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What is a sales funnel? How can it help my business?

Sales funnels work much like a real funnel works.  The top is bigger and can hold a lot of substance which filters down into a place where it is needed and used.  In sales, something similar occurs. Consider your website or Facebook page has lots of visitors who come and look around.  This is the top of the funnel.  As they search and find the information they are looking for they enter the sales funnel.  Maybe they sign up for an email newsletter, fill out a form for more information, find your online store and begin to shop, or maybe they leave your site or page.  All these are actions that are considered part of the sales funnel.  You might think of it as a sales filter as well, something that filters people through to the right place based on needs.

trees, path, trailA well designed sales funnel is not just about sales, but about leading and guiding your potential customers to the right place.  A sales funnel works to influence, nurture, persuade and nudge customers by building a relationship over time.

Sales funnels can use landing pages, web pages, Facebook posts/ads, emails, and more.  A typical sales funnel might start with the Home page, go to “How It Works” page, then a pricing page with a “Place Your Order” or “Buy Now” button.

Drip content and auto-responders are fantastic tools to help create a sales funnel that will help manage the ongoing communication for your business. Email lists are a must to help build a following of clients that want to know more about your products and services, but auto-responders and drip content are the key to keeping your followers engaged in your business.

What is drip content? Drip Content is a marketing philosophy. It works much like a constant drip from a faucet. It’s consistent and timely. The idea is that by constantly giving your clients and prospects helpful information you will be top of mind when they have a need and think of your solution.

What is an autoresponder? An autoresponder is what it implies, it is an automated response to an action. For instance, if I sign up for email updates on your website, I might receive an automatic email back to me with a “thank you for signing up note” and maybe a link to a confirm my action. This automatic email is an autoresponder set up in a program or service. It automates the process of thanking my clients and confirming their wishes to receive my email updates in the future. Autoresponders can be used to respond to most any type of action a user might initiate on your website.

Drip content is the idea behind using a tool like an autoresponder.

concept, multiple box, selectionOne of the first rules of marketing is that it takes more than one contact to make a sale. The more costly the good or service, the more often a potential customer will need interaction from you. It can take three to four times, before people begin to recognize your product or service as a valid resource.

Drip marketing can be as simple as sending a thank you postcard or making a reminder phone call. Auto-responders by email or text have streamlined this process and made it affordable for most anyone.

Writing a series about your product or service and programming them to be sent to your prospects over a certain period of days or weeks is a great way to leverage your time. Whenever you have a new idea, just add it to the end of your auto-responders and you will slowly build a long line of communication to your clients. New subscribers may not know (or care) that when the content was written, as long as it is valid. Just think of the time you will save by not writing individual content and the relationships you will build by constantly contacting your followers! Auto-responders allow you time to think about what you want to communicate and when. It is consist content delivered to the first subscriber and the 1000th subscriber. Plus, they give you time to work on other things that are important to your business.

One added benefit is that the auto-responders work even when you don’t! They never take a vacation or need a day off! If you set your emails to go out every week for 5 weeks, then that’s when they go out.

Auto-responders may seem impersonal at first, but a well-designed layout and valuable content will help your contact believe you care about them and their specific needs. Email is the best content provider.  Although, texting is a quick easy way for your clients and potential clients to receive small amounts of information, too.

Below is a few ideas of popular auto-responder companies.  Each one offers offers email newsletters, sign up forms, manage subscribers, auto-responder follow ups, HTML email templates, integration with many popular eCommerce tools and social media like Facebook.

woman, write, notepadBe sure to include more physical touches in your sales funnel. Phone calls, post cards, special events are all effective ways to keep in touch in a more personal manner.  Drip marketing and autoresponders can help immensely in keeping people engaged in your business.  And when you are “top of mind”, then you are the ones they turn to when they have a service need or a product to buy.

If you need help developing a sales funnel or email marketing campaign, give us a call 417.812.6007 or send us a text!  Or fill out our form for more info.

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