Are you still sending potential customers directly to your website? It’s time to rethink that strategy!
The Extreme Sales Funnel | In my latest article, I dive into why this approach is not just ineffective but downright dumb. Discover how traditional methods fail to engage visitors and miss out on valuable opportunities. I’ll share innovative strategies to capture leads, build meaningful relationships, and ultimately drive conversions without the pitfalls of a standard website visit. Don’t let your traffic slip away—read on to learn how to transform your customer journey and maximize your sales potential!
You know that old saying about shops? It goes something like this:
“A shop is just paying huge rent to a landlord for a space you fill with stuff you hope people will buy.”
Pretty accurate, right? And these days, it’s even worse. People walk in, look around, and leave as total strangers. Many are just window shopping after seeing what they want online. It’s called showrooming, and it’s a real pain for brick-and-mortar stores.
In today’s digital age, a physical shop is really just a portal to your online store. Every business needs to be online now, whether it’s an e-commerce site for retail or just an overview of services.
But here’s the thing – sending customers directly to that website is dumb!
Think about it. Just like in a physical shop, people come to your website, browse around, and leave without you ever knowing who they were. They arrive as strangers and leave as strangers. Now imagine if you had someone in your store collecting contact details from browsers for follow-up. Or someone asking why they’re leaving and promising to address their concerns. That’d be pretty smart, right?
Most websites are set up the same way as that desperately inefficient high street shop. Visitors arrive, look around, and leave without the store owner ever knowing they were there.
I’ve been through a bunch of startup accelerators and I’m always watching shows like Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank. I’ve seen thousands of startups launch with ‘go to’ marketing strategies, and I’m honestly surprised any of them manage to make sales.
The conventional wisdom is to launch a website and then pay Google and Facebook ridiculous amounts of money to send people there. It’s a one-shot deal, hoping they’ll buy or convert. But it’s not working like it did and it going to be even less effective in the future.
I’ve been marketing online for decades now, cutting my teeth in affiliate marketing when the internet was still the Wild West. We’d find a product – all digital back then – and build the landing page.
The ultimate landing page is a streamlined, focused experience designed solely to convert visitors into leads or customers. It features a clear and compelling headline that immediately communicates the unique value proposition, paired with a striking hero image that visually reinforces the message. The layout is free of distractions, with no navigation menus or unnecessary links that could lead visitors away from the primary goal. Instead, it emphasizes a single, bold call-to-action button that stands out and invites immediate engagement. Supporting copy is concise and benefit-driven, highlighting how the offer solves a problem or fulfills a need. Social proof, such as testimonials or trust badges, is strategically placed to build credibility and reassure visitors. Overall, every element on the page is meticulously crafted to guide the visitor toward taking action, ensuring that they feel informed and motivated to convert without feeling overwhelmed.
To further optimise this ‘sales machine’ all elements are interchangeable and testable with A/B split test functionality.
It was incredibly effective. We’d send highly targeted customers to a very specific landing page offering something that they were potentially interested in. And it worked like a charm. We’d hit the lists (more about listing building later) and literally within minutes we could see the credit card transactions click away. Bing, bink, bong, as the payment notifications dropped into the inbox.
Fast forward to today, and the landing or splash page is still a well-known sales funnel strategy. What never ceases to amaze me is that even though people know about it, companies still insist on using pay-per-click ads to send people to their generic, poorly optimized websites. An e-commerce store is a terrible place to send customers. It’s rarely laid out like a landing page and is designed for browsing. Same goes for a plumber’s site, for example. Most business sites are just showcases about how wonderful the company is. “Derek’s Plumbers have been serving the community for a hundred years.” Guess what? The customer couldn’t care less! They’re coming to Derek for a reason – maybe they have a leak or need a new boiler. They want to know what Derek’s going to do about it!
It gets even worse when you factor in the inefficiency of PPC targeting algorithms. As I wrote in a recent article, “Ads Are Cancer.” Good content is completely vandalized by totally irrelevant ads. The key here isn’t just that the ads are interrupting your browsing or viewing pleasure, but that they’re totally irrelevant. There’s no context. Why would I want to see an ad for washing powder when I’m watching my favorite motoring show?
The issue, is the way pay-per-click advertising is designed. You need a ton of data and essentially a data scientist to optimize a campaign. When you first set up an ad, it has literally no data, so the first three months are just throwing good money at the likes of Zuckerberg to ‘figure it out’. And the margins are often so slim it’s hard to make most campaigns profitable.
