Recruit vs Retain - An Alternative to the Marketing 'Funnel'

Recruit, retain, resell
an alternative to the marketing funnel

Does the phrase Marketing Funnel make you cringe just a little bit? I know that logically it makes sense and all that, but I feel like it’s sometimes seen as a bit of a barrier for non-marketing folk. I’ve found it gets thrown into the ‘marketing jargon’ basket quite often.

Here’s a much simpler way of looking at it: When you’re marketing, broadly speaking you are communicating in 3 ways: Those who you are trying to Recruit, those who you are wanting to Retain, and those who you are going to Resell to.

The ones you are recruiting are those who don’t know who you are and you’re trying to get on their radar. You get in front of them with the aim of some sort of engagement from them so you can then continue the conversation and nurture them towards a sale. You are generating brand awareness amongst new audiences.

Then there’s those who are aware of you already - perhaps they’ve not purchased but have engaged with your brand in some way previously - even something as simple as liking an Instagram post, or something more meaningful like being referred by one of your existing customers.

These are the ones you’re trying to retain so that when they are ready to buy, you’re top of mind, considered the best in your industry and likely to get the sale (or at least an enquiry/quote request, if you’re a service business).

Then there’s resell, which is marketing to your existing and previous customers. Those who have experienced your business, follow your social accounts, are on your email list or have regular contact with you in the real world. You’re their go-to for whatever product or service you sell but you need to stay top of mind.

There is of course crossover between them at various points, just as there is a lot of bouncing around in a traditional marketing funnel.

The Recruit, Retain, Resell model is a simpler way of thinking about how you can take prospects on a marketing journey with your brand and nurture them towards a sale, then continue selling to them in future.