How to build and manage your first online Sales Funnel

If you are new to the marketing industry it pays to be able to build a first-class sales funnel.

This is the vital first step in the success of your digital marketing campaign and will attract and convert new customers—the lifeblood of your business.

But first, what is a sales funnel?

Nothing complicated about this: this sales strategy gets its name from its graphic representation…

The 3 stages of your sales funnel

Meet your sales funnel stages: ToFu, MoFu and BoFu. They are your virtual sales team. Get it right and they will attract, engage, convert and delight your potential customers.

ToFu—Top of the Funnel
This is the largest section, the holding pen for all your website visitors. This where they begin their buyer journey from prospects to your potential customers.

This is where you get them to submit their contact details via calls to action such as gated content web forms, or by getting them to call you. The content itself does not need to be complex but it must contain critical information. This will keep them engaged and willing to hand over their details in exchange for the free information you are offering.

How to achieve this
· Landing pages
· Sign-up forms throughout your website
· Direct mail
· Paid traffic
· Re-targeting—or remarketing, where you keep your brand in front of bounced traffic after they leave your website

MoFu—Middle of the Funnel
This comprises the people who have subscribed to your offer and become leads. These people are now a resource that you can control by building their interest with content and value. This helps their understanding which builds their trust and encourages their buy-in.

Importantly, their online activities can reveal selling points. For example, if they click on an email that transfers them to the sales email, then this can also drive a flag-up to your sales team and/or automatically order some direct mail.

How to achieve this

· Sales pages
· Trigger tags (codes that send data to a tracking system such as Google Analytics)
· Email autoresponders that educate and direct to sales pages
· Prospect engagement/relationship building
· Sales team
· Re-targeting
· Direct mail—brochures/product samples, etc.

BoFu—Bottom of the Funnel

Congratulations! Your sales funnel has transformed your prospects into customers. This is the feel-good level where you delight them and keep them coming back for more—where they are a reality and you get to demonstrate the success of your online marketing strategy.

Make them feel good—send thank you cards, free samples. Now’s your chance to up-sell further offerings and to troubleshoot any issues they may be experiencing.

How to achieve this

· Ramp up your up-selling
· Send welcome emails
· Schedule training content—a series of staged online courses
· Implement customer surveys
· Send welcome packs
· Set time triggers to plan follow-up calls

Remember: your potential customers are your biggest area and are at the top of the funnel. The smallest category, your established customers, are at the bottom of the funnel. The middle of the funnel can be tailored to meet your business’s specific needs and sales targets.

Breckenridge is a HubSpot Gold inbound marketing specialist and can help you set up a sales funnel that will attract, engage, convert and delight new customers—helping your business to grow faster and better.

For a FREE, no-obligation chat about growing your business with digital marketing…




Breckenridge’s comprehensive marketing expertise includes outbound marketing, digital marketing strategies (inbound marketing strategies), content marketing, email marketing, digital media, search engine optimization ( SEO), PPC, PR, social media, all sales processes and calls to action.