By Dannii Robyn

What is marketing?

You don’t want much from me, do you? Tell you what, send me a book contract and “Marketing for Dummies by Dannii” will be heading your way.

My phone’s not ringing with a million publishers so I’ll take that as a no. Don’t worry, you’ll still get my superb wisdom, just condensed into a middle of funnel marketing blog. You’re welcome.

The Good Old Days

I felt like a 50-year-old Dad typing that heading out but you get what I mean. In the past 20 years, the marketing world has undergone a major shift. We’re not just talking a little step forward, we’re talking a whole leap, bound and spin to finish it off. 

Annoyingly, marketing used to be a lot easier. We would see an ad, trust it, and buy the product. We didn’t have the tools to verify anything (yep, imagine a world without Google) so it all came down to the ad. Simply put, if you could make it look good you could probably convince someone to make a purchase.

We know that that isn’t the case anymore. The internet has given us access to an unimaginable amount of resources to research, compare and analyse before we buy. Therefore, it takes a lot longer to commit to a purchase. That’s why we NEED middle of funnel marketing – the aim being that anyone who shows intent is retained.

It’s Not Easy to Sell

We see between 6000 and 10,000 ads a day – waaaait, ten THOUSAND a day? F*cking hell! Well doesn’t this just make life harder? Consumers are becoming numb to being sold to, because they see it alllllllllllll the time.

Everyone now has the power to make a company or an advert in a couple of hours – it’s not that hard (trust us – we do competitor research and we’ve SEEN some dodgy things…). So consumers have to take their purchases more seriously. Sure one ad may capture attention if done right, but they aren’t just sold by this. They need some nurturing. That’s where middle of funnel marketing strategy comes in (and guess what I wrote a whole blog on this, no need to thank me). 

There’s a strong chance your customer will look at alternatives – so you need to remind them, you’re the best. To do this you need strong communications with social proof. You can’t just say you’re good, other people have to say it for you. A bit like that mate who always claims he’s the funniest person ever – don’t be this person. This is the trust you need to build that will get you that purchase.

Damn, brilliant advice from me there. Err, I mean…
“Dannii gives the best advice ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️” – Danielle Robyn. 
That’s better.

Oh Hey, Gen Z

Among all the middle of funnel marketing turmoil arose the most complicated generation yet; Gen Z. The Youth™. We get asked so many questions about this audience. We all know they love Insta, TikTok and maaaaybe Facebook but what clients often wonder is; is email marketing important for Gen Z? 

Short answer; hell yes. Everyone has an email account, so why not? However, your normal marketing emails may not cut it if they are targeted towards Gen Z. Like any target audience you have to be relatable in tone of voice and messaging; find something they can connect with. Provide value and oh yeah… top tip; don’t tell them they can’t – they don’t like this (learnt the hard way when I told our Digital Marketing Manager Beth she can’t only post pics of Sebastian Vettel on Favoured’s social).

More than any other audience, when communicating with Gen Z the most important piece of advice is to think outside the box. Go against the norm and you will get their attention.

Shhh… Secret Tips All For You

Don’t rush; sounds simple but this is the most common pitfall in MOF marketing. The best strategies are those that provide value, thinking about what benefits the customer and not yourself. Take into consideration who you are sending it to and why you are sending it. No one wants an inbox full of self-obsessed spam. We usually think about something I like to call the power trio – information, inspiration and incentive. Tick these three bad boys off in your comms and you’ve nailed it. You’ve added a whole new level of value to your communications, increasing the likelihood of that all-important sale.

Remember middle of funnel marketing is a marathon, not a race. It’s a slow learning process informed by good data. Take the time to gather what you need and make amendments as you go. This is not the time to put any old nonsense out into the world because it has the potential to make or break a brand.

Over to you

Phewwww we got a bit deep there. We know you’ve got this and if you aren’t feeling too confident, we’re here to help! We have experts for all parts of your middle of funnel marketing strategy, from planning to creatives to implementation (psst… we’ll even look at your data). Want to chat with us? Get in touch here, it would be great to speak to you.