What is a marketing funnel? (A guide for creators) |
Are you looking to increase the conversion rate of your business and make additional digital items? Marketing funnels can be your best weapon. This is how it works.
You created a digital product you're confident your target audience will love. It's packed with actionable advice as well as expertise. It can make a real difference in the lives of your clients.
Then why doesn't it fly across on the (virtual) shelf?
The marketing strategy you employ could be the culprit -in particular if you do not have a strategy to take your clients from the point A (discovering your item) to point B (thinking about purchasing it) until the point of C (becoming satisfied and loyal customers).
That's where marketing funnels are useful.
In this article we'll discuss why marketing funnels are a must-have for creators. Then, we'll share the most effective marketing strategies that you can employ at every stage of the funnel.
First, let's look back and answer the question in everyone's mind How do we define what is an effective marketing funnel?
What is a marketing funnel?
The marketing funnel maps out the journey that a potential buyer (or "lead") is on beginning with your company until they buy.
How a lead will be placed within the funnel is based on how familiar they are with your brand or product and how close to making a purchasing decision.
Different marketers break their marketing funnels into distinct phases. The funnel we'll keep simple by using a funnel with three stages depicting the buyer's journey from awareness to conclusion.
Sensitivity:They're just starting to discover your brand or product. The leads are aware of an issue, however, they don't know which solutions are available.
The considerations:These leads are evaluating different solutions. They're trying to determine the best solution for the issue and whether they can trust your brand.
The decision:These leads are ready to buy and they're just waiting for more push to convert into customers.
It is also common to see the stages of the funnel separated into TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU, meaning top of funnel, middle of funnel, and bottom of funnel. The further down the funnel leads are, the closer they will be to making a conversion.
If you now know what a funnel does, what makes it essential for marketing?
Why do you need an effective marketing funnel?
Utilizing a funnel to market can help you make your marketing more effective and effective.
Let me explain When you are a creator, your time is one of your most valuable assets.
The majority of small businesses invest less than five hours each week working on marketing. In the event that you're limited on time and resources to spend in marketing your business online You can't afford to guess what content will resonate with your audience.
That way, you don't end up pitching a hard sell to someone who barely knows your name.
Brian Clark, digital marketing expert and founder of Copyblogger, explains :
"We aren't directly advertising to each person who interacts with our content. Instead, we employ various strategiesincluding indirect as well as direct that help us make a case for the offer whenever the moment is right."
Plus, customers expect relevant content:
91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide relevant offers.
63% of customers are more positive of a company if they offered them more relevant, interesting, or relevant content.
When you show your leads the right messaging at the right time and at the right time, you'll see results by focusing on users with specific content that matches where they are in the buying process may result in 72% more conversion rates .
Are you ready to convert more cold leads into customers who pay? Let's look into the top marketing tactics for each stage of your funnel.
How can you promote your digital products at each step of the funnel
Awareness: Draw leads in through lead magnets, as well as with advertising on social media.
When they are in the stage of awareness, people aren't ready to even consider buying a product. They're just looking for more about their issues and what solutions might be offered to their needs.
Provide these leads with the data they're seeking by providing quality information that addresses their pain points. This valuable content helps introduce your brand to the world and establish you as a specialist in your area of expertise.
Take Ryan of Signature Edits For instance. Signature Edits has templates, presets, and even training programs for their intended audience of photographers.
Ryan knows that different photographers run into many different issues. That's why Ryan offers two leads for photographers: an guide to candid poses as well as the free sample pack of photo editing presets .
When someone downloads one of the lead magnets Ryan sends them follow-up emails to inform them about his brand and products. By offering two different lead magnets helps Ryan make those follow-ups more specific and pertinent.
If, for instance, someone signs up for the photo editing presets, Ryan knows that editing is a point of interest -- or even a pain point -the person. Armed with this information, Ryan can confidently promote the editing tools to that person.
Creator Minessa Konecky of Direct to Success uses interactive quizzes to bring new leads into her funnel for marketing and then provide them with a personalized experience for customers.
Making use of quiz tool Interact , Minessa created an online lead generation game for identifying your company's blocking factor to help you attract as well as learn about the prospects for new leads.
If someone is able to take her quiz, Minessa segments them into three categories:
In a state of overwhelm:Small business owners with many things to accomplish and don't know what to do with their time everyday.
Professional midlifeEntrepreneurs who have learned what they need to know, yet are unable to figure out what to do next. things into a strategic.
Perpetual procrastinators:People who are aware of what they need to do however, they are unable to get it done on their own.
Based on the group the lead belongs to, Minessa moves them through the funnel by offering three of her free mini-courses.
When they reach the top of her funnel, she introduces leads to her two primary products. She then encourages them to purchase her products or to join her club, The Squad Academy .
One more thing before moving to the middle of our funnel What is the best way to make sure these lead magnets are to your ideal clients?
Ads on social media are an effective way to promote your lead magnets -- specifically on Facebook.
This is why: Facebook ads generally have less cost and a higher return on investment than other channels, making it one of the most effective social media platforms available to small companies.
Plus, Facebook has some of the best targeted audience targeting tools available. As an example, Lookalike Audiences help you target people like your customers.
Choose one of your current audiences such as your blog readers or students in online courses and tell Facebook to connect with more users like that one.
To learn more about the ways Facebook advertisements can assist you to complete your marketing plan Check out these sources:
If you've got the top of the funnel covered, with the funnel's top covered,you're prepared for the next step: considering.
