May 8, 2025 - A strong brand isn’t built through just a single ad or phone call.
It’s built across every step of the customer journey — from the moment a customer first hears your name to the second they decide to choose you over your competition. More often than not, that journey follows the marketing funnel.
But today’s funnel demands more touchpoints, faster trust and consistent branding every step of the way. If your brand isn’t present throughout the funnel, you’re missing chances to connect, nurture and convert curious prospects into dedicated customers.
Understanding the Marketing Funnel
The marketing funnel maps how a customer moves from complete stranger to loyal client. While the stages themselves haven’t changed, the way we reach customers in each one has evolved — and it now takes more than ever to move someone through the process.
The funnel is made up of the following three key stages:
Top of Funnel: Awareness
This is where first impressions count. Your customers may not be ready to act yet, so your job is to catch their attention and plant the seed.
Typical touchpoints may include:
- Facebook Ads
- Google search results
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
Middle of Funnel: Consideration
Once they know you, potential customers start comparing their options. This stage is all about building trust, providing value and positioning your brand as the obvious choice.
Typical touchpoints may include:
- Detailed landing pages
- Engaging social media posts
- Professional phone conversations (e.g., getting an insurance quote)
Bottom of Funnel: Conversion
Now that you’ve built more trust by this stage, your goal is to remove any objections to choosing your business (e.g., “it’s too expensive”) and make it easier for them to say yes.
Typical touchpoints may include:
- Follow-up emails
- Texts and voicemails
- Personalized based on audience behavior and demographics
How to Win at Each Stage of the Funnel
It often takes 6–8 or more branded interactions to move a customer through the funnel.
Keep in mind, each touchpoint matters — and each one should feel like a seamless, consistent extension of your brand. Let’s take a look at which steps your business can take in each stage.
Top of Funnel Steps You Can Take
Again, this is your chance to introduce your business to potential customers and make your first impression count.
What You Can Do:
- Launch targeted Facebook Ads focused on branding, not just selling
- Improve SEO with optimized content to ensure visibility in organic search and AI-driven results
- Keep local listings updated and accurate across platforms like Google and Yelp
- Encourage reviews to build early trust and social proof
Middle of Funnel Steps You Can Take
Here, it’s about delivering value and consistency. You’ve sparked interest — now you need to back it up.
What You Can Do:
- Create landing pages that clearly communicate your offerings, process and value
- Ensure phone reps are aligned with brand voice and consistent talking points
- Post social media content that answers common questions about your business
- Offer downloadable resources, FAQs or videos that further educate and reassure potential clients
Bottom of Funnel Steps You Can Take
This is your last opportunity to make or break the sale. The important thing to remember is you need to stay present, responsive and helpful without overwhelming your leads who are still on the verge of making a decision.
What You Can Do:
- Build structured follow-up campaigns that include email, text and voicemail
- Use behavior-based signals (like landing page visits or ad clicks) to trigger targeted outreach
- Offer limited-time incentives or reminders to create urgency
- Share content that addresses customer pain points
How Melon Local Helps You Reach Every Touchpoint
Some agencies might help you get seen once. But with Melon Local, we help you build a strategy that keeps your brand consistent across every stage of the funnel — from the first time a customer searches for your service to the moment they’re ready to commit.
We manage your paid ads, local SEO and social media to drive awareness, as well as sales-focused Melon University workshops to ensure your team can sell with confidence and purpose.
If you’re ready to reach the right customers at the right time, we’re here to ‘ex-seed’ your expectations.
Discover a fresher approach to digital marketing by scheduling a demo with Melon Local today!