Glossary

Marketing funnel (conversion funnel)

The marketing funnel (conversion funnel) is a sequential model describing the stages a prospect moves through from brand discovery to purchase and then to loyalty, typically structured as awareness → interest → consideration → conversion → retention.

Also known as

  • funnel
  • conversion funnel
  • sales funnel
  • conversion tunnel
  • marketing funnel

The classic TOFU/MOFU/BOFU model (Top / Middle / Bottom of Funnel) remains the dominant framework: TOFU targets visibility (content marketing, SEO, organic social), MOFU targets education (webinars, whitepapers, comparisons), BOFU targets conversion (demos, free trials, offers). Each stage has its own measurable conversion rate — funnel health is diagnosed by the **drop-offs** between stages.

2026 developments: the linear model is increasingly challenged by the **dark funnel** (prospects form their opinion on Reddit, ChatGPT, LinkedIn without leaving any attributable trace before arriving directly on the site with an already mature intent). In B2B, 70-80% of the buying journey happens before the first sales contact (Gartner). The implication: brands must invest heavily in TOFU (content, AEO, social) to be present in the dark funnel and be recalled at decision time.

In the getchatsocial.com product

getchatsocial.com primarily covers TOFU and BOFU: TOFU through social and SEO content generation (visibility), BOFU through personalized outreach on high-intent leads (`detect_intent_signals`, `generate_outreach_message`).

FAQ

  • What is the dark funnel?

    The dark funnel describes the portion of the buying journey where prospects form their view through non-attributable channels (Reddit, ChatGPT, LinkedIn lurking, podcasts, Slack communities). In B2B, 70-80% of the decision happens there, before any measurable sales contact.

  • What does TOFU MOFU BOFU mean?

    Top of Funnel (visibility, content marketing), Middle of Funnel (education, comparisons, webinars), Bottom of Funnel (conversion, demos, offers). This is the dominant framework for structuring a B2B content strategy.