Overview
Sifting through the market, segregating consumers, and presenting them with the optimal product they can’t refuse; this is the goal of an optimized sales funnel. As simple as it may sound, it is never easy to establish a sales filter that will ensure maximum conversions. That is, of course, if you are unaware of the 5-steps that successful online marketers live by.
Step 1: ID Check
It has been proven time and time again that scraping audiences from a broad market is just as effective as shoveling sand in hopes of finding diamonds. The first step is as basic as market funneling can get. You need to face the fact that not all people want your services. You can’t even be sure that they even know your services exist.
The answer lies in the other end of the funnel. Who were the people who actually converted? Jot down the important details. How old are they? Are they composed of males, females, or a mix of both? Are they subscribed to your newsletters? Did they come from search traffic?
Most importantly, what did they need from you?
Once you identify these things, then you’ve hit the money. You know what this particular type of audience wants, so the next step is to show them that you can give it to them.
Step 2: Self-Check
Really – who thinks about doing business online without prioritizing having an impressive website?
First of all, you’re probably not the only one out there who is offering a particular service. The hard fact is; most consumers evaluate the trustworthiness of a particular company based on their online presence. Positive reviews, your blog content, and of course, your website as a whole; these things equate to your authority in any given niche.
In addition to design, you should also pay attention to the value that your content is offering consumers. The more people learn from you, the more they’ll trust you. And the more they trust you, the more likely they’ll buy from you.
Step 3: Marketing Calibration
After paying attention to your storefront, the next step is to fine-tune the channels that advertise your business. What good would a high-end website be without people to appreciate it?
By now, you should have a list of all the sources of inbound traffic for your site. An analytics tool should help in identifying your weak spots. Additionally, you should also put your eggs in multiple baskets and test the trending marketing platforms from players like Facebook, Pinterest, and Google. All these will help you formulate short-term and long-term marketing tactics.
Step 4: Automate
Smart business people optimize their marketing channels to work day in and day out – ensuring constant movement down the sales funnel by utilizing social media and the Google Display Network to turn readers into prospects, and prospects into paying customers.
Automation is the key to ensure your marketing channels are always active especially when opportunities ripen. These channels include social media posts, newsletters, blog posts, and so on. Just remember that in addition to quality automation software, you should also match it with quality content to keep your audience engaged. This will keep them en route to the other end of your sales funnel.
Step 5: Close the Deal
The words of an efficient salesperson is the icing on the cake baked with a solid marketing foundation. When your target gets near the end of the funnel, it is often the best time to simply reach in and close the deal.
Securing a conversion by expressing individual expertise and professionalism is something that content marketing can never do. If you notice a particular segment of your audience dwelling somewhere around the end of your sales funnel, it’s probably time for you to make the extra effort to reach out and reel them in. Remember that marketing’s job is to generate and develop prospects until they are ready to buy. This is where a sales person should come in and do what they do best, which is to close a transaction.
Of course, you should delegate deal-closing tasks to a competent team. Selling is, after all, a gift that’s sometimes better off nurtured than acquired. Just remember that it is everyone’s job to make sure your sales funnel is free from holes and is optimized down to the smallest detail.
