Do Marketing Funnels Work for Small or Local Businesses?
If you have looked into anything related to marketing in the last few years, then I am sure you have run across the term “marketing funnel”.

I am sure many of you have seen graphics similar to the one found above, however I wanted to get into the underlying factor involved with what makes funnels work and what will not make funnels work.
The internet is a tool used by billions of people. These billions of people use it for 2 different things:
- Satisfying a need
- Solving a problem
Every single action that people take fall into those two categories.
Streaming a TV show or Movie – Satisfying a need
Doing research for school – Solving a problem
Finding a new Car to Buy – Satisfying a need or solving a problem
Looking up the phone number for a company – Solving a problem
Finding directions to a restaurant – Satisfying a need and solving a problem
There are millions of variations, but at the end of the day they all fall into these two categories.

Marketing funnels don’t work if they are not satisfying a need or solving a problem.
No need to figure out the mathematical equations, the psychology behind what drives people to make decisions, or the analytics from one system compared to another system. It doesn’t matter.
What matters is understanding your client base and the needs they have or problems they face.
Next create a funnel that satisfies that need or solves that problem, and inevitably you WILL have a marketing funnel that works.
Marketing isn’t complicated if you understand it’s basic axioms.
Related Articles
Paid Advertising vs Search Engine Optimization
Last week we were speaking with a local business owner as he decided on his marketing budget. His local business is new in this area and he asked me where he should allocate more of his resources, “Digital Paid Advertising or Search Engine Optimization”? This is a...
New Small Business Marketing Essentials
New local businesses open daily. Actually 1,643 new businesses open each and every day and over 600,000 each and every year. New business owners are driven by passion to accomplish their dreams. They are driven by a need to succeed. This drive is what keeps most small...
How E-Commerce can Help Local Businesses
There is no doubt that this past year has wreaked havoc on local businesses. Local businesses have been looking for any solution to help them keep their business up and running and their staff employed. Local businesses generally rely on heavy foot traffic to keep...