Whether you aspire to be a
full-time blogger or simply use your blog as a way to generate passive income
while pursuing a hobby, a sales funnel will bolster your success. By setting
aside some time to plan out your blog sales funnel and how your audience will
move through it, you'll be able to set up automated processes that generate big
results.
The first step to
accomplishing your blog sales goals is to get a better understanding of the
blog sales funnel. Here are the five stages of the funnel and how to use them
to your advantage.
Awareness
During the awareness phase
of the funnel, the focal point of your strategy will be to improve your website traffic. After all, your audience can't become customers if they
don't know that you exist.
You can reach your audience
via a two-pronged marketing strategy: social media and SEO. Creating a robust
SEO strategy will help you drive web traffic through organic search efforts.
The priorities under the SEO umbrella will be a combination of backlinking,
keyword research, and technical components that make your website valuable to
viewers.
The goal for social media
will be extending your reach and creating engagement with your audience. During
this phase, you may also wish to invest in paid advertising.
Interest
The interest phase of the
funnel is when your audience starts to come back and visit more often. They
convey an interest in what you have to offer.
At this point, your primary
goal should be to capture their email address and start building a rapport via
email marketing. You can begin this process by offering a lead magnet or
opt-in, such as a course or eBook that's offered for free when an email address
is provided.
Another approach to the
interest phase of the funnel is to create a Facebook group, where you actively
converse with your audience.
Evaluation
The evaluation phase is
when your audience starts to consider what you have to offer in regards to
products and services. They start to make a decision about if they want to part
with their money in return for something you can offer them. This decision will
be made based on their experience with your engagement efforts so far.
It's not uncommon for leads
to stay in the evaluation stage for a long time. Using psychological marketing
techniques at this point can help push them in the right direction. These might
include:
● Targeted email flows
● Tripwires
● Value-added bonuses
● Limited quantities
● Time-sensitive offers
Using one or more of these
can help move lingerers in the evaluation phase into the next stage of the blog
sales funnel.
Purchase
The purchase phase takes
place after a transaction has been completed. During this phase, the focus is
on proving to your customers that their purchase was worthwhile.
During this time, turn on
your customer service skills and let them shine. Reach out to see how they like
the product and if they have any questions. This time is also ideal for
capturing feedback and reviews that you can use to shape your offerings and
promote to leads that are in earlier phases of the funnel.
Loyalty
While the initial days and
weeks following a sale are critical from a customer service point of view, the
work doesn't end there. Now is when you start to consider the months ahead, and
how you might reintroduce customers into the funnel to make another purchase.
You might not have another
offering for your customers for some time. However, maintaining a rapport
and continuing to prove your value will help increase your odds of success
during the next sales period.
Understanding the five
stages of the blog sales funnel is the key to creating a successful
side-hustle. Make every customer touchpoint count, and always consider how you
can bring value to their lives.
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