Marketing & Branding with Stefan Maritz 🎯

TLDR: The awareness funnel framework

Inactive (70%):

• Objective: Create problem awareness

• Tactics: Thought leadership, industry reports, broad reach content

• Focus: Only after optimizing later funnel stages

Problem Aware (15%):

• Objective: Validate pain points, quantify costs

• Tactics: Diagnostic content, cost calculators, educational webinars

• Focus: Build credibility as problem expert, not solution provider

Solution Curious (10%):

• Objective: Educate on solution categories

• Tactics: Comparison guides, ROI frameworks, downloadable resources

• Focus: Position solution approach, not specific product

Solution Seeking (5%):

• Objective: Secure position in consideration set

• Tactics: Product demos, case studies, competitive comparisons

• Focus: Differentiate from competitors, address objections

Actively Buying (3%):

• Objective: Remove purchase barriers

• Tactics: Clear pricing, implementation roadmaps, ROI tracking

• Focus: Reinforce decision confidence, facilitate smooth buying

The marketing funnel has evolved. Gone are the days when we could simply blast messages at prospects and expect them to convert. Today's buyers move through distinct awareness stages, each requiring specific marketing approaches.

This framework isn't just theory to me - it's how I fundamentally approach marketing. After years of watching brands chase the same 3% of in-market buyers while neglecting the vast majority of potential customers, I've built my entire content and distribution strategy around this awareness model. I've seen firsthand how brands waste resources fighting for attention at the bottom of the funnel while ignoring the tremendous opportunity to shape perception throughout the journey.

When I develop content strategies, I obsessively map assets to awareness stages, ensuring we're creating the right content for each step of the buyer's journey. When planning distribution, I align channels with intent signals, recognizing that different awareness stages require fundamentally different approaches.

This article explores these stages through the journey of Sarah, a (fictional) CMO looking to implement a new AI tool for her marketing team.

The unaware/inactive segment: The silent majority

Most of your potential market exists here - blissfully unaware they have a problem your solution could solve. Sarah, our CMO, is running marketing operations with traditional analytics tools. Her team produces decent results, but they're spending countless hours on manual data analysis and campaign optimization.

Sarah doesn't realize there's a problem. Her current processes seem normal because they're all she knows. She's not actively looking for AI solutions because she hasn't identified the inefficiency in her current approach.

Marketing objectives for the inactive segment

This segment represents approximately 70% of your potential market. The key objective here is simple awareness - making prospects conscious that a problem exists. However, this segment should be approached strategically:

• (Important) Focus resources here only after you've optimized for later funnel stages

• Build brand recognition through broad-reach tactics

• Plant seeds of doubt about current processes

• Highlight industry trends that suggest change is coming

Tactical approaches

For Sarah, this might look like:

• Industry reports highlighting how AI is transforming marketing analytics

• Thought leadership content about time spent on manual optimization

• Benchmark studies showing performance gaps between AI-powered and traditional marketing teams

• Provocative social media content questioning the status quo

Remember: The goal isn't to sell but to create awareness of a potential problem. Success means moving Sarah to the next stage, not generating immediate sales.

The problem-aware stage: Recognition without direction

One day, Sarah notices her team is consistently missing deadlines for campaign analysis. A competitor launches a remarkably targeted campaign that outperforms anything her team has produced. During a budget review, she realizes her team spends 30% of their time on manual data analysis.

Sarah has become problem-aware. She recognizes the inefficiency but hasn't started seeking solutions.

Marketing objectives for problem-aware prospects

This segment (approximately 15% of your market) recognizes pain but needs education about its implications. Your objectives:

• Validate and articulate the problem better than prospects can themselves

• Quantify the cost of inaction

• Build credibility as a problem expert (not yet a solution provider)

• Create an emotional connection through shared understanding

Tactical approaches

For Sarah, effective tactics include:

• Diagnostic content: "5 Signs Your Marketing Analytics Process Is Holding You Back"

• Cost calculators: "How Much Is Manual Data Analysis Costing Your Team?"

• Peer stories: Case studies focusing on the problem, not solutions

• Educational webinars about the changing marketing analytics landscape

• Email sequences that progressively explore problem dimensions

The cardinal rule: Don't pitch your solution yet. Sarah isn't ready. She needs to fully understand her problem before considering solutions. Pushing products now will likely backfire, positioning you as just another vendor rather than a trusted advisor.

The solution curious stage: Initial exploration

After several weeks of growing frustration with her team's analytics limitations, Sarah begins casual research. She reads a few articles about marketing AI, attends a webinar on automation, and asks peers about their analytics processes.

She's solution curious - wondering if this problem is worth solving but not yet committed to change.

Marketing objectives for solution-curious prospects

This segment (roughly 10% of your market) is beginning to explore options without deep commitment. Your objectives:

• Educate on solution categories, not specific products

• Provide frameworks for evaluating approaches

• Establish solution criteria

• Position your solution category as optimal (without explicitly selling your product)

• Capture contact information for nurturing

Tactical approaches

For Sarah, this might include:

• Comparison guides: "AI vs. Traditional Analytics: Understanding Your Options"

• ROI frameworks: "Calculating the Return on Marketing Analytics Investment"

• Solution-focused webinars from people she trusts and follows with minimal product mention

• Downloadable resources addressing how to solve her issues

• Case studies that emphasize the approach rather than specific tools

Sarah downloads your white paper on "The Future of AI in Marketing Analytics" and attends your webinar on "Transforming Marketing Efficiency Through Automation." She's now on your nurture list, receiving educational content that gradually introduces solution concepts.

