So what is a funnel? A funnel is an automated process that attracts visitors to your website, engages them, converts them into leads and then automatically processes them until they're ready to make a purchase. For a funnel to work at its absolute best, it needs to be filled with lots of relevant and knowledgeable content. It also requires different types of content depending on where in the process (in a funnel) the potential customer is.
The basis of a funnel is content marketing and inbound marketing where you have put this together into a flow that automates your marketing. Once a funnel is set up, it will be able to automatically drive leads directly into your CRM. This is a great way to work if you want to streamline your digital marketing and thus generate warm leads for your sales reps.
Do you need a Marketing Automation system to make a funnel?
Usually, it's easiest to create funnels if you have a Marketing Automation system that helps you set up all the processes. But it's not a must in the beginning as it's possible to do simpler automations directly on your website linked to the emails. A Marketing Automation system is usually connected to a CRM system which makes it easier to follow and manage the process of your leads and then measure and follow up the results.If you want to learn more about how to create leads using marketing funnels then you should download our guide on inbound marketing: DOWNLOAD INBOUND MARKETING GUIDE
What are the elements of a funnel? As mentioned above, in order for your funnel to work, you need to populate each part of the process with several different types of content. See the image below to see the different steps in the process.
- Attract: At the top of the funnel, "attract" is about attracting potential customers with really good and interesting content. This can be content in the form of blog posts, for example, that is posted on your website, published in social media and used in ads in Google Ads, for example.The great thing about writing blog posts that you publish on your website is that these are indexed in Google, which means that you have the opportunity to be visible in search results when someone searches for what you write about. It's all about attracting visitors to your website and then also getting them to stay there as long as possible which is the next step.
- Engage: Step two in a funnel is to engage a potential customer once they are on your website. You do this by offering interesting, knowledgeable and customised content that helps the visitor make their buying decision, such as blog posts and videos on your website. This makes the person stay longer on your website and gain more trust in you as a supplier.
- Convert: step three in a funnel is about converting the visitor into a concrete lead. This can be done in different ways. The very best way is to have clear and interesting calls to actions, which means having buttons where you can, for example, "download our guide to inbound marketing for free" or "book a free consultation" or "subscribe to our newsletters".In order to receive what you are offering, the visitor may have to provide their email address or phone number in exchange, for example. In this way, concrete leads come directly into your CRM, which your sales staff can then process.
- Nurture: the last step in a funnel is about processing and nurturing the leads that come in. Some leads may be ready to be contacted by a salesperson while others need more information and knowledge before they are ready to be contacted.In order to process a potential customer in the right way so that they are ready to be contacted by phone, for example, it is possible to create dynamic content that suits this particular person.A good basis is to send newsletters to all leads and then adapt the content to each person, where you can invite them to webinars or seminars or send them training videos, etc. In this way, you process your leads automatically, which saves a lot of time and then gives the salespeople the opportunity to contact warm leads who are ready for a potential purchase.
How do I measure the different steps in my funnel?
Once you've put the above process together into an automated flow, you've created a funnel. In other words, you have now automated and streamlined your sales process, which will save you a lot of time and money.You can always create several different funnels for different target groups and types of customers and use them in parallel. It may seem overwhelming to get started with this when it's all new to you, but our absolute best tip is to dare to test the waters both in terms of what content you want to share and how you set up the process itself. It's also important to measure all elements of the process, which you can do with the tools shown in the image below:
Want to learn more about Marketing Automation and how to work with content in a funnel? Then download our webinar on Content Marketing and Marketing Automation here:
Download the webinar on Content Marketing & Marketing Automation!
Good luck creating your first funnel! Want to learn more aboutdigital marketing, just click here.
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