{"id":6992,"date":"2022-06-21T10:52:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T03:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adtek.agency\/funnel-to-flywheel-marketing\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T22:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:52:08","slug":"funnel-to-flywheel-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adtek.agency\/en\/funnel-to-flywheel-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"Funnel to flywheel: is flywheel marketing the new trend?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on October 19, 2026: reviewed and updated the data.<\/em><\/p>\n

Funnel to flywheel: is flywheel marketing the new trend?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have never come across flywheel marketing before, here is the short version: the flywheel model was put forward as a direct argument against the sales funnel.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the funnel model, the customer becomes an afterthought once the marketing and sales action is over. Flywheel marketing does the opposite and puts the customer at the center, with the aim of keeping customers satisfied so that they recommend you to others and end up helping the company sell.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article we try to answer why the flywheel marketing model is worth more than the old marketing funnel, and how you can use it to create an excellent customer experience as your business grows and brings in more revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n\"Funnel\n

The advantages of using the flywheel model in marketing<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If you work in marketing, you probably already have a clear picture of how marketing and sales funnels work. Beyond being a mechanism for turning prospects into paying customers, the funnel does not carry much meaning. Whatever happens after the purchase usually gets very little attention. That gap is exactly where the flywheel model shows its potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the biggest and most noticeable advantages of the flywheel model is that it keeps working on the customer journey even after someone has become a customer. You nurture customers from the very first moment they buy, through the stage where they become experts (people with real knowledge of your product and\/or service), and all the way to the point where they become advocates for your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

The flywheel image above shows how the customer sits at the center, or hub, of the wheel. Each focus area around that hub shows a way to move the customer closer to becoming an advocate for the business.<\/span><\/p>\n

The model also makes it easier to pinpoint what is causing problems in marketing, sales and service. You can see which activities are spinning your flywheel faster and adding momentum, and which ones are slowing you down and creating snags or friction along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the model spells out in some detail how customer satisfaction affects whether a marketing strategy succeeds. Put simply, satisfied customers bring the business more new customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on for a set of practical tips for working with the flywheel model, so your business can put it to good use and give customers a great experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 ways to use flywheel marketing for a better customer experience<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If you believe your business has to transform, then dealing with the challenges that come with that change is probably somewhere on your list of concerns. The good news is that you may already have most of what you need to build your own flywheel and pull ahead of competitors. Look back at the channels you already use, work out which parts of them fit each stage of the flywheel, and start from there.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sections below go through the main steps you need to take to get the most out of the flywheel model and improve the customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1: Learn the different flywheel stages<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, the first thing you need is a set of flywheel stages. The model comes in a few different variations. HubSpot’s flywheel, for example, is a three-stage wheel made up of Attract, Engage and Delight.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\"Funnel\n

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The Appcues version of the flywheel puts the spotlight on the customer journey and on the focus areas that keep customers engaged. If you take that model as your example, you get four basic stages to build into your own flywheel.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\"Funnel\n

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Stage 1: Activate<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In this stage, your goal is to help people who are not yet users (the Evaluators) become new users (the Beginners).<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the stage where you convince prospects of the value of your product or service. One of the best strategies here is to launch a high-converting website that demonstrates your expertise, walks through real use cases for the product, and offers useful tips and extra value. Other options include free trials or high-value plans that stay free forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 2: Adopt<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In the Adopt stage, you are looking for ways to get new users to come back, by offering a focused solution whenever a specific need or task comes up.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is also the stage where you have to concentrate on turning Beginners into Regulars: people who already understand the product(s) or service(s) well and are now looking for more of the value the business can offer them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find new and interesting ways to engage new customers and get them coming back more often, while also triggering that moment when they realize your product is exactly what they need. There are a few ways to do this:<\/span><\/p>\n