How the marketing funnel has changed over the last 10 years

The downfall of the traditional funnel

I’m sure you’ve heard of the traditional marketing funnel? Top, middle and bottom. Cold, warm and hot.

For years, marketers have clung to the idea of this funnel.

But the truth is, that funnel no longer matches the way people actually buy. If you’re a Membership member you’ll know I talk about this a lot.

Consumers today don’t follow a tidy and linear path. They jump in and out. They find you on TikTok, forget about you, see an email three weeks later, read a review, compare you to three other brands, then maybe buy something…or sometimes they don’t. The old "top to bottom" model doesn’t cut it anymore.

Life is BUSY! And what’s more, consumption now looks totally different.

Things have changed, and your strategy needs to change with it.

So what’s different?

1. Attention is more fragmented than ever

People are bombarded with ads, content, platforms, updates, offers, and distractions. 

Everyone’s fighting for attention, and that means you have to work so much harder to cut through. You’re not just competing with other businesses now. You’re up against viral memes, influencer content, and the endless scroll.

2. Paid ads have shifted the funnel (and the costs)

This used to firmly live at the top of the funnel, your main tool for building awareness. But now? It’s everything. Top, middle, bottom, all rolled into one. That sounds great, but it’s also pushed up costs and if you’ve been running ads over the last few years you will 100% have witnessed this. The biggest shift has been with CPA (cost per acquisition). 

I’ve seen a lot of businesses relying too heavily on ads and they’ve recently had their fingers burnt.

Simply put, your marketing budget doesn’t go half as far as it used to.

3. Data is now more complex (i.e not always right…what is correct?)

We’ve seen the death of third party cookies and in depth tracking in general and this has meant that we’ve been pushed into a world where we’re making decisions based on approximations. 

It’s forcing us to go back to basics, understanding our customers on a deeper, more human level, rather than relying on algorithms to tell us what’s working. All the community building chat you hear - this is that.

Brand awareness is what you should be building, it’s no longer enough to throw money at ads and expect the return. Everything needs to be aligned and doing the lifting together.

4. Omnichannel is the norm, and it needs to be seamless.

Customers now expect your brand to be consistent whether they find you on Instagram, your website, TikTok,or wherever. If your tone, offers, or user experience are jarring between platforms, it creates friction. And in a crowded market, friction is fatal.

I see this time and time again. Your customer needs to feel like they’ve not left one platform. And this consistency also helps build brand awareness from everything from your chosen font to your language and general vibe.

So what should you be doing?

So, if the funnel is dead, what’s next?

The smartest brands are ditching the idea of trying to convert everyone, and instead doubling down on converting and nurturing their superfans.

Superfan marketing is all about focusing your energy on the people who are already obsessed with your brand or who have the potential to be. These are your high intent, high value, emotionally invested customers, and they’re the ones who are going to drive your business forward.

This is basically retention but hyper focussed. Not only do they shop with you more than once but they will also provide brand awareness as they go about their business mentioning your business.

Here’s how to push hard with your marketing right now…

Think of it less like pushing people down a funnel and more like fueling a cycle of loyal, high value customers.

1. Segment and prioritise superfans - they need attention.

Prioritise the 20% who love you, spend with you, and tell other people about you. You don’t need to create generic journeys for everyone. Instead, build a highly tailored experience that makes your superfans feel seen, heard, and valued.

This is how you create high spend, high impact customers who stick with you for the long term.

• Think about how you speak to them in your email flows

• Tailor ads to attract their comments

• Reference them in your content like they’re a special group of people that others want to join in with - these are your whatsapp group chat people so think of them as that.

2. Break down the silos between data, media, and tech

Your insights, media strategy, and tech tools need to be working together, not in isolation. Data should inform your content and media planning, while your tech stack should support smooth execution across every channel.

But don’t stop there. Keep optimising. Review your approach in real time, test and tweak, and use feedback to get sharper.

3. Stop wasting time on the wrong customers

It’s time to challenge that old belief that “every customer has value.” Truth is, not all customers are worth the effort. The middle 80%, the ones who buy once, maybe twice, but aren’t really invested, they’re draining your time and budget.

Yes you need to still consider them and they’ll drive a whole load of revenue but the ones obsessed with your brand, they’re the ones who will shout about you online, share your content, and come back again and again. That’s where the real growth lives.

And why?

It’s not going to the brands with the loudest ads or the biggest funnels who prosper. It’s going to the ones who truly understand their audience, build community, and invest in long term loyalty.

And loyalty is really hard to build, don’t take it for granted. 

This new way of marketing isn’t just about shifting platforms or tweaking creative. It’s about a total mindset shift. It's not about reaching everyone, it's about reaching the right people, in the right way, at the right time.

The funnel isn’t totally gone… but it’s definitely not the tidy, reliable system it once was. The brands winning today are the ones adapting to how people really shop, connect, and engage. 

They’re building loyalty from the start, cutting through the noise with clarity, and refusing to waste energy on people who were never that interested in the first place.

That’s why follower counts and likes on posts aren’t as important. Consumption is happening every second and we don’t feel the need to show it as much anymore. We’re bombarded with ads, messaging and storytelling - it’s a lot.

So try and build something better, something designed for real humans, real loyalty, and real growth. It really does pay off.