The volume of information pertaining to Sales Funnels has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade. Once an obscure topic, Sales Funnels are now imperative to online businesses and entrepreneurs. Despite the immense growth in resources available for creating successful Sales Funnels, there is still widespread confusion about what the concept is, why it is important, and most importantly, the potential benefits that they offer.
Basic Definition
In short, a clear-cut, to-the-point definition of a Sales Funnel is this: A necessary tool in today’s technological world that has the potential to grow your business in dynamic ways. What a Sales Funnel entails and how it works are discussed further below. However, it is critical to first delve fully into the concept and understand its basic core before moving on to its related logistics.
Understanding Sales Funnels
As stated above, a Sales Funnel has the potential to grow your business in dynamic ways. To best understand the concept, consider a Sales Funnel as a journey, a blueprint, or even the building blocks of growing your business. Sales Funnels are essentially a roadmap, leading the way to higher levels of growth and overall success for your business.
Across the internet, Sales Funnels are defined in various ways, yet all point to the same conclusion. For example, Forbes simply defines Sales Funnels as a marketing strategy, while famed blogger Neil Patel concludes that Sales Funnels are “a series of steps designed to guide visitors toward a buying decision.” While both definitions sound vastly different, they mean the same thing; the steps or strategies your business takes to achieve growth via sales and more.
Notably, Neil Patel later references the marketing aspects and various strategic steps of Sales Funnels with the following statement: The steps [of a Sales Funnel] are composed of marketing assets that do the work of selling, like landing pages and email.”
Clearing Up Potential Confusion
As you embark on your journey to research Sales Funnels on the internet, be aware they go by many names, such as conversion funnels, marketing funnels, and other terms.
Don’t let the difference in terminology confuse you; the bottom line is that these terms all describe the steps and process your business takes to achieve upward mobility, attract potential buyers, and guide them towards taking action, whether it be through sales, email signups, subscribership, and more.
Examples of Businesses that Utilize Sales Funnels and Achieved Success
Thousands of companies’ online use Sales Funnels and achieve stellar results. Their Sales Funnels are effective and compelling, luring new customers in by providing easy pathways towards sales or sign up.
Importantly, they use the right sort of language to motivate customers to action, and they address right off the bat any concerns those customers might have, ultimately giving the consumer confidence in the site, product, or service and resulting in a sale.
Notable examples of companies that have used Sales Funnels and have achieved incredible results are the following:
- Netflix.com
- MailChimp.com
- AutoGrow.com
- CrazyEgg.com
- Groupon.com
Creating Effective Sales Funnels: From Awareness to Purchase
In its simplest form, a Sales Funnel is composed of four main steps. The steps are as follows:
- Creating customer awareness for your services, products, or other related items
- Promoting customer interest in your offerings
- Generating desire for customers via clearly stating how your product or service can assist or solve their need or problem
- Compelling customers to take action by purchasing your items or services, signing up for your site or email list, or whatever action you desire new customers to take
These four steps are in essence, the “funnel.” The process that new customers go through on your site is a journey, as they move along, taking in the information, graphics, incentives, and offerings you are putting on display.
Success is highly based not only on ease of use and navigation of your site but also on what you show, what you write, and how you describe what you are selling. The more descriptive the product or service is, the more motivating it is for new customers to take the plunge. Thus, compelling language is imperative in Sales Funnels, from educating consumers on your product or services, all the way to the checkout page.
The Bottom Line
Highly descriptive, compelling language plus ease of use, and hassle-free navigation of your site can make or break your Sales Funnel endeavors. Making things easy and clear-cut for potential customers, while offering plenty of educational information will always help you achieve your business goals.
Delving Further Into the Four Steps
Awareness – Build awareness for potential customers via content marketing, which helps your business elevate its presence in search engines. Achieve this by creating high-quality, well-written content on a consistent basis and watch the traffic roll in. Examples of content marketing can include the following (and much more):
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Guides
Promote, Promote, Promote – Keep it moving! Be consistent with blog posts, videos, pictures, and any kind of high-quality content that attracts and engages visitors to your site and motivates them to become repeat visitors and new customers.
Interest and Desire – Get potential customers interested by providing clear and concise information about your products and/or services. Don’t elaborate too long, but instead, focus on crafting well-written descriptions that inform consumers how buying your item can help or solve their present issue or need.
Achieving the Action You Desire – If you’ve done an excellent job at the steps above, your 99% if the way towards a sale. Once you have garnered your visitor’s interest, convincing them to take the next step by taking action and making a purchase is nearly guaranteed.
Make the sale by ensuring your site is high-quality all the way to the end of the sales process when the customer is about to check out. If the last page has typos, poorly written information, and is not on par with the rest of your site, consumer trust can fly right out of the window.
Maintain the confidence and trust of your potential customer all the way through the funnel by ensuring your site is user-friendly, well-written, and chock-full of quality content throughout and continue with that level of quality from beginning to end to achieve the results you desire.
Conclusion
Sales Funnels augment your business in particularly beneficial ways. It is the means in which customers are brought to your site, the driving force behind the sales of your products and services and is the best way to show visitors that your site is high-quality, well-written and crafted in such a way for ease of use while connoting trustworthiness and a sense of authority.
