Mid-funnel content doesn’t get the fanfare it deserves. Maybe that’s because it’s a little harder to measure. The metrics are clear for the top-of-funnel stuff (shares, page views) and for the bottom-of-funnel content (conversions), but all of those guides, whitepapers and videos in the middle of your marketing funnel are equally essential.
However, just because a step is critical doesn’t mean marketers are actually doing it. Research by the Content Marketing Institute found that half of all content is aimed at the top of the funnel rather than the middle or bottom.
If you can create awesome mid-funnel content, chances are you will be heads and shoulders above your competitors. To get you and your marketing team started down the road to creating best-in-class mid-funnel content, we’ve turned our spotlight onto five companies doing excellent work.
Follow their examples to learn how the best marketers turn interested followers into warm leads.
Copy House’s Killer Case Studies
Every business claims they can solve your problems, but it’s much harder to prove that claim. That’s why case studies are so powerful in the consideration stage of your marketing funnel when potential clients are thinking carefully about the best way to solve their problems.
Copy House, a UK-based content marketing agency, understands that it’s better to show potential clients what they can do rather than tell them. Hence the wealth of informative case studies on their site.
Each case study takes a solution-focused dive into a recent client project, outlining the exact problem the client was struggling with and the process the agency used to solve it. Whether clients are looking to improve their rankings, grow their traffic or become a thought leader, they can find out exactly how Copy House has helped a similar company in the same situation.
These case studies aren’t a slog to read, either. Copy House does a great job of laying out their long-form case studies in a clear, scannable and digestible format. While informative, it’s not just a wall of text. Each case study is neatly broken into pertinent sections, has images and data, and even has a compelling call to action at the bottom of the page.
Clarity is key when it comes to case studies, writes HubSpot’s Braden Becker. “When laying out your case study, focus on conveying the information you’ve gathered in the most clear and concise way possible. Make it easy to scan and comprehend, and be sure to provide an attractive call-to-action at the bottom — that should provide readers an opportunity to learn more about your product or service.”
KlientBoost’s Quirky Quizzes
Mid-funnel content can be at risk of becoming dry and stuffy. After all, the purpose is to provide value to potential customers and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise — neither of which is easily done in an entertaining way. That’s what makes KlientBoost’s range of quizzes such a great example of mid-funnel content done right.
Created using Typeform, each quiz is designed to rate a company’s performance in a specific area of digital marketing. By answering a string of questions, KlientBoost will rate your performance and show you how you rank. There’s no need to provide an email (which is why this is a piece of middle funnel content, not bottom), but there’s an opportunity to request a free marketing plan at the end.
Quizzes aren’t just a way to entertain your audience and encourage them to engage with your brand. They can also provide useful data that you can use when messaging potential customers in the future.
“From a brand and marketing strategy perspective, we’re always looking for ways to better understand the motivations and perceptions of customers,” writes Clay Ostrom, founder of brand and marketing consultancy Map & Fire. “What makes the quiz format special is that it gives you insight into how customers view themselves. When you want to make an emotional connection with someone, knowing how that person self-identifies allows you to speak directly to their most important needs.”
Divvy’s Incredibly Interactive eBook
Ebooks are a staple piece of mid-funnel content. The trouble is they’ve become so popular it’s hard to make your brand’s ebook stand apart from your competitors. You really need to go above and beyond if you want to succeed, writes inbound marketer Kevin Payne. That means delivering exceptional value to readers.
Value doesn’t just come from the content you write, it comes from the way you present that information, too.
It’s for this reason that Divvy’s interactive Back to the Future-themed eBook is so good. Made up of four sections, it features insights from over a dozen world-leading marketers, so certainly isn’t lacking in educational value. The way it’s designed and presented makes it a total joy to interact with. Not only will users love engaging with the material, there’s a good chance they’ll share it with friends and colleagues, introducing potential customers into the middle of Divvy’s marketing funnel.
Shopify’s Super In-Depth Business Courses
Video is a great way to raise brand awareness at the top of the funnel, and is also an excellent method to establish your brand’s authority to potential customers in the consideration stage.
Shopify has done just that through a series of in-depth videos covering every facet of eCommerce, from goal setting and product development through to manufacturing and marketing. Partnered with other industry experts, Shopify delivers a tremendous amount of value for free to any would-be eCommerce entrepreneur.
And because you don’t have to be a Shopify customer to access the content, the videos are a great way for Shopify to build rapport with their target market and become the go-to site for everything eCommerce.
Video is the perfect medium for this kind of content, says Jenny Coppola, head of brand and communications at business management applications provider Teamwork. “The audio-visual nature of video makes content more engaging, so adding a video component to pages with fresh content will help keep people on your site longer while also boosting SEO,” she writes.
Podia’s Perfect Product Comparison Pages
There are multiple benefits to creating product comparison pages, says Pallav Kaushish, full-stack marketer and startup growth specialist. “If you publish a product comparison page, you not only help the buyers in their research process but also project values of honesty and transparency, which goes a long way in establishing trust. And remember, building trust is the first step in convincing a person to buy from you.”
That’s exactly what Podia does with its plethora of comparison pages that showcase how their tool stacks up against a broad range of competitors. This isn’t a case of trash-talking the competition, however. As Podia states, they want their audience to make the best choice — even if that choice isn’t Podia.
To that end, each product comparison page is packed full of value, featuring videos, charts and other testimonials, to help potential customers choose the best solution for them. Of course, the pages naturally favor Podia, but the company still does a great job of promoting fairness and giving competitors their due.
Creating Amazing Mid-Funnel Content Takes Practice
If you don’t have outstanding mid-funnel content now, you don’t need to panic, but you should take steps to improve your content strategies to generate mid-funnel assets.
“Content creation does not need to be a linear process,” writes Katie Schieder, director of inbound marketing and content at marketing agency Arc Intermedia. “If you already have a great bottom of the funnel piece of content (case study, demo video, customer testimonial), then work backwards. If you have a blog post that generates a lot of traffic but has a high bounce rate, think of ways you can expand on the topics discussed in that post.”
Mid-funnel content is essential for brands and their sales processes. Without it, your leads will lack the information they need to buy, and your sales team will struggle to vet qualified buyers. Mid-funnel content provides information to both parties, which ultimately translates into a smoother buying process.
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Since then my team and I have published over 2,500 long-form articles for SaaS and HR Technology companies all over the world and engaged with over 20K influencers to promote this content.
I’d be happy to chat with you about anything and everything we have learned along that journey. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!
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