Sales Funnels 101
Imagine this: You’re meeting with your marketing team, talking about your Q1 marketing goals for 2023. Your colleague mentions it will be best to implement a sales funnel for the new product/service your team is launching. You instantly stop listening, drift off to a place wondering what a sales funnel is, and visions of oil funnels pop into your head… don’t worry, you’re not alone.
All kidding aside, a sales funnel is exactly what it sounds like – a fancy term marketers give to the experience your customer will have from start to finish. It is the tactic you use to pull people into your “world,” and it’s your job to nurture them from interested to purchased.
Read on to learn about each stage of a proper sales funnel.
Awareness
In this stage, you’re trying to get your brand in front of as many people as possible. You can use many different marketing strategies to cast a wide net for people to learn about who you are and why they need you in their life. Social media, your website, billboards, and even sponsorships are all great examples.
Share your brand story, product information and make sure to be very clear about the problem you solve for your customers.
In this stage there will be people interested in your product and some not so much. Those who are interested will move down the sales funnel to the next stage.
Consideration
In the consideration stage, people start to dig a bit deeper. Blog posts, free webinars, and a coupon download for someone to use in your store can entice people in the consideration stage. The whole point of this stage is to show people that your product or service is of value to them.
Once someone has entered this stage, another great way to nurture your audience is to give them something in exchange for their email address. It could be a PDF showing the top 5 ways to increase your happiness, or whatever it is that your prospective audience is interested in. Provide value and more value for customers during this phase.
When someone exchanges their email address for a piece of information or a coupon, that shows genuine interest in your product or service. Donald Miller (founder of StoryBrand) explains that an email address is the equivalent of someone handing you $25. People don’t give their email addresses to everyone, so now is your real opportunity to further nurture your audience down the funnel to a sale. After someone gives you their email address, follow these steps:
- Email them a thank you for downloading your piece of information. Ask them to let you know if they have any questions.
- Your following email should identify a problem your audience has and how your product is the solution to that problem. Be specific, bold, clear, and tap into your audience’s emotions.
- Then, send an email showing how amazing your product is by sharing customer testimonials. Or you can share a success story from your client.
- Your next email is to remind your customer how your product solves their problem.
- Finally, your last email is your sales letter with a direct call to action about what they need to do to fix their problem. I have a secret for you- it’s to buy your product.
Decision & Purchase
You did it. Your audience is fully vested and can’t wait to have your life-changing product in their hands. You’ve pitched them. Shared with them how your product will change their world, you solved their problem, and they purchased your product. Nice work!
I know this sounds like a lot of unnecessary steps, but trust me, nurturing your audience and gaining their trust is the meat of your entire pitch. If you want to learn more tips and tricks to crush your marketing goals, contact Brand Yourself today!
Looking for more examples in these various steps. Check out our Sales Funnel Video 101 here.
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