The world is changing fast. Rapidly developing technology along with a pandemic has increased pressure for businesses of all types to go digital. It’s not as easy as opening a website and hoping for the best.
It takes deliberate planning, effort, and infrastructure to put the pieces together. When they’re assembled properly, you have a lean mean online sales funnel that turns people to customers 24/7. The challenge is getting to that point.
In this article, you’ll learn how to build an effective sales funnel that helps you grow your online presence.
Before you build the sales funnel
It’s tempting to jump in headfirst and start working on your sales funnel so you can get revenue through the door. As a brand, everything you do needs to produce results as fast as possible. This leads many people to start before they’re ready.
In face to face interactions, it’s easier to smooth situations over and be understood even if you make insensitive comments. Unfortunately, the digital landscape is different. things can be taken out of context, blown up, and cause irreparable damage to your brand.
That’s why it’s important to have a plan in place that clearly defines how you communicate, what you stand for, and what’s off-limits for your brand. In essence, you’re creating guidelines that govern your brand’s behavior. This will reduce the likelihood of things getting out of hand for the wrong reasons.
In addition to the guidelines around behavior, you also want to create guidelines around social media posts, social curation, and content on your website. This makes it possible for you and your team (whether remote or in-person) to move quickly, communicate effectively, and stay true to what you stand for.
Now, let’s look at how to put together an effective sales funnel.
Traffic source
Online, almost anything can be a traffic source that delivers countless visitors to your website. The right post at the right time can go viral, get picked up by dozens of media outlets, and crash your website.
It takes deliberate planning, effort, and infrastructure to put the pieces together. When they’re assembled properly, you have a lean mean online sales funnel that turns people to customers 24/7. The challenge is getting to that point.
In this article, you’ll learn how to build an effective sales funnel that helps you grow your online presence.
Before you build the sales funnel
It’s tempting to jump in headfirst and start working on your sales funnel so you can get revenue through the door. As a brand, everything you do needs to produce results as fast as possible. This leads many people to start before they’re ready.
In face to face interactions, it’s easier to smooth situations over and be understood even if you make insensitive comments. Unfortunately, the digital landscape is different. things can be taken out of context, blown up, and cause irreparable damage to your brand.
That’s why it’s important to have a plan in place that clearly defines how you communicate, what you stand for, and what’s off-limits for your brand. In essence, you’re creating guidelines that govern your brand’s behavior. This will reduce the likelihood of things getting out of hand for the wrong reasons.
In addition to the guidelines around behavior, you also want to create guidelines around social media posts, social curation, and content on your website. This makes it possible for you and your team (whether remote or in-person) to move quickly, communicate effectively, and stay true to what you stand for.
Now, let’s look at how to put together an effective sales funnel.
Traffic source
Online, almost anything can be a traffic source that delivers countless visitors to your website. The right post at the right time can go viral, get picked up by dozens of media outlets, and crash your website.
That’s not the kind of traffic you want in most cases.
Why?
Because the people who visit your pages in response to viral content aren’t interested in your brand and products. While virality can be a good thing because of brand exposure and media mentions, it’s not the traffic you want to actively seek out.
Instead, focus your energy on qualified traffic.
You find it by first determining the demographics and psychographics of your ideal customers.
Age
Sex
Preferences
Attitudes
Etc.
When you have this information, you can make more informed decisions about where they hang out online.
For example, if you’re targeting young adults with fashion-forward fitness products, you’d be more likely to find them on Instagram and Pinterest. That’s where you’d focus your energy. This doesn’t have to be a manual or time-consuming aspect because there are many social media management tools. Choose one to streamline your workflow and focus.
After identifying where you can get qualified traffic, it’s just a matter of following best practices, being consistent, and giving people a reason to click over to your website.
There are two routes you can go when you start generating traffic.
1. Send them directly to a landing page
Why?
Because the people who visit your pages in response to viral content aren’t interested in your brand and products. While virality can be a good thing because of brand exposure and media mentions, it’s not the traffic you want to actively seek out.
Instead, focus your energy on qualified traffic.
You find it by first determining the demographics and psychographics of your ideal customers.
Age
Sex
Preferences
Attitudes
Etc.
When you have this information, you can make more informed decisions about where they hang out online.
For example, if you’re targeting young adults with fashion-forward fitness products, you’d be more likely to find them on Instagram and Pinterest. That’s where you’d focus your energy. This doesn’t have to be a manual or time-consuming aspect because there are many social media management tools. Choose one to streamline your workflow and focus.
After identifying where you can get qualified traffic, it’s just a matter of following best practices, being consistent, and giving people a reason to click over to your website.
There are two routes you can go when you start generating traffic.
1. Send them directly to a landing page
2. Direct them to an educational piece of content that links to a landing page
The end result is getting people to the landing page but the way you do it is up to you and will be influenced by your niche.
If people tend to appreciate what a brand stands for before interacting with them further, you may want to send them to a content piece before the landing page. When people consider the offer alone and don’t need to be too familiar with the brand then send them directly to the landing page.
Let’s look at the next step in the funnel.
