A marketing sales funnel is the process that a user goes through when they are about to buy something. They might get redirected from one page to another, or one website to another, until they reach the website of where they actually want to buy something. Then, after they have completed this process by completing their transaction, they finally get sent to an ‘order complete’ page.
A marketing funnel is a sketch, with most of the pages at the top and the ‘order complete’ page at the bottom; this is because that’s where most people start (at the top) before it goes down to decline (because few people actually end up buying anything).
How does it work?
Step 1: A customer will have a need and express or feel that need.
Step 2: The company selling the product or service provides a solution to their problem. They provide whatever the customer needs.
Step 3: The company then tells them about their products/services via mass media (advertising, word of mouth, etc.)
Step 4: The customer either doesn’t take interest or does and now begins the research phase to see if they want to buy anything. They will begin considering several similar solutions to their problem and establish a shortlist.
Step 5: Once they have decided on one product/service, they will go ahead and purchase it. A sale is made, and the company has made a profit.
Step 6: The customer then provides feedback to the company on what they liked or didn’t like about their purchase and begins considering other potential solutions if they didn’t find what they were looking for.
This process, in its whole, can be referred to as a marketing funnel.
A marketing funnel is defined by the different phases that a potential customer goes through before they actually purchase your product or service. This begins with them being aware of your brand, whether through search engine results, an advertisement or word of mouth. Then follow research and consideration of similar products to yours. Finally, they will choose one and either purchase it or decide that it isn’t for them.
How to create a marketing funnel for your business
1. Awareness
The awareness stage is where people know you exist, whether through search engine results, an advertisement or word of mouth. Words like “cheap”, “affordable” and “discounts” are important here, as they will entice customers to find out more about your product.
2. Consideration
Words like “competitive” and “lowest prices” are important here. If you can show customers that your product is not only cheaper than the competition but also better, they will choose your product over theirs.
3. Decision
The words used in this stage should reaffirm the customer’s decision made in the first two stages, such as “100% secure” and “guaranteed”.
4. Action
The words used in the final stage should make it easy for customers to purchase your product; good examples include “buy now”, “shipping” and “add to cart”. Try not to include steps like “fill out form” as this will make purchasing more difficult and lengthen the time to purchase.
For example, when signing up for an account with a web hosting company that is in the sign-up box on your website, you might find this information written in the text:
“We never want our customers to be stuck or lost when they are with us.”
5. Trust and safety
The words used at this stage should make your customers feel like making a purchase with you is safe. Try not to include words like “risk” as this will make the customer feel threatened, but include words such as “guarantee”.
How to track the progress of your marketing funnel
You can track your funnel by keeping a spreadsheet of the people who have come to your website and writing how many go through each stage. If you can’t see what happens to all of them, just look at the drop-off rates for each step. These are usually shown in percentage terms. Once one percent of people have reached a particular stage in the funnel, this is usually when they quit.
Conclusion
In conclusion, marketing funnels can be a good way to get a customer to decide to purchase your goods. However, a bad one can mess up your entire company. It’s important to find a good one, test it and stick with it.
Thanks for reading!
