How to Create a Sales Funnel (For Beginners)

Digital marketing and lead generation isn’t exactly rocket science, but it needs to be data-driven and strategic. Lead magnets and sales funnels are pretty essential these days for any business—online or not.

If you want to create a successful marketing campaign or attract your customers, it helps to create a sales funnel. 

What is a sales funnel?

A “Sales Funnel” is essentially a series of steps or the flow of the sales and lead generation process. It usually starts with an offer, valuable information, a giveaway or anything that attracts your target audience to your service, product or business. 

For example, the food sampler at your grocery store is a type of live-action sales funnel. She attracts you with a yummy food enticement and you pay attention. You sample the food, maybe you’ll buy, maybe you won’t. But when you’ve entered her area to sample, you have basically entered phase 1 of a sales funnel, and the food sample is a “Lead Magnet.”

What happens next depends on how well she nurtures you, engages with you, or how much you like (or think you need) that breakfast sausage. 

Creating a sales funnel online is an essential element in your digital marketing campaigns. Without it, you are likely missing out on reaching targeted customers and leads. 

How to Create a Sales Funnel?

Step #1: Create your Lead Magnet. Depending on what you do, offer, or sell will determine your lead magnet. If you make products, a free sample is usually a good start. If you sell info, a free PDF download of valuable info is a good lead magnet. If you offer a service, a free estimate or evaluation is good. No matter what you give away, however, the most important aspect of your lead magnet (especially online) is gathering that potential customers’ email address. Without it, you are just giving away freebies with no real way to touch back  or nurture those leads (potential customers) again. So make sure you are getting something in return when creating your lead magnet. Which brings me to step #2 of your sales funnel:

Step #2: Create an Opt-in Landing Page. For anyone who isn’t sure, an opt-in basically is that all-too-familiar page that kindly asks for our email address before letting us in, downloading, sending a free sample, taking advantage of a discount, etc. In any successful sales funnel, the opt-in landing page is crucial for your sales funnel. In order for your tempting lead magnet to convert, you need a landing page that gathers customers’ details. 

Your opt-in landing page should address the following: 

• It should explain your lead magnet. What is it? What’s the value?
• It should include why your prospective customers should request it, download it, etc. What they’ll learn, what they get, how it will improve their situation.
• Your copy should be well-written and focused on advertising the RESULTS and benefits of the download, info, product or service they are getting. 
• Don’t ask for too many details if you can. You really need a first name and email address to reconnect. Too many steps or too much requested info may scare your potential customer away.
• Use data or testimonials! Add credibility to your offer. Examples: “10,000 downloads can’t be wrong!” “Loved by over 1,000 women” “Featured in big-time Magazine” “Rated #1 by so and so.”  (You get the idea. Just make sure the data, testimonials, PR and claims are REAL!)
• Create an easy to read bullet list of all the benefits of your lead magnet
• Including the problems it solves or how it improves their life or processes
• Make your download button big, use a bright color (Red or Orange), and easy to find.

Once you have your lead magnet and an opt-in landing page (with minimal steps!), you’re ready to create your follow up emails.

Step #3 Create your E-mail Follow-ups Also known as drip emails or email campaigns. I have written another post on creating an easy email sequence if you need even more details. I recommend creating 3-4 follow up email sequences. This is where you nurture your customers. Remember the nice lady at the grocery store offering free samples? This is where you get to make a more lasting impression and create a personal touch with your potential clients.  Your first email is engaging. Tell a story, offer even more free value, ideas or even another download. The second email creates authority and trust in your product or service and your third email hones in on a call to action (or your ask).

Step #4 Create a Service landing page with CTA. This will be your redirect page after they opt-in. This service page highlights or outlines your products or services with a clear CTA Call to Action such as Contact Us, Visit Us or Schedule an Appointment form). 

Include more value proposition of your product/service as well as client testimonials on this page; what makes you better or different. Provide reviews (also known as social proof). If you don’t have social proof online just yet, ask some previous clients to write you a testimonial. There is no need to be too wordy. Bullet points are great and easy to read. But don’t forget: Client testimonials are key!

Step #5 Set up Data Insights and Track Conversions. You MUST know the data and stats behind your funnel system. How else will you know if it’s working?? You have to plug into Google Analytics and use insight tools to determine who is landing on your page, how they got there and what they do after they get there. Tracking can be set up in your Google Analytics account. Here you can set up conversion tracking and understand your visitor and customer behaviors better.

Step #6 Amp up your traffic game! At this stage, you have set the foundation of your funnel system. Now it’s time to get that traffic count up. We do this will PPC (Pay per Click) ads through Google Ads, Bing Ads or Facebook Ads, for example. You can choose to send your customers directly to your opt-in landing page or the Service page with CTA. Where you send the clicks will depend on your ad campaign search terms and the leads. Warm leads already looking for what you have to offer can be directed to the Service page while colder leads can be directed to the lead magnet.

I have even seen companies go a traditional route and send postal mailers out with a CTA to a website, so if you want to reach your target audience through a postcard, having that landing page online where they can opt-in, learn more or contact you can still be a winning combination. This works great for free giveaways!

Don’t forget (or be afraid) to try A/B testing with different ad campaigns and creatives to see what converts the best. The next weeks and months ahead will need to be monitored and adjusted accordingly to avoid overspending on ads that aren’t converting. If you see a lot of people landing but they just aren’t opting in or contacting you, you’ll need to figure out why.

I have written another article on what makes a customer buy. If you hop over there, it’ll offer useful insight into consumer buying behaviors.