Landing page to gather contact details
The landing page in this funnel has one goal. To collect the contact information of your visitors so you can continue to communicate with them over time.
There are many things you can offer to achieve this:
An Ebook
A video course
A cheat sheet
A quiz
Etc.
The truth of the matter is that you can offer anything that makes sense for your visitors but there are certain criteria it should fulfill.
1. It should be useful to the visitor
An ebook may seem valuable to you but is it valuable to the person visiting your page? They may prefer video content or even a quick cheat sheet that shows them how to accomplish something.
If you’re in the ecommerce space, the perfect landing page lead magnet may be a compilation of deals that you got from other brands.
In the marketing space, that could be a proprietary method that you’re revealing.
You may present a quiz that helps them find the best product for their situation or reveals an aspect of their personality.
The end result is getting people to the landing page but the way you do it is up to you and will be influenced by your niche.
If people tend to appreciate what a brand stands for before interacting with them further, you may want to send them to a content piece before the landing page. When people consider the offer alone and don’t need to be too familiar with the brand then send them directly to the landing page.
Let’s look at the next step in the funnel.
Landing page to gather contact details
The landing page in this funnel has one goal. To collect the contact information of your visitors so you can continue to communicate with them over time.
There are many things you can offer to achieve this:
An Ebook
A video course
A cheat sheet
A quiz
Etc.
The truth of the matter is that you can offer anything that makes sense for your visitors but there are certain criteria it should fulfill.
1. It should be useful to the visitor
An ebook may seem valuable to you but is it valuable to the person visiting your page? They may prefer video content or even a quick cheat sheet that shows them how to accomplish something.
If you’re in the ecommerce space, the perfect landing page lead magnet may be a compilation of deals that you got from other brands.
In the marketing space, that could be a proprietary method that you’re revealing.
You may present a quiz that helps them find the best product for their situation or reveals an aspect of their personality.
The main thing is to get creative with something that’s true to your brand.
2. It should be easy for them to use or get access to
Ask for only the information that’s necessary right now. You can get other info when you present your offer or even as they go through your email nurturing sequence.
At the same time, you don’t want something that’s difficult for them to use or implement. They won’t do anything with it because they’re not invested in it like people who’ve made a purchase. You would’ve wasted your time and theirs.
3. The benefit is immediately apparent
Finally, they shouldn’t have to decipher the hidden potential behind what you’re offering. If you’re speaking to the right person, they’ll know why it’s a no brainer immediately.
For example, if you’re offering your patented SEO playbook to other digital marketing experts, they’ll see the value immediately. If you offer the same thing to a company accountant, it’ll look like hieroglyphics.
On the other hand, if you offer your excel spreadsheets for financial forecasting to an accountant or financial planner, they’ll jump on it. If you offer it to an in-house SEO freelancer, it’ll look like Latin.
4. It’s hyper-relevant to a special offer you’ll present
After someone submits their contact details, the next step is to present a special offer (more on that in the next section). The lead magnet should tie in directly with whatever offer you want to present.
There’s a reason for this. If someone gives you their contact details for a specific reason, they’re interested. If you present a paid offer that’s a no brainer right afterward then they’re likely to take advantage of it.
For example, if your lead magnet is your proprietary SEO framework the special offer could be a video series that walks them through exactly how you use it and additional insights.
If your lead magnet has those elements then it’ll turn visitors into subscribers. The only thing left is to get a solid landing page tool like Leadpages, Instapage, or Unbounce and follow best practices.
After you’ve set up your landing page to collect contact details, move on to the next step.
Immediate special offer
At this stage in the funnel, the goal is to generate revenue to offset the costs of advertising or marketing, turn visitors to customers, and yield a small profit. You make this happen through what’s known as a front end offer or tripwire offer.
A tripwire offer is an inexpensive high-quality paid product. It’s usually less than $50 but can vary based on the costs of your other products and branding. For example, Louis Vuitton wouldn’t have a tripwire offer of $30 because it’d reflect poorly on the brand.
In the funnel we’ve been building, the offer you’ll present is hyper-relevant to the lead magnet. It’s the logical next step in the customer journey and, since it’s inexpensive, people are likely to take advantage of it.
Unfortunately, a sub $50 offer likely won’t yield much profit. To increase the order value, you’ll add what’s known as profit maximizers. These are other products that are relevant to the first product someone purchased but they’re not constrained by the under $50 pricing.
They’re often referred to as upsells or cross-sells and are used extensively online and offline. Amazon is one of the most popular examples of this in action.
This is how this stage of your funnel will look. Tripwire offer -> upsell offer that’s up to 10X the price of the tripwire offer -> If they don’t take the upsell then a downsell -> if they take the upsell then cross-sell -> thank you page.
Unfortunately, a sub $50 offer likely won’t yield much profit. To increase the order value, you’ll add what’s known as profit maximizers. These are other products that are relevant to the first product someone purchased but they’re not constrained by the under $50 pricing.
They’re often referred to as upsells or cross-sells and are used extensively online and offline. Amazon is one of the most popular examples of this in action.
