Marketing Funnel: Awareness and Consideration Stages (Strategies)

Converting a customer from a person unfamiliar with the product to a paying customer doesn't happen overnight-it's a step-by-step process. Marketers describe this process with a marketing funnel. In this article, we explain what the funnel is, the first two steps — awareness (awareness) and consideration (interest) — and specific strategies for each.

This post what is customer persona a continuation of its guide.

What is a marketing funnel?

Marketing funnel is the process of turning people who aren't familiar with a product or service into paying customers. The main goal is to help the business reach its goals — profit, revenue, new customers. The funnel is actually just a framework (framework): it shows how customers move from getting to know the business to getting used to it. The structure can vary by business — some companies have a 6-step funnel.

3 benefits of funnel

1. Consider the buyer's path (buyer's journey) — rather than trying random strategies or focusing solely on the sale at the bottom of their funnel, the funnel makes the buyer think about their experience with the brand: when and how they see the brand first, what does it do after the first experience?
2. Optimize marketing strategy-there are gaps in all strategies and the funnel helps you find and fix them. Maybe display ads don't connect with the customer, or the customer clicks on the ad, but the pop-up page loads slowly.
3. Increase conversion rate — when you consider the path of the buyer and optimize strategies, conversion increases and the business gets more results. For example, you can track the percentage of visitors who turn into paying customers in e-commerce: If 100 people view the product page and only buy 1, that's 1% conversion.

Differentiate between strategy and tactics

Before we dive into the strategies, let's clarify an important understanding. Marketers often use these two terms in place of each other, but there's a difference. The strategy supports the plan to reach the marketing objective and is a more general idea. A tactic is a specific action taken to make a plan. For example, social media marketing is a strategy — a common idea; specific posts on social media are tactics — that supports strategy.

Awareness phase

Awareness is the first stage of the funnel. At this stage, a potential customer may be unaware of the product or service. Maybe there's a specific problem (pain point) he wants to solve-for example, buying new furniture. Or, they get to know the brand by accident — like Facebook or Instagram advertising — without having to do a specific search. No matter how they encounter it, the awareness phase is when a potential customer becomes aware of the product for the first time. This first impression is very important.

Key strategies and tactics for building awareness:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) — to optimize the site for visibility in the search engine (Google, Bing). When a customer searches for a pain point solution, they recognize the brand if the site goes above it.
• SEM (Search Engine Marketing) — increasing site visibility in search with paid advertising. Similar to SEO, but with a pull; it drives its brand to the top of search results.
• Display ads — graphic ads based on photos, videos, or text. Visible on sites and apps; build awareness by placing ads on sites visited by potential customers.
• Social media marketing — posts on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (usually for free). A common strategy: Reaching new people by sharing a follower's brand post to their followers.
• Social media advertising — social media is similar to marketing, but paid. Common amenity: how advertising appears targeted to non-followers based on their interests in their feeds.
• Video marketing comes in a lot of forms; it's video preview (pre-roll) advertising on YouTube that's common for awareness. Targeting is possible because of videos people have viewed before.
• Influencer marketing — collaboration with a person or brand with a large audience. Recognizes their product to their followers (e.g. review) for a fee. Caution: the influencer must disclose the connection and follow the regulatory guidelines.
• Content marketing — create and distribute valuable content (e.g. a downloadable e-book or educational page). Often it's about SEO/SEM; creating valuable content is only the first step — then you need to bring it in front of potential customers.

SEO and SEM: two powerful tools of alertness

Awareness strategiyaları arasında SEO və SEM xüsusi diqqətə layiqdir, çünki insanlar məhsul və xidmət axtaranda ən çox axtarış sistemlərinə müraciət edir. SEO organik (pulsuz) nəticələrin sıralamasını yaxşılaşdırır: düzgün açar sözlər, keyfiyyətli kontent və istifadəçi-dostu sayt strukturu ilə saytın axtarışda yuxarı çıxır. SEM isə paid reklamla eyni nəticəni tez əldə edir: müştəri Google-da axtaranda reklamın nəticələrin üstündə görünür. İkisinin fərqi budur ki, SEO gec, amma uzunmüddətli nəticə verir; SEM tez, amma ödəniş dayananda itir. Ona görə çox vaxt birlikdə işlədilir — SEM tez trafik gətirir, SEO isə həmin trafiki davamlı edir.

A practical thought: when a potential customer searches for a solution to their pain point, they'll be instantly aware of their brand if the site shows up at the top of the search. That's why search strategies are so valuable during the agitation phase-if a person is already looking for something, you just have to get to it.

