A marketing funnel is a step-by-step journey that guides people from first hearing about a product to finally becoming a customer. Picture a real funnel: it’s wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. That’s exactly how this works—you start with a large number of people at the top, and a smaller number make it all the way through to a purchase.

Let’s break it down into three main stages:

1. Top of the Funnel (Awareness): This is where people first learn that your product or service exists. Think of someone seeing an ad, reading a blog post, or hearing about you on social media. They’re not ready to buy yet—they’re just getting familiar.

2. Middle of the Funnel (Consideration): Now that people know about you, they begin comparing options. Maybe they read reviews, download a free guide, or sign up for a newsletter. At this stage, you’re building trust and showing how your product solves their problem.

3. Bottom of the Funnel (Conversion): This is decision time. The person is ready to buy, and your job is to make the choice easy. That could be offering a discount, a free trial, or a clear guarantee. If all goes well, they become a customer!

For example, imagine you’re selling handmade candles. Someone sees your post on Instagram (awareness), clicks through to read about your eco-friendly wax (consideration), and finally orders a candle with a 10% discount (conversion).

Understanding the marketing funnel helps businesses focus their efforts—whether it’s creating great content for the top or crafting irresistible offers at the bottom.

As you grow, the funnel can become more detailed, but the idea stays the same: guide people step-by-step. In today’s digital world, mastering your marketing funnel is key to turning interest into loyal customers.