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What is a Marketing Funnel?
A marketing funnel, also called a sales funnel or a marketing sales funnel, is a series of steps that guide your dream client as they move from “random Google visitor” to “brand ambassador and paying client.”
Visually, it consists of four or more concentric “funnel” circles. Each of these circles represents a stage in the customer’s journey.
Here’s a simplified example of one of my digital marketing funnels.
- Awareness – You google “websites for therapists”
- Interest – You sign up for my newsletter
- Evaluation – I wow you with my free resources
- Commitment – We have a Q&A call
- Sale – We create a new website together
Why Do I Need a Marketing Funnel?
Most people who visit your website are not ready to reach out – let alone become a paying client.
That’s why it’s so important to impress them AND give them some way to stay in touch or follow you. If you don’t, you’ll probably never see them again.
Enter the sales funnel stages. The top of the funnel is so wide, because it’s designed to reel in as many people as possible. Newsletters, free ebooks, social media links, 15 minute Q&A calls … these are all great ways to get people into your lead funnel. Then, you can begin to nurture that lead.
Lead nurturing is no different than building long-term relationships.
It’s the core of a successful marketing funnel – and a great way to create a personal connection with your dream client while they go through their own internal process.
According to MarketingSherpa, 79% of marketing leads never convert to sales. Lack of lead nurturing is the #1 cause for poor performance – and a marketing funnel is the solution. That’s how to do digital marketing.
Understanding Your Dream Client’s Story
Your customer has a background story that lets you know how they first came across your business.
Something about you appealed to them and they have reasons for all of the choices that they make. Whether they click away from your website immediately or go on to become a client, there’s a reason. Your marketing funnel explores those reasons in depth.
Knowing your dream client’s story gives you power.
Understanding their story helps you create a more effective marketing funnel – one that speaks directly to them and provides the resources and inspiration they need to stay interested in your business.
(this is also why it’s so important to define your niche)
As more and more people pass through your lead funnel, you will better understand what resonates with them. You will learn why they went left, right, or back the way that they came. From that insight, you can create new strategies and sales funnel stages that will drive them in the right direction.
How to Create a Marketing Funnel
There’s no one way to create a marketing funnel. What you do at each of the sales funnel stages should reflect your dream client’s preferences and needs. That said, there are some general marketing tactics that tend to work across all businesses.
Here are some examples of what a 6-step digital marketing funnel could look like:
1. Raise Awareness — let people know you exist through:
- Events, speaking gigs, and webinars that position you as an expert
- Direct advertising (print and/or online)
- Media mentions including social media and traditional press
- Viral content – blog posts, infographics, and videos
- Lead gathering – create an email list from all of the things listed above
2. Stimulate interest — start to draw people in by using:
- Newsletters and direct emails
- Blog posts that answer a question and have a call to action
- Online classes with targeted content
- E-books, white papers, and long-form content (offered for free in exchange for a newsletter signup)
- Interactive social media to connect with customers online
3. Nurture your lead funnel — while they decide, you should:
- Use automated follow-up emails and drip email campaigns to remind them about what you offer
- Offer free trials and discounts to new clients
- Provide case studies and more detailed (targeted) information
4. Solidify their intent to buy — if they’re on the fence, try:
- Offering an even better deal or discount than before
- Providing facts and case studies about why your product is best
- Sharing a product demo
- Creating new tools on your website, such as a one-click signup feature
5. Post-Deal Followup — make sure they are happy by:
- Following-up by email or phone
- Sending a survey
- Encouraging them to share a review
- Asking what you could have done better
6. Encourage return customers —get them coming back for more by:
- Reading all reviews and ratings and following up directly on complaints
- Offering discounts and deals to existing customers
- Creating loyalty programs
- Offering affiliate and referral code programs
- Staying connected through social media
- Add them to a new marketing sales funnel
As you can see, you might use different tools in different ways at different sales funnel stages. For example, some of your social media posts will be designed to gain interest from new followers while others are created to foster your relationship with existing clients.
All of this means that you should pay special attention to your approach since it affects your company’s overall online performance. So it’s a good idea to enlist the assistance of social media marketing pros to assess your company objectives, generate content for posts based on them, and publish it to reach a larger audience and interact even more with the current one.
A Detailed Example of a Digital Marketing Funnel
The best examples often come from personal experience, so let’s dive into the marketing sales funnel you’re currently in right now.
Since you’re reading the article, you’re at least somewhat interested in marketing – and curious about creating a digital marketing funnel.
Maybe you landed here via Google; or, perhaps, you’re reading this on the Facebook app. Regardless of how you arrived, it’s now my job to convince you that Goodman Creatives has a team of marketing experts – and that you should hire us to create and manage your marketing funnel
However, this may also be the first time you’ve heard of Goodman Creatives.
You don’t know that we specialize in marketing, web design, and 1-1 coaching … and you’re certainly not ready to reach out. If anything, you’re skimming this article looking for DIY advice.
Instead of trying to sell you on something, I now draw your attention to my newsletter. It’s full of DIY resources on marketing and web design. (You can sign up here).
Or, you can follow us on Facebook, where we regularly share valuable resources.
Or better yet, you can schedule a free 15 minute Q&A call to ask me (Greg Goodman, founder and head creative) anything you want. It’s a no pressure call – and a way for us to get to know each other.[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”33″][nectar_btn size=”jumbo” button_style=”regular” button_color_2=”Accent-Color” icon_family=”default_arrow” url=”/schedule-a-call/” text=”schedule a FREE Q&A Call”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”33″][vc_column_text]Finally, since you’re on my website, you may start to see Goodman Creatives pop up more on your feeds. This is called retargeting, and it’s another powerful way that my marketing funnel works.
Let’s brainstorm!
Together, we can figure out what digital marketing funnel, lead funnel, or sales funnel is right for your business.
We can help you determine which sales funnel stages are the best ones for sending out emails, how to utilize a newsletter at different stages, and what other tools you can access to maximize your business at every layer of the funnel.
Reach out today to learn more[/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”33″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
