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Your Conversion Rate Optimization is Failing: Why Fixing the Middle of the Funnel is the Key to Growth

November 4, 2024 Brandi Starr

If you’re pouring money into lead generation but still falling short of revenue targets, your conversion rates are likely to blame. And here’s the hard truth: you’re probably overlooking the most critical part of the funnel—the middle. 

CMOs spend millions driving leads at the top and closing deals at the bottom, but what happens in the middle is where real growth happens. Companies that optimize their middle of the funnel (MoFu) see 30% bigger deal sizes and can shorten their sales cycle by up to 20%. One of our clients even increased revenue by 176% without adding more leads​. 

Neglecting your MoFu is more than a missed opportunity—it’s actively costing you money. 

The Middle of the Funnel: The Missing Link in Your CRO Strategy 

Most marketing strategies focus on attracting leads at the top of the funnel (ToFu) and converting them at the bottom (BoFu). But the middle is where leads go from curiosity to readiness, and it’s the most critical stage for increasing conversion rates. Without an optimized MoFu, your top-of-funnel spend is wasted, and your sales team is overwhelmed with leads that aren’t ready. 

Here’s the kicker: If your MoFu isn’t optimized, your entire CRO strategy is broken. 

Quick Wins to Boost MoFu Conversion Rates 

  1. Segment and Personalize Email Nurtures 
    The days of generic email blasts are long gone. Segment your audience based on behaviors and target your nurture campaigns accordingly. One client saw a 50% upsell conversion increase by simply personalizing email content based on customer challenges. The ROI from segmentation alone is too big to ignore. 

  1. Use Behavior-Driven Messaging 
    Leads show you what they’re interested in through their actions—what they click, what they download, where they spend time on your site. Use these behavioral cues to guide your messaging, ensuring you stay relevant at every stage of the funnel. 

  1. Track Micro-Conversions 
    It’s not just about MQLs anymore. Start tracking smaller actions like content downloads, webinar sign-ups, or engagement with key touchpoints. These micro-conversions give you real-time feedback on how leads are warming up and where they drop off. Optimizing these smaller steps improves overall conversion rates​​. 

Your MoFu is a Revenue Leak—Here’s How to Fix It 

Failing to invest in your MoFu doesn’t just stall growth—it leaks revenue. One client spent over $1 million on top-of-funnel activities in 2022 but saw stagnant results. In 2023, we optimized their MoFu, and despite having fewer new leads, they generated 176% more revenue​. 

What changed? We built a MoFu engine that funneled leads through personalized, behavior-driven campaigns that aligned with their readiness to buy. This created more qualified opportunities for sales and maximized the ROI of their existing lead gen spend. 

Without a robust MoFu, you’re left with two outcomes: wasted top-of-funnel investments and a sales team frustrated with unqualified leads. 

Building a Scalable MoFu Engine for Predictable Growth 

The key to predictable, scalable growth isn’t just more leads—it’s an optimized MoFu engine. Here’s how you build one: 

  • Start with Clean Data: If your data is siloed or inconsistent, no automation tool will save you. A clean, centralized data set is the foundation for a strong MoFu engine​. 

  • Orchestrate Behavior-Driven Campaigns: Use behavioral triggers to personalize email nurtures, content, and messaging at scale. Your goal? Get leads to engage meaningfully based on where they are in their buyer journey​. 

  • Measure and Iterate: Track every conversion point—from initial engagement to sales-ready opportunities. Use that data to inform top-of-funnel tactics and optimize the entire funnel. 

Your MoFu needs to be just as measurable and scalable as your demand-gen efforts. 

The Cost of Doing Nothing 

Underinvesting in your middle of the funnel is like pouring leads into a leaky bucket. You spend more at the top, but without an optimized MoFu, you’ll never get the revenue results you’re after. 

What’s worse is that failing to fix this now could set you back significantly. When your MoFu isn’t working, it dilutes your top-of-funnel investments and leaves your sales team struggling with unqualified leads. This creates a ripple effect: lower close rates, slower sales cycles, and declining ROI. 

The Action You Need to Take Right Now 

Don’t wait until next quarter to address your MoFu problems. Spend 30 minutes this week pulling your conversion data. If you can’t clearly track how leads are progressing from curiosity to readiness, you have a broken middle. 

And if you need help, let’s talk. We can help you build a scalable, predictable MoFu engine that boosts your conversion rates and drives real revenue growth. 

Source

About the Author

Brandi Starr

Brandi Starr is a marketing powerhouse with over 20 years of experience shaking up B2B and B2B2C companies. As COO at Tegrita, a consultancy that unlocks the power of email, she's all about transforming processes, enhancing go-to-market strategies, and ensuring smooth customer experiences. Named one of the Top 50 Women in MarTech, Brandi blends strategic vision with operational savvy. She's also the co-author of "CMO to CRO" and the host of the Revenue Rehab podcast, known for turning ideas into action and inspiring others in the marketing world.

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