The Funnel is a well-worn Marketing Trope

Is it a practical mental model for AIDA? How actionable is it?

All models are wrong, but some are useful. I googled that quote and found George Box talking about statistics models. It applies to all concepts.

The idea is to use models as a framework as a shortcut to thinking. If things follow a pattern and are generally true, then at least you can compare your scenario to others.

I initially attributed that model quote to Blair Ennis; I heard him say it on the always awesome 2bobs podcast, which, whether you are agency-orientated or not, has a touch of sales and marketing genius about it.

A model is a map, not the territory; it approximates real life.

You can see there is a journey going on. How useful is it?

People in a Funnel

There is not much to recommend this phrase.

  • Ok, everyone in marketing recognises it, tick
  • It also correctly summarises the shape of markets over time.

What’s wrong with a funnel?

  • It sounds manipulative like you can make people go through ‘your’ funnel
  • it’s their buying process, not yours
  • building a funnel around a path that doesn’t exist is problematic
  • It makes marketing sound easy, like gravity
  • people are not effortlessly herded to the bottom of a funnel
  • it’s not just a link or banner that makes it work
  • Funnels sound linear and smooth
  • but buyers’ journies are not always

Deciding what to do next

This is the real problem. Frameworks and models should help decide what do

Does a funnel help with what should be next?

  • You might decide to go get loads of traffic, which may or may not be at the top of a funnel.
  • They may be going nowhere, and you construct a funnel that doesn’t exist.
  • The funnel is random, built around what you want, not what visitors want
  • There is no plan, but the clicks make you feel good.

Mapping your search audiences and their journey gives you more actionable goodness. You can build a ladder.

The search landscape contains actual audiences; they exist. Visitors start the conversations and even tell you what shape ladder they want.

Ladders are better

Our Search Audiences framework is like the AIDA funnel model. But search intent maps are created around what real people are looking for.

  • People go both up and down ladders
  • It implies effort and a step-change between each stage
  • Whether you see them or not, the steps are there
  • You can see when rungs are missing; focus on each step
  • People might hop about the ladder
  • But the ladder is always constructed the same
  • The prospect chooses which wall to climb and whether to take the next step.

People might go on different trains, but you don’t keep moving the rails and stations.

Topics are consistent, regardless of individual journies

I might be mixing up my analogies.

I never mix my metaphors as I don’t know what they are.

Build a page per step of the ladder

Each has a different job to do.

The top of the ladder should be the top page.