The key is patience. Sarah is evaluating whether any solution is worth pursuing, not which specific vendor to choose. Pushing your product too aggressively will position you as self-interested rather than helpful.

The solution-seeking stage: Active evaluation

Three months later, after continued frustration and increasing pressure to improve marketing efficiency, Sarah secures budget approval to explore AI marketing tools. She's now actively researching vendors, reading comparison articles, talking to ChatGPT, watching demo videos, and creating a shortlist.

Sarah has entered the solution-seeking stage - she's committed to solving her problem and is evaluating specific options.

Marketing objectives for solution-seeking prospects

This segment (approximately 5% of your market) is actively comparing specific solutions. Your objectives:

• Secure position in the consideration set

• Differentiate from competitors

• Provide detailed product information

• Address objections proactively

• Facilitate evaluation with trials/demos

• Build relationships with buying committee members

Tactical approaches

For Sarah, effective tactics include:

• Competitive comparison pages highlighting your unique advantages

• Detailed case studies with specific results and implementation details

• Product demonstration videos and interactive tours

• Free trials or limited-scope implementations

• Technical documentation and integration information

• FAQs answers

• Addressing critical dealbreakers

• Customer testimonials addressing common concerns

• Sales outreach offering personalized consultation

Sarah signs up for your free trial, schedules a demo with your sales team, and adds you to her shortlist of three vendors. She's comparing features, pricing, implementation requirements, and support options.

This stage requires balance - providing enough information for evaluation without overwhelming prospects. Your content should address both rational needs (features, specifications) and emotional concerns (risk, change management).

If you haven't established a presence in earlier funnel stages, winning here becomes exponentially harder - or even impossible. Sarah will likely choose from vendors she's already familiar with and come to trust over the past 7-12 months.

The actively buying stage: Decision and implementation

After thorough evaluation, Sarah narrows her choice to two vendors. She negotiates pricing, reviews contracts, secures final approvals, and ultimately selects a solution. She's now actively buying - committed to a specific path forward.

Marketing objectives for actively buying prospects

This tiny segment (just 3% of your market) is finalizing their purchase decision. Your objectives:

• Remove final purchase barriers

• Reinforce decision confidence

• Facilitate smooth buying process

• Begin relationship building for implementation

• Set expectations for success

• MEET THOSE EXPECTATIONS

Tactical approaches

For Sarah, this includes:

• Clear, transparent pricing information

• Simplified contract processes

• Implementation roadmaps and timelines

• Introduction to customer success team

• Quick-start guides and resources

• ROI tracking frameworks

• Executive summaries for final approvals

• Hands-on support

Sarah selects your solution based on the relationship built throughout her journey, your product's alignment with her needs, and your team's demonstrated expertise. The sale closes not because of last-minute tactics but because of the foundation built across her entire awareness journey.

The fatal flaw in most marketing approaches

Many companies invest disproportionately in the first or the last stage - pouring resources into top-funnel nonsense like "What is an LLM" when the rest of the funnel is not sorted, OR into demand capture tactics like search ads, retargeting, and sales enablement. They compete fiercely for the 3% of prospects ready to buy while ignoring the 97% who aren't there yet.

This approach fails for two reasons:

1. It creates brutal competition for a tiny segment of the market

2. It ignores the reality that most buying decisions are largely determined before the active buying stage

By the time Sarah reached the decision stage, she had already developed trust with vendors who helped her through earlier awareness stages. Companies that appeared only at the end faced an uphill battle regardless of their product quality.

Building a full-funnel strategy

Effective marketing requires presence across the entire awareness spectrum:

1. Map content to awareness stages: Develop assets specifically designed for each level of awareness

2. Align channels with intent: Use broad reach for unaware prospects, targeted approaches for solution seekers

3. Measure appropriate metrics: Early funnel success isn't measured in conversions but in engagement and progression

4. Sequence messaging logically: Ensure communications match prospect awareness level

5. Balance resource allocation: Invest across the funnel with emphasis on stages most neglected by competitors

For Sarah's journey, this meant encountering the same vendor through thought leadership (unaware), problem validation (problem aware), educational resources (solution curious), detailed product information (solution seeking), and finally, purchase facilitation (actively buying).

Practical implementation for marketers

To implement this approach:

1. Audit your current content: Categorize existing assets by awareness stage, identifying gaps

2. Develop buyer personas by awareness level: Understand how needs evolve through the journey

3. Create stage-specific KPIs: Measure success appropriately for each funnel section

4. Build progression pathways: Design content journeys that move prospects through awareness stages

5. Align sales and marketing: Ensure consistent messaging across all customer touchpoints

Conclusion: The patient marketer wins the race

The awareness funnel isn't just a theoretical model - it's a reflection of how real buyers make decisions. Sarah didn't wake up one day deciding to purchase an AI marketing tool. She progressed through distinct awareness stages, each requiring different information and approaches.

Marketers who understand and respect this journey gain a tremendous advantage. They build relationships when competitors are invisible. They establish trust when others are merely pitching products. They become advisors rather than vendors.

The patient marketer who nurtures prospects through their entire awareness journey will inevitably outperform those focused solely on capturing demand at the bottom of the funnel.

The question isn't whether you can afford to market across the entire awareness spectrum. It's whether you can afford not to.