Anyone who tells you that marketing in the digital age is easy, is lying to you.
Today’s audience is more sophisticated and well-informed than ever before. Persuading them to buy your products or services, takes far more than simply sharing a few Facebook posts.
If you’re…
- Feeling overwhelmed with all the information out there about marketing your business.
- Wondering what channels you need to be on.
- Don’t even know where to begin with marketing your business.
I’m about to boil it all down and make it super easy for you. Keep on reading!
Let’s start at the beginning…
Whether I’m running a training workshop, or meeting with a new consultancy client, the first thing I begin with is helping my clients gain a better understanding of the Marketing Funnel. Looking at each stage of the process to help them covert more customers.
There are different stages to a Marketing Funnel and each stage needs to work if you want to grow your business. In this blog I’ll guide you through each of the various stages and give you some key questions to answer and help you get clarity. Ready to eliminate the overwhelm? Let’s dive in!
What is marketing?
“All the activities your brand uses to reach your target audience and turn them into customers”
The aim is to draw in new customers, build lasting relationships, educate people about your brand, and convince them to buy from you.
What is a marketing funnel?
If you’ve ever topped your car up with screen wash, you’ll know what a funnel is: it’s a tunnel with a wide entrance at the top that tapers down to a narrow exit.
We refer to the marketing process as a “funnel” because the number of potential customers shrinks at every stage.
Each section of the funnel requires different actions and priorities to help move potential customers along. Any blockages along the funnel can stifle growth and cause more potential customers to fall away.
What are the stages of a marketing funnel?
There will be different variations of marketing funnels out there, but this is the one I swear by! It focuses not only on guiding new customers through to convert, but also the importance of repeat custom and building advocates for your business who recommend you to others.
Exposure, Discovery, Consideration, Conversion, Customer Relationships and Retention and Re-engaging. Lets take a look into what each stage means and the key things to aim for at each stage.
- Exposure
This is the part of marketing that most people know about. It includes traditional advertising activities, such as search (SEO) social media, press, blogs, word of mouth, and email. The aim here is to reach as many of your target audience as possible and drive them through to the next step in your funnel.
- Discovery
So, what happens when your target audience are first exposed to your business? They often don’t purchase straight away. Instead, their first visit is usually spent discovering more about your business. Researching and consuming content. This is where your social media channels and website come into play. People may want to read more about the company, its values, and its products and services. So, rather than pushing them to purchase straight away, your aim here is to make sure your website is optimised. Make sure is has good load speeds, is well laid out and has engaging information which helps then to learn more about you and your services. This will help drive people to the next step in the Marketing Funnel.
- Consideration
Once initial discovery is complete, the potential customer might reflect on whether a product or service is a good match for their needs. They might check out your competitors, and may call or email you for more information. This is where great customer service comes into its own – so respond promptly, and be welcoming and informative. Having up to date reviews, testimonials and case studies can help you to stand out from your competitors. This helps to build all important trust and help move them through the funnel further.
- Conversion
The completion of an action – such as a purchase or a booking – converts a visitor to a customer. It’s essential that key parts of your website and bookings platforms are up to date and work properly, or that all-important conversion won’t happen. The aim here is to ensure you review your bookings system or website regularly. Make it as easy as possible for people to convert. Respond promptly to emails or phone calls and follow up on initial enquiries. Make sure your bookings system is easy to use and you have multiple payment options available if necessary. This will help make that conversion happen efficiently.
- Customer relationship
The funnel doesn’t end when a customer completes their purchase, in fact, it marks the beginning of a whole new journey: the customer relationship. This relationship matters because it can make or break a business. So, it’s crucial that you invest time in building good relationships this can be done in person by providing excellent customer service, going the extra mile and providing a personalised service. You can also nurture relationships online through social media content, newsletters, blogs and email marketing.
- Retention and re-engagement
If a customer is happy with the product or service AND feels connected to your business, they may become a repeat customer. They might even recommend your business to others! This is what every business should strive for, because having just one very happy customer who goes on to recommend you to 10 of their friends, that’s 10 new customers you’ve received just for providing a fantastic service. Then if they go on to recommend 10 more friends, you’re quickly growing your business. It’s often a part of the funnel that’s taken for granted but really, this is where businesses should start their marketing process.
The most common business marketing mistake?
Something I see, time and again, is when people ONLY focus their marketing efforts on gaining more exposure. It’s absolutely key to take the whole marketing funnel into consideration.
A real life example of this… If you have a local restaurant and your bookings system is not kept up to date with the relevant opening hours, it doesn’t matter how much traffic you drive through from social media and your website – you aren’t going to see the bookings come through if people can’t make a booking or think you’re closed.
Similarly, if you don’t consider whether customers will be satisfied with your service or product, you may receive negative reviews. If you receive negative reviews regularly, it can damage your reputation and kill off repeat custom which can stifle significant growth.
So how can you use your marketing funnel to grow your business?
Take a look at each area of your funnel, or better yet, have a marketing professional look over your current marketing funnel. Look for any gaps, ask key questions like…
- Am I gaining enough exposure to my target audience through my website, social media and advertising?
- Does my website have enough information to help people learn more about my business and services?
- Do I have enough reviews to help people trust that my business will deliver?
- Is it obvious how people can book and purchase items from me?
- Is my bookings process easy to navigate? Simple to use? and set up correctly?
- Do I have people who come back to buy my products or services?
- Do I get many people new to my business through recommendations or word of mouth?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll start to identify gaps in your marketing funnel and the areas that need improvement to gain more conversions!
Need a hand to get your marketing funnel water tight?
Need an outside perspective to help pinpoint weaknesses and identify strengths in your marketing funnel? I provide one-to-one consultancy to help guide you and give you clarity and confidence for where to focus your time, money and energy to see those results your craving!
Why not join me for my next marketing strategy workshop? It’s a two-day deep dive that will give you the tools and knowledge to develop your own marketing strategy.