This is how this stage of your funnel will look. Tripwire offer -> upsell offer that’s up to 10X the price of the tripwire offer -> If they don’t take the upsell then a downsell -> if they take the upsell then cross-sell -> thank you page.
Of course, each product is tied into the one that comes before it.
For example, the upsell for an SEO video lecture could be an entire course, and the cross-sell could be access to the software you use internally. If they skip the upsell then you may present a smaller version of the same course or go directly to the software.
Only a small percentage of the people who give you their contact details will purchase on the spot but it’ll be enough to break even and turn a small profit. The ones who don’t purchase are still new leads for your business which is why the final stage is email marketing.
Conversely, you can also use a webinar to skip the lower tripwire offer and go directly to a higher ticket product. There are many tools that allow you to set up a webinar and even connect directly to your email marketing service when someone registers.
Email nurturing sequence
The nuances of email marketing are beyond the scope of this post so I’ll just give you a brief outline of the key considerations.
First, you’ll need an email marketing service that allows you to do email marketing automation. This is important because you’ll want to personalize the email sequence based on how people interact with it. If someone is clicking on a specific type of link then you want to send more of those.
Conversely, if someone is ignoring a specific type of content then send less of that type.
Your email nurturing sequence should:
1. Instill buying beliefs
Before someone purchases a product, they need to believe certain things. For example, before someone hires a marketing agency, they need to believe that marketing is important and the agency can get them the results they’re looking for.
You don’t have to instill every single buying belief because, by virtue of them signing up or your email list, they already have some of them. Your job is to identify what someone needs to believe before making the purchase and help them understand the most important ones.
Focus on one buying belief per email.
2. Give someone a way to buy within every email
As you’re instilling these buying beliefs, you have no way of knowing exactly when your subscriber will have their own aha moment. If you don’t plan on selling until the third email but they’re ready to buy by the second email what happens when you don’t give them an easy way to purchase?
They don’t buy.
Add a non-obtrusive call to action in every email so there’s always an opportunity to become a customer.
3. Clearly ask for the sale every few emails
In addition to the subtle call to action in every email, you should also have dedicated sales emails that do more to encourage a purchase.
Focus on the product, the benefits, and address the common objections. Don’t send these all the time because you don’t want your list to get burnt out.
A good rule of thumb is to include a soft or hard sales pitch every four to five emails. People understand you’re a business and need to turn a profit so they’ll interact with your sales emails as long as it’s also beneficial to them.
Conclusion
An online sales funnel is an essential ingredient to your success. There are many moving pieces and it can take a considerable amount of time to get right.
This article has given you the framework needed to make your own sales funnel effective. All that’s left is for you to implement what you’ve learned to keep tweaking until it’s just right.
For example, the upsell for an SEO video lecture could be an entire course, and the cross-sell could be access to the software you use internally. If they skip the upsell then you may present a smaller version of the same course or go directly to the software.
Only a small percentage of the people who give you their contact details will purchase on the spot but it’ll be enough to break even and turn a small profit. The ones who don’t purchase are still new leads for your business which is why the final stage is email marketing.
Conversely, you can also use a webinar to skip the lower tripwire offer and go directly to a higher ticket product. There are many tools that allow you to set up a webinar and even connect directly to your email marketing service when someone registers.
Email nurturing sequence
The nuances of email marketing are beyond the scope of this post so I’ll just give you a brief outline of the key considerations.
First, you’ll need an email marketing service that allows you to do email marketing automation. This is important because you’ll want to personalize the email sequence based on how people interact with it. If someone is clicking on a specific type of link then you want to send more of those.
Conversely, if someone is ignoring a specific type of content then send less of that type.
Your email nurturing sequence should:
1. Instill buying beliefs
Before someone purchases a product, they need to believe certain things. For example, before someone hires a marketing agency, they need to believe that marketing is important and the agency can get them the results they’re looking for.
You don’t have to instill every single buying belief because, by virtue of them signing up or your email list, they already have some of them. Your job is to identify what someone needs to believe before making the purchase and help them understand the most important ones.
Focus on one buying belief per email.
2. Give someone a way to buy within every email
As you’re instilling these buying beliefs, you have no way of knowing exactly when your subscriber will have their own aha moment. If you don’t plan on selling until the third email but they’re ready to buy by the second email what happens when you don’t give them an easy way to purchase?
They don’t buy.
Add a non-obtrusive call to action in every email so there’s always an opportunity to become a customer.
3. Clearly ask for the sale every few emails
In addition to the subtle call to action in every email, you should also have dedicated sales emails that do more to encourage a purchase.
Focus on the product, the benefits, and address the common objections. Don’t send these all the time because you don’t want your list to get burnt out.
A good rule of thumb is to include a soft or hard sales pitch every four to five emails. People understand you’re a business and need to turn a profit so they’ll interact with your sales emails as long as it’s also beneficial to them.
Conclusion
An online sales funnel is an essential ingredient to your success. There are many moving pieces and it can take a considerable amount of time to get right.
This article has given you the framework needed to make your own sales funnel effective. All that’s left is for you to implement what you’ve learned to keep tweaking until it’s just right.
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