A company’s marketing funnel is the framework of buying stages—from attraction to conversion—it creates for its prospects to follow. Through inbound marketing efforts, potential customers and clients may enter the funnel at any stage, and the paths they take through it may not move directly toward a sale.

Consumers often want more information before making a final purchase decision, and that means every stage of the funnel must function correctly and effectively to tempt prospects further into it and closer to conversion. Setting up such a system is not a one-and-done process; as customer needs change, so too must the storyline and calls to action a brand weaves around its offerings.

Here, members of Forbes Agency Council share 15 important things they would advise their clients to consider when revamping a marketing funnel.

Forbes Agency Council members share key priorities to keep in mind when revamping a marketing funnel.

1. Get Your Brand In Order First

The first thing a company needs to nail is its brand. Without a strong, authentic brand in place, fixing your sales funnel is like putting your cart before the horse. With a well-articulated brand at the head of your sales funnel efforts, everything will fall nicely into line—like carts hitched one to another. Try pushing all those carts from behind, and watch the chaos that ensues. - Kevin Moehlenkamp, Garrand Moehlenkamp

2. Ensure Seamlessness Between Marketing, Sales And Product Functions

Companies are thinking of new ways to manage, enhance or innovate their marketing funnel, but what most companies commonly overlook is ensuring seamlessness between the marketing, sales and product functions. If a customer has gone through the marketing channel and starts to talk to a sales rep, the experience is disconnected, and when they actually use the product there are even more disconnects. - Firdosh Tangri, Fantasy

3. Look At The Audience First

What are the audience’s interests, behaviors and channels they use most frequently? The more you know about your audience, the easier it is to create content that will resonate with them, especially if you publish on platforms where they frequently engage. - Townsend Belisle, Haystack Needle LLC

4. Look At Targeting And Messaging In Unison

Always look at the client’s targeting and messaging in unison. There is often a disconnect between a marketing campaign and the target persona being sold to, resulting in spray-and-pray tactics. Messaging is like dating—you have to get to know each other before you fully engage. When a client leans on overtly “salesy” messaging, the prospect zones out, and the marketing funnel suffers. - Natalie Nathanson, Magnetude Consulting

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5. Create A Customer Journey Roadmap Instead

When a client is looking to revamp their marketing funnel, I first tell them to stop thinking of their marketing from a funnel perspective. It’s too linear in its approach. If you examine your customers’ motivations and the behaviors they exhibit, you’ll get to a customer journey roadmap, which is far more effective for intersecting with their decision points until purchase. - Roger Hurni, Off Madison Ave

6. Focus On The Post-Purchase Part Of The Funnel

The post-purchase part of the funnel is often ignored. As customer acquisition costs continue to increase and the need for high-quality content along the rest of the funnel demands more time and budget, retaining customers becomes critical. In the current marketplace, customer retention is even more important than acquisition. Increasing a customer’s lifetime value is key to staying profitable. - Brandon Amoroso, electrIQ marketing

7. Assess Your Company’s Web Presence

Nearly every interaction a business has begins with a search engine inquiry. Therefore, it’s vital to curate the searcher’s experience favorably. Potential customers and investors will assess your website, any press or news, products and reviews during the vetting process. Use SEO tactics and quality content to be sure they find what they seek. - Evan Nison, NisonCo

8. Work Backward From An Audit Of Current Customers

It is important to start with an audit of the client’s current customers and work backward from there. The key questions should focus on how current clients found them and what has worked in the past. From here, you can analyze the marketing funnel to see where optimizations should occur. - James Ross, Hype Partners

9. Look At Your Website First

Does your website speak to your brand and expertise? Does the website provide the right information, in the right manner, for prospective clients to make a decision on whether to call or submit a contact form? That is the goal of any marketing funnel. - T. Maxwell, eMaximize

10. Take A Hard Look At The ROI Of Past Investments

The bottom line is always top of mind for us. We take a hard look at where past investments have been made and what the return on investment was. We also take a look to see what the competition has been doing. How can we position our client as a better choice or a better investment of customer resources? Once you set the difference, then you set the standard for a quality client and customer experience. - Robin Derryberry, Derryberry PR

11. Evaluate Sales, Spend And Performance Data

Evaluate sales, spend and performance data to quantify results. Most companies have site analytics and email, which can determine key levers and areas of opportunity from a marketing perspective. A more sophisticated audit would include a review of all facets of the acquisition path to see what’s working, as well as any gaps, volatility and inconsistencies in marketing strategy and spend. - Carm Lyman, Lyman Agency

12. Use Intent Data To Identify Down-Funnel Prospects

Study and understand the B2B decision makers you’re marketing to—their roles, pain points, interests and challenges. Today, those decision makers aren’t just one person. They’re an entire group within a company. Using intent data, you can improve marketing ROI by identifying buying groups who are relevant, down-funnel digital prospects—people who are in-market for your solutions now. - Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.

13. Assess The Technology Stack’s Operational Connectivity

It is important to assess a client’s technology stack to determine operational connectivity and efficiency to ensure they can execute their plans. Beyond developing a fantastic campaign or initiative, agencies can deliver better results for clients when they provide some guidance and advice on connecting technologies— APIs, for example—and apply that advice to make better decisions and adjustments to plans. - Crystal Sargent, Invested Advisors

This is your chance to drill into the core of your brand, and a big part of that is revisiting your buyer personas. Who are they? What do they typically do when seeking solutions such as yours? And how has that behavior changed over time? Know these journeys inside-out and put them to the test. The insight you gain will help you plot high-performing touch points at every stage of your new funnel. - Samantha Reynolds, ECHO Storytelling Agency

15. Get A Clear Understanding Of Business Goals

A marketing strategy is closely tied to business objectives. The first thing to do when working at revamping a marketing funnel is to get a clear understanding of a client’s business goals. Taking a look as well at business opportunities, challenges and the competitive environment will be key. Beyond creativity and a savvy plan of action, these fundamentals are essential to impactful outcomes. - Florence Giuly-Davis, PR Paradigm