer persona and how prospects approach purchasing, you can begin creating content for your buyer at different stages and tailor that content for each channel.
This can help you Map your content to relevant stages of the buyer’s journey to create a marketing funnel.
Your journey can look very different depending on your industry, business model, product, pricing and target audience.
For example, some B2C customers spend very little time in the middle of the buyer’s journey compared to B2B customers who require far more nurturing, engagement and relationship building before a purchase is made.
For example, a $50 pair of sneakers requires much less handshaking when making purchasing decisions than a $10,000 business software investment.
Content ideas for every stage of the buyer journey
Since target groups can vary greatly depending on industry and intent, Persona research is paramount.
By understanding their unique awareness and assessment process, you can create a truly effective solution Content marketing funnel and strategy full of custom content to best support them on their path to purchase.
So let’s start from the top and start at the beginning of the buyer’s journey.
On Consciousness phaseA buyer is looking for premium educational content to help them find a solution, such as blog posts, social content, and eBooks.
Your value as a lead is low because there is no guarantee they will buy from you. But those who find your content helpful and interesting may move to the middle of the funnel.
Ideal channels for the awareness phase may include:
- Blogging
- Search engine marketing
- Social media marketing
Let’s look at the different content formats that work best for these channels.
Content formats for the awareness phase
- Blog post
- Social media post
- White paper
- Checklist
- Instructional video
- Kit or tool
- E-book or tip sheet
- Educational webinar
1. Blog post
A blog post is an ideal piece of content aimed at the awareness stage.
By targeting an issue, problem, or topic that your audience wants to discover and then publishing it on your website, you create brand equity that can be crawled by Google and found by search engine users.
You can also promote your blog content on other channels.
If I’m having a hard time finding topics that fit my audience’s pain points, HubSpot’s blog idea generator can be useful – just enter a few details about your audience or content and the platform will generate catchy titles relevant to your input.
Ahrefs does blog content right. They incorporate original data and informational advice to create long-form articles that serve their audience.
Recommended Resource: 6 free blog post templates
2. Social media post
You can use social media to promote your other content and you can also create content specifically for the channel.
According to Backlinko, 86.1% of all eligible viewers Ages 18 and over are active on social media. Since I target B2B SaaS companies, LinkedIn is my preferred social channel.
In the example above, I shared a carousel of my top tools on LinkedIn. These formats are very popular on LinkedIn because the content is designed in such a way that it invites you to take it with you with short takeaways.
3. White paper
A white paper is an organization’s report or guide on a specific topic.
White papers are particularly useful as downloadable offerings when readers want to delve deeper into a specific topic they are reading about.
I’ve found that providing unique information that your audience can’t find elsewhere is crucial in order for the audience to understand the value of the report and compel them to download it.
Each year, HubSpot releases a State of Marketing survey to provide marketers, sales professionals, and business owners with helpful thought leadership-based guidance.
Inside, readers will find statistics from a comprehensive survey and opinions from industry experts on what the data means and where the industry is headed.
4. Checklist
For complicated tasks with a lot of moving parts, your audience may simply want a plan outlining what they should do to achieve their end goal.
Buying a home is a perfect example of this, and Opendoor meets the needs of its audience by providing the reader with a handy checklist (in infographic form!) that lists all the steps that need to be taken. The graphics are aesthetically pleasing and even have space for a few tips along the way.
5. Instructional video
My experience has taught me that sometimes the best way to solve a pain or problem is to learn a new skill.
While a purchase may be necessary along the way, your audience often needs to first become more educated about the problem and possible solutions. This is where I’ve seen educational video content that really shines.
HubSpot Marketing offers a series of videos that break down SEO principles to viewers in easy-to-understand language and images. The marketing team knows that SEO is a complex topic and wants to make it accessible to viewers.
6. Kit or tool
I’ve learned that informational content for a broad audience isn’t always enough for my buyer personas to make a decision.
In some cases, they require more utility or personalization. That’s why I’ve found kits and tools to be great content to guide readers on their purchase journey.
Nerdwallet creates content on various financial topics, including budgeting. However, since it can be difficult to create a budget, they have developed a calculator that allows users to enter their own numbers to get customized recommendations.
7. E-book or tip sheet
Similar to white papers, I have successfully used eBooks and tip sheets as downloadable content. However, I usually make these shorter and more actionable.
CoSchedule combines a few tactics by promoting its headline analysis tool with one Blog post about writing great headlines that drive traffic.
They include a great one in this blog post Tip sheet with powerful words include in headlines when you want to grab a reader’s attention.
Recommended Resource: 36 free eBook templates
8. Educational Webinar
A webinar is a web seminar in which information is typically provided via video.
A webinar can be pre-recorded or live streamed, which opens up many opportunities for disseminating information to an audience that wants more visual and audio content.
At HubSpot, we create webinars as an important part of our content marketing strategy and often cover a valuable topic multiple times to get more impact from the content.
