• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
verblio-logo_horizontal_RGB_neg
Get Sample Post
Sign Up
  • Content Creation
    • The Basics
      • What We Do
      • How it Works
      • Happy Writers
    • Content Creation
      • For Agencies
      • For Small Businesses
      • For Marketers
      • For Publishers
    • Content Types
      • Blog Posts
      • AI Content Writing
      • Ebooks
      • Newsletters
      • Podcast Summaries
      • Big Projects
      • Press Releases
      • Product Descriptions
      • Website Content
      • Content Refreshes
      • Video
    • Professional Services
      • All Services
      • Account Management
      • Content Strategy
      • 10 Blog Topics
  • Industries
    • Automotive
    • Health & Beauty
    • Healthcare
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • Software
    • Real Estate
    • See all
  • Resources
    • Explore
      • Reviews
      • Compare
      • Browse Samples
      • The Definer
      • Podcasts
      • Poetry
      • Blog
      • FAQ
    • Take Action
      • Request Samples
  • Company
    • Meet the Team
    • Meet Our Writers
    • Become a Writer
    • Contact Us
    • Careers
  • Case Studies
  • Pricing
  • Log In
  • Free Sample Post
  • Sign Up

The Definer

Top of Funnel

ToFu is great for generic mass appeal, but hella bland if you don't add your own flavor to it.

SEO NERDERY SCORE

05 /10

Use it in a meeting

"Should I write this top of funnel content, or should we just assume people will read Wikipedia?"

Related terms

Botton of funnel


Middle of funnel


Brand awareness


Inbound marketing

WHAT IS TOP OF FUNNEL?

Top-of-funnel marketing is designed to make prospects aware of your business, grab their attention, and arouse interest in your solution. Think of it as a friendly, no-pressure introduction to your brand.

If you want your car to run (and not blow up on the spot), then you need to make sure it has oil. That means every now and again you have to pour oil through a filter and into the engine compartment. Turns out, a business runs basically the same way, and mechanics and marketers have (kinda, sorta) the same job: If you want your business to be successful, you need prospects to enter your "sales funnel" and come out the other side as paying customers.

For most businesses, the sales funnel has 3 basic stages: top-of-funnel (ToFu), middle-of-funnel (MoFu), and bottom-of-funnel (BoFu). The "top-of-funnel" stage is also known as the "awareness" stage. It's where consumers learn about your business for the first time.

What are top-of-funnel assets?

ToFu assets aren't only for vegans. They include virtually everything that you use to make consumers aware of your business in the first place. You may have a variety of these assets:

  • Blog posts: High-level blogs and articles are a great way to introduce readers to your business (as long as they steer clear of really technical language).
  • Videos: People love watching videos. (Books? What are those?) Short, engaging video ads can increase your business' exposure across several marketing channels.
  • Display ads: You can reach your target consumers on the websites and/or social media networks of their choice with eye-catching display ads.

Of course, these are just a few common examples of top-of-funnel assets. This category boils down to any piece of marketing content that makes consumers aware of your brand, product, or service.

How is top-of-funnel different from the other funnel stages?

Top-of-funnel is the "awareness" stage of the sales funnel. It's very different from the middle stage of the funnel ("evaluation") or the bottom of the funnel ("decision"). For example:

  • Your objective in the "awareness" stage should be to generate brand awareness and arouse interest. In the "evaluation" stage, your goal should be to provide evidence that your solution is best, and in the "decision" stage, your primary aim is to close the sale.
  • Top-of-funnel content is different from content in other stages of the sales funnel. For instance, you wouldn't use comparison charts, white papers, or 20 percent off discounts as top-of-funnel content. Save those for prospects who are farther down the funnel and more interested in the nuances of your solution versus a competitor's.
  • "ToFu" marketing typically has a wider reach compared to "MoFu" and "BoFu."

How can you increase top-of-funnel traffic?

Every business is different, so there's no one right answer to this question. However, there are certain things you can do to spread the word about your brand:

  • Pay attention to SEO. Search engine optimization is one of the number one ways to grow your brand presence online. As you post SEO-driven content on a regular basis, you'll gradually increase your business' chances to show up in the top search results for specific keywords.
  • Diversify your marketing mix. In other words, don't put all of your marketing eggs in one basket. Use a variety of marketing channels to distribute your top-of-funnel content, including organic SEO, paid search, social media, Google My Business, Yelp, and so on.
  • Make sure your content is good. You can reach as many consumers as you want, but if your top-of-funnel content is sub-par, they'll have no reason to stick around. (We know, good content is hard. Why do you think so many businesses outsource their content creation?)

Long story short: If your funnel is empty, your business won't go anywhere. Top-of-funnel content will help make your audience aware of your brand, filling up your funnel so you can nurture them all the way to the bottom (and the sale).

Back to the Definer home

Case Studies

For Agencies

Industries we serve

Pricing

👋 Hi, we’re Verblio.
We create content for SEO and content marketing for every niche.

Learn more
Content creation for
  • Agencies
  • Marketers
  • Publishers
Industries
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Business Consulting
  • Cannabis
  • Construction
  • Fashion
  • Interior Design
  • Transportation
  • All Industries We Serve
About
  • What We Do
  • How it Works
  • Meet the Team
  • Meet Our Writers
  • Happy Writers
  • Careers
  • Podcasts
Professional Services
  • All Services
  • Account Management
  • Content Strategy
  • Topic Ideation
  • AI content writing
  • Big Content Projects
Resources
  • Blog
  • Pricing
  • Compare
  • Sample Posts
  • The Definer
  • Case Studies
  • Testimonials
  • Video Ads
  • Poetry
Support
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Become a Writer
  • Scam Job Postings
ADDRESS

1700 Lincoln St.
17th Floor
Denver, CO 80203

verblio-logo_horizontal_one-color_white
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

© 2023 Verblio. All Rights Reserved.