What Is Full Funnel Marketing? And Why Your Business Should Use It

In a quick-moving marketing landscape where consumers have endless ways to interact digitally, connecting with them at every stage is essential.

At THE 3RD EYE, we use full-funnel marketing in our strategy process — which means we learn and consider all marketing channels and possible touchpoints in the customer journey.

The concept of a marketing funnel started 100 years ago with Lewis’ AIDA model (Forrester) — but the way we implement a full-funnel approach has changed. We’ve applied 100 years of learning, and in 2024, we take the customer‘s full life cycle into account.

The funnel’s final goal was once just the sale. Today, the funnel’s final goal is loyalty. High sales volume doesn’t equate to customer lifetime value and profit. Earning sales still matters, but marketers know that focusing too much on sales can neglect the overall brand experience — which is what ultimately inspires long-term loyalty.

At The 3rd Eye, we embrace full-funnel marketing by integrating insights, strategic planning, creative development, and performance analytics to create campaigns that drive results and resonate deeply with audiences.

What Is The Consumer Life Cycle?

Before the advent of the internet, when traditional methods reigned supreme, advertisers didn’t need to consider the countless ways consumers can come across your brand. There was word of mouth, radio, television, and direct mail — and advertisements were not nearly as targeted as they are today. Then came the internet. And eventually, we caught up. 

In 2010, Forrester Research asserted that the old perception of a marketing funnel as a framework no longer worked in the modern world — touting the “consumer life cycle” as a better-suited alternative that places the customer at the core of marketing. The consumer life cycle is defined as:

Customers’ relationship with a brand as they continue to discover new options, explore their needs, make purchases, and engage with the product experience and their peers.

On a similar note, this Penn State study analyzing search engine campaigns found that Awareness queries, though less expensive, generated more sales revenue than Purchase queries — suggesting that broader phases can be lucrative for advertising.

What is Full-Funnel Marketing?

While these shifts didn’t stop us from keeping the word “funnel” in marketing jargon (it’s a good word!), marketers have reimagined the way it’s used. Modern marketers use full-funnel frameworks that emphasize customer experiences and lifetime value.

A modern full-funnel approach combines traditional advertising with digital marketing methods for a unified strategy that achieves not only sales but audience loyalty. We keep in mind that audience behavior is not linear, and many consumers toggle back and forth between “life cycle” phases.

Only 14 years after Forrester’s findings, the consumer life cycle and the focus on garnering loyalty are even more important. In 2024, consumers online consume content in a more segmented way than ever — so understanding which channels are most important for your brand is key.

The Consumer Journey: Think, Do, Review

While the particulars vary with every brand and audience, here’s a quick rundown of what the consumer journey entails: Thinking, Doing, and Reviewing.

Also called the Awareness Stage, the “Thinking” stage is like a meet-cute between the brand and prospective customers. This is where the effort to generate awareness and capture attention starts to pay off. We leverage a variety of channels — from social media and content marketing to traditional advertising — to spark interest and introduce the brand to customers. This is where creativity and storytelling shine — where we craft compelling narratives that resonate with the target audience.

As consumers progress to the “Doing” tier, AKA the Consideration Stage, the emphasis shifts towards providing value and facilitating action. At this stage, we employ a mix of tactics — targeted advertising, email marketing, and experiential campaigns — to engage consumers and drive conversions. By delivering personalized experiences and tailored messaging, agencies can guide consumers towards making informed purchasing decisions.

But the journey doesn’t end at a purchase decision. Aligned with the Decision or Conversion Stage, in the “Reviewing” tier, we focus on nurturing relationships and fostering loyalty. This involves gathering feedback, analyzing data, and iterating on strategies to continually improve performance. Staying attuned to shifts in consumer preferences means brands can cultivate long-term relationships that extend far beyond a single campaign.

Strategy Checklist

The 3rd Eye’s Strategy Process

Here’s how THE 3RD EYE uses full-funnel marketing in our strategy process.

Insights & Intel: Understanding The Consumer

First, we gather comprehensive insights and intelligence to build the foundation of our full-funnel strategy. This involves:

• Health Assessment: We become experts on your business, brand, and competitive landscape through agency-led discovery mechanisms such as meetings, interviews, and research.
• Insights & Intel: We dive deep to thoroughly understand the category and the consumer — identifying honest and inspiring truths about your brand that will drive connections with the right consumers.

