The Marketing Funnel is Dead 

The marketing funnel is dead.

There. I said it.

And yet, we're all still drawing it on whiteboards, building strategies around it, and teaching it like gospel. We've got awareness at the top, consideration in the middle, and purchase at the bottom, with a nice neat linear path connecting them all.

The only problem? That's not remotely how people actually buy things anymore.

Let me explain why the traditional marketing funnel is fundamentally broken, what's actually happening in the real world, and what we should be doing instead.

The Funnel We All Know (And Still Use)

If you've done any marketing training, read any marketing books, or sat through any marketing presentations in the last 50 years, you've seen the funnel:

1. Top of Funnel (TOFU): Awareness - getting people to know you exist
2. Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Consideration - nurturing interest and evaluation
3. Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Decision - converting them into customers

The theory is simple and appealing: Guide prospects through these stages in order, and they'll eventually buy from you. Marketing at each stage should move them to the next level.

It's logical. It's organised. It makes beautiful PowerPoint slides, but I hate to break it to you, it's also completely outdated.

How the Funnel Actually Worked (Past Tense)

To be fair, the marketing funnel wasn't always wrong. It actually made sense in a different era.

Back when marketing was primarily outbound and one-directional, the funnel model reflected reality:

• Companies controlled most of the information about their products
• Customers moved through predictable stages because they had limited ways to research
• The buying journey was relatively linear because there weren't many touchpoints
• Salespeople guided prospects through each stage

If you were selling in the 1980s or 1990s, the funnel probably described your customers' journey pretty accurately.

But then the internet happened. And social media happened. And smartphones happened. And suddenly everything changed.

Why the Funnel Doesn't Work Anymore

Let me walk you through what actually happens in 2025 when someone decides to buy something.

Scenario: Someone needs a marketing agency

Traditional funnel thinking says they should:

1. First become aware of your agency (top of funnel)
2. Then consider you among options (middle of funnel)
3. Then decide to hire you (bottom of funnel)

What actually happens

They're not thinking about marketing agencies at all. Then their website crashes during a busy period and they panic. They ask in a Facebook group for recommendations. Someone tags your agency and two others.

They look at all three websites simultaneously. They check your social media. They read Google reviews. They look at your LinkedIn profile. They check what previous clients said on your testimonials page. They watch a video you posted six months ago. They read a blog post you wrote. They look at your competitors' websites again.

Then they do nothing for three weeks.

Then they see your post on LinkedIn and remember they needed to sort this. They visit your website again. They fill out your contact form. You have a call. They ghost you for two weeks.

Then they see you've posted a case study that's exactly like their situation. They email you back immediately and book in.

Now tell me: Which stage of the funnel were they in?

The answer is: All of them. Simultaneously. In no particular order. Multiple times.

The Modern Customer Journey Looks Nothing Like a Funnel.

Here's what actually characterises how people buy today.

It's non-linear. People jump between awareness, consideration, and decision constantly. They might be ready to buy, then go back to research, then decide not to buy, then change their mind three months later.

It's omnichannel chaos. They're on your website, then Instagram, then Google, then asking friends, then back to your website, then checking reviews, then on LinkedIn. They're everywhere at once.

It's self-directed. According to research, B2B buyers are 57% through their decision-making process before they even contact a supplier. They're doing their own research, on their own timeline, without following your carefully planned funnel stages.

It's influenced by dozens of micro-moments. It's not three neat stages. It's 20+ tiny interactions that all contribute to whether they eventually buy. A single Instagram post might matter as much as your entire website.

It's circular, not linear. People loop back. They might be ready to buy, then see something that makes them reconsider, then research more, then come back months later.

Different people enter at different stages. Some people discover you when they're already ready to buy. Others discover you years before they need you. The funnel assumes everyone starts at the top, but that's just not true.

The Research That Proves the Funnel Is Broken

This isn't just my opinion based on anecdotal experience. The data backs this up.

Google's research on the "messy middle" shows that customers loop between exploration and evaluation repeatedly before making decisions. It's not a funnel, it's a loop they go through multiple times.

Gartner research found that B2B customers complete 83% of the buying journey before engaging with a sales representative. They're not being "funneled" anywhere they're educating themselves independently.

McKinsey's consumer decision journey research demonstrated that the traditional funnel model failed to capture the circular, ongoing nature of how people actually make decisions and remain customers.

The evidence is clear: The funnel model doesn't describe modern buyer behaviour.

What Replaced the Funnel (Whether We Like It or Not)

So if not a funnel, then what?

Several models have emerged that better reflect reality:

The Customer Journey Map: Less about stages and more about touchpoints. It acknowledges that customers interact with you across multiple channels and moments, not in a predictable sequence.

The Flywheel Model: Popularised by HubSpot, this sees customers in a continuous cycle where delighting existing customers attracts new ones. It's circular, not linear.

The "Always On" Model: This recognises that customers can be in multiple "stages" simultaneously and that your marketing needs to serve all stages all the time, not guide people through them.

The Messy Middle (Google): This explicitly shows customers looping between exploration and evaluation until they're ready to purchase, with no predictable timeline.

These models aren't perfect either, but they're closer to reality than the funnel.

What This Means for Your Marketing

If the funnel is dead, what should you actually do differently?

Stop Organising Everything by Funnel Stages

I see so many marketing strategies that say things like:

"Top of funnel: We'll post on social media for awareness"

"Middle of funnel: We'll send email nurture sequences"

"Bottom of funnel: We'll offer free consultations"

This assumes people will experience these in order. They won't.

Instead, recognise that someone might see your social post, immediately book a consultation, and never enter your email sequence. Or they might be on your email list for two years before they're ready to buy.

