Marketing funnel
sales funnelThe marketing funnel describes the journey from stranger to buyer: awareness, consideration and decision. The funnel’s shape tells the essential truth: every stage leaks, and only a fraction of the top audience reaches the bottom.
Good to know
The funnel’s value is in planning and diagnosis: each stage needs its own content, channels and metrics, and the whole reveals where the journey breaks. A full top with an empty bottom signals a conversion problem; an empty top means nobody knows the company exists.
The common mistake is buying only the bottom: demand gets captured but not created, and growth stalls at the market’s current size. A durable machine works all stages at once, because this month’s awareness is next quarter’s sales. The more modern picture is a loop, where the customer relationship feeds referrals and new demand.
IN PRACTICE
The stages and their metrics
Top: awareness
Short-form video, reach campaigns and content introduce the company. Metrics: reach, video views, branded searches.
Middle: consideration
Comparisons, cases and guides prove the competence. Metrics: engagement, returning visitors, guide downloads.
Bottom: decision
Service pages, offers and retargeting close. Metrics: conversions, CPA, sales close rate.
PITFALLS
Two funnel mistakes
Only the bottom gets bought
Pure demand capture dries up when the purchase-ready run out. Without top-of-funnel feed, acquisition cost climbs quarter by quarter.
Stages measured with the wrong metrics
An awareness campaign is asked for sales and a conversion campaign for reach. Each stage has its own measure of success.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Frequently asked questions
What do TOFU, MOFU and BOFU mean?+
The funnel’s three layers: top, middle and bottom of funnel. A crude but usable split for planning content and campaigns.
How much budget belongs to the top of the funnel?+
A typical healthy split is 40–60 % to demand creation and the rest to capture. A new company weights capture at first, a known brand weights creation.
How do I find the funnel’s leak?+
Calculate transition rates between stages and compare to your own history. The steepest drop shows where to aim the first fix.
Is the funnel an outdated model?+
As a one-way pipe, yes: real paths zigzag and the relationship continues after the sale. Stage thinking is still the best way to structure content and metrics.
How does a B2B funnel differ from consumer?+
Longer and multi-voiced: several roles join the decision over months. Content is needed for both users and decision-makers, and lead nurturing grows in weight.
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Maintained by the VSCY editorial team · Updated 6 Aug 2026 · Part of the marketing glossary (99 terms)