Consideration: Nurture leads with the use of email marketing
At the point of consideration the potential customers are looking up and comparing a handful of options. They understand what the issue is, and are aware that there are a myriad of solutions there to solve it.
Your job is to make people realize that your product is the most effective choice. Now is the time to cultivate those prospects.
It is hard to overstate how essential lead nurture is. In an age where 80% of new leads do not convert into sales, taking care of your leads can be the difference between rocketing revenue and dismal sales numbers.
Not you are convinced? On average, nurtured leads have 47% larger purchases and produce a 20% increase in potential sales than leads that are not nurtured.
With an estimated ROI of $42 for each $1 spent the email marketing tool is considered to be one of the cheapest and scalable marketing tools available -- especially for small-sized business manager with the funds enough.
If your leads have subscribed to your list of email addresses, you're ready to enter them into a nurture sequence.
Email 1.Introduce yourself and convince your customers to begin thinking about the problem you're going to resolve for them.
Email 2.Now that your prospect is thinking about their issue, share some valuable insights with them to help them to take the first step towards getting it solved.
Email 3.It's time to introduce your program. Explain what you offer and the reasons why it is a great solution to their needs.
E-mail 4.You've made your first proposal, but your prospective customer might still have some concerns. Be prepared to answer some of the most important queries they could have about your course.
5. Email:Make one final pitch. Show them why they should do something now and invite them to contact you with any questions.
Each email is designed to serve a particular reason. Once we get into the emails 4 and 5, the lead is in the stage of decision making, but the actual selling doesn't occur until the final email. You want to gently guide your lead toward converting -rather than shoving them into the middle of the ocean.
The middle of the funnel can also be a great moment to discuss the social proof you have with your leads.
Coined by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his famous publication Influence , the idea for social proof is "we view a behavior as acceptable in a context if people around us are doing the same behavior".
That is, if customers see that people who are like them are buying and seeing results from the product you offer, they'll want to join in the excitement.
For marketers, leveraging social proof can mean including comments and reviews all through the funnel of marketing, particularly during the decision phase. Here's why:
90% of buyers review online and read customer testimonials or reviews before making purchasing.
88% of people trust online reviews more than personal advice.
72% of people affirm that positive reviews and reviews make them trust an organization more.
Alright, you got through the thought stage, and the sale is so close you can feel it. Let's get to the end of that line.
The decision: Convert leads through retargeting and special offers
The final stage of decision-making is the final stretch of your marketing funnel. This is the point where your marketing should make converting the target market a simple task.
But how do you get your athletes to cross the finishing line?
One of the most powerful BOFU marketing tools is retargeting.
Have you ever glanced at a pair of shoes on an ecommerce site Then, you went to Facebook and saw those same shoes advertised on your newsfeed? That's retargeting.
That specific type of retargeting operates through the Facebook Pixel , "a piece of code that is embedded on your site and lets you measure, optimize and create audience for your ad campaigns". It helps you retarget people who've seen your site's content and been engaged with your content.
This is how Facebook Pixel works: Facebook Pixel is working:
Add the pixel your web page's code.
The pixel tracks which products people are looking at.
Pixels are used for remarketing and targeting these users through Facebook ads.
When people click on the advertisements, they go back to the site's landing page and make the purchase.
Concerning the content for those advertisements, the decision phase is the right time to increase the urgency and emphasize any offers that are special.
Obe Fitness did the latter by serving this retargeted ad on my Facebook feed:
I've visited Obe Fitness' site before and have even begun filling out their signup form. Knowing I was close to signing up, they sent me with a special discount offer and CTA to join.
If you want to create urgency, a limited-time offer can make customers more likely to purchase -in the present. 89% of Americans believe that an offer of exclusivity would increase their likelihood of shopping with a brand, while 48% of them say that they would be more likely to purchase if an exclusive offer made them purchase sooner.
Here are a few ways to incorporate that urgency into your BOFU marketing
Make a promotion that runs for a specific period of time and then put an countdown timer to the product's page. This could lead to a rise of 147% in conversions .
All in all, if you're offering a limited-time sale Make it clear to your leads in the middle of your funnel. This could be just the push they need to make their purchase.
It is important to focus on customer retention, not just acquisition.
It can cost more than seven times greater to attract an additional customer than it does to retain an existing one.
52% of consumers will go over and above to buy from companies they've been loyal to for years.
Return customers tend to be nine times more likely to purchase than a first-time shopper.
Many marketers think of retention and advocacy as the final stage of the marketing funnel. Your customers have a stellar experience, and they help spread the word about your brand or product, those referrals come into your funnel for marketing, and the cycle continues.
Create a funnel for your marketing toolkit
Every product, company and customer is unique. There's not a universal strategy for marketing that will magically make your conversions increase and the funnel to overflow in a flash.
If you can keep the marketing funnel top of mind, you can better understand the customer journey from awareness through buying. Once you are aware of the process, you'll be able to put your message right to your prospects at the right time.
For a recap, here are the best marketing techniques for each stage of the funnel for marketing:
Be aware:Focus on providing high-quality information that addresses your customers' problems and sets you up as an authority within your field. Lead magnets and Facebook ads are great at this stage.
Beware:Nurture your leads with an email sequence as well as social proof. Make sure they feel secure that your service is able to meet their needs.
Decision:Go for the hard to sell. Make use of retargeting, special offers as well as a sense of urgency to propel your prospects over the finishing line.
The bottom line is Make sure to keep the customer's journey throughout your way and you'll soon be on your way to building a funnel for marketing that can make your sales increase.