Creating a Lead Funnel – What’s the Most Effective Way to Do It?

Are you wondering how to turn your traffic into paying customers? Did you know that different types of lead funnels are required depending on the type of product or service you offer?

Many companies make the mistake of using a one-size-fits-all approach when there are hundreds of different lead funnels that they could use to achieve different goals.

Let’s take a closer look at choosing the most optimal lead funnel for your business.

What is a lead funnel?

Similar to a regular kitchen funnel, a lead funnel acts as a tool for leads or potential customers to go through. The aim is to turn interested visitors and prospects into long-term paying customers.

Not every visitor that goes through your funnel will end up buying from you, and people drop off at different stages of the funnel. As a marketer, your job is to test and tweak your funnel with minor changes to increase your conversion rate.

The main reasons why leads fall out of the funnel include a lack of interest, needs not being fully met or not being able to relate to your brand.

The different types of lead funnel

All business models require different funnels that are built in differing ways.

Here are three simple funnels that you can use to generate leads:

1) Lead magnet funnel

This funnel aims to entice viewers to take the desired action in exchange for value. There are many different types of lead magnets that you can offer, including checklists, PDF reports, free e-books or a short course. It’s up to you to choose the right lead magnet that resonates with your audience.

The most common order for this type of funnel is: lead magnet landing page into an opt-in page into a download page. Here is a small explanation of these stages.

Lead magnet – The aim is to draw visitors into signing up to your mailing list. Then, you can nurture them with communications, offers and discounts. The benefits should always be clearly outlined on your lead magnet pages and have a call-to-action button in clear view.

Opt-in page – This should have a clear section where the visitors can add their contact details so that they can receive their freebie. It should at least include their name and email address. The best practice here is to ask for as little as possible so that you do not scare them away.

Download page – This is the final page that visitors will see before they can download and receive their free gift. On this page, it is important to thank them so you set a positive first impression and ask them to check their email for further information.

Key tips to remember:

• Keep your emails under 500 words.
• Your emails need to be focused and actionable.
• If you want to qualify your leads further, ask for a phone number or marketing budget when the prospect opts in. This may reduce the total number of opt-ins you get, but the quality will be higher as a result.

2) Survey funnel

With this type of funnel, you create a short quiz. This gives you information on your leads, allowing you to market to them better. It also helps you to qualify them with micro-commitments. Filling out surveys requires a small amount of time and effort.

The most common order for this type of funnel is: opt-in page into the survey page into a results page. Here is a small explanation of these stages.

• Opt-in page – Here, the lead will exchange their contact information in order to take the survey. The aim of this is to help them identify a key problem that they are struggling with and to offer a targeted solution.
• Survey page – This page contains the survey that the lead will take and could potentially include a video and a list of benefits they will receive.
• Results page – You should finally set up a page that displays the results and thanks the lead for their time.

Key tips to remember:

• Create separate emails with sales letters that you send to them depending on the results that they get.
• Ask a maximum of three questions for low commitment.
• The questions need to help address their biggest challenge or fear.

3) Live online event funnel

This type of funnel is focused around a live event that you host, whether that be a live demonstration or a summit. A prospect can only view this event once they have verified their attendance. It helps to build trust because you can use this opportunity to demonstrate authority and address any questions or reservations your audience may have.

The most common order for this type of funnel is: opt-in page into a webinar page and then into a checkout page. Here is a small explanation of these stages.

• Opt-in page – Here the lead will exchange their contact information in order to get a ticket.
• Webinar page– This page contains the event time and date, calendar link and a direct link to the event.
• Checkout page – Here you should reiterate that the lead has made a purchase and the link to the event will be given through their email.

Key tips to remember:

• Show visitors some success stories when they opt-in to build trust.
• Display a countdown timer and a limited number of tickets left to increase scarcity.
• Include a discounted/trial of your main service on the checkout page or offer a free consultation.

Following up your lead funnel

The best way to follow up with your lead funnel is to send three emails after they have opted into your email list. This helps to nurture them and keep your company at the forefront of their mind.

There are three email stages you send in order.

1. Welcome email – Send a welcome email along with a short piece of educational content.
2. Authority and proof email – Give some background information on the company and why it is the go-to in the industry, including a soft sell with a link to your key landing page.
3. Hard sell email – In this email, you should give leads the key benefits of your product or service and why they need it with a call-to-action that is direct but casual and friendly.

Create highly optimised lead funnels

Building the perfect lead funnel that complements your business model is difficult. You need the understanding of what makes customers tick and the time to tweak your funnel to increase conversion rates.

Highly optimised lead funnels can be an excellent tool that provide you with an endless stream of revenue. However, without the knowledge, you can spend precious time shooting in the dark.

As a digital consultancy with 15 years of marketing experience and a focus on conversion rate optimisation, we have helped many companies achieve their goals.

If you need help with creating and setting up your funnel in a way that maximises returns, contact us today.