Social media and influencer: broad reach

Sosial media agahlıq üçün ən güclü kanallardan biridir, çünki dünya əhalisinin yarıdan çoxu orada vaxt keçirir. Pulsuz sosial media marketinqin gücü paylaşımdadır: bir izləyici brendin postunu öz izləyicilərinə paylaşanda yeni insanlar brendlə tanış olur. Pullu sosial media reklamı isə bunu miqyaslandırır — reklamı non-follower-lərin feed-lərində maraqlarına görə hədəfləyə bilirsən. Video marketinq (məsələn YouTube pre-roll reklamları) və influencer marketinq isə brendini böyük, mövcud auditoriyaların qarşısına çıxarır.

Influencer marketing has one ethical and legal rule: an influencer must disclose their relationship with the brand (paid collaboration). This is a regulatory requirement, but also important to maintain audience trust. Secret advertising works briefly, but it also hurts the brand in the long run.

Consideration phase

İndi potensial müştərilər brenddən və onun təklifindən xəbərdardır, amma hələ almağa hazır deyil. Növbəti addım consideration — yəni maraq qurmaqdır. Bu mərhələdə potensial müştəri məhsulu artıq tanıyır və indi daha çox öyrənməyə hazırdır. Vacib nüans: awareness mərhələsinin strategiyaları burada da keçərlidir — məsələn, sosial media marketinq və content marketing. Fərq tətbiq üsulundadır: consideration üçün kontent daha dərin və inandırıcı olur (məsələn, case study), reklam hədəfləməsi isə əvvəlki ziyarətçilərə yönəlir.

Strategies for building interest:

• USP (Unique Selling Proposition) — explains why the product is superior to the competitor. Once the customer is aware of the product, the USP should be clear and often repeated.
• Testimonials (reviews) — where customers share their experience with the product. A well-designed testimonial builds trust; a potential customer puts themselves in the place of that customer whose issue has been resolved. Can be written, audio or video.
• Case studies — similar to testimonial, but usually in a more in-depth and written format. With a months-long project, the business case study can explain the progress of the process; a comprehensive case study builds confidence.
• Remarketing ads — ads shown to people who have viewed, subscribed to, or purchased a brand's website or social media before. E-commerce is common. For example, if you looked at several pairs of shoes on one site and then saw them advertised on other pages, that's remarketing.
• Webinars — presentations that are presented online, usually educational. It both teaches potential customers and recognizes the product. Difficulty: get people to participate; offer something valuable and appealing because of it.
• Email marketing — sending promo or educational emails to an email list. When a customer becomes aware of the brand and signs up for the list, they want to know more. Send product education emails to Consideration.
• Social media is a little different from awareness in marketing-thinking potential customers are already an account viewer. Share consistent and diverse content to increase their brand exposure.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What are the steps of the marketing funnel?

This model has 4 steps: awareness (awareness), consideration (interest), conversion (conversion), and loyalty (loyalty). Some businesses may have different milestones.

What's the difference between strategy and tactics?

A strategy is a common plan (e.g. social media marketing); a tactic is a specific action that makes a plan happen (e.g. specific posts).

What's the difference between Awareness and Consideration?

In Awareness, the customer recognizes the brand for the first time; in Consideration, they already know and are ready to learn more. Strategies may overlap, but the application is different.

What is remarketing?

Showing ads to people who viewed their site or social media beforehand. They are the most interesting and likely segment of conversion.

What is USP?

Unique Selling Proposition - a message explaining why the product is superior to a competitor. It should be clear and often repeated.

What is content marketing?

Create valuable content (blog, e-book, educational page) and bring it to the front of potential customers. Works at both the awareness and curiosity stage.

How to find a gap in Huni?

By measuring each step. For example, if there is a lot of awareness, but little interest, you need to strengthen the consideration strategies.

Final: it's a process to get involved

Awareness və consideration marketinq hunisinin ilk yarısını — müştərini cəlb etmə hissəsini — təşkil edir. Awareness auditoriyanı qurur, consideration isə onların marağını dərinləşdirir. Hər ikisi üçün çoxlu strategiya var (SEO, SEM, sosial media, video, influencer, content, USP, testimonial, case study, remarketing, webinar, email), amma açar prinsip həmişə eynidir: auditoriyanı tanı və ona uyğun mesajı doğru kanalda ver. Bu mərhələləri yaxşı qursan, hunidə aşağıya doğru daha çox insan axacaq.

