A Super Simple Marketing "Funnel" 🌪️

Hello Reader,

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Confession: I despise the word "funnel" when we're talking about anything other than baking supplies or tornados.

Funnel is an exceptionally imprecise term marketers use to describe how potential clients move through our marketing ecosystem, and it often ignores the nuances and complexities of human behavior.

I've talked about this a few times in this newsletter over the years, so if you've been hanging around here awhile, this view of marketing funnels probably doesn't surprise you.

With all that said, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have some sort of marketing ecosystem—that's why when I work hands-on with clients we always talk about the whole 360º view, even if we're doing a relatively straightforward SEO strategy project.

Oftentimes, folks aren't familiar at all with that theirs is—smart, accomplished professionals can get a long way before they need to really about this. So, I've taken to drawing mine out in a whiteboard to illustrate the concept. Here's what it often looks like:

(Yes, this another one of my amazing drawings.)

This is just illustrative, and as you can see, different "levers" can exist simultaneously within people's marketing ecosystems. For example, your YouTube channel could be a discovery tool, or it could be a connection tool—it depends on your strategy.

For most service/knowledge-style businesses, this is the super simple marketing system you need. Pick your favorite tools (I like to see two from each of the first two components of the system), and work them consistently and potential leads will move themselves into the belief segment, where it's on your to cultivate the belief through your sales and delivery processes.

Don't let all the "shoulds" that come from marketing systems developed for massive companies that move huge volumes of physical products cloud your vision—your marketing "funnel" (ugh) really can be that simple.

Talk soon,

Sarah

P.S. If you made it this far on a day when your inbox is stuffed, here's the best promo code for my strategy sessions that you'll find all year: TG24 is good through Dec 6 if you've had your eye on a one-to-on with me.