In the age of the dark funnel, potential customers make decisions about which companies they’ll consider for a product or service before ever reaching out to any of the candidates. If your marketing only appears during a product launch, seasonal promotion or quarterly campaign push, you are missing out on opportunities when potential customers are researching and vetting their options.
The dark funnel may sound like a sci-fi TV show or a new band. In today’s B2B landscape, it’s the hidden part of the buyer’s journey. It’s the part of the journey where your potential customers are deciding which products and services will be on their shortlist. These potential customers are ruling you in or out before a salesperson is ever engaged.
To be present when your potential customer is doing this research – gathering recommendations, looking at organic social media and talking with their peers – you must use marketing as your always-on sales support engine.
Effective digital marketing needs to always be on. You need to invest sufficient time, strategy and budget into continuously optimizing your business’ online present.
This approach creates a continuous presence across the customer journey with several methods that include:
Combining these tactics creates a connected system that helps move people through the full customer lifecycle.
Campaigns still matter. Product launches, trade shows, seasonal promotions and major announcements can create momentum. But always-on marketing gives those campaigns a stronger foundation.
Always-on marketing sounds simple in theory. But the continuous output of relevant educational content and engagement in critical niche industry communities is an ongoing marketing operations activity. Execution takes time and expertise. We’ve seen first-hand how small in-house marketing teams can feel like their just trying to keep their head above water. Swimming forward with speed and momentum requires the support of a team alongside you.
When you utilize a digital marketing agency that understands your business, including the complexities of your product, service, industry and sales cycle, you can gain access to a broader team of specialists without having to build every capability internally. An always-on digital marketing agency can help with:
The right agency can design and build a comprehensive customer journey that puts your human potential customers first – even when they’re in the dark funnel and unidentified. We can combine human skill with automations to create a comprehensive 24/7 journey that serves as your sales team before they’re ready to reach out. These continuous monitoring and mitigation strategies identify gaps, connect disconnected efforts and determine which marketing activities deserve more attention.
The dark funnel is the hidden portion of the B2B buyer’s journey. It’s the research that B2B influencers and decision makers conduct to decide who they will shortlist for a product or solutions. Potential buyers are often anonymous in this phase, and sales has no opportunity to engage with them. Always-on marketing exists to make B2B companies more visible and relevant for these potential customers.
Always-on marketing is a continuous approach to digital marketing that maintains visibility, engagement and optimization year-round.
Traditional marketing campaigns typically have a defined start and end date. Always-on marketing operates continuously in the background, creating consistent visibility and engagement.
Marketing automation helps businesses deliver relevant messages and experiences at scale. Automated workflows can nurture leads, trigger personalized communications, segment audiences and support customer engagement without requiring constant manual effort.
Consistent visibility helps businesses remain relevant when customers are researching solutions, comparing options or preparing to make a purchase. Regular interactions through content, email, social media and search can build trust over time and create more opportunities for meaningful engagement.
No. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from always-on marketing. Small and mid-sized organizations may start with a few core activities such as content marketing, email nurturing, SEO, AEO and GEO, before expanding into additional channels.
We offer a full suite of digital marketing solutions that work together. If you’re tired of managing multiple agencies and paying for overlapping initiatives, we can help!
We specialize in working with small to mid-market businesses to generate leads and revenue with online strategies.
Let’s look at what’s working in your marketing program – and what’s not. Then we’ll help you select the right marketing initiatives that will move the needle.
Get in touch and let’s have a discussion!
