The Marketing Funnel: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Make It Work for Your Business
- Thomas Walker
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
If I had a pound for every time a business said, “We need more leads,” but had no funnel to handle them properly, I’d probably be writing this from a beach somewhere. Here’s the truth most marketers won’t tell you: more leads don’t solve anything if your funnel is broken. Or worse, non-existent.
Whether you're running ads, building your brand on social, or scaling through SEO, everything comes down to this - your marketing funnel. It’s not just a buzzword. It’s how you turn attention into traffic, traffic into leads, and leads into sales. Let’s break it down. What a funnel is. Why it matters. And how to actually build one that works.
What is a marketing funnel, really?
It’s simple. A marketing funnel is the journey someone takes from discovering your brand to becoming a customer.
Visualise a funnel. Wide at the top, narrow at the bottom. At the top, you’ve got everyone who’s ever seen your content, clicked an ad, read a blog, or come across you on TikTok. As they move down, that audience gets smaller, but more qualified. Eventually, you’re left with your paying customers.
The reason we call it a funnel is because not everyone who sees your business will buy from you. And that’s okay. But the funnel is how you move people through the stages in a way that builds trust and drives action
The three core stages of a marketing funnel
Most funnels can be broken down into three simple stages:
1. Top of Funnel (TOFU) - Awareness
This is where people find out you exist. It’s your attention grabber. Think social media content, viral hooks, blog posts, YouTube videos, podcast appearances, influencer shoutouts. The goal here isn’t to sell. It’s to make someone stop, listen, and think, “That’s interesting.”
If you push sales too early at this stage, you lose people. Instead, show up with value. Answer a question. Solve a small problem. Tell a story. Build credibility.
2. Middle of Funnel (MOFU) - Consideration
They know who you are. Now they’re weighing up their options. This is where trust is built. You’ve got to prove that you understand their problem better than anyone else and that you’ve helped others solve it too.
This stage is all about nurturing. Email sequences, retargeting ads, case studies, FAQs, testimonials. Anything that helps people feel like, “Okay, these guys get it. Maybe I should speak to them.”
3. Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) - Conversion
Now they’re close. They’ve followed you, read your posts, maybe downloaded a guide or watched a video. They just need a push.
This is where your CTA matters most. Book a call. Grab the offer. Buy the product. Apply now. You want to make it easy for them to say yes and remove any last friction.
Why your funnel might not be working (yet)
Most businesses either do one of two things. They either:
Throw all their energy into awareness and hope people convert on their own, or
Skip straight to “Buy now” ads without building any trust.
And when that doesn’t work? They blame the platform, the audience, or the budget.
But the problem is the funnel. If your awareness is high but conversion is low, your nurture game is weak. If your engagement is strong but no one’s buying, your offer probably needs work. If no one’s clicking at all, your messaging is off.
Marketing doesn’t fail when the idea is bad. It fails when the steps between each stage aren’t clear or consistent.
How to build a funnel that actually works
Let’s build one together, step by step.
Start with one clear offer
What’s the one thing you want people to buy or book? Don’t try to sell ten things to ten audiences. Pick your core offer and build the funnel around that.
Create TOFU content with reach and relevance
Post on the platforms where your audience actually hangs out. Use content to answer questions they’re already Googling. Use paid ads to amplify your message. Just make sure everything at this stage is about them, not you.
Examples:
“5 mistakes business owners make with Google Ads”
“Why your SEO isn’t working (and how to fix it)”
“Behind the scenes of a 3x ROAS campaign”
Your only job here is to make them stop scrolling and start thinking.
Nurture like your revenue depends on it (because it does)
Once they know who you are, give them reasons to keep paying attention. This is your middle of funnel.
Retarget them with testimonials. Send an email with a case study. Show them a behind-the-scenes clip of your process. Remind them you’re not just another agency - you’re the one who gets results.
This is where most businesses fall flat. They get the attention, but don’t follow through. So leads go cold, traffic doesn’t convert, and they wonder why ads “don’t work.”
Ask for the sale, the smart way
At the bottom of the funnel, be direct. Tell them exactly what to do next.
Book a discovery call. Download a quote. Buy the product. Apply for the offer. Use urgency, scarcity, bonuses, guarantees, whatever fits your brand, to make the decision easy.
And for the love of marketing, track what happens. UTM links. CRM integrations. Lead tracking. This data tells you what to scale and what to cut.
Funnels don’t have to be complicated - just complete
You don’t need a 17-part email sequence and a £30,000 funnel build. You just need clarity at each stage.
Who are we talking to?What are we helping them with?How are we proving our value?What do we want them to do next?
That’s it. That’s the funnel.
Final thoughts (and a call to action that’s not subtle)
If you’re doing the work, posting on socials, running ads, building a site, but the results still aren’t coming, the answer probably isn’t “do more.” It’s “build a better funnel.”
A funnel gives your strategy structure. It turns your efforts into outcomes. And once it’s dialled in, you can scale with confidence.
If that’s something you’re ready for, you know what to do.
💬 Need advice from someone who actually lives this? Message Thomas on LinkedIn
Funnels work when you work them properly. Let’s build yours right.
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