Strategic Planning: Crafting the Campaign Narrative

This is the planning phase — where we establish a campaign narrative as well as the right place & the right time to deliver it:

• Comms Strategy Planning: We establish a campaign narrative and strategy that aligns with consumer behaviors and preferences.
• See-Level Strategy: Our fractional CMO consulting and business development services ensure that your marketing efforts are aligned with your business goals.

Media Connections: Reaching the Right Audience

Our media connections services bridge digital and traditional paid media planning and implementation. Our media and strategy teams work together in the planning phase to ensure that campaigns reach the right audience across multiple channels, maximizing impact and ROI. Throughout the campaign and especially upon review, they remain activated to observe performance vs objectives.

Creative Development & Integrated Production: Bringing Ideas to Life

Once the idea and its means of dissemination is complete, it’s time to create!

• Creative Development: We develop the big idea and our creatives bring it to life through innovative and engaging content that provides true value and encourages customer loyalty.
• Integrated Production: We scale content creation across any desired channel or medium, ensuring consistent messaging and branding.

Activation & Performance: Driving Results

Once activated, we focus on ensuring that meaningful connections are being made between the brand and consumer at every stage of the journey. We go boots-on-the-ground here as well, noting consumer feedback as its given.

Performance & Analytics: Measuring Success

There is no end to the funnel! With Key Performance Indicators determined at planning, we enter analysis mode. At the end of a campaign, we gather feedback, analyze data, and note which strategies to drop and which to implement for next time — continually improving campaign performance.

Account Stewardship: Dedicated Project Management

Our dedicated agency team provides overall project management, ensuring that every aspect of the campaign runs smoothly and efficiently. This includes continuous communication with clients to keep them informed and involved in the process.

In pairing account stewardship with our data-driven approach to drive results, we deliver marketing solutions that perform at the highest level.

Conclusion: Choose A Full-Funnel Marketing Approach

In the ever-evolving marketing landscape, embracing a full-funnel marketing strategy is no longer optional—it’s essential. At The 3rd Eye, we understand that consumer journeys are complex and non-linear, which is why our approach integrates insights, strategic planning, creative development, and performance analytics to create campaigns that drive results and foster long-term loyalty.

By connecting with consumers at every stage of their journey, from awareness to conversion to retention, we ensure that your brand not only achieves immediate sales but also builds enduring relationships.

Need help implementing a full-funnel marketing strategy? Email us here and let’s drive your brand’s performance success together.

 

Copy & Paste Checklist

STEP	ACTION	POTENTIAL IMPACT
1	What are the campaign’s goals? Define objectives clearly, whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, or sales.	Ensures alignment and clarity throughout the campaign, guiding decision-making.
2	Who is our target audience? Conduct thorough research to understand demographics, preferences, and behavior.	Tailors the campaign to resonate with the intended audience, increasing relevance and effectiveness.
3	How do we want to communicate? Craft clear and consistent messaging that resonates with the audience and aligns with brand values.	Captures attention, builds brand identity, and fosters emotional connection with consumers.
4	Where is our audience most active? Select platforms where the audience is engaged and tailor content accordingly (social media, email, blogs, etc.).	Maximizes reach and engagement by delivering content where the audience spends their time.
5	What content will engage our audience? Produce high-quality, relevant content that captivates and encourages interaction.	Drives interest, shares, and conversions by providing value and sparking interest.
6	How can we streamline the user journey? Map out the customer journey from discovery to conversion, ensuring a smooth and intuitive experience.	Reduces friction points, increasing conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
7	What is our budget and timeline? Allocate resources effectively and establish a realistic timeline for each stage of the campaign.	Ensures efficient use of resources and timely execution of campaign activities.
8	How do we track campaign performance? Implement tracking tools to monitor performance, track key metrics, and make data-driven adjustments.	Provides insights into campaign effectiveness, enabling optimization for better results.
9	How do we engage with our audience?Foster two-way communication through social media interactions, responding to feedback promptly.	Builds trust, loyalty, and brand advocacy, leading to long-term customer relationships.
10	What can we learn from this campaign?Evaluate results against objectives, identify successes, and areas for improvement to refine future strategies.	Drives continuous improvement, refining strategies for greater impact in subsequent campaigns.