{"id":13286,"date":"2017-11-10T17:50:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T17:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/uk\/?p=13286"},"modified":"2024-05-23T07:42:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T11:42:34","slug":"ditch-your-traditional-marketing-funnel-and-do-this-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/uk\/blog\/ditch-your-traditional-marketing-funnel-and-do-this-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Ditch Your Traditional Marketing Funnel (And Do This Instead)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most marketers use the same funnel. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a funnel that starts with awareness and ends with conversion and retention. One that is meant for guiding a visitor to become a lead, a lead to become a customer, and a customer to become an evangelist. <\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s awful.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the marketers who are serious about growing their business, the <\/span>traditional funnel<\/span><\/a> just doesn\u2019t cut it anymore. It\u2019s outdated. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once, the funnel was helpful. It explained the psychology behind a purchase. It explained how a customer thought about buying. <\/span><\/p>\n

First, they are aware of your product. Then, they might become interested and make a decision. Finally, they take action, and you get a sale.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But this is no longer the most <\/span>effective sales strategy<\/span><\/a> for marketers to follow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me explain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the traditional marketing funnel just doesn\u2019t cut it anymore<\/b><\/h2>\n

The problem with the traditional funnel is that it guides people linearly through the buying process. Let\u2019s take a moment to think about how people actually decide to buy a product in today\u2019s world. <\/span><\/p>\n

How do <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> choose a product? <\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s imagine you want to buy a pair of shoes.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re looking for a new kind of shoe that will redefine your style and be different from what you usually purchase. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are two different ways you could go about this. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the one hand, you might already know a brand that you\u2019re going to buy from, and you simply go onto their website, browse their options, and pick a style. <\/span><\/p>\n

Or, on the other hand, you don\u2019t know which brand you want to buy from. So, you search online, find a few sites, do some <\/span>comparison shopping<\/span><\/a>, and choose a pair of shoes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do you see what just happened? <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. The funnel got obliterated. <\/span><\/p>\n

You didn\u2019t go through the process of becoming aware of a product through advertising efforts, engaging with the company through content, and then purchasing. Instead, you went straight to the customer phase of the buying process. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why? <\/span><\/p>\n

Well, to put it simply, because social media and the internet have drastically changed the way consumers think about purchasing products. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is how we used to think.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the 1890\u2019s \u2014\u00a0when this funnel was developed \u2014\u00a0 it was far more difficult to buy a product. Your only options were local stores, and advertisements were synonymous with word-of-mouth marketing (and maybe some bandit signs). <\/span><\/p>\n

In this kind of world, the funnel makes sense. Someone finds out about your business, so they explore working with it a bit. Eventually, they buy from you and keep buying from you because it\u2019s easier than going through the same process with a new business.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, the power isn\u2019t in the company\u2019s hands, but the consumers. <\/span><\/p>\n

The consumer can buy a product when they want, how they want, from whomever they want. <\/span><\/p>\n

And they can do it within minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

This means the buyer journey ends up looking a bit more like a pretzel and a bit less like an organized cone. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Think about all the ways someone can go about <\/span>buying a product<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n