By Gecko Studio · updated October 2026
Imagine how easy a salesperson's life would be if every visitor to your website bought something on the first visit, without working their way through a sales funnel. In reality it is rarely that simple. A buyer typically looks at three to five pieces of content before deciding to purchase.
Finding the right type of content to answer every question a visitor has, until they become a genuine lead, is hard enough that most businesses lose their way when choosing what to publish. They are not sure how content marketing works, and they end up asking questions such as:
- How many blog posts should we write?
- How often should we publish?
- How often should we post on social media?
- What share of our budget should go on content?
- Do we really need white papers and ebooks?
What these businesses miss is that it is not only about budget or posting frequency: what matters is doing it properly. Below we explain how to choose the right content for the middle of the sales funnel, but first, a quick definition.
What is a content marketing funnel?
A content marketing funnel takes a number of potential customers through a flow of content and turns them into paying customers. At the top of the funnel people discover who you are. As they move down, the funnel narrows and the buyer decides whether your product or service is the right one. At the bottom, the prospect becomes a customer.
The question every business owner asks is: which type of content belongs at each stage? In this article we focus on the middle of the funnel. We think it is the most important stage, because it is where the buyer decides whether to stay with you or go to a competitor.
At Gecko Studio we are fascinated by how content marketing, a well-planned sales funnel and a carefully mapped customer journey can lift sales.
Content for the middle of the sales funnel
Once you have attracted prospects to your brand, you need to keep them engaged. For buyers, trust matters as much as quality, if not more. If you do not build a good relationship with them, you give up a lot of repeat revenue.
Here are the content formats that help keep your audience engaged and confident in your brand.
Blog posts
Once buyers have decided your product or service could be useful to them, the best way to keep that trust is to offer free content. Well-written articles on a blog that answer their most common questions are the key. For more on this, see why create a business blog and how to create valuable content.
Social media
But how will people find your blog posts? That is where social media comes in. It is the quickest and most reliable way both to attract new customers and to keep the attention of those who already know you. A social media strategy means keeping all your business accounts up to date, maintaining a strong presence and replying to followers when needed.
White papers
Sometimes a blog post is not enough and you need to go into more detail on a subject to show your expertise. When a visitor is willing to swap their email address for a long-form document, they are at a vital point in your funnel.
Case studies
Case studies are a good way to build authority and show deep knowledge of your field. They are usually used in sales presentations or as downloads, and above all they speed up decisions in B2B sales. Use them to give prospects plenty of information and show them what you can do for them.
Webinars
Video is taking over, and webinars take it a step further. They are not just recorded videos explaining something: a webinar is a live session where your audience can interact with you and ask questions.
Most marketers include webinars in their content strategy. They are one of the best ways to engage buyers and encourage them to commit, by demonstrating what you know.
The content marketing formula is clear: without content (or with poor content) there is no audience, and without an audience there is nobody to sell to.
Ratings and reviews
Use reviews to inform your audience about your products. Make sure your customers' reviews are positive by giving them good service. Every review goes straight to the mind of the next buyer, shows the problems they face and tells you what to do to make your content more appealing.
Ebooks
In a world where content is king, ebooks stand out as a highly effective content marketing tool. They are not about producing page after page of text, but about creating complete guides that go deep into specific topics your audience cares about.
Ebooks give you a chance to show your expertise and build credibility in your field. They are ideal for guiding prospects through the middle of the funnel, where detailed information can be the nudge that takes them from consideration to purchase.
Email is still the king of ROI and the best way to push prospects towards a purchase at the bottom of the funnel. The best thing about email is that you can automate it and segment it by objective: from a welcome email that creates a good impression after someone signs up, to an offer sent to someone who has visited your site several times without buying. If you collect email addresses, make sure you do it properly: see permission marketing.
The end goal is not simply more sales or better metrics (although both matter). It is to shape your content funnel so that your customers take care of the hardest part of marketing for you: referrals.
Start with the questions your sales team already hears
The middle of the funnel usually goes without content for a simple reason: nobody knows what to ask a buyer who already knows your brand but has not yet decided. The most reliable source is not a tool. It is your own sales team.
Before planning a single article, spend a few weeks collecting the real questions that come up in calls, emails and messages. They nearly always repeat, and they are nearly always the ones that stall the decision:
- "How are you different from...?" This calls for an honest comparison that also says who you are not the best option for.
- "How much does this cost?" Even if you do not give a fixed price, content explaining what the cost depends on saves dozens of conversations.
- "What if it goes wrong?" Guarantees, timescales, what happens in the worst case. It is the content people write least and the one that unblocks the most.
- "Have others like me tried it?" Specific cases, with sector and result, work better than adjectives.
A common mistake is choosing the format before the question: deciding you need an ebook and then looking for a topic. It works the other way round. First the doubt, then the format that resolves it best: sometimes a guide, sometimes a comparison table, sometimes a page of well-answered questions.
One last check: every piece at this stage should end with a clear, small next step, such as booking a diagnostic call, not a "buy now". Someone in the middle of the funnel is still comparing, and pushing too hard usually drives them away.
Every business can benefit from a well-planned content funnel. It is up to you to find out what will resonate most with your audience. If you would like our help working that out, get in touch with our team. You can also see how our content marketing agency works.