Top of Funnel (TOFU)
Awareness-stage activity that helps relevant people discover a problem, topic, or product.
Top of funnel refers to the awareness-oriented part of a buying journey. Its audience may understand a broad problem without yet evaluating specific software. Educational articles, podcasts, research, and community participation can help a SaaS become known among people who could eventually need it.
Example: A fleet-management SaaS publishes a practical guide to reducing missed vehicle inspections. Readers learn how to improve a process before comparing products. The content can introduce the company to operations managers and later connect them to an evaluation guide when they need software.
Watch out: Large reach does not guarantee useful demand. A popular article about a loosely related trend may attract an audience that will never become a customer. Judge TOFU work through relevant reach, useful engagement, and later progression rather than expecting every visit to convert immediately. For a young company, MicroConf’s first-customer guidance emphasizes learning from people already close to a buying need before scaling broad awareness.
Further reading: MicroConf: landing your first 100 SaaS customers.
Related: MOFU, content marketing.