When’s the Right Time to Capture Data?

Don’t be blind when trying to understand customer behavior.? ?Use the marketing funnel, which is the path of someone being converted from a visitor to a customer.???

But wait, I’m not from marketing.?

This does not only apply to selling goods in stores and online. ?This is also applicable to situations where you need to convince your audience to perform certain actions like registering for an event or signing up for a service.?

What’s the funnel and why is it important??

The marketing funnel is a visual representation of the customer’s journey. It is a series of stages that a customer goes through when interacting with your brand or your offer.?

The marketing funnel is called that way because it's like filling up a funnel-shaped container that helps to narrow down prospects as you go along.? This journey typically starts with awareness and ends with referral or advocacy.??

A marketing funnel is also called a marketing loop.? If you are successful in getting customers or attendees, the process will then loop from the final stage back to awareness.???

The marketing funnel is important because it shows you where your visitors or customers drop off in their journey. This data tells you where to improve your efforts.??

So, when is the right time to capture data??

The answer: the right time to do so is across the different levels of the funnel!? By capturing the right data at each stage of the funnel, you can gain insights into the response of your audience to your efforts.???

What are stages of the marketing funnel, and what should we measure??

There is more than one metric to consider at every stage of the marketing funnel.? What follows is just a brief snapshot!???

Remember that the same principles apply to non-digital scenarios where you need to convince your audience to perform certain actions.?

1. The stage: Awareness?

The magic question: How many did we reach??

The data you need: How many opened the email or the ad??

2. ?The stage: Consideration?

The magic question: How many times was the link clicked??

The data you need: Among those who opened the email or the ad, how many clicked the links inside??

3. ?The stage: Action?

The magic question: How many registrations did we generate????

The data you need: Among those who clicked links, how many registered or performed the intended action??

4) The stage: Loyalty?

The magic question:?How many registered users regularly use the app every week??

The data you need: Among the total users, how many are the weekly active users??

5) The stage: Advocacy?

The magic question: How many referrals did we get?? ?

The data you need: Among the new users, how many used referral codes??

The?funnel?is not industry-specific, and understanding the funnel enables you to optimize your efforts throughout the journey of your customer.? Non-marketers who are working on driving interest to lead to a successful outcome can also use this framework.???

Capture the data that matters most!?

In the past, marketing would be focused on just gaining and tracking awareness: how many people saw my TV, radio, newspaper or billboard ad? The traditional marketers’ view of the customer's journey is narrower. They can't pinpoint which of their efforts has had a direct impact on sales.? ??

With the right data, marketing can?be?tracked across different levels of the loop.? ?The digital marketers’ view?has much more context. Each of their marketing efforts’ effects on customer behavior can be tracked online, from views to repeat visits and purchases. With this visibility, the goal is to get?as many customers as possible?through this loop in the?most efficient manner. ??

The marketing funnel is just one of the topics in JG Summit DTO’s Digital Marketing 101 e-learning course.? With this beginner-friendly course, Gokongwei Group colleagues can arm themselves with the fundamentals of digital marketing and related concepts.

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