The marketing funnel is great, if you ask me. It has a purpose that still holds today, despite what naysayers like to proclaim on LinkedIn. The funnel isn’t dead. But admittedly, it isn’t the easiest marketing framework to put into practice, especially as a small business or solo contractor. The marketing funnel considers all the touchpoints and channels that would-be customers engage with on their buying journey. Given the vast marketing landscape we operate in today, there might be hundreds of touchpoints in the funnel. Great if you’re mapping the journey, but pretty complicated if you’re trying to influence or build it. So, what can we use to flip the script here?

You’ve guessed it. There’s another triangle in the mix that fewer marketers are aware of. Because it wasn’t originally created for marketers, but for publishers on YouTube. The intention of this triangle was to plan video content for publication on what is arguably the most successful social video platform in existence. Thankfully for us non-publishers, the framework can be applied to content marketing more generally.

Of course, I’m talking about Google’s ‘Hero, Hub, Hygiene’ model, which is shaped like a pyramid rather than the upside down triangle of the funnel.

Where the funnel outlines which channels influence customers during their buying journey, the pyramid outlines what type of content will be shared in those channels. So, it’s really more about planning than mapping. Taking control rather than observing behaviour. Who doesn’t love a little bit more control over their marketing messages?

HYGIENE

Let’s get into the detail. The biggest portion of the pyramid sits at the bottom and represents Hygiene content. This is your foundational level, so resources (meaning budget and time) should be invested here first. Your goal with Hygiene content is to be gain relevance – answering the problems your buyers have with helpful hints, tips and advice. Content formats throughout the pyramid are agnostic, but some lend themselves better to each layer than others, for example, at the Hygiene level you want searchable content such as short-form video or written content that will be picked up by traditional search (and now AI and generative) engines. Because this is the foundational level of the pyramid, we need to be producing content regularly, or always-on as we like to say in marketing. So that might be daily, weekly, or bi-weekly depending on your resources.

HUB

Going up a layer to the Hub content, think of these as your walls. Each brick here needs to be laid with consistency and consideration to ensure a stable build. Your goal is to gain authority, so sharing thought leadership and longer-form content that showcases your expertise and experience is key. Typically we might create reports and white papers, regular blog posts or podcast episodes. Frequency might be monthly or quarterly if building out a campaign.

HERO

And finally, the roof on your building is Hero content. Here is where you build trust through a bigger budget, bigger value activity such as a webinar or event, or similar initiative that allows customers to really connect with you. Not all businesses of course will have a suitable budget for Hero content straight away and that’s OK. The purpose of the pyramid is to organise your resources, not copy-paste someone else’s ideas. The Hero piece can grow and evolve over time as your budget increases.

So, that’s it. A simple framework which can be tailored to suit all business sizes easily. It’s about planning your messages according to what prospects need at the time, and building a multi-level content engine that achieves relevance, authority, and trust over time. If you’re not ready for a marketing strategy right now, this is a great place to start with planning your activities for 2027.