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Want to identify the essential touch points of your website that will help convert prospects into real customers? If so, a digital marketing funnel will certainly come in handy. Continue reading to learn more about what is a digital marketing funnel, how to use one for your business as well as their benefits.
Digitisation has long since arrived in marketing. Due to the ever-growing advertising opportunities in the field of social media, online marketers are always facing new challenges. One big challenge is knowing when the potential customer with the right online marketing measure is optimally addressed in the course of the customer journey, or the purchase process, in order to achieve the set goals.
Luckily, digital marketing funnels have succeeded in bringing palpable changes to marketing in both large-scale and small-scale businesses. With all the digital platforms at your disposal, you can now freely interact with both customers and prospects, sell products online, place adverts, and still measure your business’ level of success.
WHAT ARE FUNNELS IN DIGITAL MARKETING?
A digital marketing funnel is comparable to the basic use of a physical funnel. It operates in the same way to gather content as it flows. In short, we use digital marketing funnels to filter out a smaller number of prospects and customers from a large number of websites, blogs, or landing page visitors. In each stage of the sales process, consumers are gradually “converting” from a broad and unspecific audience to prospects and ultimately to actual customers.
The funnel essentially starts with awareness, leading to interest, consideration, value, intent, and purchase. At the top of a funnel is a large number of unqualified, potential customers – in the upper opening lands the leads / interested parties, via a landing page. These leads are then routed through the funnel and turned into long-term customers on along the way. Not every potential customer will buy your product or service, which is why more and more of these unqualified customers are sifted out along the middle stages of the process. At the bottom of the sales funnel remains the consumer group, which ultimately makes the purchase.
A customer that goes through this complete process is ten times more “valuable” because they have built a very strong relationship and trust in your business.
SIX TIPS TO BUILD A DIGITAL MARKETING FUNNEL
As mentioned earlier, a marketing funnel provides the essential touch points along the customer journey that will help reach your marketing and communications goals. However, to do this effectively, you will not only require knowledge on how to use a funnel for your business but also how to build an effective strategy. Here are a few tips.
1. IDENTIFY YOUR BUSINESS AIMS/GOALS
The initial step to develop a sales funnel is to know what your goals are. If your funnel is targeted towards accomplishing a specific aim it will be very easy to use. For example, if your aim is to receive regular customers, when a customer visits your site, the ensuing traffic fills your sales funnel as you leverage on digital marketing strategies (such as offering discounts) to further drive the traffic from the start of the funnel down towards the bottom, where you can then proceed to convert visitors into regular paying customers – who will subsequently become advocates for your product.
2. BUILD A HIGH CONVERTING USER-FRIENDLY LANDING PAGE
Common web design mistakes such as a mobile-unfriendly site can easily disrupt your marketing funnel. That’s why it is important to smoothen the path and make it as convenient as possible for visitors with a smooth landing page. This will aid in anticipating customer needs, and in turn, will help you develop a better marketing strategy for the precise targeting of customers. Product reviews and FAQs should be included to give visitors all the necessary information.
3. SHOWER VISITORS WITH OFFERS AND CHOICES
Now that you have your target customer on your homepage, this means the initial phase of your digital marketing plan is a huge success. Now, the onus is on you to retain these visiting prospects on the website until such a time that they arrive at a buying decision. From the moment the prospect lands on your page, offer them the best customer experience you can delivering the exact product and service they need to fulfill their needs.
You might not believe this, a huge number of online shoppers already have it in mind to make a purchase before landing on your page. In actual fact, some might already be brand advocates prior to purchasing a service or product; they may have heard about your business through word of mouth. This means that your website needs to be defined with what you offer as they might already have an idea what services or products are up for grabs. For example, offering customers ‘10% off their first purchase’ in exchange for their email will give you the opportunity to send them a welcome message with more information about your business.