Building trust: the center of consideration

Consideration mərhələsinin əsl mahiyyəti etimad qurmaqdır. Bu mərhələdə müştəri artıq maraqlanır, amma hələ tərəddüd edir — «bu brend həqiqətən vəd etdiyini verirmi?» Testimonial və case study-lər məhz bu suala cavab verir: real müştərilərin təcrübəsini göstərərək potensial müştərini inandırır. İnsan başqasının problemi həll olunmuş təcrübəsini görəndə özünü onun yerinə qoyur və «bəlkə mənə də kömək edər» deyə düşünür. USP isə fərqli bir suala cavab verir: «niyə məhz bu brend, rəqiblər yox?» Aydın və təkrarlanan USP müştərinin yadında qalır.

Remarketing is particularly powerful in consideration because it targets people who have already met the brand and even viewed the product. These people do more conversions than the «cold» audience — they just need a little reminder. As an example of footwear: once the product you are viewing appears on other sites, the brand grabs your attention again and pushes you towards a decision.

How Awareness and Consideration work together

Bu iki mərhələni ayrı-ayrı öyrənsək də, praktikada onlar bir-birini tamamlayır. Awareness auditoriyanı qurur — mümkün qədər çox uyğun insanı brendlə tanış edir. Consideration isə həmin auditoriyanı seçib ən maraqlıları alışa yaxınlaşdırır. Diqqət et ki, eyni strategiya (məsələn sosial media və ya content marketing) hər iki mərhələdə işlədilə bilər — sadəcə mesaj və hədəfləmə dəyişir. Awareness-də mesaj geniş və tanıdıcıdır; consideration-da isə dərin, inandırıcı və əvvəlki ziyarətçilərə yönəlmişdir. Yaxşı marketoloq bu keçidi hamar edir ki, müştəri bir mərhələdən digərinə təbii şəkildə axsın.

You prepared this link in the previous step to set it up correctly customer persona- Personas are invaluable. Personas show you what kind of message they're going to give you — because you already know who the audience is, what they want, and what they keep.

Content marketing: the bridge of both stages

Content marketing həm agahlıq, həm də maraq mərhələsində işləyən güclü bir strategiyadır, ona görə ona ayrıca diqqət yetirməyə dəyər. Content marketing dəyərli kontent yaratmaq və yaymaq üzərində qurulur. Agahlıq mərhələsində bu, geniş auditoriyanı cəlb edən kontent ola bilər — məsələn, «yeni başlayanlar üçün bələdçi» tipli bir bloq yazısı və ya yüklənə bilən e-book. Maraq mərhələsində isə kontent daha dərin və spesifik olur — məsələn, məhsulun konkret problemi necə həll etdiyini göstərən ətraflı case study.

An important reminder: creating valuable content is only the first step of content marketing. The second and equally important step is to bring that content to potential customers. Even the most beautiful e-book is useless if no one finds it. That's why content marketing is often combined with SEO and SEM-the channels that bring content in front of people looking for it.

Content marketing is also a long-term asset. A paid ad disappears when payment stops, but a good blog post or guide can bring in years of traffic — especially when powered by SEO. That's why content marketing is one of the most sustainable strategies, both in terms of awareness and return on investment at the interest stage.

How do we measure the success of each phase?

Strategiyaları tətbiq etmək kifayət deyil — onların işlədiyini bilmək lazımdır. Hər mərhələ fərqli metrikalarla ölçülür. Agahlıq mərhələsində əsas metrikalar çatım (reach), göstərişlər (impressions) və yeni ziyarətçilərin sayıdır — yəni neçə yeni insanın brendlə tanış olduğu. Maraq mərhələsində isə engagement metrikaları önəmlidir: saytda qalma müddəti, baxılan səhifə sayı, email açılma nisbəti, webinar iştirakı və remarketing reklamlarına klik. Bu metrikalar sənə hansı strategiyanın işlədiyini və büdcəni harada artırmalı olduğunu göstərir.

The measurement also detects gaps in the funnel. For example, lots of people are familiar with the brand (well-aware), but few are interested-that means they need to strengthen their consideration strategies. That's the power of digital marketing: you can measure and continuously improve every step of the way.

One important principle: choose one or two key metrics for each stage and focus on them. Keep track of metrics that directly serve their purpose, rather than getting lost among too many numbers. Reach for ignorance, engagement for interest, conversion rate for conversion. This focus makes it clear to you whether the strategy really works.

Next step: potential customers are already interested and ready to buy — how do you turn them into customers and then keep them loyal?

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