How the internet killed the sales funnel

Today it seems amazing how marketers worked without the Internet. It is terrible to think that David Ogilvy and other masters worked on paper, and the target audience received advertising by mail. Not e) Some 20-25 years, and what a leap in the ways of communication with customers.



Some principles from the 20th century still work. For example, the AIDA formula is “most alive”. But a lot has changed.

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In this article, we analyze the evolution of the sales funnel based on materials from Invesp experts. Taking into account marketing transformation, unobtrusively and efficiently collecting leads, how to process and bring them to sale?





There used to be a linear process: a potential client goes through several stages - from awareness of need to purchase. It looks like this:







Advertising designs, newspapers, radio, television: a lot of time was spent to bring the consumer to the purchase. Today, speeds are thousands of times higher, while the audience’s response is as many times faster. 5 seconds to view, and either click "close page" or email user in your database.



The force of "attraction" between the consumer and the seller is much less. In this regard, it is necessary to "pump" every stage of the sales funnel. Moreover, the classic sales funnel died. However, the scheme did not disappear without a trace, but transformed into a marketing funnel. This is a more complex cycle with additional tools to attract, return and retain - referral program, SMM, retargeting, etc.







Focus on the process after landing on the site (landing page), conversion actions. Conversion optimization is not just a couple of tests on the title and CTA buttons, it is a continuous work that makes visitors from the leads. Therefore, tests should not stop for one day. There is no "ceiling", the end result, when you can calm down.



The marketing funnel is fueled by brand fans. More than ever, businesses need fans to generate social effects (likes, reposts, shareings), and disseminate information.



3 effective strategies for engaging and converting leads



Pop-ups (pop-up). Yes, no one likes them, but damn, they work! It's all about the right sentence. Something non-standard and, above all, valuable, allows you to successfully collect user contacts. Banal garbage with the "latest news" no one needs.



This is a great way to generate a base for email distribution. Example from Invesp:







“Over 10,000 marketers and business experts trust Invesp. Why?

- Free access to the simplest and most effective A / V testing tool.

- Free access to conversion optimization tools.

- Free access to training materials (white papers).

- Popular conversion optimization guides, free landing page templates, and more!



Enter your name and email address to get it all. ”



By the way, we didn’t find a similar in brevity and expression of the analogue of the call “Get It!” Perhaps you know some cool examples of Russian-speaking CTA? Share in the comments.



Here are some more successful examples:



Well-known marketer Neil Patel asks to give him 3 months, and he will bring high conversion traffic to your site (call to action “Show me immediately how to do it”):







The CrazyEgg heat map service uses lightweight manipulation. They offer to convert even more clients from among the site visitors with the help of 4 of their tools (call to action “Show my heat map”).







Pay attention to the signature under CTA: “No, thanks, everything suits me”. Thus, by refusing the offer, the user acknowledges that he is a loser. Such a fine psychology)



And a domestic example from Lidmashina:







TexTerra Agency generally comes from a different angle and collects contacts through a feedback window:







An important point: in all the above cases, pop-up windows appeared at least after 3 minutes and 4-5 viewed pages.



Email distribution. Gathered contacts - great, but early to open the champagne. The most interesting is just beginning. Invesp experts say that the base should be divided into segments (however, this is not a secret) and a separate newsletter should be made for each group.



How much content will differ depends on the interests of a particular audience. In some niches the difference is in the details, in some it is necessary to generate 100% of unique content in each segment.



Interest segmentation occurs at the registration stage. Example of the personnel search portal:







There is a simpler example from Megaplan:







And the simplest variant of segmentation by gender (an example of the online store Asos):







Content plan. We will not elaborate on this stage. Everything is simple: the company creates an editorial plan. Who, when and what to send. The most effective option is personalization, not only depending on the interests, but also taking into account the specific stage of the funnel. For example, infographics and overview videos work best in the “Review” stage. In one of the upcoming articles, we will tell you how to implement a lead evaluation system.



The marketing funnel works with three main groups: potential customers, leads, and loyal customers.



1. Potential consumers (prospects)



They only show interest in a product or service. According to the classical funnel scheme, these are the stages of consideration and intentions.



Key points:



Value proposition. It should be on every page, at every entry point to the site. Briefly and clearly: what are the benefits of your offer for a client and how are you different from competitors?



As a rule, it is a block from the subtitle heading, a text paragraph or a bulleted list with product advantages, as well as a thematic image.



Example CampaignMonitor service:







But the light version of value proposition for a simpler product, where you don’t need to explain a lot:







All the chips to create a value proposition, steep and unsuccessful examples we describe in this article .



Demonstration of alternatives. If customers compare your product with competitors, give them this opportunity right on your site.



Clear navigation and calls to action. Do you clearly and clearly show users what to do next? How compelling are the calls to action?



Clear and clear information . Descriptions, instructions, annotations work when they are easy to read and understandable to everyone.



Target content. First of all, these are expert materials (articles, video reviews) of own production.



Reviews / Reviews. People still trust reviews. And good and not so important reviews are equally important. A fly in the ointment does not hurt, but will only benefit. Of course, if you solved the problem of a disgruntled customer.



2. Lida



They are close to the purchase (evaluation and comparison stage), but they can leave at any time.



Basic principles of work:



Sequence. Commodity pages in the same style with advertisements and pop-ups show a higher conversion. This is a unity of design, sales and calls to action at each stage.



Diversification of offers. These are different variants of the trade offer for different target groups, at different stages of the funnel.



Email marketing. Closes leads for sale.



Game elements (gamification). It is a rather expensive and difficult to implement tool, with the most unobtrusively promoting leads through the funnel.



Infographics. A visual 60 times faster conveys information and that says it all.



3. Loyal customers



These are those who are with you of "one blood". Perhaps the most important category of customers that should be encouraged in all ways. Because they give recommendations, leave feedback and comments, like on social networks, and in other ways support your brand.



Basic principles of work:



Quality service. Every little thing is important here - branded packaging with a cool design, small souvenirs for regular customers, congratulations on holidays and so on.



Email newsletter with useful content. Usually it comes out once a week, but there are services that “bomb” subscribers almost daily, without being bored. However, this is a special case for which you need a sea of ​​valuable content and a brilliant copywriter.



Special offers. Invesp experts recommend allocating a special VIP-group with the most favorable cost and service policy. Conditions must be so attractive that the entire customer base would dream of entering the VIP-zone.



Contests and prizes. Excellent work in the referral program.



Loyalty program As an example - Starbucks, airlines with a cumulative bonus system and a powerful motivation to remain loyal to the brand.



Commentary by the head of Yagla.ru Alexander Alimov



To increase conversion, content personalization works at every stage of the marketing funnel. At the same time, as noted in the article, the principle of consistency is important when the user sees one sentence in the ad and on the site. The problem is that there are thousands of ads and one landing page. In addition, the motives and decision-making criteria of all people are different. Someone chooses for the price, someone for the speed of delivery and so on.



With the help of the Yagla service , you can customize the substitution of headings, lead-forms, images for users' requests from contextual advertising. As a result, each group sees its own unique offer (sales offer), which increases the conversion to calls, orders, orders.