If you’ve followed TDP for a little while [even just the last 3’ish months], you’ll know that I’ve been in the thick of entirely overhauling TDP’s content strategy [particularly across our social media platforms].
This is normal. I’d implore every business owner to dedicate time to refreshing their content strategies, but for me? This has been more than just a “refresh”, this was me looking at our entire content strategy and saying, “why does it feel like this account is a solopreneur when I have a 17 person-deep team [and growing]?”.
The answer to that question? A pandemic. And a bit of people-please, i.e I’ve never wanted to “bother” my team to contribute to TDP’s content … and yet in our recent company-wide IDPs [like a yearly review, basically] the overwhelming theme was: “we want to contribute more”.
You better believe I spent an entire weekend inspired by “we want to contribute more”, designing what I hope will be an incredible content strategy for us to look less solopreneur [that’s the last thing I wanna be], and a lot more digital marketing agency.
What helped me? My love and appreciation for content marketing funnels, i.e top of funnel content, middle of funnel content and bottom of funnel content [we’ve always done this well, tbh … but our TOF, MOF and BOF just had TDP sounding too much like a “one person show”].
In this here post, I’ll delve into why each stage is crucial and how to effectively incorporate them into your social media marketing strategy.
The marketing funnel [the quickie version]
Okay, so let’s get everyone on the same page. A marketing funnel is basically the journey your customer takes from “who the flip even are you?” to “shut up and take my money!”.
… and it’s got three all important stages:
TOF [Top of the Funnel]: The awareness stage where potential customers first become aware of your brand or product.
MOF [Middle of the Funnel]: The consideration stage where prospects evaluate different options.
BOF [Bottom of the Funnel]: The decision stage where leads are ready to make a purchase.
So where was TDP going wrong here? Well, we spent way too much time in top of funnel content-land, and not enough in bottom of funnel content-land, i.e reminding people about our service offering/social media upskilling experiences.
The best practice approach to mapping TOF, MOF and BOF?
TOF = 50% of your content
MOF = 30% of your content
BOF = 20% of your content
We were getting such high reach on our top of funnel content, but we weren’t progressing people through our customer journey map [sometimes even at all].
I know it’s tempting to put as much of the “high reach” content into your weekly content strategy as possible, but please don’t neglect middle of funnel and bottom of funnel pieces … else you really, genuinely won’t progress people further through their consideration phase with your business.
The importance of TOF content on social media
Build brand awareness
TOF content aims to attract a broad audience and create brand awareness. On social media, this could be in the form of entertaining content, or educational content, or anything that just surprises and delights your audience for all o’ the right reasons. The goal is not to sell but to engage and educate.
Psst … there’s SEO benefits with TOF content, too!
High-quality TOF content can also improve your SEO ranking. When people find your content valuable and share it, social signals are sent to search engines, which can positively impact your visibility online.
Tips for TOF content
- Use eye catching visuals
- Focus on digital storytelling
- Entertain, educate, and surprise n’ delight
The role of MOF content on social media
Nurture relationships
MOF content aims to nurture the relationships you’ve built during the TOF stage. This is where you start positioning your product or service as a solution to a problem.
Educate and inform
Webinars, how-to guides, and comparison charts are excellent examples of MOF content. They educate your audience, making them more likely to choose your product when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Tips for MOF content
- Use retargeting ads to re-engage prospects
- Offer free trials or demos
- Leverage user-generated content
Why BOF content is a must on social media
Drive conversions
BOF content is your final push to get leads to convert. This could be through exclusive offers, testimonials, or detailed case studies that demonstrate the value of your product or service.
Build trust
At this stage, social proof like customer reviews and testimonials can be incredibly persuasive. They build trust and can tip the scale in your favour.
Tips for BOF content
- Use strong CTAs
- Showcase customer testimonials
- Offer time-sensitive discounts
Cherie’s final words
Incorporating TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU content into your social media marketing strategy is not just a good practice; it’s essential for a well-rounded approach that guides potential customers through their journey. By understanding the importance of each stage and implementing targeted strategies, you can maximize your social media ROI and build lasting relationships with your audience.
So, are you ready to refine your social media content strategy? Start by assessing your current content and identifying gaps at each stage of the funnel.
Need to carve a day out to do just this, with myself and/or our Head of Content, Jacqui? You can book into our one day strategy deep-dive, where we spend a LOT of time doing exactly this.
Book in here.