Funnel
Also known as: Marketing funnel, Sales funnel, TOFU/MOFU/BOFU
Quick definition
A funnel is the multi-stage journey a prospect takes from first awareness of a brand to becoming a paying customer. The classic three-stage model: TOFU (top of funnel = awareness), MOFU (middle of funnel = consideration), BOFU (bottom of funnel = purchase decision). Different content types fit each stage.
What is a marketing funnel?
A funnel describes the staged journey a prospective customer takes from initial brand awareness to a purchasing decision. The classic three-stage model: TOFU (Top of Funnel = awareness; prospect first encounters your brand), MOFU (Middle of Funnel = consideration; prospect researches and evaluates), BOFU (Bottom of Funnel = decision; prospect ready to buy). The metaphor 'funnel' captures that prospects drop off at each stage — many people see your content (TOFU), fewer click through (MOFU), even fewer purchase (BOFU). The visual is a wide top narrowing to a point.
Some modern frameworks add stages — TOFU/MOFU/BOFU + Retention + Advocacy is common in SaaS. The B2B specific version often expands to: Awareness → Interest → Consideration → Intent → Evaluation → Purchase → Loyalty. The exact labels matter less than the underlying truth: prospects don't go from cold to purchasing in one touchpoint.
Social content per funnel stage
Different social formats fit different stages. TOFU (awareness) — viral content, broad-appeal Reels, trending audio remixes, shareable infographics. The goal is reach and brand awareness, not conversion. MOFU (consideration) — educational content, comparisons, frameworks, case studies, behind-the-scenes that build credibility. The goal is to be remembered as an option when the prospect is ready to consider purchases. BOFU (decision) — testimonials, demo videos, free trial CTAs, pricing breakdowns, retargeting ads. The goal is to convert ready-to-buy prospects.
Most accounts skew too heavily toward one stage. Pure TOFU (viral content only) builds audience but doesn't convert. Pure BOFU (sales pitches only) pushes everyone away. The sustainable mix is roughly 70/20/10 — 70% TOFU/MOFU mix for audience-building, 20% MOFU for consideration, 10% explicit BOFU for conversion.
Frequently asked questions
Where does email fit in the funnel?+
Email captures a prospect after TOFU (they signed up after seeing social content) and nurtures them through MOFU (educational sequences) and BOFU (offers). Email is one of the highest-ROI MOFU/BOFU channels because the audience is opt-in and addressable directly.
Should every social post have a CTA to the next funnel stage?+
No. Pure TOFU content shouldn't push to BOFU directly — that's pushing too hard, too soon, and audience fatigues. Most TOFU should optimize for awareness signals (saves, shares); a small fraction should explicit-CTA to MOFU (subscribe to newsletter, free guide).
How do I measure funnel performance from social?+
Three signals per stage. TOFU: reach, follower growth, brand-mention volume. MOFU: profile visits, link-in-bio clicks, email signups, content saves. BOFU: trial starts, purchases, conversion rate from social-attributed traffic. Track all three; weak top = no audience, weak bottom = bad offer or wrong audience.
Schedule TOFU + MOFU + BOFU content from one calendar
CodivUpload's calendar tags posts by content type — track funnel stage mix at a glance, ensure you don't tilt too heavy on any single stage.
Try the calendar dashboardRelated glossary terms