How to secure wins across the conversion funnel

Jul 16, 2023

You’ve heard the terms ‘acquisition funnel’, ‘TOF / MOF / BOF’ thrown around but what does this acronym soup mean?  

15 years of running $XXM lead-gen programs later, I want to share some hard-won lessons about what works at every stage of the funnel in the lead-conversion journey.   

Top of the funnel (TOF)

Goal: Make target audience aware your brand exists and has relevance using highly scalable marketing tactics at a minimal cost per impression / view / click 

Activities: 

  • Ad buys in digital publications

  • social media ads

  • speaking sessions at conferences

  • TV ads, Radio ads, even Billboards (not relevant for series A / B) 

KPIs: Reach & frequency metrics – impressions, views, and clicks

Don’t: 

  • spend too high a % of marketing budget (zoom in on just your target audience)

  • expect these activities to generate leads use mass email or SMS marketing tactics yet

  • start without a campaign landing page  

  • Forget to implement Google tag manager (GTM) on your site & set up necessary tracking for every ad you run, metrics must inform marketing spend 

Middle of the funnel (MOF) 

Goal: Convert TOF lead awareness to consideration via opt in to email nurture or demo (depending on sales motion)

Activities: 

  • Distribute offers (free trial or sample)

  • Publish thought leadership (whitepaper or infographic)

  • Retarget site visitors & former customers via Google ads and on social media

  • Run email nurture sequences to opt ins from TOF, lapsed leads & customers

KPIs: Free trial signups, White paper downloads, email opens & clicks, site traffic from retargeting channels 

Avoid: 

  • Offers that seem desperate (e.g. cash for a demo), or unrelated to product

  • Starting without a CRM or contact database in place 

  • Sub-par experience for the trial, sample or whitepaper

  • Trying to ignore email marketing CAN-SPAM laws   

Bottom of the funnel (BOF)

Goal: Convert leads to customers by demonstrating product’s value and overcoming objections

KPIs: Lead to customer conversions, ARPU, time to close

Activities: 

  • Optimize the website (publish an explainer video, test on-site chat, update content & design)

  • Launch Sales email sequences

  • Send SMS messages with limited time offers

  • Distribute product one-sheets, customer stories & competitor feature comparisons

  • Run platform demos (consider interactive / clickable demos)

Don’t:

  • Use standard contact forms for demo signups. Make demo scheduling friction-less (e.g. embed MixMax, Calendly etc. on landing page)

  • Continue to contact leads if they don’t engage after several emails, calls or texts

  • Share Sales collateral that is not professionally designed 

CMOs and CEO reading this post, happy to chat live about your unique situation and how to leverage this playbook – it’s definitely not one size fits all but the general principles apply.


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©Mastermind 2025


Social

LinkedIn

NASBA ID: 137505

Encoursa is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: NASBAregistry.org.

NASBA ID: 137505

Encoursa is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: NASBAregistry.org.