Marketing is a tried, trusted, and effective way to positively influence potential or returning customers. The number of marketing tactics that have been invented and implemented over the decades is large, but of all those tactics one of the most effective has to be the sales funnel.
A sales funnel is a term used in marketing divisions in an attempt to describe the path that potential customers would follow while using various companies’ software. There are multiple steps that make up a sales funnel, but the number is dependent on the individual company’s model. The order in which a customer goes through a sales funnel can also vary, but the point of the process is to guide customers from initial engagement with a website to, ultimately, making a purchase.
The point in having a sales funnel system is not just to make a sale, but to understand at what point in the process that customers typically, and consistently “leak” through the flow not making a purchase. The use of sales funnels a company encourages marked returns on the investment in such systems in the form of purchases.
The following are a collection of marketing tactics that can help to create an effective sales funnel.
Marketing Tactics for a Successful Sales Funnel
Refinement Of Objectives
Every business has a goal. Spending time defining those goals is a necessary step to creating an effective sales funnel. While the making of a sale is, in most instances, the final goal, there are other goals that can occur. The type of business and the product or service being offered is what should ultimately define the steps in the sales funnel.
So, whether the goal in a particular quarter is to create more brand awareness, introduce a new product, meet a profit goal, or increase customer engagement, spending the time to clarify those goals within the company will help every successive step.
Creating Leads
One of the best ways to increase sales is to multiply the customer base, and one of the easiest ways to increase the number of customers is to create more interest in the company. The process of capturing the attention of new customers, holding their interests, and then ultimately turning them into a customer is what is known as lead generation. One of the ways to get those new leads interested is through the use of lead magnets.
Lead magnets are (typically) free resources that generate interest in the business through content that potential customers can engage in. This is done by requiring customers to leave some personal information about themselves (like a phone number or email address) so that they can be reached later with engaging content.
Educational Blog Posts
Blog popularity exploded a few decades ago and has now become one of the most stable consistent means by which a business can create and maintain customer interest. Not only do blogs become a source of (usually) regular content release to keep customers informed about the company, its products or services, and intentions, it is a great way to educate customers. When customers have access to more information about a company, product, or service, they feel informed.
Generally, a well-informed customer means that their memory has been engaged, creating more trust in a product or brand. That trust is what keeps them coming back over and over. The most time spent creating blog content that is educational about the company mission or its new products gives curious customers more opportunity to engage with the brand. More engagement typically means more purchases.
Using Engaging Landing Pages
A company that does not have a website presence online, depending on the industry, is not going to get very far. No matter what product or service a potential customer may be looking for, perhaps the most common way of finding out about that brand is to visit the website. The only problem to address is whether that website is engaging or boring. Just like driving around in a beat-up old car, versus a nice, shiny, exotic, people will easily take more notice of the latter. In the same way, a clunky, boring, uninformative website is going to (intentionally or unintentionally) communicate the quality of the brand and its services.
A landing page is a first impression. Not only should they be pleasant to engage in, but they should also be succinct, and create obvious opportunities to continue further down the sales pipeline. If a website does not have those basic features, then it’s time to upgrade.
