FUNNEL

A funnel is an organized memetic structure — an intentional frame for the content we produce and where it lives. It is designed to generate interest and progressively harvest it into deeper relationships with RaidGuild.

It is a system.

It works by moving people step by step from curiosity to commitment.

A functional funnel:

• Generates curiosity from multiple angles
• Converges attention downward, layer by layer
• Uses Calls to Action deliberately placed at each touchpoint, appropriate to its level of intimacy
• Asks for as little cognitive effort as possible at every step
• Has no gaps between layers

Each touchpoint contains:

• Clear value / benefit
• A precise Call to Action
• A low-friction path to the next layer

AWARENESS LEVELS are the name of the game. The Funnel It intensifies awareness and builds relationships:

Mild curiosity → Interest
Interest → Trust
Trust → Engagement
Engagement → Clients, members, super fans

A perfect funnel gives more than it asks.

It entertains. It educates. It elevates.

Done correctly, it transforms casual attention into relationship, participation, and value.

MARKETING

Marketing is about positioning. Positioning.

It answers one question:

What position in the market do we intend to occupy and own?

Marketing is primarily a business problem, not a communications problem.

It requires:

• Understanding the landscape and having a perspective
• Industry awareness that is contemporary and contextual — not academic
• Strategic bets — because no one can do everything, everywhere, all at once

When done well, marketing becomes a series of interventions and maneuvers designed to take, hold, and occupy a position in the memetic landscape.

These choices are forged by distilling intuition, data, and dynamic learning through call and response. When sharpened, they become a spear:

• They identify gaps
• They claim territory
• They align product, content, and engagement
• They place these with intent so that, when found, they feel like treasure

Perfect marketing makes RaidGuild the default answer when someone thinks:

“Who can actually ship this?”

Better still, it creates many questions to which the answer becomes: “RaidGuild.”

Accurate positioning deployed through a rational funnel turns recognition into relationship and revenue.

It is fit-for-purpose visibility. It turns attention into loyalty.

Awareness level

Mild curiosity → Interest. This is the top of the funnel.

(YouTube, Twitter, Website, Github)

Goal: Be discovered and establish credibility fast.

At this level, people are scanning for a solution or just something exciting - they don’t care who we are yet, or what we’ve achieved, or what we think about ourselves. They have an itch. We should scratch it.

Your job is to:

Add value immediately

That’s it. Each touch point implies the user was looking for something and was attracted by a promise. Make sure they get it immediately and make an invitation for the next level. Period.

You are not trying to convince.

You are trying to make the right people think:

“These people get it.” (and have them do something about it)

Interest level

Interest → Trust. This is where they lean in.

(Newsletter, Discord, Long-form Evergreens)

Goal: Build trust “density”.

At this level, they already know we exist. They clicked. They watched. They subscribed. Now they are asking: Are these people serious?

Your job is to:

Prove there is substance

That’s it. Each touchpoint should reward attention with clarity, standards, and signal. Give them something real that makes them more powerful than they were before. Then invite them closer.

You are not trying to impress.

You are trying to make the right people think:

“These people are solid.” (and have them do something about it)

Consideration level

Trust → Engagement. This is where things get concrete.

(Intake forms, Pitch deck, Handbooks)

Goal: Remove doubt.

At this level, they are considering working with us as a client or guild member or cohortee. They want to understand:

What exactly are we offering? How does it work? What does it cost? What is expected of me?

Your job is to:

Remove ambiguity

That’s it. Make the offer clear. Make the process clear. Make the path obvious. Then invite the decision. At this level, they come with questions, the bards provide answers.

You are not trying to persuade.

You are trying to make the right people think:

“This makes sense.” (and have them do something about it)

Intent level

Engagement → Conversion into clients, members, super fans

(Calls, Proposals, Direct conversations)

Goal: Reduce friction.

At this level, they are ready to act.

They are filling forms. Booking calls. Asking specifics. Negotiating and evaluating.

Your job is to:

Make action easy / Give them a chance to say “yes”

That’s it. No confusion. No theatrics. No unnecessary steps.

You are trying to make the right people think:

“Let’s do this.”

Deeper level caveat:

There’s a tension here - we are full on in sales territory and the temptation to over promise and commit to impossible results to make the sale happen is strong. But failing expectation alignment here will make the next level fail and all the effort both parties have committed feel wasted.

Commitment level

Action → Relationship.

(Active collaboration, Deliveries, Ongoing participation)

Goal: Deliver and compound reputation.

At this level, they are inside. We are all on this level, most likely.

Your job is to:

Deliver outcomes

That’s it. The experience should reinforce everything that came before.

You are trying to make them think:

“These were the right people.”

Bards Away:

bardschool.