Most brands build their marketing backwards.

They start at the top of the funnel, focusing on awareness through social posts and ads before they've established what they want people to do, feel, or believe at the end.

Flip the funnel. Start at the end. Then work backwards.

Here's why:

1. The end of the funnel clarifies the story.

Ask yourself:

• What do you ultimately want someone to do?
• What belief do they need to have before they take that action?

This is the destination your marketing media points to.

Without a clear call to action at the end of the funnel to communicate this, everything before it has nowhere to point and no way to convert impressions into actions.

2. Your mid-funnel content becomes purposeful.

Once the destination is clear, you know:

• What objections your content needs to overcome.
• What emotions you need to build.
• What proof points you need to show.
• Which stories create the most trust.

Mid-funnel assets—testimonials, brand videos, behind-the-scenes content—suddenly have direction. They're no longer random. They're leading somewhere.

3. The top of the funnel has something powerful to point to.

This is where most teams start... and why their ads underperform.

Top-of-funnel content shouldn't sell. It should invite.

But it can only invite effectively if:

• Your brand story is clear.
• Your message is aligned.
• Your mid- and bottom-funnel assets are strong.

Otherwise, you're pushing traffic to an empty room.

4. Working backwards gives every step a next step.

When you reverse-engineer your marketing:

• Every piece of content has a job.
• Every story has a purpose.
• Every viewer has a clear next step.

There's natural progression instead of disconnected posts and videos.

5. This is why story-driven video works so well.

A great brand film doesn't just "look good."

It aligns the entire funnel:

• Defines who you are.
• Builds trust.
• Reduces friction.
• Gives your audience something to believe in.
• Creates a clear action pathway.

It "ties it all together".

Want better marketing results? Start at the end.

Clarify the destination. Map the story backwards. Build the assets that support that story.

Do that, and your top-of-funnel suddenly clicks into place. If you are exploring creating any video marketing content, at any stage of the funnel, I highly recommend reaching out to the team at Pollen Productions. Pollen’s experts will be able to help from ideation to distribution.

How do you approach funnel strategy in your marketing?