Imagine a situation where you own a company whose products are better than its competitors - and you have the data to prove it.
But the numbers themselves are disappointing. Your sales are low, much lower than expected, and instead of the satisfaction of a successful product you are somewhere between confusion and frustration.
After deeper research, you discover a problem: potential customers don't even know your company exists. It may seem that you are just another insignificant player in the market.
This is where content at the top of the sales funnel (ToFu) plays a key role. Having a great product is key, but if potential customers don't know it exists, who will buy it?
This guide will walk you through the process of creating ToFu content that increases awareness of your brand and guides customers from discovery to purchase.
Smart SEO strategies will help ensure that it reaches its target audience, turning potential brand awareness into actual market positioning.
Read on, and discover the key steps you need to take to establish your company's position and thus increase sales.
What is the awareness stage?
The awareness stage marks the beginning of the customer journey. It is where potential customers first become aware of a problem or need and start looking for solutions.
They don't necessarily fully understand their problem or not the best path forward. Instead, they are looking for information, guidance and education, not a sales pitch.
This initial phase is crucial for brands, as it is where a significant first impression can be made.
You can present your brand as a competent and trustworthy source by providing valuable and relevant information.
It's not yet about showcasing the features or benefits of your product, but about meeting the information needs of potential customers.
What are marketing goals at the top of the purchase path?
At the ToFu stage, marketing objectives are designed to attract attention and engage audiences rather than push for immediate sales. Key objectives include:
- Increase brand awareness: The goal is to spread the word about the brand.
- Educatingaudiences: Content should directly address typical questions or challenges faced by the target audience.
- Building trust: creating ToFu content can help position your brand as a thought leader and reliable source of information.
- Generating leads: You can encourage potential customers to engage more deeply with your brand by signing up for a newsletter or downloading an eBook.
According to a survey conducted by Demand Gen Report, 65% of buyers believe that content that educates and does not try to "sell" the reader is more effective.
ToFu content types
There are different types of content to choose from at the ToFu stage. The most popular of these include:
Blog posts and articles: These are ToFu's core content aimed at educating and solving common problems. For example, a home renovation company might write an article on small home renovation ideas to maximize space.
Here is a good example. Educational content offers some value to readers looking for information and ideas to improve their life situation, without the need to solve it with a purchase. This is in line with ToFu's goal of building awareness and providing helpful, relevant information to a wide audience.
It may not be the highest quality article on the subject, but it still managed to rank 11th in terms of "ideas for renovating a small house to maximize space."
Infographics: These visual pieces of content can simplify complex information, making it easier for audiences to understand and share. A nutritionist can create an infographic depicting a "Balanced Diet Chart" to attract people looking to improve their eating habits.
Video content: Videos are highly engaging and can convey a lot of information in a short period of time. For example, a software company can create videos on the importance of cyber security measures.
This video explains how hackers and security experts can use artificial intelligence. It doesn't even mention IBM products. Instead, it presents the company's experience and plants a seed in the minds of viewers.
Well, if hackers can now use artificial intelligence to become better at their jobs... perhaps I should do something about it or at least read more about it.
eBooks and guides: These in-depth resources offer comprehensive insight into specific topics, positioning your brand as an authority. For example, an SEO agency might publish a guide titled ToFu, MoFu, BoFu: A Guide to an SEO-Friendly Sales Funnel..
Social media posts: Engaging and informative posts can draw traffic to your website and other ToFu content. An interior design firm can use Instagram to share design tips and behind-the-scenes looks at design processes, engaging potential clients looking for design inspiration.
All right, but what are the most effective forms of ToFu content?
The three most effective types of ToFu content are:
- Referral marketing (case studies, testimonials, review sites and word of mouth)
- Event marketing (conferences, webinars, trade shows and other events)
- Content marketing: (e-books, reports, white papers and similar forms of content)
As you can see, it is a good idea to focus on those that show the credibility of the company.
In the context of online marketing, this probably comes as no surprise to any digital marketing professional - these three categories are very effective in developing digital PR, so they will work well as the first point of contact with potential buyers.
Importance of E-E-A-T for ToFu content
Google's quality assessment guidelines prioritize E-E-A-T - expertise, experience, authoritativeness and credibility to determine content quality.
We always say it: creating content according to E-E-A-T is a great way to differentiate your brand.
The model focuses on evaluating content based on the knowledge and experience of the creator, its reliability and the accuracy of the information provided.
The addition of "experience" in December 2022 highlights the importance of personal or practical insights, especially in niche topics or product reviews.
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Compliance with E-E-A-T standards is a must if you want to improve your search ranking.
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SEO strategies for top-of-the-funnel content.
Mastering SEO for ToFu content can help you ensure that your content not only catches the eye, but also captures your audience's attention right from the start.
The ToFu stage is often cited as the best performing and MoFU as the most problematic.
Still, even if ToFu content is better researched than MoFu and BoFu, that doesn't mean there isn't room for further development. So let's look at the details of increasing the visibility of ToFu content online.
Keyword research
When conducting keyword research for ToFU content, consider what your audience wants to know. Let's assume your company deals in healthy snacks.
