Introduction
This white paper is designed for business development representatives at The Audacia Company and potential clients considering our services. Our funnel strategy combines inbound and outbound marketing to generate qualified leads, drawing on industry insights to position The Audacia Company as a digital marketing thought leader.
With carefully crafted stages—Top of Funnel (TOFU), Middle of Funnel (MOFU), and Bottom of Funnel (BOFU)—we aim to create engaging, valuable content while building trust and driving conversions.
Effective lead generation funnels like this have been applied by successful companies and marketers across industries. Business development experts like HubSpot’s Brian Halligan and SalesForce’s Tiffani Bova emphasize that guiding prospects through tailored touchpoints can maximize engagement and foster brand loyalty.
The following framework has been developed to help our team and clients build a consistent pipeline that delivers results.
Top of Funnel (TOFU): Attracting and Engaging Leads
The primary focus at the TOFU stage is to create awareness and spark interest among potential leads. Our approach consists of two key strategies: Inbound and Outbound.
Inbound Approach
Our inbound strategy centers around publishing short, insightful articles on marketing tactics used across various industries. This content showcases practical insights on each tactic’s effectiveness, implementation costs, required resources, and the choice between in-house development and outsourcing. By drawing on real-world case studies and industry expertise, we establish credibility as thought leaders and attract a steady stream of interested readers.
Real-World Example
Inbound marketing strategies have driven significant growth for companies like Moz, which built a reputation by offering free resources that highlight industry best practices. By sharing high-value information, Moz attracted prospects seeking to learn more about SEO, growing their reach and reputation as an industry authority.
Interview Strategy for Inbound Content Creation
To support this content, we’ll conduct short interviews (15 minutes or less) with business owners and professionals. These interviews provide real insights that can be translated into blog articles or white papers. The questions we ask aim to reveal key tactics, industry trends, and challenges that professionals encounter daily.
Key Questions for Interviews:
How do you drive leads and sales online?
What has changed in your field over the past five years?
What do you enjoy most about your work?
What might surprise outsiders about your industry?
What separates top-performing businesses in your industry from the rest?
This input not only fuels valuable content but also fosters connections with potential leads who may be interested in our services.
Outbound Approach
Our outbound strategy builds on the inbound approach by directly reaching out to prospects, often referencing previously published articles or case studies. We initiate 15-minute interviews with prospects to understand their specific challenges and opportunities, which provides valuable data for targeted outreach.
Best Practice Example
Leading sales teams at companies like LinkedIn leverage similar outreach techniques to position their services while gathering information that shapes future sales pitches. By referencing similar businesses or challenges in initial outreach, LinkedIn teams effectively personalize their messaging, fostering stronger connections.
Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Nurturing Leads
At the MOFU stage, the goal is to maintain engagement with leads who have shown interest. We achieve this through follow-up communications, email newsletters, and social media content that reinforces our expertise.
Content Distribution via Social Media
Based on interview insights, we’ll generate posts for LinkedIn and Facebook that address common challenges or emerging trends in various fields. This content is educational and designed to increase brand visibility while promoting our newsletter, Notes On The Margin.
Example
HubSpot has successfully used case studies and interview-based articles to create social media content that establishes authority, nurtures followers, and attracts new subscribers. By sharing real-world insights from industry leaders, HubSpot builds trust and drives sign-ups for its products and services.
Nurturing Email Campaigns
Following each interview, we’ll send leads a brief recap and offer them an opportunity to join our mailing list for exclusive insights and early access to research. This step demonstrates immediate value, giving potential clients a reason to stay connected.
Real-World Application
According to SalesForce, nurturing leads through personalized follow-up emails can increase conversion rates by over 20%. By offering exclusive access to valuable content, we can keep leads engaged and informed throughout the decision-making process.
Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Converting Leads into Clients
At the BOFU stage, we focus on converting warm leads into clients by addressing their specific needs with a personalized service proposal.
Personalized Proposals
During follow-up, we ask leads how their businesses are progressing and discuss potential challenges they face. If they express interest in additional support, we provide a proposal detailing how The Audacia Company’s services can help them achieve their business goals.
Our service offerings include:
Unlimited Design: Social media graphics, website design, print media
Copywriting: For email, SMS, direct mail, blogs, etc.
Business Development Services: Both inbound and outbound sales support
When working with our clients, we would switch out our value proposition for theirs - and because we've developed rapport and value throughout the process, our likelihood of closing increases even though the sales cycle is longer. Imagine our entire process developed for a service-based or B2B business.
In some instances, this also works for database marketing in B2C sales funnels. That interview at the top of our funnel can be used on a pre-existing email list, or as a way to grow an email list from scratch if necessary. During the interview our questions can be adjusted to get customer feedback, testimonials, referrals, and repeat sales.
Closing Strategy Example
Successful organizations like Drift use customized proposals that outline specific benefits and ROI projections to move prospects through the funnel and close deals. Drift sales teams emphasize transparency and trust, ensuring that prospects clearly understand the value they’ll receive.
Post-Proposal Follow-Up
Once the proposal is delivered, we maintain a steady follow-up schedule, offering answers to questions and reiterating our commitment to support. Studies show that follow-ups can increase conversion rates by as much as 80%, underscoring the importance of persistence at this stage.
Our Business Development Approach Summarized
Our lead generation funnel is a structured, value-driven approach designed to engage and nurture prospects from initial contact through conversion. By combining inbound and outbound tactics, The Audacia Company can position itself as a trusted advisor and partner, offering targeted solutions to address each client’s unique needs.
This framework not only ensures consistent pipeline growth but also strengthens our reputation as a leader in digital marketing, setting the foundation for long-term client relationships.
Our BDRs play a critical role in executing this strategy, using the insights and examples provided to guide potential clients toward meaningful engagement with The Audacia Company.
Work With Us
Are you a BDR or freelancer looking to work with an agency that does business development at a high-level? The tactics described here will grow your professional network and credibility if employed with integrity and consistency. Reach out to our founder on Linkedin to for a chance to interview for the position.
Are you a business owner considering working with our team to help acheive your online marketing and sales goals? Shoot us an email if you'd like us to implement this strategy for your business on a consistent basis.
Let's get to work!
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