TOFU, MOFU and BOFU are the three stages of the marketing funnel: awareness (Top of Funnel), consideration (Middle of Funnel) and decision (Bottom of Funnel). At each stage the customer needs different content and a different offer.
Most companies show one ad to the whole audience: "Get an ERP from us." For someone seeing you for the first time, that is too early. For someone who already knows you, it is too generic.
In short:
- TOFU — make the problem known, wide audience.
- MOFU — explain the solution, interested people.
- BOFU — push for a decision, warm leads.
TOFU: awareness
The goal is for people to learn about you and their problem. Formats: short videos, Reels, useful posts, articles. The offer is missing or very soft.
Example: "3 mistakes when calculating cost price in Excel" — a 30-second Reel.
MOFU: consideration
The goal is to explain the solution and show expertise. Formats: YouTube tutorials, VSL, podcasts, comparisons, seminars. Offer: a free lesson, an event, a tutorial.
Example: DeepVision's YouTube tutorials on implementing Odoo and calculating cost price.
BOFU: decision
The goal is to get the customer to decide. Formats: cases, success stories, content about price and process, customer reviews. Offer: a free audit, a demo, a consultation.
Example: the case "24 B2B sales with $1,124 in ads" and an offer of a free audit.
How is it used in strategy?
On every project, our PM and performance manager develop TOFU, MOFU and BOFU funnels in the strategy. SMM and performance then produce content based on those funnels and placements. The performance manager tests the funnels at the same time and splits the budget by which one brings sales.
Where do most people go wrong?
One mistake is working only with BOFU: every ad says "buy now." The warm audience runs out fast and the price goes up.
The second mistake is only TOFU: lots of views, lots of likes, no sales.
The right way is to have all three stages, with retargeting moving people from TOFU to BOFU. More here: Retargeting in B2B.
Conclusion
In short, give every customer stage its own content.
- TOFU — make the problem known.
- MOFU — explain the solution.
- BOFU — cases and an offer.
- Connect the stages with retargeting.
We build your funnel stage by stage — book a consultation.
About the author. Safarmurod Abduroziqov is the founder and CEO of AURA Digital: 6 years in marketing, 50+ IT projects, ~$1M in managed ad budget. Telegram · LinkedIn
Frequently asked questions
What is TOFU?
Top of Funnel is the upper part of the funnel: the stage where people get to know the problem and the brand.
What is MOFU?
Middle of Funnel is the stage where people consider solutions; tutorials, VSL and events work here.
What is BOFU?
Bottom of Funnel is the decision stage; cases, success stories and an offer of a free audit work here.
Does each stage need its own ad?
Yes. One ad for every stage is ineffective: each stage needs its own content and offer.