The desired outcome of most marketing is generating leads that turn into sales.

However, in business-to-business (B2B) marketing, leads don’t just become customers overnight. Sales cycles are long, decision-making is complex and the stakes can be high.

As a result, rather than focusing entirely on lead generation, a successful B2B marketing funnel must support customers through every stage of the process.

So, we’re going to take a look at what the B2B marketing funnel is and how you can build one which attracts the right audience, progresses them through each stage and turns them into loyal customers.

What is a B2B marketing funnel?

A B2B marketing funnel (similar to a B2B sales funnel) is the step-by-step journey your customers take – from their first introduction to what you deliver, through to becoming a loyal customer.

To be successful, a company’s B2B marketing funnel must address each stage in turn.

A B2B marketing funnel (targeting businesses and professionals) can be significantly different to a business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing funnel which targets consumers.

For example, a B2B marketing funnel must address:

• Longer sales cycles from enquiry to purchase
• Multiple decision-makers involved in the decision
• Higher-value and higher-risk purchases

So, let’s begin by taking a look at the four main stages of the B2B marketing funnel and tactics which can be employed at each:

1. Top of the funnel – Awareness

The first goal of any marketing campaign or funnel is to capture the attention of those you wish to sell your B2B products or services to.

At this stage, it is predominantly about ‘brand awareness’ – i.e. your target audience being aware of your existence and what you deliver.

Successful tactics typically focus on just that, with a simple message and strong branding. They can include:

• Content which targets and discusses industry pain points
• LinkedIn and other digital ads which introduce your brand
• Exhibiting or speaking at webinars or industry events

A good tip is to share useful and use educational content (such as guides or industry reports) which help introduce your name and build trust – rather than relying on a hard sales pitch.

Whilst awareness alone is unlikely to results in leads, it progresses customers to the next stage…

2. Middle of the funnel – Consideration

Once potential customers have a basic knowledge and recall of what you do, the next stage is to educate them on your strengths and position your brand as the best solution.

Tactics might include:

• Resources such as case studies or downloadable whitepapers
• Direct email campaigns which increasingly highlight features and benefits
• Retargeting ads which appear to those who’ve visited your website

3. Bottom of the funnel – Decision

This is the stage at which your B2B marketing funnel encourages businesses to purchase what you supply or deliver.

It’s worth noting that – whilst this is the ultimate goal of most marketing – it is only reached by shepherding businesses through the awareness and consideration stages first.

The goal at the decision stage is to use your B2B marketing to help prospects finalise and justify their decision.

A lot of this can fall on the shoulders of your sales team but marketing remains critical in supporting them. It can be very persuasive and include:

• Personalised presentations and proposals
• Samples, free trials or product demonstrations
• ROI calculators and benefit statements

Proposal documents are often seen as sales documents. However, they continue the marketing process and can be make-or-break. A successful proposal needs to not only be factual (what we will do) but persuasive too – including benefits and language which reinforces trust in your brand.

4. Post-purchase – Retention and Advocacy

Though the sale is made, your B2B marketing funnel is far from complete! The next goal is to keep customers engaged and turn them into advocates.

For most businesses who trade B2B, an initial sale is typically just the beginning of the relationship. Many businesses can attribute most of their success to loyal and repeat customers.

In addition, a personal recommendation is typically much more powerful and persuasive than other marketing. Turning your customers into advocates for your business can help others to enter your marketing funnel at the awareness, consideration or even decision-making stage!

Post-purchasing marketing tactics can include:

• Onboarding programs
• Training sessions
• Exclusive customer webinars
• Referral incentives
• Newsletters
• Product samples
• Corporate hospitality and events

The good news is that it’s typically a lot more cost-effective – and easier – to retain a customer than attract a new one!

Building the foundations of a successful B2B marketing funnel

So, with an understanding of each of the four levels of a successful B2B marketing funnel, how can you improve your chances of propelling more customers from awareness to advocacy?

We’ve given some ideas on marketing and tactics which can be applied at each stage. However, there are also some overriding principles which can help deliver greater success:

a. Define your ideal customer

It perhaps goes without saying that for your B2B marketing funnel to be successful, you must first know who you are targeting. Factors you can define include company size, industry, budget and buying triggers.

b. Map the buyer journey

Whilst we’ve outlined the core stages of the B2B marketing funnel, the variables at each stage differ from product-to-product and industry-to-industry.

It is therefore critical to understand what your prospects need and appreciate at each stage. What is their motivation? What are their priorities?

c. Create stage-specific content

Content marketing (the creation and sharing of materials, such as videos, blogs, and social media posts, which stimulate interest rather than explicitly promote your brand) is a vital part of any modern B2B marketing funnel.

A common error is sending the same content to every lead, regardless of their stage in the buying process.

To get the best from your content marketing, you should align each piece – be it a blog, guide or demonstration etc – with the funnel stage you are targeting. Content which simply introduces your brand can be as powerful as a compelling case study – depending on the stage of the funnel you are targeting.

Remember: customers don’t make it to the decision-making stage without first passing through awareness and consideration!

d. Track and optimise

It takes time to get the best from your B2B marketing funnel – and customer behaviours and other factors can change over time.

Fortunately, there are many insights you can track and review as you go, including KPIs for each marketing channel and your overall sales success.

If your B2B marketing funnel is complex, you can use automation and other tools to provide the right communication to the right customer at the right stage. Your marketing’s messaging should evolve with the customer’s journey.

e. Don’t neglect the post-purchase experience

Many B2B marketing campaigns focus solely on developing new leads and sales – which can be the stage where most resources should be committed.

However, as stated, it is typically easier to retain customers rather than create them.

Retention can involve areas – such as delivery, quality, service and aftercare – which fall outside the normal responsibility of marketing. However, involving everyone who plays even the smallest role in serving customers, can pay dividends.

Focus on your B2B marketing funnel

A successful funnel should focus on nurturing leads, not just generating them.

As much as it is about creating new leads, it’s also about guiding the right leads toward a confident purchase decision.

If you design your funnel with your buyer’s journey in mind, you’ll typically experience higher conversion rates, shorter sales cycles and happier customers.

At Full Mix Marketing, we’re a full service B2B marketing agency, specialising in delivering the full mix of strategic, digital and creative marketing for companies and organisations who provide products or services business-to-business (B2B).

We deliver marketing which helps our clients – in sectors including manufacturing, engineering, technology, logistics, construction and business services – to create leads by building trust.

If you’d welcome support to improve your B2B marketing funnel, we’d like to help. More information can be found here: https://www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk/services/marketing-strategy-planning/