Instead of using a keyword such as "buy healthy snacks online," which is for people who are ready to buy, use "healthy snack ideas," "best energy boosting snacks" or "easy healthy snacks for work."
Informative keywords often start with "what," "why," "how," etc.
These are the kinds of questions people ask when they are just starting to look for information.
Tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush or AnswerThePublic can help you find out what questions people are asking about your topic. If you create content that fully answers the inquiry, you will connect with people who are just beginning to explore the topic.
Search Intent
- Creating H1 and H2 tags that reflect the actual questions typed in by the audience is a good practice.
With Google's emphasis on understanding user intent through algorithms such as BERT, structuring content to answer specific queries can significantly increase search engine visibility.
- Different search intents correspond to different types of content. Information queries typical of ToFu queries are best answered by articles, guides and knowledge bases.
Recognize the type of content that matches the search intent. For example, a query that starts with "how to do this" is a perfect match for a detailed tutorial or step-by-step guide.
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- Create a content network around main topics (pillar content) and related sub-topics (content clusters), ensuring thorough coverage.
This approach demonstrates your knowledge to your audience, but also signals to search engines the breadth and depth of your knowledge, potentially improving your ranking for various related queries.
On-Site SEO
On-site SEO, or on-page SEO, is your site's calling card crucial to making a good first impression.
- Create meta titles and descriptions that have staying power by embedding short words and long tail keywords. Think of them as content advertising aimed at both search engines and users.
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- Internal links with keyword-rich anchor texts will lead users further down the conversion funnel while spreading link equity throughout the site.
Quality and commitment
How do you make your content stand out in a sea of articles generated by artificial intelligence?
Well-crafted articles demonstrate your authority. Back up your claims with data and expert opinions to increase the credibility of your content.
Remember E-E-A-T? Create author pages to show your audience and Google that your opinions matter.
The example below clearly demonstrates the knowledge and experience of the article reviewer.
The shelf life of content is dynamic. Regularly update your ToFu pieces with the latest information, maintaining relevance and ranking potential - and let your audience know about it, as in the image below.
Multimedia
Multimedia elements can make content more engaging and provide additional value to users.
- Integrate relevant images and videos into your content. The idea is to serve both search engine robots and human aesthetics. Of course, you can use free stock image sites such as Unsplash, Pixabay, Pexels or Freepik, but that's not all.You can, however, use tools such as ElevenLabs to let your audience listen to your articles or FlexClip to create videos to enhance your content.
- Tools such as interactive infographics or calculators enhance the user experience and, more importantly, make content easier to link to.
How do you identify ToFu content ideas?
What are some ways to find the perfect ToFu content ideas that really reach your audience?
Social media
Use polls on Instagram, Q&As on Twitter or posts on LinkedIn to ask what your followers are curious about. You can easily find out what sparks their interest and find inspiration to create more content.
Blog comments
Your blog comments are little nuggets of gold - well, at least some of them. Tools like Disqus can help you keep track of the conversations going on there. Your audience can directly signal what you might write about next.
Section "related to this search"
Have you ever noticed how Google tries to finish your sentences as you write? It's a treasure trove of content ideas in the pipeline. The "related to this search" section is basically Google telling you what your audience wants to know.
Innovative ToFu content strategies for lead generation
Standing out from the crowd - this is something every company tries and... well, not everyone succeeds. Physics or something like that. Well, but how to actually do it?
Storytelling
Humanize your brand through storytelling. Narratives that reflect real-life scenarios, triumphs and even challenges resonate well with audiences.
Sharing stories about how your products or services have changed the world for the better can establish deeper relationships without making it a sales pitch.
It's about illustrating the "why" behind your brand. This approach increases engagement and subtly positions your offerings as solutions in compelling stories.
Webinars and live sessions
Unlike passive posts or articles, webinars and live Q&A sessions provide real-time engagement and the opportunity to answer audience questions on the spot.
This makes the brand an approachable authority in its field. Promote these sessions on your channels to attract an audience that wants to learn and interact.
User-generated content
User-generated content (UGC), such as customer reviews, social media posts or blog posts, provides authentic insights into users' experiences with a brand.
Not only does it enrich ToFu's content pool with diverse perspectives, but it also builds trust through real recommendations - and this is essential for SEO. You can encourage your prospects to create content by creating hashtags, holding contests or featuring their stories on your platforms.
Implementing interactive content
You can use quizzes and surveys to engage your audience and get personal insights or advice. This will make your content more interactive and help you learn what your audience likes and needs.
This data can then be used to improve marketing strategies and tailor content to users' needs.
Content collaboration
Consider working with influencers(Influence.co or BuzzSumo) and industry experts (HARO) or complementary brands to co-create content. Such partnerships can give your content access to new audiences and increase your brand's credibility.
Applications
ToFu content is critical to attracting potential customers by providing valuable information and building brand awareness without the pressure to sell. You position your brand as a trusted authority by creating content that answers your audience's questions and needs.
Effective SEO strategies, a variety of content formats such as blog articles, infographics and videos, and adherence to E-E-A-T principles ensure that content engages and reaches the right audience.
Do you know what else can help you reach your audience? Links. We know all about links. If you need help with SEO issues -. contact us!
