Why You Need a Sales Funnel for Your Business
Sales funnels might sound like something you’d use to sell plumbing equipment, but they’re actually an incredibly useful tool for your business.
In case you’re finding this post before you’ve read Part One, “How to Set Up and Write Copy For Your Sales Funnel”, you can set your eyes upon it HERE.
Now that you’re back, let’s dive into why you should use a sales funnel for your business, the types of funnels you can use, and how to build your first funnel.
Why Use a Sales Funnel for Your Business?
First off, what is a sales funnel? A sales funnel is a way to guide your potential customers from the top of the funnel, where they first hear about your business, to the bottom of the funnel, where they become paying customers/clients.
Think of it like a funnel that you pour leads into, and then they come out the other end as raving fans and clients that can’t wait to whip out their credit cards. After you wow them with your dazzling knowledge and value first, of course.
A sales funnel is essential because it allows you to guide potential customers/clients through each stage of the funnel, which increases your chances of making a sale. It also allows you to create targeted marketing messages that are specific to each stage of the funnel, (and sometimes specific behaviors) increasing the chances that your ideal humans will take action.
Here are a few reasons why you need a sales funnel for your business:
? Mapping out and creating a sales funnel for your business allows you to measure success at each stage, and see where potential leads and clients are finding you and engaging with your content. This can help you optimize your sales process and improve your conversion rates.
? A sales funnel is a great opportunity to tell your story and share why you’re uniquely qualified to offer your product or service. Don’t be afraid to get personal and share your journey.
? Your sales funnel allows you to essentially “sell” yourself 24/7. It’s always selling your product or service, even when you’re sleeping or on vacation.
?A good funnel can work as well as a good salesman in educating and convincing your ideal humans to buy. So you can basically make money all day, every day.
Who Does Your Sales Funnel Serve and What Problem of Theirs Do You Solve?
These two questions will drive everything in your sales funnel – the offer, the headline, the copy and even the design!
For example, if you’re targeting new moms, you’ll want to use the language they use, address the problems they have, and most likely use soft or more feminine colors and fonts.
Once you have that down, your funnel starts with free content. The top of the funnel usually starts with free content like blog posts, social media content, or your lead magnet. Your ideal humans can access this information at no cost.
Your lead magnet has to address a specific problem that your target audience is having. The important thing you need to remember is that it needs to solve ONE problem or one PORTION of a problem – not the whole thing! (Otherwise, you won’t be able to offer more in the rest of your sales funnel.)
Don’t forget that it has to relate to your paid offer. So if your offer is a meal planning course and your opt-in teaches 10 ways to keep your laundry under control, you’re not going to get very far.
However, if your lead magnet teaches 10 ways to generate leads from social media, for example, and your paid offer is a course about how to convert leads to sales on a call, this will work perfectly because you’re solving one portion of their problem – generating leads – but you’re going to offer the next solution they need, which will be how to actually convert those leads to sales.
How do I create an online sales funnel?
If you want to create an online sales funnel, it’s important to start by identifying your end goal and what action you want your target audience to take. This will help you to create a clear path for your ideal humans to follow and will guide your strategic marketing efforts.
Think about your ideal customer or client. Who are they, what are their pain points, and what solution are you offering them? With these questions in mind, you can begin to create a lead magnet and sales funnel that attracts the right people.
✅ Decide what kind of freebie you will offer as a lead magnet.
✅ If the goal is to get them to buy your low-cost offer, decide what that offer will be.
✅ Where you will present your free offer. Are you creating a landing page, writing a blog post, or pushing it out to a segment of your email list?
✅ Finally, decide how you will get people to your free content. Will you drive traffic via social media? Will you use paid advertising? Will you write guest posts or appear on podcasts or live training?
Creating Lead Magnets for Your Sales Funnel
One of the most important parts of a sales funnel is creating lead magnets. A lead magnet is an incentive that you offer potential clients and customers in exchange for their email address. Lead magnets are essential because they allow you to build an email list of potential buyers who have directly shown interest in your product or service.
Some ideas for a lead magnet are:
? E-books – An e-book can help establish your authority in your field and provide value to potential clients or customers. Plus, e-books are easy to distribute and can be shared on social media.
? Checklists – Checklists are a quick and easy lead magnet that provides value while helping people easily access valuable information.
? Webinars – A free webinar or online training session that teaches about a particular topic or skill helps demonstrate your expertise. And it provides a more interactive way for them to get a taste of what it’s like to work with you.
? Quizzes – A quiz is a fun and interactive way to engage with your audience and provide personalized recommendations. A quiz can also help you segment your email list from the jump because their answers help you categorize their needs and wants immediately.
Now It’s Time To Nurture
Do. Not. Skip. This. Step. Now that they know the amount of value you offer, you want them to get to know you and await with bated breath, your next email that drops even more knowledge.
The goal of these emails is to guide people through the stages of the funnel and eventually lead to a sale. Your welcome sequence should be a series of about 5-7 emails that will be sent to them once they opt-in to your lead magnet.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Each email should have a call-to-action. It can be a question they might reply to, an invitation to join your Facebook group, or a blog post they should check out.
Sample opt-in sequence:
? Delivery email – Keep it short and sweet, and don’t overstay your welcome. “Thank you for signing up. Here is what you signed up for”. Some folks might say you’re missing a chance to make an impression, but less is more. Knock before entering someone’s inbox like you would their house, manners never hurt nobody. And it’s good UX.
? Tell your story – When it comes to telling your story, don’t make it all about you. Show your ideal humans how you can help them. Explain why it matters to THEM. Share a story about how your freebie has helped others, and make it clear how it can help them too. Then, show them why they should trust you based on your experiences and qualifications.
? Give value – Share a story about how many responses you got to the question you asked on Instagram or an email. When you see a pattern in questions, this is gold. UGC (user-generated content) has a wealth of content nuggets to pick from.
? Give more value – Why should they trust you? What qualifications do you have? Share a story giving authority and credibility to the work you do. This is a great opportunity to share a client or customer journey where you guided them to a desired outcome.
? Social proof – Show off those testimonials and case studies, and tease them about the offer you’re gonna introduce in the next email. Build up that hype!
? Introduce your offer – (make sure your landing or sales page is ready) Now that people trust you because they’ve gotten to know you and you’ve given them so much value, they’re much more likely to buy. You don’t want this to be a high-ticket offer. If this is the first time they’re buying from you, start with a low-cost or tripwire offer. The low-cost offer is a bite-sized way of tapping into your expertise and knowledge.
But don’t be discouraged if people don’t buy just from your first email sequence. If you continue providing massive value, there’s a great chance of them buying from you later on.
