If you’ve been using a funnel to market your small business and you’re not getting the results you used to, you’re not alone. Many businesses across Central Texas—including Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Leander—see the same thing.

The funnel isn’t broken; It’s outdated, and today’s buyers have changed their decisions.

In this blog, we’ll explain what’s going on, why it matters for service-based businesses like yours, and what you can do to grow your brand and win more clients.

What Is a Marketing Funnel, and Why Did It Work Before?

The funnel is a traditional way of visualizing how a potential customer moves from awareness to consideration to decision. The idea is that:

Someone visits your website
They download something (like a guide or checklist)
You follow up with emails
They become a sales lead
You close the deal

This worked great from around 2015 to 2020. People were happy to exchange their email addresses for useful content, and businesses could clearly track where leads came from and measure marketing ROI.

But over the last few years, something changed.

Why Funnel Campaigns Don’t Work Like They Used To

Even if your content is excellent and your automation tools are top-notch, you might not see results.

Why?

Because your buyers are self-led now, they do their research. They don’t want to be “nurtured” through a funnel. They want answers when needed and decide how and when to engage.

Plus, most people who fill out forms to get a free download aren’t ready to buy. Those emails are often personal accounts (like Gmail addresses), student researchers, or competitors.

These “marketing qualified leads” (MQLs) may look good on a dashboard but rarely turn into real business.

What Is the 95-5 Rule?

The LinkedIn B2B Institute put it simply:

Only 5% of your potential market is actively shopping for your services. That means 95% of your audience isn’t looking—yet.

So, if you spend all your money and effort trying to convert that 5%, you’re competing with every other business doing the same thing. It’s expensive, stressful, and short-sighted.

What Should You Do Instead? Focus on Branding.

Branding isn’t just for big companies. It’s how people remember your business when they’re finally ready to buy. Instead of chasing leads today, you need to build trust and familiarity over time.

Here’s how:

Create content that educates and entertains your ideal client (even if they’re not ready to buy yet)
Stay visible on platforms where your audience hangs out, especially LinkedIn and YouTube for B2B services
Invest in consistent, memorable branding across your website, social media, and content

This is how you build a brand that grows your business long-term.

Real-Life Example: How B2B Buyers Make Decisions

Think about the last time you needed a service like IT support or a legal review. Did you fill out a lead form? Or did you ask a colleague who they use?

That’s how most B2B decisions happen now:

Through referrals
Through reputation
Through brand visibility over time

Only a small percentage of buying decisions are based on digital ads and lead forms alone.

The Buying Journey Is Longer and More Complicated Now

Today’s buyers are making decisions as a group, not just one person. Research shows that most B2B purchases involve 8–12 people, and the average sales cycle is over 11 months.

Most of those decision-makers won’t talk to a salesperson during that time. They’ll visit your website. Watch your videos. Scroll past your posts on LinkedIn.

Will they remember you when it’s time to choose a vendor?

How Central Texas Businesses Can Shift Their Strategy

If you’re a professional services company or B2G contractor in Austin, Round Rock, or Cedar Park, here’s what we recommend:

Stop relying on funnel-based lead gen as your only strategy
Start building your brand with consistent video and content marketing
Don’t gate your best resources—share them freely to build trust
Track what matters: website traffic, real lead quality, and engagement

Want to dive deeper into how to stand out and build brand awareness? Reach out for a chat with our client success team today!