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

Want to boost the rate of conversion, and sell more digital products? Marketing funnels is a great device. Let's see how it functions.

It's a digital creation which you are confident that customers will love. It's packed with actionable advice and knowledge which can be a real difference in the lives of your clients.

What's wrong with it not flying onto the (virtual) shelf?

Your marketing plan may cause the problem, especially if you don't know the best way to take your customers from the point of B (discovering that product) from the point of A (thinking about it) up to the point of C (becoming very loyal and satisfied customers).

These funnels that are used can be useful for marketing.

In this post, we'll go over the reasons that marketing funnels are an absolute essential for all creators. The article will also cover the top marketing tactics to employ at every step of the funnel.

First, let's look back to address the problem that is on everyone's radar: how do we define the concept of what can be an effective marketing funnel?

What is a funnel in marketing?

Marketing funnels map the pathway a potential client (or "lead") is on beginning with your company up to the point they decide to purchase.

The position a lead is in the funnel depends on the degree of their familiarity with the product or company and the degree to which they're in the process of taking a decision to buy.

Different marketers break their marketing funnels into different phases. We'll simplify the funnel through a funnel comprising three stages mapping the customer's journey from awareness until the point of decision.

Awareness:They're just starting to discover your brand or product. The leads are aware of an issue, but don't be aware of the solutions available.

Take into consideration:These leads are evaluating different solutions. They're trying to determine whether your solution will address their issue, and whether they're satisfied with your solution.

The choice:These leads are ready to purchase - they only require a little effort to become customers.

There are also a lot of phases of the funnel broken into MOFU and TOFU and BOFU, meaning the middle, top of funnel, and bottom of funnel. The farther down the funnel leads are farther down, the further near they are to becoming converted.

After you've determined the definition of funnel, and the purpose behind it what can you determine if it's a marketing must-have?

What are the main reasons why you have to use a marketing funnel?

Utilizing a funnel for marketing helps make your marketing more effective and efficient.

As a creator that your time is one of your most precious assets.

Most small-scale businesses spend under five hours a week in marketing. When you have limited money and time to promote your company online, you can't afford to guess what kind of content might be a hit among your potential customers.

You don't want to get caught trying to pitch an unpopular offer to a person who recognizes your name.

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

"We aren't directly offering a product to everyone that is exposed to our materials. Instead, we employ various techniques that are both indirect and direct in order to present an argument in support of our offering in the appropriate moment."

Plus, customers expect relevant content:

95 percent of shoppers prefer to shop at brands that offer deals that are pertinent.

63% of people tend to be more favorable towards a brand if it gave users more interesting and valuable information.

If you can deliver leads relevant content at the right time it pays off because focusing on users with content relevant to their current stage in their buying process may be the cause of an improvement of 72% in rate of conversion .

Do you want to turn cold leads to customers who pay? We'll look at the most efficient marketing strategies that work for every stage of the funnel.

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

Attract leads with lead magnets, along with advertisements on social networks.

When they are in the stage of awareness, it's not yet time to even contemplate the purchase of the product. It's just a matter of finding more about their pain points and the possible solutions that could be available to solve the problem.

Give these prospects information they're seeking by sharing quality material which addresses their concerns. These valuable resources will aid to promote your company's image and establish yourself as an expert in your field in which you are an expert.

Take Ryan from Signature Edits for instance. Signature Edits has templates, presets, and even classes for their targeted audience of photographers.

Ryan recognizes that various photographers have a myriad of difficulties. This is why Ryan provides two freebies to photographers for photographers: A tutorial on candid shots along with a free sample of editing presets .

After someone downloads one of these lead magnets, Ryan forwards follow-up emails to inform them about the company's products and brand. Offering two lead magnets will assist Ryan to make his follow-up emails more specific and timely.

For instance, if someone opts to join any of the editing presets Ryan realizes that editing could become a subject of interest (or maybe even a problemto the person. If he has that information, Ryan can confidently promote the software that he uses to edit photos to the person.

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

Using the quiz tool Interact , Minessa created an online game to generate leads by finding your business blocker to attract and learn more about prospects.

If a person is able to take her quiz, Minessa segments them into the following three groups:

Overwhelmed:Small business owners with numerous tasks to complete and don't know how to spend their time everyday.

Professionals in middle-agedEntrepreneurs who are aware of what they must know however, they are not able to determine how to combine the elements of action into a plan.

Perpetual procrastinators:People who are aware of the things they must do yet aren't able to start by themselves.

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

At the end the funnel she will present leads to her main items and urge customers to purchase one of her items or sign up for her service, the Squad Academy .

Another thing to consider prior to moving on to the middle of your funnel is how to make sure that you are able to ensure that lead magnets are placed in front of your prospective buyers?

Advertising on social media is the most efficient way to promote your lead magnets, specifically on Facebook.

The reason is: Facebook ads generally have the lowest cost, and higher returns on investment over other platforms, which makes it one of the most effective social media platforms available for small businesses.

Additionally, Facebook has some of the most specific audience targeting tools on the market. Like, Lookalike Audiences can help you find people that are comparable to your existing customers.

Pick one of your present audiences, like the readers of your blog or students in online courses and after that, you can tell Facebook to reach out to more members of that same audience.

Discover more information about how Facebook ads can help complete your marketing strategy. Take an interest in these resources:

Now that you've got the highest part of the funnel firmly in place, you're now prepared to go to the next step that is a taking into consideration.

Consideration: Nurture leads with email marketing

In the consideration stage the potential customers are looking up and comparing several things. They are aware of what the issue is and know there are multiple options out which can solve the problem.

Your task is to make the people aware that your product is the most efficient choice. Now is the moment to nurture the leads.

