“If you want to scale your business, you need a Digital Marketing Funnel!”
If you’ve listened to any business podcast or attended any marketing webinar, you’ve likely heard this phrase. It probably left you scratching your head. What in the world is a Digital Marketing Funnel?
In this article, we’re going to demystify Digital Marketing Funnels. We’ll also get into the different stages of a Digital Marketing Funnel. By the end of this article you’ll know why they work so well.
What Is A Digital Marketing Funnel?
Simply put, a digital marketing funnel is the journey from prospect to client.
The funnel builds a relationship with people as they engage with your business. It lets you reach more people and convert more of them to paying clients.
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.
- A Website That Works
- Lead Generators
- Email Campaigns
You’re probably thinking, “is it that simple?” Yes! Let’s get into the details so you can see for yourself.
A Website That Works
You need a website that works. That doesn’t just mean that all the buttons are functioning correctly or that the page looks good.
A website that really works generates leads for you 24/7.
Could your website use a little help? Use the list below to get your website working for you:
- Don’t use any jargon or insider words
- Use less than 6 words in your header
- Choose strong Call To Actions (Buy Now, Schedule A Call)
- Aim for clear language — instead of cute and clever
- Repeat your Call To Action multiple times on the page
Lead Generators
Your prospects wake up every day as the hero in their own story. Throughout their day they overcome obstacles and emerge victoriously.
But sometimes, they need to be guided through difficulties.
When your prospects are facing problems, they don’t want to listen to just anyone. They need a guide they can trust.
The best way to establish yourself as an authoritative guide in your prospect’s story is to offer a free asset. This free asset could be:
- A PDF on your site
- A Video Series
- A Free Sample
- A Live Event/Webinar
While this asset is free, you still want it to help you grow your business.
A great way to do that is to exchange your asset for a prospect’s email address. That gives you a great lead to follow up with. And since your free asset adds big value, prospects will be happy to exchange their email address for it.
Pro Tip: People are willing to exchange their email address for something that has a perceived value of $15-$20. Be sure your free resource adds BIG perceived value, or they won’t download it!
Email Campaigns
You have a powerful website that works, you have some potential clients’ email addresses, now what?
It’s time to follow through and email them.
But what do you send them? Your weekly newsletter? A message all about the history of your company? Tell them about the awards that you’ve won in the past?
You could do that, but you probably won’t see many results.
Instead, place the captured email addresses into an automated nurture email campaign. Then have that lead right into a sales email campaign.
Pro Tip: Automate this step in your CRM so you can reel in leads without doing any extra work!
Here are some ideas for good nurture email campaigns:
- Calendar events for the week
- Special offers
- Weekly how-to-videos
- Weekly specials for a restaurant
- Weekly recipes
- Blog posts
- Latest podcast episode
- Free resources
What Are The Stages Of A Digital Marketing Funnel
Now you know what a Digital Marketing Funnel is and how powerful it is for your business, but why does it work?
You’ve heard it said a million times, “People don’t buy products, they buy people.”
Digital Marketing Funnels work because they nurture relationships.
A good Digital Marketing Funnel takes your prospect through 3 different relationship stages:
- Curiosity stage
- Enlightenment stage
- Commitment stage
The Curiosity Stage
Here is where your prospect is searching for a product or service that can help them survive. This stage is full of snap judgments.
Think of it like sorting through mail. You have a keep & a throw away pile.
Your prospect is being served thousands of pieces of marketing collateral. If they were to take in every piece of marketing collateral, their brain would be so full of campaigns, they wouldn’t have room for their own name!
That’s why people have a curiosity filter. This filter is constantly on and it’s very selective about what gets through.
Donald Miller, CEO of Business Made Simple University, says it best, “You must associate your products with something that will help them survive.”
Use words on your website that speak to your prospects’ problems. Do this well and, before you know it, you’ll carry your prospects to the Enlightenment Stage.
Pro tip: Your Website guides your prospect through the Curiosity stage into the Enlightenment stage.
The Enlightenment Stage
In this stage, your prospect begins to establish trust in you. They’re discovering how you can solve their problems and help them survive.
Clients will NEVER move into a fog. They will always say no to confusion. Remove confusion by showing them your process of solving their problems.
When confusion is replaced with clarity, your prospects are then ready to move to the Commitment stage.
Pro Tip: Your Lead Generator and Nurture Email Campaign guide your prospect through the Enlightenment stage into the Commitment stage
The Commitment Stage
In this stage your prospect faces a risky decision: Do they commit to your business and place an order? Or do they “keep browsing”?
When prospects don’t place an order it can be because of two reasons:
- They were never asked to
- They were asked too early
Most businesses are pretty good about asking for the sale. Sometimes too good. Pushy sales tactics can make a prospect feel threatened. No one buys from a pushy salesperson.
This is the beauty of a Digital Marketing Funnel! If executed correctly, it controls the pace of the relationship and never makes the prospect feel rushed.
Rushed relationships are never healthy. They usually don’t last long — or even get started!
Pro Tip: Your Sales Email Campaign guides your prospect through the Commitment stage and turns them into a paying client
To Sum It All Up
There you have it!
You now know not only what a Digital Marketing Funnel is. You can describe the different stages. Most importantly, you know why it works.
And when it comes to marketing, you deserve a funnel that actually works!
A Digital Marketing Funnel guides your prospect through the different relationship stages: Curiosity, Enlightenment, and Commitment. It does this at a healthy pace, making it easy for your prospects to fully commit to your business!
We hope that you found this article helpful. If you would like to get more guidance on how to execute a powerful Digital Marketing Funnel you can Schedule A Call with our team by clicking here.
