Help! I'm stuck in the funnel.
Do you ever feel stuck in the funnel? Overwhelmed at everything that is coming at you? Well it's clear with social media, websites that track what customers buy and their opinions; life is no longer a simple funnel. It's chaos of pipes. Example 1-1 shows the basic funnel, Example 1-2 shows the complexity of the marketing process today. There is so much additional input before a consumer makes a purchase. It really doesn't matter if it's a college or a small business - the funnel has changed.
When asked to speak with marketing classes, this is the first thing I show them, how the funnel has changed. This is what you are up against. Marketing Strategies are no longer creating a marketing mix to move them through the funnel. We are moving them through pipes with lots of different turns along the way and it's a maze that can take many different routes. You as a marketer have to keep them on route to make a purchase.
I work for a college that is technically orientated. Our students expect us to be what we say is "on the cutting edge without bleeding" meaning that we are one step ahead of everyone else not twelve and they have no idea what we are doing. So, each year as the Marketing Director I think about our students, the way they communicate and one thing that no one else is doing. That is what is going to make us stand out and we usually can do this pretty cost effectively.
For the rest of the article, please see:
http://marketmpb.blogspot.com/2010/10/your-marketing-funnel.html
Your Marketing Funnel