A digital marketing sales funnel is a visual representation of the process of turning leads into customers from the standpoint of sales and marketing. Simply put, sales funnels are the phases that visitors or browsers must go through before converting.
It’s a marketing phrase describing the trip that prospective buyers take on their path to making a purchase. A sales funnel has multiple steps, which are commonly referred to as the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel, however these steps can change depending on a company’s sales model.
A customer, for example, notices a clearance rack of t-shirts. He or she thumbs through the rack, and they’ve reached the funnel’s next stage. The consumer then chooses four t-shirts and proceeds to the checkout. They’re at the last step. If all goes according to plan, they complete the transaction and reach the bottom of the funnel.
Every business, in one way or another, goes through the same process. Your sales funnel might look like this:
- Retail store
- Sales team
- Website
- Personal consultation
Your sales funnel can include any marketing channel. And it’s possible that your funnel is dispersed across multiple channels.
Why is creating a Sales Funnel important?
You’re meant to be in charge of the broad picture as a business owner. It is your responsibility to create and manage the overall business strategy, which includes everything from product development to sales and marketing.
You may frequently find yourself in a state of mind when a plethora of original business concepts cross your thoughts, and you feel compelled to get a head start on your brilliant ideas.
To make real progress, a wonderful idea or a few short-term motivating sessions aren’t enough. To be successful, you must learn the skills of the trade. Businesses use a sales funnel to represent the journey prospective consumers travel in order to increase sales.
The sales funnel is one of those tools that can help you grow in a methodical manner. Isn’t it true that sales are the driving force behind corporate expansion?
You may have created an excellent coaching program, but you won’t be able to expand or even survive if you can’t sell it. To succeed, you must constantly adapt to the ever-changing business environment and the needs of your clients.
What are different stages of a Digital Marketing Funnel?
There are four steps to the digital marketing funnel:
Stage 1 – Awareness: This is when a person learns about your company or website for the first time. This can happen in a number of ways, including organic search, social media, word-of-mouth, email, press releases, links from other websites, and more.
Consumers will sometimes buy right away if the chemistry is just perfect. It’s a case of being in the right place at the right moment. The customer has already done their homework and is aware that you are providing a desirable product at a reasonable price.
Stage 2 – Discovery: A visitor will read a few pages on your website, absorb material, and learn more about your company and what you have to offer during this phase.
You’ll turn off prospects and chase them away if you push your product or service from the start. The goal is to establish your knowledge, assist the customer in making an informed decision, and offer to assist them in any manner possible.
Stage 3 – Consideration: Your visitors will spend more time reading your site, watching your videos, and even signing up for your email list at this stage.
Now is the time to put your best foot forward. It might be free shipping, a discount code, or a bonus product when most of your competitors charge. In any case, make it so appealing that your prospect can’t wait to take advantage of it.
Stage 4 – Conversion: The conversion procedure can take a long time or be completed quickly. This is usually determined by what you’re selling, the price range, and the urgency with which your products and services address a problem.
However, just because a customer has reached the bottom of the funnel does not imply your job is done. Consumers and marketers must take action. You want to make every effort to turn one purchase into ten, ten into one hundred, and so on.
What Are The Components of a Digital Marketing Sales Funnels?
1. Foundation – Laying the Groundwork for Your Digital Marketing Sales Funnel
Before you can start building up your digital marketing sales funnel, you must first perform research and develop a strategy to guarantee that your sales funnel is as efficient as possible.
The success of your funnel hinges on conducting a thorough competitive analysis, setting smart goals, and determining your buyer personas. The next step in the digital marketing funnel plan is to create your value ladder and funnel map.
2. Floodgates – Adding Content to Your Digital Marketing Funnel Traffic
Search engines, social media, advertisements, email campaigns, offline events, and other sources of traffic can all funnel into your funnel. The most effective sales funnels are those that use all available sources to drive traffic to the digital marketing sales funnel.
3. Sales Funnel – From Top to Bottom, Move Your Digital Marketing Traffic
Finally, we arrive at the funnel itself. There are three parts to the physical funnel: a lead magnet, an amplifier, and a conversion event. Upsells, downsells, gated content, and other features can be included in your funnel depending on your goals.
In any instance, the goal is to persuade a visitor to give up their contact information (and/or any vital information relevant to your goals) in exchange for something of value to them.
Content exchanged can include a free e-book or webinar, discounts on a service or product, a contest/promotional offer, and so on, depending on the visitor’s place in the funnel. The possibilities are literally limitless.
How to build a Sales Funnel that works?
By now, you must be excited about creating a sales funnel right now—and quickly. Don’t be concerned. It isn’t as complicated as it appears. Here’s what to do to create a successful sales funnel:
Step 1: Examine the behavior of your target audience.
The more information you have about your target market, the more effective your sales funnel will be. You’re not trying to sell to everyone. You’re reaching out to people who are a good fit for what you have to offer.
In this regard, user behavior reports can be a big help as they assist you in keeping track of site activity and determining how users interact with your site.
What do they do when they click? When do they start scrolling? What percentage of their time do they spend on each page? All of this information will aid in the refinement of your buyer personas.
Step 2: Grasp the Attention of Your Audience
Your sales funnel will only operate if you can get individuals to enter it. This entails getting your material exposed to the right people.
Take the natural way and publish a lot of material on all of your channels. Use infographics, videos, and other sorts of content to diversify your content.
Run a few adverts if you’re willing to spend more money. Where you should run such adverts is determined by where your target demographic frequents. LinkedIn advertisements may be the best option if you’re selling B2B.
Step 3: Build a Landing Page
Building a Landing Page is the third step. Your ad or other material should lead your prospects to a certain destination. In an ideal world, you’d send them to a landing page with an irresistible offer.
Focus on acquiring leads rather than pushing the sale because these people are still at the bottom of the sales funnel. The goal of a landing page is to direct the user to the next step.
You’ll need a strong call to action that tells readers exactly what they need to do, whether it’s to download a free e-book or watch an instructive video.
Step 4: Create an Email Drip Campaign Market
This step is important to send your potential customers great content via email. Do it on a regular basis, but not too often. It should be enough to send one or two emails per week.
Prepare your market for the sale by educating them first. What is it that they wish to learn? What hurdles and objections must you overcome in order to persuade them to buy?
Make a fantastic offer at the end of your drip campaign. That is the piece of content that will motivate your prospects to take action.
Step 5: Maintain Contact
Don’t forget about your current clients. Rather, keep reaching out to them. Thank them for their purchases, provide more offer coupons, and invite them to follow you on social media. This will help you build a client base that is loyal and returning.