A common pitfall we see many business owners fall into is they create a website without a solid marketing strategy in place, and wait for business to come to them.
Launching your website (even if it's initially optimized for target keywords) isn't enough nowadays to attract a significant amount of traffic. Ideally, you need a marketing plan for how you'll drive traffic, a consistent content creation schedule, and to optimize your website regularly for popular search terms in order to see new business through the website.
What is a Sales Funnel?
A sales funnel takes a customer on the journey of addressing their specific problem, offering a clear solution, and providing next steps to either learn more or reach out to work with you (signing up for your newsletter, booking an appointment, calling you, requesting a quote, or reaching out through the contact form).
Usually, you'll want to offer a free guide, checklist, eBook, etc. that provides a solution to your target audience's problem. This freebie paired with engaging messaging that tells a story of how you help clients with similar problems go from point A to point B (a happier future state) is a great way to convince a client:
You're an expert
You have experience helping others in similar situations
Life will be better after having worked with you
Why is a Sales Funnel Important?
Sales funnels are a great way to get new customers, generate referrals, and monitor the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Without them, your strategy by default is to sit around and hope that new business will find you. This approach will end up making you feel powerless, overwhelmed and frustrated as you wait for new clients to reach out.
Funnel Essentials:
Specific Target Audience
Solution to Their Problem
Squeeze Section to Convert
Plan to Drive Traffic
The great news is once you've identified the 4 funnel essentials, you'll have an automated sales funnel that is ready to educate, engage and convert your target audience 24/7.
Automation is Your Friend!
You can always make more money, but one thing you can't make more of is time. As the owner of your business, your schedule probably seems to have a way of filling up with to-dos. There's always something you could be working on, and your days seem to have a way of getting longer and longer.
Automation can help you get more time back in your day. More time means more freedom to do what brings you joy. This is going to help you in the long-term because remember, owning a business is a marathon, not a sprint!
Start by Mapping Out Your Process
Before you jump into setting up an automated sales funnel, map out each step of your process. Consider your target audience and a common problem they experience. What's something you can offer that will give them clarity and see you as an expert?
How can you use your freebie + the messaging in your email marketing to engage, educate and empower?
Brainstorm some ideas of stories you can share (these can be of past clients you've helped, or your own personal stories that have a clear message to them).
Combine these stories with a useful offer, and you'll have taken an important step in the right direction - starting a relationship with a new potential client!
To learn more about how you can use technology to automate steps in your process, click here.
Need Help Setting Up a Sales Funnel for Your Business?
We can help! We're Wix Legend Experts with 17 years experience in building successful businesses online. Book a free strategy session with our team to get started. Our goal is for you to leave the call with actionable steps you can take to improve your business.
