Marketing, at its best, is a translation act. It takes what you believe about your product, your mission, your reason for existing, and renders it legible to the world. Done well, it closes the gap between expectation and experience. Done poorly, it widens it into a chasm.

I’ve been doing this work long enough to watch the landscape reinvent itself again and again. I was there when email marketing was the new kid on the block, when social media arrived as the new new kid, and now here we are in the age of AI-driven search, where algorithms decide what surfaces and what disappears. The tools keep changing, but the human part of marketing hasn’t.

Over decades of experimentation, this pyramid has proven steady. It’s less a tactic than a discipline: a commitment to consistency, belief, and the slow work of building real community. The companies that win in the long run aren’t the ones chasing virality or the next emerging platform. They’re the ones building trust at every level of the pyramid, layer by layer, relationship by relationship.

Most people think of marketing as a funnel, a narrowing process of attrition. Fewer leads, more pressure, conversions at the bottom. But a funnel implies gravity, inevitability, and loss. What if, instead, we built something meant to last?

Think of a pyramid. Each layer supports the next; each stone bears the weight of what comes after. The goal isn’t to push people downward. It’s to build upward momentum. To turn strangers into superusers, skeptics into advocates, curiosity into commitment.

The Six Stages of the Journey

Each level strengthens the foundation of the next. Skip one, and the structure cracks.

The Stranger‍

They don’t know you yet.

Imagine someone scrolling late at night, half curious and half distracted, when they stumble across your post. Maybe it isn’t what they were searching for, but it makes them stop. That’s your first win: a moment of attention in a world of noise.

At this stage, visibility is an act of faith. You’re planting seeds without knowing which will take root. You’re not asking for anything yet; you’re simply showing up consistently, authentically, and in plain sight so people begin to recognize you when it matters.

Channels: SEO, social, events, thought leadership
Content: About page, panels, origin stories
Goal: Awareness

The Searcher‍

They’re looking for a solution.

Now curiosity sharpens into intent. They’ve typed a question into a search bar or asked a friend for recommendations. They want something real.

If your messaging is clear, they’ll see themselves reflected in your offering. If it’s not, they’ll move on. This is where many brands lose people, not for lack of effort but for lack of clarity.

A brand that knows itself well becomes a signal in the static. Think of a sustainable fashion company that doesn’t just sell clothing but tells the story of the hands that made it, the fabric’s origin, the impact of each purchase. Clarity isn’t just information; it’s trust made visible.

Channels: Website, search ads, educational content
Content: Product pages, case examples, newsletters
Goal: Clarity

The Curious‍

They’ve lingered. Something about your message feels true.

This is the quiet middle of the pyramid, the long game. They’re following your work, reading your posts, maybe forwarding an article to a friend. There’s no hard sell here, no urgency, just resonance.

The Curious phase is where you earn your audience, word by word. A mental health startup might share reflections on burnout or belonging, speaking to the things people feel but rarely say. It’s subtle but powerful: they’re beginning to associate your voice with honesty.

Trust doesn’t come from a single story; it comes from pattern recognition. The more often someone sees you show up with integrity, the more they believe you mean what you say.

Channels: Blog, email, social media
Content: Insights, practical tools, behind-the-scenes moments
Goal: Trust

The Interested‍

They’re leaning in.

They’ve subscribed, downloaded, clicked “Learn More.” The question now isn’t whether they care; it’s whether you’ll make their next step effortless.

This is the phase where curiosity becomes conversation. Maybe they sign up for a demo, reply to your newsletter, or ask a question in the comments. The best brands don’t treat this as a transaction; they treat it as the beginning of a relationship.

A nonprofit might send a message that feels handwritten. A founder might follow up with genuine enthusiasm. The Interested phase is delicate because attention is fleeting. Handle it with warmth and precision, and you turn a name on a list into the beginning of community.

Channels: Email, website, DMs
Content: Demos, interactive tools, personalized offers
Goal: Action

The Customer‍

They’ve chosen you.

This is where most companies exhale, but it’s really where the work begins. The moment of purchase or sign-on is a promise exchanged. Now comes the test: will the experience align with the story that brought them in?

Fulfillment is the most underrated form of marketing. The follow-through matters more than the pitch. Great brands understand that delivery is storytelling and is one told through onboarding emails, support calls, and the satisfaction of a customer who feels cared for.

A climate-tech startup might celebrate the first milestone their software helps a client achieve. A retreat center might send a message months later asking how participants are integrating the experience. This is the part of the pyramid where loyalty takes shape.

Channels: Onboarding, support, client success
Content: Personalized comms, tutorials, success stories
Goal: Retention

The Ambassador‍

They are your believers.

When people feel invested, they want to share. Sometimes it’s formal, like a testimonial or a referral program. Sometimes it’s organic: a friend mentioning your name in a meeting, a client forwarding your article, a customer posting about how you changed their day.

The Ambassador phase is where your brand leaves your hands and enters theirs. You’ve earned not just their business, but their belief. What they share isn’t marketing—it’s pride.

Give them something to celebrate. A story worth telling. A sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. Because community isn’t built through outreach; it’s built through shared ownership of an idea that matters.

Channels: Email, social, direct messages
Content: Testimonials, referral links, user stories
Goal: Advocacy

What the Pyramid Makes Possible

When marketing becomes a structure instead of a sprint, a few things happen.

• Alignment deepens. Messaging matches experience.
• Trust compounds. People see themselves reflected in your story.
• Momentum builds. Growth feels organic, not forced.

Community forms. And from the community, the rest follows.

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