This is why I’m constantly approached by marketing companies. Their client churn rate is phenomenal. I had one just last week boasting they’d serviced thousands of clients. When I asked where those clients were now, the conversation quickly changed direction.
If a marketing company is any good, they’ll have a small number of clients and be absolutely killing it for them. They always ask, “What’s your ad budget?” What they really mean is, “How much are you going to pay us to gamble with your money?” Only lawyers have this kind of business model. “Give me $1000 per hour and you still could go to jail!”
I always answer, “My budget is one million dollars, as long as you deliver one million and one dollars!”
So, we’re starting to see that a pay-per-click campaign to your website homepage could be better, right? The good old days of the internet are long gone. Spammers put paid to that, and with a billion sites out there, it’s almost impossible to get ahead.
As I’ve developed my marketing strategies, I’ve noticed more than ever that we have to turn visitors into friends, and friends into customers. This is a long process and requires multiple touchpoints. I wish I could just send out an email to a landing page, but it just doesn’t work like that anymore.
Here’s the strategy I’ve developed:
PPC is all wrong. Optimise for lead capture, not conversions.
Why send strangers to a badly optimized website for them to leave? We need to think long-term. We collect visitors’ details as they enter. Like a shop, having a staff member get the customer’s details before they’re even allowed to buy anything.
On the web, we send people to a highly crafted lead generation page. We drive traffic with the metric for lead capture conversion rather than a sale. This way, we’re not paying for a click with a 1% chance of conversion. We’re creating our first touchpoint. Our visitor is still a stranger. We have to build trust and become friends before we even think about offering them something to buy.
shouting at someone to “BUY MY SHIT NOW” is not polite. It’s ignorant, intrusive, and serves only to alienate
Intrusion advertising is wreaking havoc on media consumption. Ads now bombard us at every turn, interrupting our viewing, reading, and listening experiences with relentless frequency. What was once a minor annoyance has become an overwhelming assault on our attention, making it nearly impossible to enjoy content without constant disruption. This aggressive approach not only frustrates audiences but also undermines the very media it’s meant to support. As a result, people are increasingly turning to ad-blockers or abandoning ad-supported platforms altogether, creating a lose-lose situation where both consumers and content creators suffer. The current state of intrusive advertising is unsustainable and threatens to erode the quality and accessibility of media as we know it.
So we take a more subtle approach. We don’t walk into the bar, march up to the first ‘babe’ we see, and say, “Grab your coat, you’ve pulled!”
No!
We take our time and go through the courting process. We take time to scope out our potential partner. We make some assumptions based on our observations and do our best to work out what they’re going to like. Maybe we take note of the drink they’re ordering. Then we choose our moment to send over a refill. Still, we hold back, passing a glance and a smile. Eventually, we’ll make light conversation.
Hopefully, if all goes well, we’ll spend the evening getting to know each other. When it’s time to leave, we’ll hold back on the passion. A passing kiss on the cheek will leave them thinking, “What if?”
Over the next few weeks, we’ll exchange texts and maybe the odd present. We’ll meet up for coffee and then a few days later onto a restaurant or the movies if the coffee goes well. All the time holding back on that passion and the grope! When the time does come, it will be far more rewarding and fulfilling.
And that’s how, metaphorically speaking, we’ll treat our customers.
Optimising the Autoresponder Journey
Once you’ve made the introduction to your company or product, it’s time to walk your new subscribers through a seamless journey to their first sale. This is where an autoresponder campaign comes into play. You’ll want to load a series of carefully crafted emails into your marketing software that guide them gently along the path to conversion.
Start with a warm welcome email that thanks them for signing up and delivers any promised lead magnet. This sets the tone for your relationship and shows that you value their interest. Make sure to set expectations for what’s coming next—let them know they can look forward to valuable insights and exclusive offers.
In the following emails, focus on providing real value without pushing for a sale right away. Share informative content that addresses their pain points or interests. This could be tips related to your industry, how-to guides, or even case studies that highlight how others have benefited from your products or services. The key here is to build trust; you want them to see you as a helpful resource rather than just another salesperson.
As you progress through the sequence, gradually introduce your products in a way that feels natural. Instead of a hard sell, highlight how your offerings can solve specific problems they’ve expressed interest in. Use storytelling to illustrate the benefits, perhaps sharing testimonials from satisfied customers who were once in their shoes.
