What Is TOFU?

TOFU is a marketing acronym for “top of the funnel.”  It is the first stage in the marketing framework, known as the marketing or sales funnel, which represents the customer’s journey to making a purchase decision.

Prospects at the top of the funnel are at the beginning of their buyer’s journey. 

At this stage, the prospect knows they have a problem and need a solution but is unaware of the solution they need or the brand that offers it. 

Here, marketers try to create awareness and attract attention to their brands or products. 

They position themselves as industry authorities, providing valuable information relevant to the needs of TOFU prospects to make them interested in knowing more about the solutions. 

The information becomes their first contact with a marketer’s brand, and if they’re interested in learning more, they go further down the marketing funnel into the middle of the funnel.

Marketers don’t attempt to sell to their prospects at the TOFU stage of the buyer’s journey. Instead, they nurture the prospects by providing educational and informational content that answers their most dominant questions and gives them insights to understand their problems better. 

Content for TOFU Marketing

TOFU content includes blog posts, infographics, social media posts, videos, e-books, and whitepapers.

After the TOFU in the marketing framework is the middle of the funnel (MOFU) and bottom of the funnel (BOFU), which describes the points when the customers are aware of brands that offer the solutions they want and when they’re making comparisons to choose the most suitable option for their needs.

Metrics to Assess Top of Funnel Success

The metrics for measuring the success rate of TOFU strategies and content include:

  • Bounce rate 
  • Time on page
  • Clickthrough rate (CTR)
  • Lead generation
  • Social media followers, etc.

Creating high-quality, search engine optimized top of funnel content is an art. A good content marketing agency can help you quickly fill your TOFU content for optimal results.