Marketers adore acronyms. CPC, CTA, SEO, RSS—they’ve invented a language. It’s hard to learn. Today, we’ll debunk TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU.
Disclaimer: You may still think of the square-shaped protein after learning these acronyms.
What’s TOFU, MOFU, BOFU?
The sales funnel is used in marketing and sales, despite its name.
TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU build off each other to nurture leads and convert them.
Any business can start with this funnel, but the details depend on your customers. First, understand your buyer persona and their pain points to tailor your TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU stages. You can then customize content for these stages.
Each stage must use appropriate marketing to attract leads without being pushy. 65% of marketers need to know what content to use at each stage of the buyer’s journey, even though it’s crucial.
Let’s examine each stage and what you should provide.
TOFU: funnel top
TOFU is the awareness stage, where you’re trying to reach a broad audience of people who want to learn more about it or have a problem.
Adweek reports that 80% of shoppers research online before buying, so ensure you’re their source. Use keyword planning to find relevant topics and keywords for TOFU content—this is your buyer’s first chance to find you.
TOFU content should be educational and not at all promotional. Many buyers still need to understand their problem, so they’re not ready for one. Don’t promote your business. Just answer their question.
TOFU content suggestions:
Social media: Target buyers on their preferred platforms.
Infographic: Help buyers understand their issue with a visual.
Blog: Use keyword research to write a comprehensive blog post about a buyer-searchable issue.
Video: Short, problem-focused videos are best at this stage.
Quiz: Ask about your buyer’s problem to learn more.
E-book/whitepaper: Expand on your buyer’s issue.
Example: We blogged about why you should improve the buyer experience. This post was educational and addressed a sales org issue without Lucidchart.
MOFU: Mid-funnel
This is the most crucial stage of the funnel because you now have a variety of interested leads to qualify. You have a targeted audience at this consideration/evaluation stage because people have accepted that they have a problem and are actively seeking a solution. They are carefully weighing their options.
Introduce your product or service now. MOFU should educate and explain why you’re the best. Use warm leads to demonstrate your product’s benefits. Gated content can be used to collect buyer contact information at this stage.
MOFU content ideas:
Answer a product-related question on your blog.
Case study: Show how your product or service helped another company.
Whitepaper: Explain why your solution is best with detailed information.
Webinar: Teach a topic and allow questions.
Email drip: Send buyer-specific nurturing emails. (Tip: Lucidchart can map your email nurture flow.)
Guide/How-to content: Provide step-by-step solutions.
Template: Show buyers how your product can solve their problems.
Compare solutions, not vendors, now.
Example: We wrote a use case about why account maps optimize the buyer experience and how Lucidchart makes account maps.
BOFU: Bottom of the funnel.
It’s BOFU. You have a targeted audience of ready-to-buy leads. They’ve researched your product and may be considering others. The right offer may sway them.
BOFU content should demonstrate your product’s features, benefits, and operation. Show how your product or service solves their problem and beats the competition.
BOFU content ideas:
Demo your product to buyers. Showcase features, benefits, and how you outperform the competition on-site or in a video.
Comparing products: Clearly distinguishing yourself from competitors helps buyers understand where you win.
Free test: Try it. Let buyers try your product without committing.
Case studies: Customer stories convert and validate your offering in this final stage.
Example: Clarabridge uses Lucidchart Sales Solution to build account maps. We listed Clarabridge’s benefits, favorite features, and failed products.
Today’s shoppers expect more. Instead of cold calling and pressuring buyers, educate and provide resources as they move through the funnel. Use Lucidchart to plan funnel content. Hotspots let you link to content assets as you create them, organizing everything in one place.
Lead nurturing companies get 50% more sales-ready leads and 47% larger purchases. If that’s not enough, treat yourself to actual tofu.
