TOFU content gets the most AI citations but drives the least business value. How do you maximize both?

TOFU is more valuable than you’re measuring. Here’s how to capture that value:

Why TOFU is undervalued:

Most attribution models credit last-touch. TOFU is rarely last-touch, so it looks worthless. But TOFU creates:

• Brand awareness (they’ve heard of you)
• Category association (you’re in consideration set)
• Trust (you educated them before selling)

These influence conversion even when TOFU isn’t last-touch.

How to capture TOFU value:

1. Email Capture Through Content Upgrades Every TOFU piece should offer something valuable:

• Template that applies what they learned
• Checklist for implementing the concepts
• Tool that extends the content

Email capture → Nurture sequence → Eventual conversion Now you can attribute that conversion back to TOFU.

2. Pathways to MOFU/BOFU End every TOFU piece with a natural next step: “Now that you understand [topic], learn how to [implementation] →” Links to consideration-stage content that’s closer to conversion.

3. Retargeting Pool Pixel all TOFU visitors. Retarget with relevant MOFU/BOFU content. Even if they don’t convert on TOFU, you can influence them later.

4. Assisted Attribution Implement multi-touch attribution. See how often TOFU appears in conversion paths, even when not last-touch.

Let me share the attribution model that works for TOFU:

Multi-Touch Attribution Setup:

1. First-Touch Attribution Track where the journey started. If TOFU, credit it.

2. Assisted Conversions How many conversions had TOFU content in the path? GA4: Conversion Paths → See all touchpoints

3. Linear Attribution Give equal credit to all touchpoints. TOFU gets fair share.

What we typically find:

When we implement proper attribution:

• TOFU appears in 60-70% of conversion paths
• Average 2.3 TOFU touchpoints before conversion
• Direct TOFU conversion: ~0.5%
• TOFU-assisted conversion: ~15% of pipeline

Reporting for leadership:

“This TOFU content was directly converted 5 leads. But it appeared in the journey of 150 leads who converted, representing 30% of our pipeline.”

That changes the TOFU value narrative.

Don’t forget brand metrics for TOFU:

What TOFU builds that’s hard to measure:

1. Brand Search Volume Track branded searches over time. If TOFU AI visibility is working, branded searches should increase.

2. Share of Voice (AI) How often is your brand mentioned when people ask AI about your category? TOFU builds these category associations.

3. Inbound Quality Are leads mentioning they found you through content? Track “How did you hear about us?” responses.

4. Category Association When AI answers “What are the best [category] tools?”, are you included? TOFU helps you become part of the category conversation.

How to report this:

Create a “Brand Health Dashboard” that tracks:

• AI visibility score (Am I Cited)
• Brand search volume
• Share of voice in AI responses
• Inbound lead source attribution

This shows TOFU’s impact on brand, separate from direct conversion.

Strategic TOFU for business impact:

Bad TOFU (awareness but no business connection):

• “The History of Marketing”
• Generic industry trends
• Content about topics not related to your product

Good TOFU (awareness that feeds the funnel):

• “What is [Category You’re In]” - Category definition
• “How to [Problem You Solve]” - Solution education
• “Best Practices for [Your Value Prop]” - Value establishment

The difference:

Bad TOFU: People learn something but there’s no logical path to your product.

Good TOFU: People learn about the problem you solve, the category you’re in, or the value you provide. When they later consider solutions, you’re already in their mind.

Example:

If you sell email automation software:

• Bad TOFU: “The History of Email”
• Good TOFU: “What is Email Automation?”
• Good TOFU: “How to Improve Email Marketing ROI”
• Good TOFU: “Email Automation Best Practices”

All of these educate while building category association with your brand.

Full funnel design for TOFU effectiveness:

The Connected TOFU Model:

TOFU Article → Content Upgrade → Nurture Sequence → MOFU Content → BOFU Content → Conversion

Example flow:

1. TOFU: “The Complete Guide to Marketing Automation”

   • AI cites this, user discovers your brand

2. Content Upgrade: “Marketing Automation Planning Template”

   • User downloads, enters email

3. Nurture Email 1: “3 Common Marketing Automation Mistakes”

   • Education continues, trust builds

4. Nurture Email 2: “Case Study: How [Customer] Automated Their Marketing”

   • Social proof, consideration stage

5. Nurture Email 3: “How [Your Product] Makes Automation Easy”

   • Product introduction

6. CTA: Demo or free trial

Attribution at each step:

• TOFU: 1,000 visitors, 50 downloads (5%)
• Nurture: 40 engage (80%)
• MOFU: 20 read case study (50%)
• BOFU: 5 view product page (25%)
• Conversion: 2 demos (10%)

TOFU’s contribution: 2 demos that are now attributable to that article.

This thread solved my TOFU value problem. Key insights:

TOFU IS valuable - I was measuring wrong.

New measurement approach:

1. First-touch attribution (credit TOFU when it starts journeys)
2. Assisted conversions (see TOFU in conversion paths)
3. Content upgrade capture (direct lead attribution)
4. Brand metrics (search volume, share of voice)

New TOFU strategy:

1. Strategic topic selection

   • Only topics that relate to our product category
   • Problem → Solution → Our Product path

2. Content upgrades on every piece

   • Templates, checklists, tools
   • Capture emails for nurture
   • Creates attributable leads

3. Connected funnel design

   • TOFU → Upgrade → Nurture → MOFU → BOFU
   • Each step trackable

4. Brand dashboard

   • AI visibility tracking
   • Brand search correlation
   • Share of voice

Key insight:

TOFU doesn’t need to convert directly. It needs to:

• Get AI visibility (which it does)
• Capture leads for nurture (content upgrades)
• Build brand associations (category connection)

Then measure the full journey, not just last-touch.

Thanks everyone for the frameworks!