Have you been using online sales funnels to grow your business online but it hasn't really worked for you? There's something you are not doing right. Use these strategies to make your sales funnels convert better.
We are living in a competitive digital era, and as an entrepreneur, you have to work hard and smart to stay relevant and thrive. There are several web marketing strategies you can employ to grow your business online. One such strategy is the use of online sales funnels. You have probably watched tutorials, read articles, seen ads, and tried to implement a sales funnel in your business. But despite all that, your online sales funnel has not worked for you. Growing your business online seems difficult — and something is certainly broken.
You see, sales funnels can bring customers your way on autopilot and turn them into loyal buyers. But how do you increase conversions throughout your funnels? Here are 7 strategies to make your sales funnels convert better.
Provide something valuable at the first step of your funnel
Gone are the days when industry leaders had little to no competition. Such businesses didn't have to put in a lot of effort to attract new customers. But things have changed, and it is not that easy today. Competition is becoming fierce, and business owners and online brands have to work extra-hard to win new customers. They have to convince potential customers why they should choose them over their competitors. One way to achieve this is by providing valuable information to your customers at the first step of your sales funnel. Offer them something that makes that ideal customer trust your brand even before they make their first purchase. You can offer a:
- Checklist
- E-book
- Mini-training series
- Free case study
- Product demo
Creating a sales funnel that starts with value and offers something free makes you more likely to turn a cold lead into a happy customer.
Use emotional response marketing
Let's face it. We are no longer in an era where pushy headlines and copy that screams BUY work anymore. The modern consumers prefer a brand that speaks to them directly. Copywriting has dramatically shifted over the past decade. These aggressive sales copy tactics were heavily used in traditional sales funnels— they worked then, but not anymore. If you want your sales funnel copy to work, you have to be real, authentic, and honest. Your copy should be more conversational. It is this type of copy that speaks directly to modern-day consumers.
Retargeting campaigns
In a perfect world, everyone who visits your sales funnel's landing page chooses to proceed to the very end and make a purchase. Unfortunately, it isn't a perfect world, and this rarely happens. If you want your sales funnel conversion rate to increase, you should employ effective retargeting campaigns. You can use a series of emails or ads that target potential customers who visited the first page of your funnel but didn't do what you wanted them to (join your webinar, watch a video, download something, etc.). Demonstrate to a prospect who already visited your sales funnel why they should reconsider your offer. Give them a reason to trust your brand.
Utilize customer data
Your online sales funnel provides you with one thing: data. You are supposed to use this data to understand the strengths of your strategies at different stages of the funnel and make changes accordingly. For instance, if you seem to lose an abnormally high number of prospects in the middle of the funnel, it means you have leaks that need to be sealed.
Check the calls-to-action, content, channels, and emails in that stage of the funnel, and tweak or scrap what you think is not working. Sometimes, it is just a small error that channels high quality leads out of your funnel. Other times it is the entire assortment of content that isn’t optimized to provide a clear connection between the top and bottom of the funnel.
Make it easy to do business with you
A sales funnel is a journey from the various traffic sources, such as social media and blogs, down to your sales page. Your work is to make this journey as straightforward as possible.
While a multi-step ride is likely to be straighter and more informational, you don’t have to force a lead through all those phases. Some people make up their minds early in the funnel and would appreciate being taken straight to the sales page or where they can schedule an appointment with you.
It would help if you created links between each of the earlier stages of the funnel and the sales page. This can be achieved through CTAs.
Other ways to facilitate easy buying include:
- Giving your users fewer options
- Doing away with the need to fill out forms as a prerequisite for buying
- Telling users what action they need to take
- Offering shipping information
Communicate value
Believe it or not, communication is one of the biggest reasons businesses lose high quality leads near the bottom of the sales funnel. For example, if a business sells office desks, the user will most likely see a price tag, a brief description, and pictures of the furniture. There is a good chance they won’t be provided with a justification for the pricing, leading them to view the transaction as a risk that warrants a second thought.
Always ensure you provide enough information about your product, with each stage of the funnel complementing the previous one. And don’t forget to create shortcuts for the fast learners.
Eliminate distractions
As stated above, the straightest channel down the sales funnel earns you the most conversions. Avoid content that might grab the attention of the user mid-journey.
The sad truth is, most of the users in your sales pipeline aren’t serious about making a purchase. It’s like they are looking for a reason to leave, but your content is keeping them held. You shouldn’t be the reason they step out of the track. Your landing pages should be specific and dominated by information relevant to the product you are selling. All your other products should have their own uninterrupted channels.
Endnote
The better your sales funnels are, the more profit you will make. Use these strategies to optimize your sales funnels to make them stand out, and watch your conversions increase.
Janeth Kent
Licenciada en Bellas Artes y programadora por pasión. Cuando tengo un rato retoco fotos, edito vídeos y diseño cosas. El resto del tiempo escribo en MA-NO WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT.