Your marketing should work regardless of what order people experience it.

Create Content for All "Stages" Simultaneously

Don't save your best content for "bottom of funnel only" thinking. Someone might encounter your most detailed case study first, and that might be what converts them.

Create a mix of content that serves different needs:

• Content that introduces who you are and what you do
• Content that demonstrates your expertise and builds trust
• Content that addresses objections and concerns
• Content that makes it easy to buy when they're ready

But don't organise it into "stages." Make it all accessible all the time.

Focus on Being Findable and Memorable

Since you can't control the path someone takes, focus on:

• Being there when they look: SEO, strong social presence, good reviews, showing up in the places your audience is
• Being memorable when they're not looking: Consistent posting, distinctive point of view, quality content that sticks in their mind
• The goal isn't to move people through stages. It's to be present and memorable across all the ways they might encounter you.
• Track Touchpoints, Not Stages

Instead of trying to categorise leads into "top of funnel" vs "bottom of funnel," track:

• What touchpoints led to a sale (it's usually multiple)
• How long the journey typically takes (it varies wildly)
• Which marketing pieces are most influential (it's rarely what you expect)
• Where people first discover you vs where they convert (often different)

This gives you real insight into how people actually find and choose you, rather than forcing behavior into artificial stages.

Optimise for the "Dark Social" Journey

Most of the customer journey happens in places you can't track:

• Private messages
• WhatsApp groups
• Face-to-face conversations
• Screenshots shared between friends
• Private Slack or Teams channels

People are researching you and talking about you in ways you'll never see in your analytics.

This means every piece of marketing should be your best work (you don't know what gets shared)

1. Make it easy for people to share your content
2. Encourage and showcase testimonials and referrals
3. Recognise that attribution is messy and imperfect
4. Stay Consistent Over Time

Since customer journeys are long, circular, and unpredictable, the only strategy that works is showing up consistently.

Someone might see your content for six months before they're ready to reach out. Or they might follow you for two years before they need your service.

The funnel model makes you think you can "move people through" quickly. The reality is that trust and timing determine when someone buys, and you can't rush either one.

The Mindset Shift Required

Moving beyond the funnel isn't just about tactics. It requires a fundamental mindset shift. 

From control to presence. You can't control the customer journey. You can only be present across it.

From linear to circular. People don't move through stages and done. They loop, revisit, and take unpredictable paths.

From stages to moments. Stop thinking in big chunks (awareness, consideration, decision) and start thinking in micro-moments (Instagram post, Google search, friend recommendation, review reading).

From guiding to supporting. You're not guiding prospects through your funnel. You're supporting customers through their own messy, non-linear journey.

From short-term to long-term. The funnel implies relatively quick movement. Reality is that relationships and trust build over months or years.

This is harder. It's messier. It doesn't make pretty diagrams.

But it's what actually works.

Why We're Still Clinging to the Funnel

If the funnel is so broken, why are we all still using it?

It's simple to explain. Try explaining the messy reality of modern customer journeys to a board or client. Then try showing them a funnel. The funnel wins every time because it's easier to understand.

It makes us feel in control. The funnel suggests we can engineer outcomes by moving people through stages. That feels better than admitting much of the customer journey is outside our control.

It's how we've always done it. Entire marketing teams, tools, and processes are built around funnel stages. Changing requires rethinking everything.

It's easier to measure. You can assign metrics to funnel stages. The messy reality is harder to measure and report on.

It justifies budgets. "We need budget for top of funnel awareness" is easier to sell than "we need to be consistently present across multiple touchpoints for an indeterminate period."

I get it. The funnel is convenient. But convenient doesn't mean accurate, and marketing based on an inaccurate model is expensive and ineffective.

What to Do Instead: Practical Steps

Okay, so how do you actually build a marketing strategy without the funnel? Here's what I recommend:

1. Map the actual customer journey for your business

• Talk to recent customers and ask:
• How did you first hear about us?
• What other touchpoints did you have before buying?
• What made you finally decide to purchase?
• How long was your journey?
• You'll probably find it's messier and longer than you thought.

2. Audit your content and touchpoints

• Look at everything you're putting out there:
• Does it work as someone's first impression of you?
• Does it build trust if they've seen you before?
• Does it address objections?
• Does it make buying easy when they're ready?
• You want content that serves multiple purposes, not just "awareness" or "conversion."

3. Focus on consistency over optimisation

Rather than optimising each funnel stage, focus on showing up consistently with quality content. This serves people no matter where they are in their journey.

4. Measure what actually matters by tracking

• How many quality conversations you're having
• How many of those convert
• What content/touchpoints people mention when they buy
• How long the typical journey takes
• Customer lifetime value (not just initial conversion)

5. Build for the long term

Accept that most people aren't ready to buy today. Your marketing should work for people who need you in six months or two years, not just this week.

The Bottom Line

The marketing funnel had a good run. It helped organise thinking and strategy for decades.

But it's 2025, and customers simply don't behave the way the funnel assumes they do anymore.

They research independently. They jump between stages. They take circular paths. They're influenced by dozens of touchpoints across months or years. They might be ready to buy immediately or need two years of trust-building first.

We can keep pretending the funnel works and force our strategies into outdated frameworks. Or we can acknowledge reality and build marketing that reflects how people actually discover, research, and buy.

The funnel is dead. Long live the messy, circular, unpredictable customer journey that we actually need to design for.

Ready to build marketing that reflects reality, not outdated models? Natterjack Marketing creates strategies based on how customers actually behave, not how textbooks say they should. Let's talk about your marketing approach.