What is a marketing funnel?

Basically, a marketing funnel outlines the process for turning prospects into customers. It lays out the step-by-step workflow or customer journey.

Why should you care? Even if you’re a solopreneur or small business owner, having a marketing funnel will help you prioritize your marketing activities, and measure their effectiveness.

A basic marketing funnel has four stages: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA).

1. ATTENTION – First, you have to get your prospect’s attention.
2. INTEREST – Second, they show interest in your product by exploring your website, downloading an ebook or signing up for your mailing list.
3. DESIRE – Third, you’ve established credibility and value of your product, and your prospect desires it.
4. ACTION – Fourth, they take action and purchase your product, moving from prospect to customer.

If you have a subscription product, or a SaaS (software as a service) solution, then there are two more important stages:

1. RETENTION – your customer stays subscribed and continues to enjoy your product.
2. ADVOCACY – your customer loves your product so much that they advocate and send referrals your way.

I just published this article on the SaaS Marketing Funnel on my Software Marketing Advisor website, but this is relevant for any subscription business:

https://www.software-marketing-advisor.com/saas-marketing-funnel.html