Let’s move on from the content of the awareness phase and move on to the next phase of the buyer’s journey.
When someone moves in Consideration phaseit means you have caught their attention. They know they have a problem that needs to be solved and are now trying to find the best solution. As they weigh their options, the need for a future purchase commitment becomes increasingly clear.
This stage is typically a point of extended interaction where you nurture a lead, build a relationship, and build trust between the audience and your brand.
Ideal channels for your consideration phase may include:
- website or blogging
- Search engine marketing
- Email marketing
- Social media
Let’s look at the best content formats for this part of the buyer’s journey.
Content formats for the consideration phase
- Product comparison guide
- Case study
- Free sample
1. Product comparison guides
In the consideration phase, the buyer persona is still considering solutions to their pain or problem. For this reason, product comparisons are a good decision-making aid.
For example, when I worked with a project management SaaS, we created comparison guides between different competing tools to help our readers understand which tool might be best for their team.
2. Case Study
I have successfully used case studies in both the consideration and decision phases. In my opinion, a well-crafted case study convinces the reader that our solution works by presenting real results for actual customers.
When I create case studies for my B2B SaaS clients, I make sure to appeal to both emotion and logic. I tell a compelling story about the customer’s challenges while providing detailed, quantitative data about how our solution solved their problems.
HubSpot Partner Agency Blueleadz tells a story about his customer and his problems and gives a detailed account of how he solved them.
Recommended Resource: 3 free case study templates
3. Free sample
A free sample is another example of content or an offer that overlaps between stages of the buyer’s journey. Consider this: A person wants to paint the inside of their house, but doesn’t know what color.
While you’re deciding which paint (solution) to use, grab paint chip cards from your hardware store. A provider creates these maps based on their individual solution. When someone falls in love with a color, they already know who the supplier is that makes it.
SILKCARDS capitalizes on this buying behavior by offering examples of its unique printing methods for the content it creates.
They know that their business is tangible and that digital content alone is not enough to close a deal. As soon as the potential customer holds the sample in their hands, other business cards are overshadowed.
Now that you’ve provided content that helps customers list or explore their options, it’s time to move them into the Decision phase.
As potential customers near the end of the buyer’s journey, they evaluate vendors down to specific or specialized offerings.
Marketers, in turn, want to exceed expectations and provide a simple and seamless customer experience that sets them apart from their competitors.
Deal with objections, eliminate hesitations, position yourself in front of the competition
In my experience, the most effective channels for decision-stage content include:
- Website.
- Email marketing.
- Live chat and chatbots for service.
Here are the content formats that I find are most effective at helping prospects move closer to purchasing.
Content formats for the decision phase
- Free trial or live demo
- Offer of advice
- coupon
1. Free Trial or Live Demo
Most of my B2B SaaS customers offer free trials of their products. Free trials allow potential customers to experience the power of the tools first-hand. Once they see how new tools impact productivity and efficiency, they are much more likely to convert into paying customers.
Dropbox sign does it well. Although they offer a free option with limitations, they know that offering a free trial upfront is key to getting customers into their larger tiers. Your pricing page sets the prospect’s expectations and directs them to the free trial.
2. Offer of advice
A consultation is another example of providing a small service in return for the opportunity to close the sale.
The best advice reduces the anxiety of a sales call by promising something concrete (a strategy or actionable advice) in return for their time.
I often include consulting services in my B2B SaaS strategies. I’ve found that they work best when they promise concrete, actionable advice.
To increase conversions, I always make scheduling as smooth as possible and use automated booking systems like Calendly.
3. Voucher
A coupon appeals to the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) mindset.
By reducing the price by a certain amount, a coupon creates a price objection while simultaneously convincing the prospect that they are leaving money on the table by not using the coupon. This inertia is enough to win the prospect’s business.
While traditional coupons aren’t as common in B2B SaaS, I’ve had success with limited-time offers or special pricing for early adopters. This creates a sense of urgency and can be the final push a prospect needs to make a decision.
Fragrant Jewels does this well by making its vouchers playful.
By spinning the wheel, website visitors have the opportunity to receive a coupon before viewing the products. They will likely evaluate the products that represent a good deal with the coupon they won.
Beyond the decision phase, I always emphasize the importance of creating content to satisfy existing customers. In my experience, this often includes comprehensive knowledge bases, regular announcements of feature updates, and advanced tips and tricks to help users get the most out of the software.
Map content across all phases of the buying cycle
In my years of experience as a content strategist, I’ve learned that every company has a unique buyer’s journey – one that requires a tailored approach for optimal results. I can’t simply transfer a strategy from one client to another.
And that starts with getting to know your audience and understanding their needs, pain points, and decision-making processes. Once you have this understanding, develop a strategy that maps custom content – be it educational blog posts or product demos – to each stage of their journey.
When a content strategy truly fits a buyer’s journey, it improves customer relationships while increasing conversions and loyalty.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for completeness.