Marketing Funnel vs Customer Journey

Have you ever wondered why your marketing efforts aren’t converting as expected?

The answer might be in understanding the difference between the marketing funnel and the customer journeys.

Both marketing funnels and customer journeys aim to guide prospects to becoming loyal customers but in different ways.

In this post, we’ll break down the marketing funnel vs customer journey so you can use each to improve your strategy and increase conversions.

The marketing funnel is a visual representation of the customer acquisition process, breaking down the journey from awareness to purchase. 

It helps marketers understand and strategize how to guide prospects through each stage until they become a customer.

The marketing funnel is funnel shaped because it catches a lot of potential customers at the top but as they move through the stages many drop off and narrow down to those who convert.

Traditionally the marketing funnel has 4 stages: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA).

This is the top of the funnel (TOFU) where you grab attention and introduce your brand to a large audience. Potential customers know they have a problem or need.

Effective tactics at this stage to build brand awareness and attract more traffic include:

Success is measured using metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, and brand mentions.

In the middle of the funnel (MOFU), you nurture leads who are already aware of your brand and solution. These prospects are actively researching options and comparing features.

You can engage them and move them closer to a decision with:

Metrics for this stage include lead generation rate, content downloads and webinar registrations.

As prospects move further down the funnel, they develop a desire for your product or service. This stage is about convincing them of the value you offer.

Effective tactics here should address specific customer pain point and needs and can include:

This is the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) and where you drive conversions. Prospects are ready to buy and your goal is to persuade them to choose your brand.

This means crafting strong:

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for this stage are conversion rate, customer acquisition cost (CAC) and average order value (AOV).

The customer journey is a map of a customer's experience with a brand from first contact to final desired action. It’s made up of multiple stages, each a part of the customer's interaction and relationship with the brand.

Unlike the marketing funnel the customer journey is about the overall experience and engagement, and is not just conversion-focused.

The 5 stages of the customer journey are: Awareness, Consideration, Purchase, Retention, and Advocacy.

This is where potential customers first become aware of your product or service. This is usually done through initial awareness and contact on social media, ads, or word of mouth.

The goal here is to make an impression and grab attention.

At this stage, potential customers are actively researching and comparing options. They are looking for information about your offerings and comparing with competitors.

Providing product information, reviews and educational content is key to helping them make a decision.

This is the conversion stage where the customer decides to buy or use your service.
It’s important for you to make the buying process as smooth and frictionless as possible to encourage commitment to your brand.

After the purchase decision is done, the focus is on retaining the customer by delivering great service and support.

This stage is all about customer satisfaction and loyalty through follow up communications, personalization and resolving any issues promptly.

Always remember that happy customers become advocates for your brand and share their customer experience with others.

This final stage is about encouraging and using customer testimonials, reviews and referrals to bring in new customers and grow your brand.

The marketing funnel and the customer journey map are both important frameworks for understanding and optimizing customer interactions but they are very different in their focus, scope and purpose.

Here’s a table breaking down their differences:

Keep in mind that while the two are distinct and separate, they are best used when put in motion together for your overall marketing strategy.

For example, valuable insights from the customer journey can be fed into your marketing funnel strategy. Understanding customer pain points and customer behaviors at different stages can help tailor messaging and content.

You can also optimize the marketing funnel to address customer needs at each stage, enhancing the overall customer journey.

Let’s look at two real online businesses that have nailed the marketing funnel and customer journey.

Amazon, the world’s biggest e-commerce site, is a great example of the marketing funnel in action. Here’s how Amazon uses each stage effectively:

Spotify is a great example of a company that nails the customer journey. Here’s how they do it:

Are you ready to level up your marketing?

The marketing funnel and customer journey are two different but complementary tools.

By combining both you can create an effortless, engaging experience that converts and builds loyalty and advocacy.

Use these insights to supercharge your marketing and grow for good today!