What are funnels for marketing? (A guide for creators) |

Are you looking to increase your conversion rate and sell more digital goods? Marketing funnels could be your secret weapon. Let's see how.

It's a digital creation you're confident your target audience will enjoy. It's packed with actionable advice as well as expertise. It could make a a real difference in the lives of your clients.

Then why doesn't it fly from the (virtual) stores?

Your marketing plan might be at fault- especially if you don't know how to move your clients to go from point A (discovering your products) to point B (thinking about purchasing it) up to point C (becoming happy and loyal customers).

That's where marketing funnels are useful.

In this piece we'll discuss why marketing funnels are a must-have for creators. Then, we'll share the top marketing techniques to employ in each step within the funnel.

But first, let's look back and answer the question on everyone's minds: What exactly is an effective marketing funnel?

What is a marketing funnel?

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

How a lead will be placed within the funnel is based on how familiar they are with your company or its products and how close they are to making a purchase decision.

Different marketers break their marketing funnels into different steps. The funnel we'll keep simple with a three-stage funnel that maps the buyers' journey from awareness to conclusion.

Awareness:They're just starting to find your brand or products. They know that they've got a pain point, but aren't sure what solutions are available.

Take into consideration:These leads are evaluating different solutions. They're trying out if your product will solve the issue and whether they're confident in your product.

Decision:These leads are ready to purchase -- they just need an extra push to become customers.

You'll also often see the stages of the marketing funnel separated into MOFU, TOFU and BOFU, meaning top of funnel, middle of funnel, and bottom of funnel. The higher up the funnel a lead is and the nearer they're to being converted.

If you now know the definition of a funnel, what makes it essential for marketing?

Why do you need the funnel for your marketing?

A funnel for marketing will help improve your marketing and effective.

Let me explain: As a creator, your time is among your most precious assets.

Most small-scale businesses spend less than five hours each week in marketing. In the event that you're limited on time and resources to spend on marketing your online business, you can't afford to speculate on what content might resonate with your audience.

This way, you won't end up pitching a hard sell to someone who barely knows your name.

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

"We do not go into direct offering a product to everyone who interacts with our content. Instead, we employ various strategiesincluding indirect as well as direct -- to make a compelling case for our product when the time is right."

Plus, customers expect relevant content:

91% of consumers are more likely to buy from companies who offer relevant deals.

60% of customers will be more positive of a brand if it provided them with more useful, interesting, or relevant information.

If you can send leads appropriate content in the appropriate time It pays off: Targeting users with content relevant to where they are in the buying process could result in 72% more conversion rates .

Ready to turn more cold leads into customers who pay? Let's dive into the best strategies for marketing at each step of the funnel.

How can you promote your digital goods at every phase of your funnel

Awareness: Draw leads in by using lead magnets as well as social media ads

When they are in the stage of awareness the majority of people don't even contemplate purchasing a product. They're still looking to learn about their problems and the solutions that might be available to their needs.

Offer these prospects the info they're looking for by sharing top-quality content that addresses their pain points. These valuable pieces of content help promote your brand and establish you as a specialist within your field.

Take Ryan of Signature Edits  as an example. Signature Edits has presets, templates, and training for their target photography enthusiasts.

Ryan recognizes that photographers face different pain points, so he offers two leads for photographers: a guide to candid poses and a Free sample of editing tools for photos. .

When someone downloads one of the lead magnets, Ryan will send them follow-up messages to tell them more about the brand's products and services. By offering two different lead magnets will help Ryan ensure that follow-ups are more targeted and relevant.

For example, if someone opts to sign up for one of the presets for photo editing, Ryan knows that editing could be an area of interest (or even a pain point -the person. With that info on hand, Ryan can confidently promote the editing tools to that person.

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

Using an online quiz program called Interact , Minessa created an interactive lead generation test to assist you in finding your business blocker to attract and discover more about potential leads.

After someone takes her quiz, Minessa segments them into the following three categories:

Unsuspecting:Small business owners with many things to accomplish and aren't certain what to do with their time every day.

Professional midlife:Entrepreneurs that have gained the knowledge they require to know, however, they aren't sure how to connect the action 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 which group each lead falls into, Minessa moves them through the funnel by offering three of her free mini-courses.

When they reach the top in the funnel introduces leads to her main products and encourages them to purchase one of her products or sign up for her program, The Squad Academy .

Another thing to consider before we move on to the middle of the funnel How can you make sure that you are able to make sure these lead magnets are in front of your target buyers?

Advertising on social media is the most effective method to market your lead magnets -- particularly on Facebook.

This is why: Facebook ads generally have less cost and a higher returns than other channels making it one of the best social media platforms available to small companies.

Plus, Facebook has some of the most targeted audience-targeting tools available. For example, Lookalike Audiences allow you to target users like your customers.

You take an existing audience such as your blog readers or online course students, and tell Facebook to find more people similar to that audience.

For more information on the ways Facebook ads can help fill your marketing funnel Check out these sources:

Okay, now that you have the high point of the funnel in place, you're ready for the next stage: consideration.

