Today . . . I am thinking about this question that came in from one of our
readers. She's been in business for a couple of years and wanted some suggestions about what to put into her marketing funnel.
If you have a small business question that you'd like for me to answer, let me know.
Q: What's a marketing funnel and what goes in it?"
A:
Good for you! Having a marketing funnel in place for your business is a hot business strategy.
In short, a marketing funnel is a visual representation of the actual products
and services that you are offering your prospects. The point of a
marketing funnel is to keep people flowing down from the top of the
funnel to the bottom. As you go deeper into the funnel your products
and services will be priced higher and higher, until you get to the
bottom where your highest priced offering awaits.
Here's how it works: Picture a funnel—wide and open at the top and tiny and narrow at the bottom. At the top of the funnel is where you want to get as many prospects in as possible. At the bottom of the funnel is your highest priced product or service. In the middle are in-between levels and prices.
Three Steps to Creating Your Marketing Funnel
Step one: Get your prospects into the funnel by offering them something free, such as a special report, e-Book, e-Zine, PDF chapter from your book, intro teleclass, or tip sheet. The important thing to keep in mind when creating your free offering is that it must be of value to your prospects. In other words, it must be something that they want. In exchange for signing up to receive your freebie, you get their names and e-mail addresses (leads).
Step two: Strategically fill the middle of your funnel with information products and other programs to sell. This will give your prospects the chance to "sample" you and get to know you at a lower price point before committing to your highest priced product or service at the bottom of the funnel.
10 Information Product Ideas for Your Marketing Funnel
• Audio Programs (MP3s or CDs)
• Books
• E-Books
• Home Study Courses
• Special Reports
• Teleclasses
• Teleseminars
• Video Programs (MP4s or DVDs)
• Webinars
• Workbooks
Step three: Choose 2-3 high priced and highly sought after products and services for the bottom of your funnel, such as, private consultations, extended coaching packages, weekend live workshops, or a year-long personal mentoring program.
That's it!
If you have a small business question
that you'd like for me to answer, let me know.
Susan L. Reid
Inner Samurai Business Expert
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