Faced with digitalization and the constant flow of information that reaches consumers, their purchasing behavior has been transformed. Increasingly demanding, they can base their decisions on many other factors besides price. Improving the customer experience through an effective conversion funnel (or sales funnel) is then an opportunity for companies to adapt to this change.
What is a conversion funnel?
The sales funnel or conversion funnel is a set of devices for monitoring the progress of a sale. It is used to assist the prospect in his quest and then convert him into a customer.
The principle is, at first, to gain the trust of your prospects, and subsequently, to arouse their interest in your offers, to ultimately encourage them to buy. Upstream, you can attract your prospects by focusing on content marketing, social media, or by launching an emailing campaign. You can then get their attention by offering them attractive offers that match their needs. When your prospects are ready to buy, all you have to do is get them into action.
To optimize your conversion funnel, you can use software like callbot.
The customer journey
In his journey, a potential customer goes through 4 phases.
- Awareness: this is the moment when the buyer feels a need and begins to ask questions without necessarily identifying his real problem.
- Interest: this is the phase where the person begins to do research.
- The decision: this is the stage where the buyer evaluates the proposed options against his expectations.
- The purchase: after choosing the solution best suited to his needs, the customer buys. For the marketing professional, this step is not the closing of the sales cycle, but the strengthening of it.
Considering each step of this process is critical in designing an effective sales funnel.
Examples of conversion funnel
Whichever path you choose for your conversion funnel, the logic is always based on three pillars: capture attention, facilitate the purchase decision, convert into sale.
It is therefore a question of creating sources of traffic via content marketing (articles, videos, etc.), social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), advertisements, partnerships (influencers, CPM, etc.).
From these sources, prospects are directed to sales pages, webinars or email captures. We are talking about landing pages. These pages should make you want to go further. At this stage, you must absolutely position yourself as a « solution provider » for your prospects by offering consistent solutions to their problems and displaying an effective pop-up.
The concretization of the approach is the purchase. Your prospects are directed to purchase orders. When the prospect has become a customer, the next step is to continue to feed him with additional offers and after-sales services in order to retain him.
The two paths presented in the following examples serve as a basis only. You can build your own conversion funnel by combining the elements according to the overall context of your business.
Examples 1: website, sales page, custom quote
In this first example, it is first of all a question of building an Inboud marketing strategy . This strategy consists of prioritizing quality content that takes up the issues of a target audience in order to capture it. The second step is to integrate, in a natural way, digital products into the articles. The goal is to direct prospects to a sales page. After validating the offer, the next step is to send a personalized quote.
Examples 2: social network, newsletter, email series, online purchase
To capture your target audience, you need to post regularly on relevant topics. In addition, you must offer a subscription to your newsletter each time. Add bonuses regularly and for free to make your proposal even more attractive. Throughout your series of emails, then offer your training for those who wish to deepen the subject.
How to improve your conversion funnel?
To improve your conversion funnel, add value to your content. Offer irresistible offers to capture your prospects (eBook, white paper, training, report, audit, etc.).
On each of your landing pages, calls to action or call-to-action (text, image, button, etc.) must be clearly visible and provide a concrete solution to your readers.
The design of your site matters a lot in optimizing your conversions. Everything is important: location, copywriting, etc. You can use AB testing, to evaluate which version converts the most.
Tools to create a conversion funnel
Until a few years ago, building a conversion funnel was complicated and expensive. But with technological evolution, all-in-one tools are now available. They simultaneously manage: all the pages of the funnel, email marketing, payment and delivery, management of the member area, etc.
The idea is to create a funnel that is both powerful and easy to use with the help of the best sales automation tools. Here are a few examples.
- ClickFunnels: This is the number 1 of the sales funnels. Easy to handle and customizable, it offers a trial period of 14 days. It has complete and practical features: opt-in email capture tunnel, BackPack affiliate system and Actionetics autoresponder.
- Get response: This tool is relatively simple to use. Its use does not require advanced computer knowledge, because the functionalities are already configured. In addition, the indications are clear and precise, which will only improve the conversion rate.
In short, a sales funnel is a tool that accurately identifies sales opportunities. Well crafted, it is a lever that can be particularly effective in improving sales.
