A marketing funnel is one of the most strategic tools for turning casual browsers into paying customers. Because, when done well, it helps guide potential buyers through a clear journey—from finding your business to making a purchase. But let’s face it: it’s 2024 when we’re writing this piece, and the way people move through a funnel has changed dramatically (thank you Gen Z 🙄). Gone are the days of simple, linear marketing funnels. Today’s customers are savvier and more distracted than ever, which means you need to work a little harder to get them to hit purchase.

In this article, we’re breaking down:

• How to create a marketing funnel that works today
• The 3 stages of a marketing funnel
• Advanced marketing funnel ideas
• Examples of marketing funnels that work for small business owners

Why a Marketing Funnel Matters

The classic marketing funnel may feel a little outdated in a world where consumer behavior is anything but predictable. Gen Z, for example, has all but broken the traditional funnel. Their purchasing decisions are fast, emotionally driven, and heavily influenced by social media. On top of that, buying behavior has shifted post-2020; people are more mindful of their spending and have countless options at their fingertips. And they don’t want to be sold too.

To be frank, it’s enough to make any small business owner sweat.

Nevertheless, that’s why having a well-thought-out marketing funnel is so important. It gives you a structured way to nurture leads and build trust in an increasingly competitive landscape. Plus, marketing funnels help you answer these critical questions:

• How do people find me?
• How can I keep them engaged?
• What will it take to convert them into customers?

The right marketing funnel does more than move people through a journey—it builds long-term relationships, so your business stays top of mind (increasing both referrals and your customer’s lifetime value).

The 3 Stages of a Marketing Funnel

Every marketing funnel is built on three key stages: the early funnel (awareness), the middle funnel (nurturing), and the end funnel (conversion). Let’s break down what that looks like next.

1. Early Funnel – Awareness and Introduction

This is where potential customers first encounter your business (read: figure out you exist). Your goal? Get their attention and get them interested enough to learn more. People in this stage of the funnel are cold, and likely haven’t heard of you yet. And depending on your business, they might not even know they have a problem that can be solved yet.

To fill your top-of-funnel, you can try things like:

• Run ads or promotions that drive people to a landing page offering a lead magnet, like a free PDF, checklist, quiz, or discount
• Use email capture forms to collect their email addresses (we love Flodesk and BDOW!)
• Send them to a thank-you page or a confirmation email with their promised freebie, while hinting at future updates from you

Pro Tip: Quizzes are a fantastic lead magnet! Tools like Interact can help you create engaging quizzes that convert like crazy. (It’s what we use!)

2. Middle Funnel – Nurturing and Education

Once you’ve captured their email, it’s time to build trust. This stage focuses on providing value while making them more aware of their problem, and subtly positioning your product or service as the solution.

This middle funnel stage is hugely important for turning cold traffic into buyers because this is where you build trust. You can start to nurture them by:

• Sharing educational content, such as case studies, templates, webinars, or blog posts
• Send an email sequence (3-7 emails over 1-2 weeks) that highlights:some text
  • How your product or service solves their problem
  • The impact your offering can have on their lives or business
  • Testimonials or social proof to build credibility
• Even just showing up on Instagram stories and encouraging them to follow along is a great way to stay top of mind and remind them you exist and can help them!

Pro Tip: Pay attention to which emails and marketing tactics resonate most with your audience. Use this data to refine your campaigns and segment your list for better targeting.

3. End Funnel – Conversion and Action

This is where the rubber meets the road and all your hard work pays off—you ask for the sale! By this stage of the marketing funnel, your lead should feel confident enough to make a purchase. Here’s how you can encourage them to take the next step:

• Use time-sensitive offers like discounts, coupons, free trials, or demos to drive conversions
• Personalize your messaging when possible. A tailored email or call can make all the difference

The most successful funnels keep the customer journey in mind at every step, so work hard to make sure that each interaction feels relevant and valuable. Nobody has time for fluff these days.

