How to Write a Marketing Sales Funnel That Works
If you got a dollar every time someone said marketing sales funnel in the entrepreneur world… you’d be rich. But if you’re here reading this blog post, you’re probably not quite rich yet.
You’re wondering, What the heck is a marketing sales funnel and how can I write one effectively to get the sales at the end?
This elusive funnel doesn’t have to be such a great mystery. In fact, it shouldn’t be. A marketing funnel is a highly effective way to promote your launch and make incredible levels of sales.
Here’s what you need to do it right:
- You need to understand the funnel: what it does, how it works, and how to use it.
- You need to have a clear, valuable offer (otherwise it won’t do much good).
- You need to use excellent copywriting skills to attract and persuade clients to buy your offer.
The Foundation: Why a Marketing Funnel is Important
Imagine a cooking funnel. You just came home from the grocery store with a giant bag of flour (you probably got it from Cosco to save money buying in bulk).
You need to divvy up that flour in big jars so you can easily access it for all the baking you do. Instead of just turning that giant bag upside down and dumping it into the jar (hello disaster), you get out a funnel.
You put that funnel at the mouth of the jar, pour the flour through the funnel, and let it sift neatly and gently into the jar – no mess, no stress.
The same concept goes for a marketing sales funnel.
The Million Dollar Question: What Is a Marketing Sales Funnel?
Let’s say you’re a health coach and you’ve decided to offer a program to help your clients boost their energy and lose weight in 30 days. You don’t just go to all your clients and immediately throw the offer in their face – no one will buy it.
Because people need to be eased into it. They need to be introduced, teased, and warmed up before you finally seduce them with your sexy offer.
Top of the Funnel
So that’s why you build the funnel. You start at a very low level of awareness – the top of the funnel. Here, you give them a little glimmer, a sneak peek of what you’ll be offering.
This usually looks like running ads, social media, or blog posts.
Middle of the Funnel
You narrow out the people who are uninterested, then you take those left further down the funnel – tell them what’s coming. This is the middle of the funnel. It’s where they learn about the transformation (and even a few details) they’ll get from your program.
This can happen through emails and/or social media.
Learn to write sleaze-free sales emails right here!
Bottom of the Funnel
You’ll lose some more people here. And that’s fine. The goal is to sell your program to dream clients who are motivated and ready to take action. You’ll take these people even deeper into the funnel – the bottom of the funnel.
This is where you get into full awareness of your offer. Your audience knows exactly what you’re offering and you’re in full persuasion mode to get them ready for it.
This usually happens with a sales page.
End of the Funnel – Sales
That takes us to the happy ending, the end of the funnel (the sales part). This is where you open the doors, cut the ribbon, and let those giddy, excited, foaming-at-the-mouth clients rush in and sign up for your program.
The sales marketing funnel is so important because it takes human psychology ( more specifically, buyer psychology) into account.
Nobody likes to be overwhelmed with information, details, and pressure all at once. We all need to be eased into spending our money and making a decision. This especially applies to high ticket offers that require a big investment on the part of your client.
Buying something from a stranger off the internet is still a pretty new phenomenon. There’s always a risk that the person is full of s**t and won’t be able to deliver the results they promise. It’s your job to build trust and ease people into the investment.
This is how you build a successful marketing strategy. This is how you get repeat clients, amazing reviews, and a credible reputation.
The Real Money-Maker: Funnel Copywriting
Now you know the marketing funnel outline. And it’s time to implement. The biggest element of a successful marketing sales funnel is effective copywriting.
Because the funnel is such a high-impact part of your business, all your copywriting skills need to be honed and directed in that funnel.
Here are the skills to hone in and brush up on before you start your funnel writing.
Brand Voice
Since you’ll be getting a lot of new leads at the top of your funnel, you’ll need a very unique and recognizable brand voice. This is where your personality shines, It’s where people learn to trust you. It’s where you show your expertise based on confidence and authority.
If you’re feeling even a little wishy-washy about your brand voice, I’ve made a guided worksheet that will take you through the journey of discovering your brand voice and making an action plan to implement it in your everyday writing.
Writing Concisely
This is not the time to be taking rabbit trails and going all over the place with your copy. Make sure you stick to the point. Be thorough, use every technique in your toolbox, but just stay on point.
Headlines that Work
We can talk all day about captivating headlines, catchy attention grabbers, and any other headline writing technique. But at the end of the day, your headlines need to do their job:
- Capture attention
- Give no BS information about what’s coming next
Out of all the headline techniques out there, these are the two most important.
Sleaze-free Calls to Action
The call to action is arguably the most important part of your copy, yet it’s where I see entrepreneurs struggling the most. When you run a personal brand as a coach or a service provider, a freelancer, or any type of business that fuels itself off relationships, you know you can’t be sleazy or pushy.
That means none of the BUY NOW! crap. But don’t go all the way off the other end and make a weak call to action.
Weak Example:
“If this is something that interests you, you can mosy on over to my link in bio and there you can click the link, if this is what you feel called to do.”
If you’re struggling to find the balance between pushy, salesy calls to action and genuine, empowering ones, I’ve filmed an IGTV giving 5 power words (and the psychology behind them) that make powerful calls to action.
The Marketing Funnel vs. Customer Journey
Maybe the words “marketing funnel” scare you. Maybe it sounds too technical, too impersonal for your business. But I want you to think of your marketing funnel as more than a bit of jargon. I want you to think of it as your customer’s journey.
You are taking people through a powerful transformation that helps them realize what they’re actually missing in their life or their business (or both). You’re showing yourself as the solution to this issue that’s been nagging at them.
You’re giving them options. With your help, they have a way out. They don’t have to stay stuck, wishing for something more. They get to see the light.
And it’s your responsibility to create this awareness. That’s what the sales marketing funnel is all about. You’re taking your customers through a journey of fumbling around in the dark, to awareness and problem solution.
If you want to learn more about creating this storyline journey for your clients, read Storytelling in Your Copywriting, a past blog post of mine that helps you form this narrative effectively.
Writing a Marketing Funnel for an Online Course
When it comes to writing copy to promote your online course, you want to approach it with these 2 specific techniques:
1. Be careful with your educational content. Don’t go giving away all your best tips and strategies that you want your audience to pay for when they take the course. Leak out small tips and small transformations and use those to hype the incredible value they can get in your course.
2. Highlight the transformation your clients will get when they finish the course. Don’t just focus on the features and benefits.
Writing a Marketing Funnel for Services
When you’re writing for your services funnel, keep these two copywriting strategies in mind:
1. Think big. Don’t devalue your service, no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem. Really dig deep and think about all the value clients will get from this. Allow yourself to dream on their behalf. Communicate that dream. Get them dreaming it too. Let them know how big of a deal your service really is.
2. Use any and all social proof you’ve got. It’s time to call in the big leagues. Use screenshots, get video testimonials when possible. Go out of your way to get proof that your service works. Just don’t make up your testimonials. Please. Don’t be a fake. If you don’t have any previous clients at all, use your own life as a testimonial.
Free Resources for Your Sales Marketing Funnel
In case you missed them, here are the free resources linked in this article:
The Client Magnetizer: Attract clients consistently with this free guided worksheet to help you discover your unique, confident brand voice. Get the guide here.
5 Power Words for Effective Calls to Action: Watch the IGTV here.
How to Use Storytelling in Your Copywriting: Read the blog here.