The marketing funnel.
A customer rarely buys the first time they see you. They move through stages: noticing, considering, buying, and (if you're good) coming back and recommending you. Today you'll learn this journey and what to do at each step.
The funnel
| Stage | Customer thinks | Your job | Content / channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | "Oh, this exists." | Get noticed | Reels, shorts, influencer mentions, ads |
| Consideration | "Is it good for me?" | Build trust | Reviews, comparisons, demos, FAQs, before/after |
| Conversion | "I'll buy." | Make buying easy | Clear price, offers, easy WhatsApp/UPI ordering, website |
| Retention | "I'll buy again." | Keep them happy | Good service, follow-ups, loyalty offers |
| Advocacy | "You should try this!" | Turn them into fans | Referral rewards, asking for reviews, sharing customer stories |
It's called a funnel because many people enter at the top and fewer reach the bottom.
A real example: a home bakery
- Awareness: a reel of a cake being cut goes viral in local groups.
- Consideration: people check the profile, see 40 Google reviews averaging 4.8.
- Conversion: "DM or WhatsApp to order, UPI accepted", with a clear price list.
- Retention: a thank-you message and a 10% Eid offer for returning customers.
- Advocacy: "Refer a friend, both get free cupcakes."
Where businesses leak customers
A restaurant gets 50,000 reel views but almost no orders. Which stage is most likely broken?
Awareness is fine. People aren't trusting or finding it easy to order. Check reviews, menu clarity and ordering.
Metrics for each stage
| Stage | Measure |
|---|---|
| Awareness | Reach, views, impressions |
| Consideration | Profile visits, website visits, saves, time spent |
| Conversion | Orders, leads, conversion rate |
| Retention | Repeat purchase rate |
| Advocacy | Reviews, referrals, shares |
A café wants more repeat customers. Which stage should it focus on?
Repeat buying is retention: service, follow-ups and loyalty offers.
Your task (20 min)
Draw the funnel for a business you know. For each stage, write what they currently do and one improvement. Find the stage where they're losing the most customers.
Lesson 4 complete!
You understand the funnel stages, the right content and metrics for each, and where businesses lose customers. Next module: getting found, starting with SEO.
Next: SEO: ranking on Google →