Ben Croft | Google Ads & SEO Specialist
If you have even the slightest knowledge of digital marketing, you’ve probably heard the phrase “conversion funnel” thrown around a time or two. But similarly to SEO, not many people actually understand what a conversion funnel is or how it works to help a business grow and make money. In today’s blog, we’re going to break down the meaning of a conversion funnel and how you can utilize it for the benefit of your business.
“…similarly to SEO, not many people actually understand what a conversion funnel is…”
The technical definition of a conversion funnel varies but essentially it’s the process a person goes through to complete a conversion (desired action such as a purchase, phone call, email sign up, etc). This process utilizes different marketing channels to draw in potential customers and lead them down a path that positions your product or service above your competitors.
The process is quite simple and has four key steps: Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action. However, implementing the correct content for each funnel stage is where most businesses hit the wall. Each marketing channel must play its part perfectly in order to seamlessly move a potential customer from one step of the funnel to the next.
“…implementing the correct content for each funnel stage is where most businesses hit the wall.”
Conversion Step 1: This is the introduction of your brand to someone who has possibly never heard of your business before. This is what we like to call the first date. In these ads, we don’t ask for any action from the user (just like a classy first date). Instead, we’re grabbing their attention and giving them base level info about the brand and making them feel welcome. Most businesses we encounter want results instantly and gear their ads towards that goal. However, this approach comes off too strong and makes the user feel pressured, uncomfortable, and far less likely to interact with the business again.
Conversion Step 2: Now that you have their interest, it’s time to put your best foot forward and get interesting. Identify the most gripping parts of your brand or key numbers that make you stand out and present those to the potential customer. Once again, we aren’t asking for the user to take action, we’re simply giving them interesting information about the brand to keep them engaged with your business.
“Identify the most gripping parts of your brand or statistics that make you stand out and present those to the potential customer.”
Conversion Step 3: You’ve grabbed their attention and briefly informed them of what your business is about. Now it’s time to help potential customers realize a need or want for your product. Identify pain points they might have then explain how your product is the answer to their problems. This is where you have to get a bit creative and utilize past data to understand what your customers respond to. Does the data suggest they’ll convert on a discount code or are they more likely to respond to a promotional video? This is where the knowledge of your business comes into play. What will make a potential customer desire your product or service and convert?
Conversion Step 4: You made it, it’s time for the call to action. Your goal for this stage is to have your potential customer so close to a conversion that all it should take is a small push for them to take action. Get creative with your call to action, the last thing you want is to spend all that time and money courting a potential customer only to turn them away due to a robotic CTA. At this point, they have a pretty decent understanding of your product or service, so use industry lingo that will make them feel even more connected to your brand and more inclined to convert.
“…the last thing you want is to spend all that time and money courting a customer only to turn them away due to a robotic CTA.”
The Followup: This step is by far the most neglected by a majority of marketers. They do all the work, get the conversion, and then start the process over with another cold customer while completely neglecting the one they already have. Remember, it costs far less to retain an existing customer than it does to generate a new one. The focus of your conversion funnel shouldn’t solely be focused on conversions but rather on building a relationship with your existing customers, which ultimately leads to higher conversion rates and lower cost per acquisition.