Navigating the B2B Sales Funnel: Strategies for Each Stage

Being successful in the business-to-business (B2B) sector means effectively navigating the complexities of selling to other businesses. Hitting your sales goals requires a well-devised strategy for how you’ll help the leads you capture turn into long-term customers and a steady revenue stream.

But how do you navigate the B2B sales funnel successfully? And how can marketing help?

Keep reading to find out!

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What is the B2B sales funnel?

The B2B sales funnel describes the series of steps your prospects take to become customers, and how your sales teams nurture your leads and guide them through the process.

You can divide the B2B sales funnel into three broad categories:

• Top-of-funnel (TOFU)
• Middle-of-funnel (MOFU)
• Bottom-of-funnel (BOFU)

These three categories cover the four stages of the purchasing process:

• Awareness
• Interest
• Consideration
• Conversion

The B2B sales funnel differs from the B2C one — it takes more time for leads to move through since the buying cycle is longer due to multiple decision-makers. Plus, cycles frequently include more decision-makers who may be at different stages of the customer journey.

To navigate the funnel successfully, it’s vital to empower and support your sales teams with the right tools to target the right people at the right time. 

Strategies for the awareness stage

Awareness is the initial stage where qualified leads enter the sales funnel. This point represents prospects who are aware they have a challenge and are ready to explore potential solutions.

At this stage, consider implementing these strategies:

• TOFU content: Content marketing is the practice of sharing informative resources with leads that help them learn more about a specific issue, product, service, or business. Common TOFU content includes articles, guides, and blog posts that build your authority and trust.
• Social networking: Platforms like LinkedIn provide an excellent opportunity to share your TOFU content, connect with decision-makers at other businesses, and showcase your company’s expertise. These social networking sites are also the perfect place to leverage compelling storytelling online that speaks directly to your prospects’ needs — including ones they may not even know they have.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO is a great strategy for building awareness of your brand. Many people start their journey with a search to see what solutions are out there. Optimizing for relevant keywords can help you appear in those initial searches and make your business a choice in the running.

Strategies for the interest stage

The interest stage in the B2B sales funnel is when leads conduct more research to narrow down their options for solving their challenges, making them ready to discover more about your company and its offerings. 

At this stage, prospects engage and interact more frequently. The information they need and how they consume it changes. 

For this part of the B2B sales funnel, you’ll want to use these strategies to help support your sales team:

• Email campaigns: Now that leads have an interest in your business, they want to hear more from you. Email marketing can help you keep your brand top of mind as prospects explore their options. You can send informative emails that help them better understand their problem and see you as a solution.
• Videos and webinars: Videos and webinars are a powerful medium for providing helpful information to your audience. You can leverage videos to help you show your audience the solutions to their problem and position yourself as an option.
• In-depth content: Now that prospects know they have a problem and know they need to solve it, they’re doing more research. Creating in-depth content, like ebooks and whitepapers, can help you support your sales team as prospects ask more questions during their research phase.

Strategies for the consideration stage

During the consideration stage, leads get more serious about which business and its products or services will most likely meet their needs.

Prospects need to know why they should choose your company over competitors, so invest in content that highlights your unique selling proposition. This stage is also where B2B leads become more price-conscious, reinforcing the need to emphasize the benefits and value of working with you.

To keep your brand top of mind, consider running pay-per-click (PPC) ads to keep your company front and center as prospects do more research. 

Continue leveraging email campaigns that deliver high-value content. You’ll also want to position yourself as a solution more, so prospects ultimately keep you in the running.

Strategies for the conversion stage

Your prospect is ready to transition from decision to action. Encourage them to take the final step and make a purchase with BOFU content and strategies like:

• Make a tempting email offer: Entice prospects by emailing them with an offer for a promotional discount or coupon, free trial, or personalized demo geared toward their pain points. It’s more challenging to say “no” when someone can try or see your solutions firsthand.
• Prove your success: Social proof can help push your leads forward to the final step. Invest in gathering customer testimonials and share them with your prospects. Include trust signals like industry credentials and five-star reviews, and showcase success stories on your company’s social media platforms.

Optimize your B2B sales funnel with WebFX

WebFX is a full-service digital marketing agency that drives results for our clients. Our team includes award-winning designers, digital advertising specialists, SEO experts, and social media professionals. We have over 28 years of experience, and have driven over $10 billion in revenue and captured over 24 million leads for clients.

Our skilled team of expert can help you navigate your B2B sales funnel to drive more leads for your business. 

Call us at 888-601-5359 or contact us online to learn how our digital marketing services can help you turn more prospects into clients for your B2B business!