What Is TOFU, MOFU, BOFU: A Comprehensive Guide

When selling online, organizations follow the good old purchase funnel, which was actually conceived more than 120 years ago.

The purchase funnel is a consumer-focused marketing model that describes the customer journey from prospecting to purchase. In other words, from the top of the funnel to the bottom.

The sales funnel was originally divided into awareness, interest, desire, and action stages.

But because speed means money in online sales, digital marketers have shortened the traditional funnel phases and their names to TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU.

What Is TOFU, MOFU, BOFU?

TOFU, MOFU, BOFU, as one word, describes the 3 stages of the sales funnel in content marketing.

• TOFU is the Top of the Funnel and stands for the awareness stage.
• MOFU is the Middle of the Funnel and represents the evaluation stage.
• BOFU is the Bottom of the Funnel and it’s the conversion stage.

After the initial conversion, loyalty is also an essential part of the funnel that typically accounts for the highest profit margin with the least effort.

Each stage of the content marketing funnel offers unique opportunities to connect with your audience in different ways and gracefully turn them into loyal customers.

TOFU: Top-Of-Funnel Stage

The top stage is the awareness stage of the funnel. Here, potential prospects are looking for information. They have a question or a problem and need answers or solutions.

Many are just browsing around and pausing on interesting content that triggers excitement, curiosity, or a need that’s not yet defined.

Now it’s your chance to freely offer top-rated, informational content that’s attractive and memorable. Your goal here is to address a broader audience and capture the attention of anyone even vaguely interested in what you are selling.

Your TOFU content needs to be relevant without any sales pitch or explicit brand mentions.

Your target is prospecting and acquiring high volumes of leads without putting any pressure on your potential customers.

Keyword research is the basis of TOFU marketing.

MOFU: Middle-Of-Funnel Stage

The meaning of MOFU refers to the middle stage of the sales funnel, i.e., evaluation. Here, your acquired leads are quite interested in a product/service like yours. They are researching and evaluating different options.

Your leads are warm and seek more precise information to compare the different alternatives. Not all leads move to the next stage, so you need to utilize your resources wisely.

Now is the best moment to introduce your brand to your selected leads, gather contact details, and show them why you would be the best choice. Your intention here is to continue offering useful information, including clever sales pitches with a warm attitude.

Your MOFU content should invoke expertise in exciting and diverse ways.

Your objective is to build trust and help your leads make informed decisions. At the end of the day, you want to have satisfied customers - not just sell to anyone.

Email opt-in incentives like webinar access or useful downloads are great ways to gather contact details and initiate customer-brand relationships during the MOFU stage.

BOFU: Bottom-Of-Funnel Stage

The meaning of BOFU is the bottom stage of the funnel, i.e., conversion. Here, highly qualified leads are ready to purchase and await a final nudge. They are weighing their top choices in terms of effectiveness or budget.

Your potential customers are examining more in-depth details, comparing prices, and/or waiting for the right moment to invest in your brand (e.g., a check caching or their pay date).

Now it’s the right time to showcase explicit product details or customer benefits and offer demos or discounts. Your aim here is to encourage them to take action in your favor and hit the “Buy” button as fast as possible.

Your BOFU content needs to be highly personalized and persuasive without being overwhelming.

Your target is to find the right way to show each ‘almost’ customer individually how your product/service solves their pain point(s) and beats your competition.

Targeted sales messages, in-person consultations, and money-back plans are efficient strategies for the BOFU stage.

Tailoring Your Content Marketing to TOFU, MOFU, BOFU

In digital content marketing, a superb customer experience is the key to success. In every stage of the purchase funnel, your target audience has different needs and different mindsets.

Not only that, but you need to work on your SCO marketing strategy and adapt content for every online medium (search engines or social media).

Plus, you should provide the right content to every different buyer persona, especially during the evaluation and conversion stages.

Check out some content marketing tips that align with every stage of the sales funnel.

TOFU Content (Awareness Stage)

This is the time to inform, charm, and reach your future prospects via:

• Blog posts with unique and educational content, written for humans and not SEO.
• Keyword targeting, based on market research and competitor analysis.
• Social media posts with engaging content that attracts attention and website traffic.
• Audio/video podcasts that make your audience return again and again.
• Polls and quizzes that are fun and also help you understand the real problems your users are facing.

MOFU Content (Consideration Stage)

Now, you should educate your leads and turn your brand into a point of reference via:

• Webinars addressing different pain points of each audience group.
• Newsletters tailored to individual needs. But make sure you maintain your mailing lists clean and popular.
• Case studies from your existing customers published on your website or as parasite SEO content on prominent media.
• Interactive content, including free tools or Q&As, that help your leads acquire hands-on, in-depth information or even narrow down their actual needs.
• Online events or presentations that provide expert, insightful information and more personal interactions.

BOFU Content (Conversion Stage)

Here you need highly targeted content that will gently but firmly push your best leads into converting via:

• Free trials, samples, or money-back plans, offering the real experience to your future clients.
• Limited offers, communicated at the optimal moment.
• Spec sheets and comparisons highlighting why your brand serves them much better than your competitors.
• Personal consultations or highly personalized emails.
• Pre-conversion surveys to identify delaying pain points.

How Does SEO Help With TOFU, MOFU, BOFU?

Search engine optimization is an invaluable tool throughout the customer journey.

In the TOFU stage, SEO builds the foundation for prospecting.

During the MOFU stage, SEO offers your audience the chance to see your pages ranking high for a wide variety of topics related to their buying intent, enhancing trust and brand awareness.

In the final BOFU stage and throughout the loyalty stage, top rankings and immaculate content verify customer trust and brand quality while they enhance word of mouth.

At Atropos Digital, our marketed-oriented approach to SEO and our successful CRO strategies become genuine sales tools for your organization. We coordinate our SEO strategy with your marketing plans, walking down your purchase funnel together.

Book your SEO strategy call and discover how search engine optimization can steadily turn your prospects into loyal customers.