What is a marketing funnel? (A guide for creators) |

Do you want to improve your conversion rate and sell additional digital items? Marketing funnels can be your best weapon. Let's see how.

You've created a digital item which you are confident that your customers will enjoy. It's packed with actionable advice as well as expertise. It has the potential to make the difference in your customers' lives.

Why isn't it flying from on the (virtual) stores?

Your marketing plan may be at fault -in particular if you do not have a strategy to take your customers from point A (discovering your products) from point A (thinking about purchasing it) until the point of C (becoming happy and loyal customers).

Marketing funnels are where they come in.

In this article we'll discuss the reasons why funnels for marketing are a necessity for all creators. Then, we'll share the top marketing techniques to employ in each step of the funnel.

First, let's be a bit more reflective to answer the question that is on everyone's minds How do we define what is a marketing funnel?

What is a marketing funnel?

The marketing funnel maps out the journey that a potential customer (or "lead") is on beginning with the business to when they make a purchase.

The place a lead falls in the funnel depends on their familiarity with your product or brand and how close they are to making a decision.

Different companies break their marketing funnels down into various phases. We're going to keep it simple with a three-stage funnel depicting the buyer's journey from awareness to decision.

awareness:They're just starting to learn about your company or brand. The leads are aware of a pain point, however, they don't know which options are out there.

The considerations:These leads are evaluating various solutions. They're trying to figure out if your product will solve their problem and if they're confident in your product.

Choice:These leads are ready to buy They just require more push to convert into customers.

It is also common to see the phases of the funnel divided into TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU. These are the top of funnel and middle of funnel and the bottom of funnel. The farther down the funnel a lead is further down, the more close they will be to making a conversion.

Now that you know what a funnel does What makes it a marketing must-have?

What are the reasons you require an effective marketing funnel?

Utilizing a funnel to market will help improve your marketing and efficient.

This is what I am referring to: As a creator, your time is one of your most precious assets.

The majority of small businesses invest fewer than five hours per week on marketing. When you have limited funds and time in marketing your business online it's impossible to guess what content will appeal to your target audience.

So, you don't end up pitching a hard sell to someone who barely recognizes your brand.

Brian Clark, digital marketing expert and co-founder of Copyblogger, explains: Copyblogger, explains :

"We do not go into direct selling to every audience member who engages with our content. Instead, we use different strategies- both direct and indirect that help us make a compelling case for our product when the time is right."

Plus, customers expect relevant content:

90% of consumers prefer to purchase from brands who offer relevant deals.

60% of customers will be more positive about a brand if it provided them with more useful and interesting information.

When you show your leads relevant content at the right time and at the right time, you'll see results targeting users with relevant information that is relevant to the place they are in the buying process may result in 72% more conversion rates .

Do you want to convert cold leads to paying customers? We'll look at the most effective marketing tactics for each stage of the funnel.

How do you market your digital product at every step of the funnel

Attract leads through lead magnets, as well as with social media ads

When they are in the stage of awareness it's not yet time to even contemplate purchasing a product. They're looking to find out more about their pain points and solutions out there for their needs.

Provide these leads with the data they're seeking by providing high-quality information that addresses their pain areas. This valuable content helps introduce your brand and establish you as an expert in your area of expertise.

Take Ryan of Signature Edits  as an example. Signature Edits has presets, templates, and even training programs for their intended group of photographers.

Ryan knows that different photographers face various issues, which is why he offers two leads that include a candid posing guide and a free sample pack of editing tools for photos. .

Once someone has downloaded one of the lead magnets, Ryan forwards follow-up emails informing them of his company and its products. Offering two lead magnets will help Ryan to make his follow-up emails more specific and pertinent.

If, for instance, someone decides to join the editing tools for photos, Ryan knows that editing could be an area of interest -- or perhaps a source of painthe person. Armed with this information, Ryan can confidently promote the editing tools to that person.

Author Minessa Konecky of Direct to Success makes use of interactive games to bring new leads into her marketing funnel and then provide them with a personalized experience for customers.

Making use of the quiz software Interact , Minessa created a lead generation quiz to assist you in discovering your business's biggest blocker to bring in and discover more about potential leads.

When someone has completed her test, Minessa segments them into the following three categories:

In a state of overwhelm:Small business owners with lots of work to complete and don't know which way to fill their day every day.

Professional midlife:Entrepreneurs that have gained the knowledge they should know yet are unable to figure out how to integrate the action items into a strategy.

Perpetual procrastinators:People who understand the things they must do however, they are unable to get it done on their own.

Based on the group that each lead is a part of, Minessa moves them through the funnel, sharing one of three free mini-courses.

Once they are at the bottom of her funnel, she introduces leads to her two main items and invites them purchase her products or to join her club, The Squad Academy .

A final thing to remember before we move on towards the middle of the funnel: How do you get these lead magnets to your ideal clients?

Ads on social media are efficient ways to advertise your lead magnets -- specifically on Facebook.

Here's why: Facebook ads generally have less cost and a higher ROI than other channels, making it one of the top social media channels for small businesses.

Additionally, Facebook has some of the most specific audience targeting options available. Like, Lookalike Audiences can help you find people who are similar to your current customers.

Take one of your existing audiences for example, blog users or students of online courses, and tell Facebook to connect with more users like that one.

To learn more about how Facebook ads can help you improve your marketing efforts take a look at these tools:

Okay, now that you have the top of the funnel covered, now that you've covered the top of the funnel,you're prepared for the next stage: consideration.

