According to a recent Forrester report by Brian Haven, The traditional marketing funnel is dead.  Why then, are so many marketers continuing to hang on to it?  The report suggests that they continue to do this because they can still measure it (somewhat) and that is reassuring to them – even if it no longer accurately reflects the true buying process.

Here’s an interesting visual to add to your next presentation of the marketing funnel “Then Vs. Now”

So, if reach and frequency are no longer the most effective means of measurement, then what is? That’s easy – Engagement.

Here’s what the report says on engagement:
Engagement goes beyond reach and frequency to measure people’s real feelings about brands. It starts with their own brand relationship and continues as they extend that relationship to other customers. As a customer’s participation with a brand deepens from site use and purchases (involvement and interaction) to affinity and championing (intimacy and influence), measuring and acting on engagement becomes more critical to understanding customers’ intentions. The four parts of engagement build on each other to make a holistic picture.

Here’s how engagement can be measured across those four parts

We talk more about the value of an Engaged Customer here.

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