Once you start seeing sales come in, don’t forget to go big with your fulfillment. Over-deliver on their expectations by including a small thank-you gift with their order—like a free pair of socks or an exclusive discount on their next purchase. This not only delights your customers but also reinforces the positive relationship you’re building.
Throughout this autoresponder journey, keep your tone friendly and approachable. Avoid aggressive sales tactics that can turn people off; instead, focus on nurturing the relationship. Remember, it’s about creating a connection where they feel valued and understood. By the time they’re ready to make a purchase, they’ll see it as a natural next step rather than a hard sell.
In summary, an effective autoresponder campaign is about guiding your subscribers with valuable content, building trust over time, and making them feel appreciated at every stage of their journey. When they finally do make that first purchase, it will feel rewarding for both sides.
Optimising For Growth
Building on our existing sales funnel, there are several growth hacks we can implement to supercharge our customer acquisition. Let’s start with viral growth through social sharing. We can create a “Share to Unlock” feature where users get additional content, exclusive discounts, or early access to new products by sharing our page on social media. This not only increases our reach but also adds a layer of social proof. We could also implement a referral program that rewards both the referrer and the new customer, similar to Dropbox’s successful model. This creates a win-win situation and encourages organic growth.
Competitions and giveaways are another powerful tool in our arsenal. We can run regular contests on social media platforms, requiring participants to follow, share, and tag friends to enter. This increases engagement and expands our reach. We could also host user-generated content competitions where customers showcase our products in creative ways, with the best entries winning prizes. This not only generates buzz but also provides us with a wealth of authentic content to use in our marketing efforts.
To drive traffic to our landing pages, we’re already using a network of doorway domains with WordPress sites managed through Hostinger*. Each of these has an optimized lead capture, either on entry or exit. While none of these sites are particularly busy individually, collectively they’re driving a steady flow of potential customers into the top of our funnel. This diversified approach helps us cast a wide net and reduces our dependence on any single traffic source.
We’re also extremely active in content creation, spreading articles across various platforms. You can see the range of platforms we’re using by checking the links on any of our Wealthness pages. This content strategy not only improves our SEO but also positions us as thought leaders in our industry, building trust with potential customers before they even reach our main sales funnel.
Another growth hack we could explore is creating a freemium model for our product or service. This allows users to try a basic version for free, with the option to upgrade for additional features. It’s a great way to get users into our ecosystem and demonstrate the value we provide, making the eventual upsell much easier.
We could also leverage partnerships and collaborations with complementary businesses. By cross-promoting each other’s products or services, we can tap into each other’s customer bases and expand our reach. This could take the form of joint webinars, co-authored content, or even bundled offerings.
Lastly, we should consider implementing a chatbot on our website and landing pages. This can help answer common questions, guide users through our offerings, and even initiate the sales process, all while collecting valuable data on user behavior and preferences. By automating this initial interaction, we can ensure that potential customers get immediate attention, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
By combining these strategies with our existing funnel, we can create a robust, multi-faceted approach to growth that leverages various channels and techniques. The key is to continually test, measure, and optimize each element to ensure we’re getting the best possible return on our efforts.
Putting this all together:
- Check Out A High Converting Viral Lead Capture Page For GAUK
- Don’t send people to your website – it’s dumb. Create an extremely targeted and high-quality lead capture page. Create a compelling reason for the lead capture to work. That’s not a call-to-action, it’s a gift or something the visitor receives value from. Remember, they’re allowing you into their world, and it’s not to be abused.
- A PPC campaign is still capturing the essential data, but rather than the stranger who enters and leaves the shop, you get their details and can ask those vital questions. Over time, traffic will build, and then you can begin to retarget those people with a highly crafted and relevant message.
- Once they’ve given their permission to start a relationship, make sure you deliver. Get that gift to them.
- Over time, optimize the autoresponders. There’s a point between being rude and shouting “buy now” to being too polite and never asking for that sale or leaving it too long.
Remember, it’s all about building relationships. Turn strangers into friends, and friends into customers. It takes time, but it’s worth it in the long run.
GAUK Marketing Management
I hope you found this information useful as we explored various growth hacks to enhance our sales funnel. We’ll be deep diving into these critical elements in future articles, as we build extreme growth campaigns tailored to your needs. If you see the value in having an expert on your side to help navigate this landscape, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
And by the way, consider this article my way of buying you that drink! Cheers to your success!