Be aware of the need to nurture leads through email marketing

When they are in the process of considering, prospective customers are researching and comparing various options. They understand what the issue is, and are aware that they have a variety of options there to solve it.

It is your job to help people realize that your product will be the ideal choice. You must nurture these prospects.

I truly cannot overstate the significance of nurturing leads. In a time when the majority of leads never translate into sales, nurturing your leads may be the difference between rocketing profits and low sales.

Are you still not you are convinced? On average, nurtured leads are more purchases by 47% and generate a 20% increase in potential sales than leads that are not nurtured.

and a return on investment of $42 for each one dollar invested  Email is among of the cheapest and scalable marketing tools available particularly when you're a small-business owner with the budget to back it.

Now that the leads you've enrolled on your list of email addresses, you're ready to enter the leads in a nurture sequence.

Email 1:Introduce yourself, and encourage your readers to think about the challenge you're trying to resolve for them.

Email 2:Now that your prospect is thinking about the problem Share some useful insights with them in order to assist them begin the process of getting it solved.

Email 3.It's time to introduce your program. Outline what your course offers and why it could be a great solution for them.

email 4.You've completed your initial presentation, but the potential client may have reservations. Be prepared to answer some of the most important questions they might have about your program.

email 5:Make one final pitch. Tell them why they must do something now and invite them to contact you with any questions.

Every email has a distinct reason. Once we get into emails four and five, the lead is in the stage of decision making, but the selling process doesn't begin until the final email. You want to gently guide your leads to convert -- not shove them into the deep end.

The middle of your funnel can also be a great opportunity to promote the social proof you have with your leads.

The concept was coined by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his famed book Influence , the idea of social proof is "we consider a behaviour to be acceptable in a situation to the degree that there are others who perform the behavior".

Also, if customers see that people who are like them are buying and seeing results from your product, they'll desire to be part of the excitement.

In the case of marketers, using social proof is about including reviews and feedback throughout the sales funnel particularly during the decision stage. Here's why:

95 percent of customers read testimonials and online reviews when they're considering a purchase.

Eighty percent of customers consider online reviews to be more than personal advice.

72% of customers affirm that positive reviews and reviews help them believe in a business more.

Alright, you got through the thought phase, and now the purchase is just so near that you taste it. Let's get to the end of that line.

Decision: Convert leads with the use of retargeting as well as special deals

The stage where you decide to make a decision is the final stretch of your funnel to market. At this point, your marketing should make converting an easy task for your target audience.

How do you get them over the finishing line?

One of the strongest BOFU marketing techniques is retargeting.

Have you ever been looking at a pair of sneakers on an ecommerce site and then hopped over to Facebook and saw the same pair of shoes on your newsfeed? That's retargeting.

That specific type of retargeting works via Facebook Pixel. Facebook Pixel , "a piece of code for your website that lets you measure, optimize and build the audiences you need for your ads". This allows you to retarget BOFU leads who have seen your site's content and been have been engaged by your posts.

This is how Facebook Pixel works: Facebook Pixel works:

You add the pixel to your website code.

It tracks what products customers are most interested in.

You use the pixel to retarget and target those visitors via Facebook ads.

If they click on ads, they return to your website, where they can complete their purchase.

As far as the content for those advertising retargeting, the final phase is the right time to increase the urgency and emphasize any special offers.

Obe Fitness did the latter by serving this retargeted ad to my Facebook feed:

I've been to Obe Fitness' site before and have even begun filling out their signup form. Knowing I was close to making the switch, they targeted me with a special discount code and a CTA to sign up.

If you want to create the urgency of a sale, an offer that is limited in time will make people more inclined to purchase -- and buy now. 89% of Americans say that a special offer will make them likely to shop at a specific brand, whereas 48% believe that an exclusive offer would make them purchase sooner.

Here are a few ways to incorporate that urgency into your BOFU marketing

Create a deal that lasts for a limited time and then put an countdown timer to your product page. The result could be an 147% increase in the number of conversions .

If you're offering a limited-time sale Make it clear to your leads in the middle of the sales funnel. It might just be the motivation they need to finally complete the purchase.

You need to prioritize customer retention and not only acquisition.

It may cost as much as seven times more to get a new customer than keeping an existing customer.

52% consumers go the extra mile to buy from companies they've been loyal to for years.

Customers who have been customers for a long time tend to be nearly nine-times greater likely purchase as compared to a first-time buyer.

Indeed, many marketers think of preservation and advocacy being the final step in the funnel of marketing. Your customers have a stellar experience, they spread the news about your brand or product. Those referrals come into your funnel for marketing, and so on.

Add a funnel to your marketing toolbox

Each product, business and target audience are different. There's no universal marketing strategy which will make the conversion rate increase, and make your funnel grow overnight.

If you can keep the marketing funnel top of mind, it will help you better understand the customer journey from awareness through buying. Once you are aware of this, you will be able to get the correct message at your potential customers when they need it.

For a recap, here are the best marketing techniques that can be used at every stage of the marketing funnel:

awareness:Focus on providing high-quality information that addresses your customers' pain points and establishes you as an expert within your industry. Lead magnets and Facebook ads work wonders for this point.

Beware:Nurture your leads with an email sequence and social evidence. Help them feel confident that your product meets their needs.

The decision:Go for the hard sell. Retargeting, discounts as well as a sense of urgency to push your leads across the finishing line.

The bottom line is Remember the journey of a customer at the forefront of your mind all your way and you'll be on the way to creating an effective marketing funnel that will make your sales increase.