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If your marketing mix doesn’t match your customers

Your customer’s journey starts way before they get into your funnel.

Rand Fishkin explains in this AMAZING whiteboard session,

“Customers start their journey with a question: “Where do I go to learn about this topic that I have an interest in or this problem that I have or might have in the future?”

That kicks off their pre-funnel activity.

Pre-funnel activity is where Nearbound Marketing tactics thrive.

The past two eras of B2B SaaS were defined by direct channels and direct access to new markets. Nearbound and pre-funnel activity, however, is largely indirect.

Buyers are informed. They don’t want to be bombarded with information or targeted. They want to be influenced and surrounded by trust.

In the next section, I’ll share how Rand Fishkin proposes you do that.

Does your marketing account for pre-funnel activity?

Pre-funnel activity is everything that comes before a potential customer is in your funnel.

Quickly, here’s a funnel breakdown: Top-of-funnel, where they learn about your brand; Middle-of-funnel, where your “qualified leads” exist; Bottom-of-funnel, where you convert leads.

But the problem is, there’s not one place in the normal funnel where a customer can learn about their problem or interest.

Customers start their journey wondering,

“Where do I go to learn about this topic that I have an interest in or this problem that I have or might have in the future?”

Sure, some marketers might point to SEO as a pre-funnel marketing strategy, but that’s not enough.

Let’s say your SEO-game is the best in the market.

Even if 25% of users use Google Search to learn about their problem/interest, that’s still 75% of untapped pre-funnel potential!

The next important thing to remember is SEO has been gamed.

Buyers don’t trust SEO as much as they used to. Even if you rank #1 in every relevant category, buyers are still doing their due diligence, and checking other sources. One blog article isn’t enough.

I understand that thinking of all the potential touchpoints on a customer’s journey can be overwhelming, but here’s where you can start: map out your customer’s journey (their 28 moments) and then pick 2-3 pre-funnel moments to build up.