One of the most important parts of marketing, and sales for that matter is lead generation. Without leads, it’s hard if not impossible to make sales. Research shows that 58 percent of businesses face challenges around lead generation. Lead funnels offer the missing piece of your marketing puzzle. What are they and why are they so essential? Read on to learn more about the importance of lead funnels.
What Are Lead Funnels and why are they important?
You probably already run ads or have an email list. Trouble is, some businesses run each of these things as separate marketing activities. They’re not separate at all. Each one feeds into the other. This is where the importance of lead funnels comes in. They streamline your marketing by aligning these different activities. In short, you want to direct everyone to one destination—the top of your funnel. From there, you channel visitors along a path that leads them to buy from you.
What Does a Lead Funnel Look Like?
Most lead funnels are built on the AIDA principle. You can use different tactics at each of those stages to build your funnel.
A – Building Awareness
This is where you use social media ads or search engine optimization to bring people to your site. Even referrals count towards attention and awareness. 84 percent of people will trust word-of-mouth before a marketing campaign. A referral or affiliate scheme can incentivize happy clients to bring you more leads.
I – Generating Interest
Your awareness efforts bring visitors to your landing page. These can be simple, but they need to show a potential lead:
- Why/how your service will help them
- Why they can trust you to deliver
- What to do next
Use a single call-to-action on your landing pages, so you don’t confuse visitors.
D – Making a Decision
Now you need to get your visitor to make a decision. Once they do, they become an official lead. Your landing page might lead to an automated email sequence. They might get a free trial. Or they could book a free consultation.
A – Take Action
This is the final stage of the main lead funnel. They’ll either take the action or they’ll leave. Make sure the action fits what you offer. It should be easy to complete, with a clear benefit.
Why Does Your Business Need a Lead Funnel?
You can see how straightforward they can be. They’re also very lucrative. They lead to more conversions from ads or organic traffic because there’s somewhere to send potential customers. It also means your content has a destination for readers too. Funnels provide better leads since lead funnels screen out the ‘wrong’ people. You won’t spend time and money trying to convert someone who won’t buy from you. That’s why they’re sometimes called a lead qualification funnel. A good funnel lets visitors self-select as potential customers. You can remarket to anyone who reaches the decision stage but doesn’t convert. Your offer might not be great for them now, but who knows where they’ll be in six months? Set up as many funnels as you have products or services. Once they’re running, they work overnight with very little input required. Think of lead funnels as 24-hour salespeople.
Set Up Your Lead Funnels
Lead funnels are your secret weapon in running your marketing on auto-pilot. They need to be simple and directed towards the action a customer needs to take. Once they’re up and running, you can focus on nurturing your existing leads to buy more. Want to set up a winning lead funnel for your business? Book a free consultation today.