It's difficult to quantify the importance of lead nurturing. When more than 80 percent of the new leads do not convert to sales, ensuring that you take care of your leads can make the difference between soaring earnings and a sluggish sales.

Are you still not sure if you are convinced? According to the study the majority of cases, leads that have been nurtured make more purchases by 47 percent and generate an increase of 20% in the amount of potential sales as compared to leads that aren't nurtured.

and a return on investment of 42 dollars for each dollar invested Email is one of the most affordable and scalable marketing tools that are available specifically for entrepreneurs with a small business and a the funds to support it.

After you've got leads joined your list of mailing leads, now is the moment to place the leads in a nurture sequence.

Email 1.Introduce yourself and convince your customers to begin thinking about the issue you're planning to address for them.

Email 2:Now you know that your potential client is contemplating the issue and has some ideas, you can share them for them so that they will be able to take that first step in solving the problem.

Email 3:It's time to introduce your program. List out what the course can offer and why it could be a great solution to their needs.

email 4.You've made your first pitch, but your prospective buyer might doubt your offer. Prepare to address one of the biggest concerns they may have regarding the program you've created.

email 5:Make one last appeal. Tell them why they must act now and invite them to get in touch with us with any issues.

Every email is designed to serve a particular function. When we reach emails four and five the lead has reached the decision-making stage however the actual selling isn't completed until the last email. It's crucial to steer your prospect towards converting and not force them to the middle of the ocean.

The middle of the funnel can be the perfect opportunity to highlight your social proof with your leads.

It was invented in the work of the scientist Dr. Robert Cialdini in his popular publication Influence  The concept of social proof states "we think a particular behavior to be acceptable for a particular situation if there are people around who practice the same behavior".

In other words, when leads see that people like them are buying and receiving results using your product, they'll be enticed to be part of this group.

When it comes to marketers Social proof could mean including reviews and feedback throughout the process of marketing. However, it is particularly important during the consideration phase. Here's why:

90% of buyers are online reviewing their purchases and reading customer testimonials or reviews before they decide to buy.

80 percent of users consider online reviews to function in the same manner as their personal recommendations.

72% of clients affirm that positive reviews and positive reviews help them believe in an organization more.

The thought stage, but now the time to purchase is so near that you feel it. We'll cross the finish line.

The decision: Convert leads by Retargeting and offers

The stage where you decide to take a choice will be the final stage of your marketing funnel. In this stage, your marketing efforts should result in conversion a no-brainer for your audience.

However, how can you get them to the the line?

A highly efficient BOFU marketing tools is retargeting.

Have you ever looked at the shoes of an online store and you went over to Facebook and saw identical shoes in your feed? That's retargeting.

This particular type of retargeting can be achieved through Facebook Pixel. Facebook Pixel , "a piece of code to be used on your site that assists you to analyze, optimize and build the audience you need for your ads". It allows you to retarget BOFU leads who have been to your site and are interested by your content.

This is how Facebook Pixel works: Facebook Pixel works:

Add the pixel the code of your site.

The pixel monitors which items consumers are the most curious about.

Pixels are used to target and retarget these users through Facebook advertisements.

After people click the advertisements, they return to your website, which is where they are able to complete their purchase.

As far as the contents of these advertising retargeting, the final stage is the best time to intensify the urgency of your message and make sure you highlight those offers that are unique.

Obe Fitness did the second by placing this retargeted advertisement to my Facebook feed. Facebook:

I've been to Obe Fitness' site before I began to fill out their signup application. As I was close getting signed up, they emailed me a coupon discount code, as well as a CTA to join.

In terms of adding urgency, promotions that have restricted in time may make consumers more inclined to buy - or buy it today. Eighty-nine percent of Americans believe that an exclusive promotion will make them shop for a particular brand. 48% believe that they'd be more likely to buy in the event that an exclusive deal encouraged them to purchase earlier.

Here are a few suggestions to integrate that urgency into your BOFU marketing

Set up a sale that's applicable for a certain period of time, then include the countdown in the website for the product. It might even lead to an boost by 147% in the conversion rate .

When you're done, if you're selling a product with a time limit, be sure to inform the people who are at the bottom of the sales funnel. It might just be the reason they're required to make their purchase.

Customers should be given the highest priority for retention and not only acquisition.

It could cost more than seven times more to acquire more customers as opposed to keeping the ones you already own.

52% of shoppers go the extra mile in order to shop at the brands they trust.

Return customers are almost nine times greater likelihood of conversion than a brand new client.

Most marketers consider customer loyalty and retention as a 4th stage of the marketing funnel. Customers have an excellent experience and aid in spreading the word of your business or the product. These referrals go into your marketing funnel, and on.

Add a funnel to your marketing toolbox

Each company, product and each customer is unique. There's not a universal strategy for marketing that's guaranteed to boost your conversions and cause your funnel expand in a flash.

If you are able to keep the funnel of marketing at the forefront of mind and you can more clearly understand the journey of a customer from awareness to purchase. If you're aware of this, you'll have the ability to put your message right in front of the people you want to reach when they need it.

For a recap on the most effective marketing tactics that can be used at every stage of the funnel:

consciousness:Focus on providing high-quality material that addresses the needs of your target audience's issues and positions you as an authority within your field. Lead magnets as well as Facebook advertisements are excellent for this point.

Consideration:Nurture your leads with an email sequence and social proof. Let them know that the product you offer is a good fit for their needs.

Choice:Go for the hard to market. Retargeting, discounts as well as an urgency that pushes your prospects over the finish line.

Let's focus on the essentials: Keep the customer journey at the forefront of every step your journey and you'll get on the path to developing a funnel that will see your sales rise.

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