Thoughtful Thursday #4 - 2025 Marketing and the Funnel

 

Hey ya'all! 

If you weren't in any of my marketing classes, I'm going to give you a quick run-down of a concept called the Marketing Funnel. This is nothing new and it's not my great invention by any means. In fact, I'm not sure who to give credit to, but it's one of those things I think of often. Remember how Mr. Stodola would say we will use algebra in real life and most of you don't? Well... I do, I always seem to find a need for it and it's the same way with the marketing funnel but I digress. 

Lot's of people from all walks of life come to me to help them develop things. Sometimes it's a program for a non-profit, sometimes it's help promoting a book, other times it's coming up with a business strategy. Regardless, I start by asking one question (and it's the same question asked at our dinner table on countless occasions): What is your long term goal?

Doesn't that seem super easy? It's only the beginning though. 

Let's think about a funnel. Your long term goal is at the bottom of the funnel and right now, we are hovering above the funnel. Let's take an example and walk through it together.

Scenario: Your name is Lisa and you work full time and are raising a family, but you write in your spare time and you have decided to self publish your first book. You want to know how to get people to buy it. 

We meet...

Crystal: "what is your long term goal Lisa?"

Lisa: "I want people to buy my book"

Crystal: "I would suggest that's your short term goal - what's the end game and the big picture?"

after some gentle conversation the truth comes out - 

Lisa: "I guess, my goal is to quit my traditional job and be an author. I want my books on shelves at Barnes and Noble. I want to be an author - not someone who writes in her spare time."

Crystal: "now we are getting somewhere and I can work with that!"

Moving forward, Lisa is going to consider how everything works in her funnel to get her to her goal of being an author. This doesn't mean giving up any of the other things in life that bring her joy. This simply means streamlining everything. When Lisa considers her social media presence, she needs to do it with a background though of "how is this helping with the funnel?". Having an author page is important to Lisa - it's where she is developing her brand. Having a separate author page and personal page my best serve her funnel so she can keep family abreast of things with the kids, and still keep all her writing and book"ish" stuff happening on the daily with her author page. 

Is a blog helpful? Maybe... are you trying to get content out there? Build a brand? Does it play into your funnel? Do you have enough readers and engaged readers to warrant spending the time on it? If it's taking up your time and doesn't fit into your funnel, that's okay too as long as it brings you personal joy. We still need to fill our cups - BUT if it's taking time, you are NOT enjoying it, and it's not funneling everything towards your goal, then it's time to give it up. 

Lisa's funnel is getting full - social media, writing, editing, blogging, reading, networking, taking courses to improve her craft, creating an early reader street team, reviewing cover art, head shots, working on her bio, submitting to writing contests, fellow author critique groups, etc...

Things Lisa has removed from her funnel: endless scrolling, unwanted subscriptions, her local weekly writers group that turns into a gossip session, and her desire for perfection. (to clarify, the book and her writing for the book need to be perfect, her online presence and her blog do not). 

The next time a friend says "hey Lisa, can you re-do my resume?" she can look at her funnel and decide if spending the time suits her or not. This isn't to say she is no longer going to do middle school bake sales, proof read children's papers, or go to the gym. She still has to have a personal life (that's another post about balance btw) but when it comes to her professional time, she needs to make sure she isn't just spinning her wheels - her work events need to get her one step closer to her long term goal.

What does your marketing funnel look like? 

Here's mine:

AWARENESS/AUDIENCE/CONTENT

INTEREST/ENGAGEMENT

READERSHIP

BOOK

My social media, blog, reviews, etc... and all building an awareness that I exist. This awareness is building my audience through content. Once I have an audience, I want to keep them interested and engaged so they read what I have to offer so that when my book is published I already have myself branded as an author. 

This is something you can discover regardless of your walk of life. Stay tuned to learn more!

Today's post was penned by Crystal J. Casavant

Crystal Casavant writes. Everything. If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had. Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in 2025. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans. She runs a busy household full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day. 

Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) and fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her! The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers! 

May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine, and may you always remember the world is a better place with you in it and it's always a great time to look at your goals and make sure you're working toward them!

xoxoxox

Crystal