Advanced Marketing Funnel Ideas

While we’ve outlined the basic marketing funnel above, we know that you might be looking to take things to the next level. 

A/B Test Your Email Subject Lines

Crafting the perfect email subject line can be the difference between someone opening your email or scrolling past it. By A/B testing your subject lines, you can identify which wording, tone, or approach resonates most with your people. Small tweaks, like adding personalization, creating a sense of urgency, or writing something unexpected can have a big impact on your open rates. 

Experiment with Opt-ins and Cart Pages

Your lead magnets and cart pages are some of the most important touchpoints in your sales funnel. By using tools like BDOW!, you can A/B test different opt-in forms, headlines, button colors, or layouts to see what drives the highest conversions. These experiments end up giving you valuable data to create a seamless experience for your audience, increasing sign-ups and sales. (We use BDOW! and love it.)

Use Advanced Segmentation

At the end of the day, not all leads are created equal, and treating them the same way can lead to missed opportunities. Advanced segmentation allows you to group your audience based on behaviors like email clicks, site visits, or purchase history. With these insights, you can craft hyper-targeted messages that speak directly to their needs, leading to stronger relationships and better results.

How to Adjust for Funnel Drop-Offs

Even the best marketing funnel will have drop-offs—it’s just part of the process. What matters is how you respond. You need to track how many people are finding you in order to see your conversion rate. Plus, here’s how to adjust when leads start losing interest:

• Analyze Drop-Off Points: Tools like Google Analytics help you identify where people leave your funnel. Are they abandoning their cart? Ignoring certain emails?
• Offer Re-Engagement Deals: Send a “we miss you” email with a discount or exclusive offer to re-engage potential customers.
• Set Up Abandoned Cart Sequences: Automate follow-up emails to remind users about their unfinished purchase and entice them to complete it.
• Retarget with Meta Ads: Show targeted ads to people who visited your site but didn’t convert. A gentle nudge can go a long way!

Re-engagement strategies help bring potential customers back into your funnel, giving you another chance to convert them into buyers.

Examples of Marketing Funnels

If you’re still wondering how to create a marketing funnel that works, here are some real-world examples to consider. 

Client A finds your business on Instagram, signs up for your email list through a lead magnet, and eventually makes a purchase after receiving a series of nurturing emails.

Client B on the other hand, is searching for a product like yours on Google, gets distracted, ends up seeing a retargeting ad that leads them to sign up for your newsletter, and then converts down the line after receiving a time-sensitive offer. 

Lastly, we have Client C. They start by finding your content on Pinterest, following your business on Instagram, engaging with your stories, and then slowly but surely become a loyal customer. 

These examples show how simple, well-planned touchpoints can guide potential customers through the funnel and lead to meaningful conversions. It doesn’t have to (and won’t) look exactly the same for everyone.

Pros and Cons of Keeping Your Funnel on One Platform

Many small business owners wonder if it’s a good idea to keep their entire funnel on one platform. While it’s possible, there are trade-offs to consider.

Pros:

• Managing everything in one place is convenient—full stop.

Cons:

• If the platform goes down or changes its policies (or algorithm), your funnel could be impacted.
• Relying on one platform limits your reach and makes it harder to re-engage users across different channels.

In our opinion? A multi-platform approach makes sure that you’re building a robust funnel that’s less vulnerable to changes outside your control. And also, this is where marketing is moving as an industry and practice—so you should play in a sandbox that is similar.

Build a Marketing Funnel That Works for You

Understanding how to create a marketing funnel is important, especially for small business owners. By focusing on the customer journey, refining each stage, and leveraging tools to simplify the process, you can build a funnel that not only converts but builds lasting relationships.

At Enji, we’re here to help you create high-performing funnels with tools like the Marketing Strategy Generator and Marketing Calendar. Whether you’re starting from scratch or optimizing an existing funnel, Enji gives you the structure and help to succeed!

Ready to take your marketing funnel to the next level? Try Enji today with a 14 day free trial and see how simple creating a high-converting funnel can be!