So your digital marketing program isn’t performing like you thought it would. Lead and sales numbers are nowhere near where you anticipated. What can you do to improve performance? Click funnels might be your answer.
What’s a click funnel, exactly? Simply put, a click funnel is a series of marketing assets or experiences (often landing pages) that lead to a conversion event.
Many modern digital marketers swear by click funnels because they can create a consistent, predictable pipeline—strong funnels swiftly and seamlessly eliminate distractions to drive users down a direct path toward the sale. They’re also a cost-saver, enabling you to increase your marketing revenue without constantly cranking out new assets (a huge perk if you have limited time, resources, or budget!).
We’ve got a lot to cover so let’s, er, funnel you right along. Wink, wink.
You’ve probably seen the classic AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) sales funnel model before, which breaks the funnel into four stages of the customer journey:
A = Awareness. Helping a prospect discover and recognize your brand, and become aware of your product or service offerings.
I = Interest. Piquing a prospect’s interest in learning more about how your product or service can help them solve a problem or reach an ideal outcome.
D = Desire. Sparking enough excitement or enthusiasm that your prospect decides they want to use your product or service.
A = Action. Turning a prospect into a lead, subscriber, or buyer by prompting them to take action and convert.
The downside of taking the AIDA approach to a funnel is that it doesn’t offer clarity around how to nudge prospects to the next stage—a lot is left undetermined. Many inexperienced marketers stop here and leave conversion to chance, which results in lackluster or inconsistent performance. Being intentional and proactive with your marketing strategy is vital to increasing conversion. If you want to see better performance, you’ve got to go a few steps further.
Enter the legendary Russell Brunson. We can’t talk about click funnels without talking about Brunson, who’s widely considered to be the father of the click funnel concept. He suggests a much more targeted and simplified approach to funnels, one that removes all potential distractions and firmly guides customers to the next stage.
Here’s how you can shape your click funnel for better conversion using Brunson’s approach:
Map out exactly how you intend to move customers through each stage of the funnel. Clarify the offering and call to action, and include plenty of conversion points.
Capture prospects’ attention with messaging that addresses their most pressing pain points (many marketers call this a “hook’) and creates a sense of urgency. Stay laser-focused on this messaging so you don’t distract your audience.
Consider offering an attractive, entry-priced product you can deliver with minimal effort to usher leads into your funnel so you can keep nurturing them until they’re ready to move up the value ladder and buy higher-priced products or services.
Don’t miss an opportunity to upsell when possible. Once you’ve primed someone to buy one product, it’s easier to get them to buy more. You see this concept in action all the time on ecommerce sites—it’s pretty impossible to buy a pair of Nikes without an online store suggesting you also pick up a few pairs of socks to go with those new kicks.
“If you have a business, you already have a funnel,” says funnel expert and cofounder of Persuasion Experience Alisha Conlin-Hurd. “A funnel is each touchpoint someone has with your business. The problem is: Each touchpoint is a potential revenue leak if you haven’t optimized it. Those little leaks add up, and they can sink even the biggest ships.”
Most marketers are quick to agree with Conlin-Hurd: The biggest mistake small businesses make with their marketing is overlooking how each interaction shapes someone’s perception of your brand—and, ultimately, their willingness to buy. It’s important to audit your customer journey regularly and thoroughly to instill trust in your brand, strengthen your offer and messaging, and remove any friction that may slow down conversion.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you audit your current funnel and look for weak spots to reinforce:
Are you offering a clear path forward at each step of the funnel? Is your content focused on a single, compelling solution, or are you confusing would-be customers with too many options?
Do you know why someone might choose another business over yours? Have you addressed potential rebuttals or apprehensions in your content? (Pro tip: Make a list of reasons why someone might hesitate to buy from you, then craft thoughtful responses to each one. Weave these responses throughout your content or add them to an FAQ section to ease apprehension.)
Do you have a way for prospects to easily talk with you or book time on your calendar if they want to ask a question or learn more about your business?
Are you clearly communicating pricing? Is your checkout process smooth? (Another pro tip: The checkout point is another key place to remove friction. Make it as easy as possible for people to give you their money.)
Is your data hinting at any drop-off points in your funnel? Do you see prospects stalling during the same stage of the journey? How can you better accelerate their progress?
Remember that you don’t have to audit and iterate your entire funnel at once. If you’re a business of one or working on a lean team, you’ll likely need to make small adjustments here and there—and that’s fine. Even incremental improvements will help you boost performance over time. Just make sure you’re testing and learning as you go.
Conlin-Hurd’s cofounder Matt Craike has a few pointers to help you strengthen your click funnel. “Firstly, sweat the offer. Simply changing your offer can often change your business. This is because most brands in a given industry have remarkably similar offers, which makes it difficult for any of them to stand out. You want your offer to be so bold and convincing that it seems like a no-brainer for your ideal customer.”
Craike notes that the offer is only the first step. Once a customer is in your funnel, you want to build as much trust as you can. “Ideally, we want each customer to reach a point where they’re essentially thinking, ‘Shut up and take my money!’ We accomplish this by showing them irrefutable proof that we have a proven system that can help them reach their dream outcome. Building trust is everything.”
Conlin-Hurd adds a final tip: Automate the lead journey so you can scale. “A full pipeline is a blessing, but it can be a lot of work. Implementing automation as much as possible helps you create strong processes that can scale as your business does.”
Like funnels, not all marketing software is created equal. If you’re a small business owner or marketer with a modest budget, you want to make sure you’re getting the most proverbial bang for your buck.
Here are some features to look for when you’re choosing software to house your click funnels and email marketing program:
Pre-built landing page templates so you can edit, style, and launch with just a few clicks