Take into consideration: Nurture leads using the use of email marketing

In the consideration stage, prospective customers are researching and comparing various 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 them realize that your product is the best option. Now is the time to cultivate those prospects.

I truly cannot overstate the importance of lead nurturing. In an age where the majority of leads never convert into sales, taking care of your leads may mean the difference between skyrocketing revenue and dismal sales numbers.

Still not convinced? In the average, leads who have been nurtured are greater purchases of 47% and generate 20 percent more sales opportunities than non-nurtured leads.

and a return on investment of $42 per one dollar invested  the email marketing tool is considered to be one of the most affordable and adaptable marketing tools for use, especially when you're a small-business manager with the funds to match.

Now that your leads have subscribed to your mailing list, you're ready to enter them into a nurture sequence.

Email 1.Introduce yourself and get your readers to think about the problem you're going to solve for them.

Email 2.Now the prospect you are talking to is thinking about the problem Share some useful insights with them in order to assist them take the first steps toward solving it.

Email 3:It's time to present your class. Write down what your course can offer and the reasons why it is a great solution to their needs.

email 4:You've made your first proposal, but your prospective customer might still have some concerns. Respond to some of the important questions they might have about your program.

5. Email:Make one final pitch. Tell them why they must do something now and invite them to reach out to us with any concerns.

Every email has a distinct purpose. Once we get into emails four and five, the lead is in the stage of decision making, but the hard sell doesn't happen until the fifth and final email. You want to gently guide your lead toward converting -rather than shoving them into the depths of.

The middle of your funnel can also be a great moment to discuss social proof with your leads.

Coined by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his famous work Influence , the concept behind social proof is that "we believe a particular behavior to be appropriate in a particular circumstance if people around us are doing the same behavior".

That is, if customers see that people who are similar to them are purchasing and seeing results from the product you offer, they'll want to join in the excitement.

For marketers, leveraging social proof can mean including reviews and feedback throughout the sales funnel but especially during the consideration stage. Here's why:

92% of customers review online and read customer testimonials or reviews prior to making buying.

Eighty percent of customers consider online reviews to be in the same way as personal suggestions.

72% of people affirm that positive reviews and reviews boost their confidence in a business more.

Okay, you've have made it to the contemplation stage, and the sale is close enough that you could taste it. We're going to cross the finish line.

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

The decision stage is the final stretch of your funnel to market. In this stage, your marketing efforts should result in conversion the target market a simple task.

But how do you get your athletes to cross the finishing line?

One of the most powerful BOFU tools for marketing is retargeting.

Have you ever glanced at a pair of shoes on an ecommerce site, then clicked over to Facebook only to find identical shoes being advertised in your feed? That's retargeting.

The retargeting method is done through using the Facebook Pixel , "a piece of code for your website that allows you to measure, optimize and create audiences for your ad campaigns". This allows you to retarget people who've seen your site's content and been engaged with your content.

Here's how Facebook Pixel works: Facebook Pixel works:

The pixel is added to your web page's code.

The pixel tracks which products people are looking at.

The pixel is used to target and remarket to those visitors via Facebook advertisements.

If they click on ads, they go back to the website, where they can complete their purchase.

In terms of the content of those advertising retargeting, the final phase is the right time to intensify urgency and draw attention to any special offers.

Obe Fitness did the second through serving this retargeted advertisement on my Facebook feed:

I've been to Obe Fitness' site before and have even begun filling out their signup form. Since I was near to converting, they retargeted me with a special discount offer and CTA to join.

If you want to create urgency, a limited-time offer will make people more inclined to buy -- and buy now. 89% of Americans say that an offer of exclusivity would encourage them to shop at a specific brand, whereas 48% say the exclusive deal will make customers buy earlier.

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. The result could be an boost of 147% on conversions .

In the end, if you're running a special-occasion sale, make that clear to the leads at the bottom the funnel. This could be just the push they need to make the purchase.

It is important to focus on customer retention over acquisition.

It could cost as much as seven times greater to attract an additional customer than it does keeping an existing customer.

52% customers go out of their way to shop at brands they're loyal to.

Customers who have been customers for a long time are nine times more likely to convert as compared to a first-time buyer.

Indeed, many marketers think of loyalty and retention as the 4th phase of their marketing funnel. Your customers have a stellar experience, they spread their word about your brand or product, those referrals come into your funnel for marketing, and so on.

Create a funnel for your marketing toolkit

Each product, business and customer is unique. There's not a universal strategy for marketing which will make your conversions spike and the funnel to overflow in a flash.

If you can make sure that the funnel for marketing is top of mind, it will help you more easily understand the journey of a customer from awareness to purchase. And when you understand the process, you'll be able to put 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:

Be aware:Focus on providing high-quality material that addresses the needs of your target audience's problems and sets you up as an authority within your field. Lead magnets as well as Facebook ads are great for this point.

Beware:Nurture your leads with an email sequence as well as social proof. Help them feel confident that the product you offer is able to meet their needs.

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

The bottom line is: Keep the customer journey throughout the way, and you'll soon be in the process of creating a funnel for marketing that can make the sales of your business skyrocket.