Also, remember to furnish them with recommendations for related products before they check out. A pop-up is also handy, offering invitations to them to sign up for an email newsletter that comes monthly. What you shouldn’t allow is for visitors to surf through your website and leave without sufficient information about your business.
4. EXAMINE POTENTIAL LEAKS IN NO CONVERTING TRAFFIC
A high conversion rate is the ultimate goal of any company that is engaged in the sale of consumer products. Once a buying decision is reached, try to make the transaction process as seamless as possible. Building your funnel for better conversion also entails scrutinising any potential leaks, or those points where a prospect is likely to have a rethink, and exit your page; thus break your company’s sales process.
Authentic conversion is not meant to terminate at the point of purchase; you need to go the extra mile by retaining those customers and enticing them to come back for a second visit. This requires a continuous lookout for new ways to improve your brand in a bid to meet the needs of these customers.
5. OFFER UNIQUE CONTENT
In order to turn visitors into regular customers, they must be enthusiastic. Not only the product and the service should be right, but also the care of the customers. Via social media channels, newsletters and mailings, you can inspire and retain your customers in the long term.
As part of your post-sales content marketing strategy, provide unique content that not only adds value but excites you. Your customer should get a good feeling that the purchase decision made was absolutely correct. This lays the foundation for repeat purchases as well as for up- and cross-selling.
6. THINK ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
Customer relationship is key as most visitors won’t hesitate to leave you behind when you are not satisfying their needs. Your email marketing shouldn’t be overdone so as not to give the impression of spamming. Besides, you should be equipped and ready to entertain questions with superior customer service. It might turn out to be quite expensive and time-consuming to build a fruitful customer relationship at the initial stage; however, when compared to replacing a customer that has gone, it is a whole lot cheaper. So strive as much as possible to retain these remaining customers.
Remember, each stage in the funnel builds on the preceding one, so your overall business growth depends on the strength of each stage.
Why is a digital marketing funnel important?
Below are a few of the benefits a good digital marketing funnel can bring to your business.
PROMOTION OF YOUR BUSINESS AROUND THE CLOCK
The internet, as they say, never sleeps; thus, all your company’s assets online, including ebooks, websites, social media profiles, articles, and many more, can be accessed by potential clients 24/7. As there are three billion users surfing the internet on a daily basis, your business certainly stands a chance of reaching out to a wider audience through digital marketing campaigns. If your digital marketing funnel is done correctly, you will succeed in promoting your products to bring in new clients.
GENERATING CONSTANT LEADS
The job of the digital marketing funnel is to demarcate genuine buyers from the window shoppers – online sales funnels are designed in such a way that they constantly generate leads. That’s why apt digital marketing funnels can successfully turn visitors into paying customers – and subsequently raving fans.
CUTTING DOWN ON CUSTOMER ACQUISITION COSTS
With the aid of a digital marketing funnel, you will be able to reduce costs incurred in converting prospects into customers. What this means in essence is that you spend less on acquiring new clients; since you will be able to target the precise demographic that is best suited to your business.
REACHING A WIDER AUDIENCE
A good sales funnel can help you acquire customers from far-flung areas in addition to the ones you already have in your vicinity.
COMPETING WITH THE BEST
The internet offers a level playing ground for all businesses and with an effective sales funnel, your business can easily compete side by side with top retail outlets. What’s more, you can spy on the competition with the aid of various SEO tools and proceed to fashion your own funnel to function like theirs.
ENJOYING REAL-TIME ENGAGEMENT
With the help of a sales funnel, your business can now enjoy some real-time encounters with customers. You will be able to experience genuine emotional relations due to the fact that the greater part of buying decisions are based on emotions. Hence why creating a genuine relationship with both existing and potential customers is of essence.
You might not succeed in turning them into customers immediately, but when they do find themselves in need of services or products in your niche, they are more likely to think of you first, thanks to the already established emotional bond.
Contact us today to talk to a Nottingham Digital Marketing Agency.
