Lesson 6 on Making Money through a Pandemic - 5 types of lead generation

Today we're talking inbound funnels.

Here's a great way to break down a funnel and how it works. 

When we earn a site visit and that site visit converts (on a piece of content), we need a system in place to take them from where they are today to a sales-ready state.

Every visit is hard-earned, and every conversion is even harder earned, so we want to make sure we're making the most of it. 

When we build a funnel, we're basing it off the Buyer's Journey, which includes:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Decision

When someone converts on an Awareness stage offer, it's the job of our funnel to move them to Consideration. Once they reach Consideration, the funnel should continue to move them until eventually, they become a customer. 

The next thing we need to cover is how funnels are built. 

We can't build a proper funnel until we understand the specific questions prospects are asking at each stage. We need to have an outline of all questions we can gather for each. 

This will guide our emails and how we guide a prospect from one stage to the next.

What's also important about funnel building is that every lead-nurturing email has a call-to-action (CTA) pointing to that next offer within it. Think blog post—every optimized post should be ended with a CTA that gets people in the funnel to begin with.

Too often clients want to engage prospects right away.

As soon as someone downloads an Awareness stage offer, they're sending the sales team after them.

The truth, however, is that prospects aren't always ready to talk. If we neglect letting the funnel do its job then we're talking with leads who aren't ready. Think of them as "half-baked." They need to go through the funnel to solidify and further understand not only their problems, but how you're the solution. 

Leads need a chance to nurture. Let your content do the talking. 

The key thing about these funnels is consistency. To have a stable, growing service business, you need something that saves you time, while drawing in a predictable flow of new prospects.

These five types of lead generation funnels can help you get started.

TOP 5 TYPES OF LEAD GENERATION FUNNELS

Type #5: Live Webinar Funnel

How It Works

The idea of a webinar is that it’s scarce because it’s a live event.

The only way people can view it is if they RSVP. You can also offer a short-term replay of the webinar for up to 48 hours. This gives you an opportunity to sell subscribers on the replay even after the webinar has ended.

Structure of the Funnel

Your live webinar funnel should consist of three pages: your opt-in page, your webinar watch page, and your checkout/booking page.

In the case of a productized service, you can offer your customers an appointment or consultation at the end of the webinar.

Check out Infusionsoft’s webinar funnel below as an example.

1. Opt-in Page — When people opt into Infusionsoft’s email list, they’re sent to the page pictured below.

For your own opt-in page, be sure you have a catchy headline, a bulleted benefits list, and a strong call to action. This practice should get you more opt-ins.

2. Webinar Watch Page — Once your customers opt in, they’ll be brought to the webinar watch page. Here’s where the live webinar will take place, as you can see in this example.

3. Checkout/Booking Page — An offer should be presented on your webinar. This could be a discounted offer or a free trial of your service. At the end of the webinar, some customers may be ready to buy, so you can direct them to the checkout/booking page.

If you don’t have a checkout/booking page, you can also send prospects to your pricing page instead.

Live Webinar Funnel Best Practices

Here are my best practices when hosting your own live webinar:

• Use a countdown timer: Again, this plays into the element of scarcity we discussed above. Your opt-in rates should increase if your webinar is available for a limited time only.
• Clearly show the date: Your webinar date should be highly visible. Otherwise, people won’t know when to opt in.
• Make the CTA visible above the fold on the watch page: Your offer and CTA should be displayed on your webinar watch page above the fold. This prevents anyone from missing out.
• Significant follow-up to promote attending the webinar: Once the webinar wraps up, reach out to prospects via the email list you gathered. Thank them for attending and offer an on-demand replay of the webinar.

Type #4: On-Demand Demo Video Funnel

How It Works

An on-demand demo can be any video where you explain your service and exactly how it works. These videos should last between two to 20 minutes.

If your service is particularly complex (and you have a lot of moving parts), you should aim for the 20-minute mark.

Notice in this video, that Shopify did several things amazingly.

1. It communicates brand values.

Create & Achieve the impossible. Unite a world together.

2. It draws viewers in immediately and keeps them watching.

You instantly understand that these people have a problem but, how are they tied together?

What are their individual stories?

3. It tells a story the target audience relates to.

We all have been there. We have a feeling or a great idea but, we just aren't sure how to achieve it by ourselves.

4. It creates emotion and connection.

Shopify uses the emotion of empathy, the thought of freedom and a great life to pull you through the entire video.

5. It leaves viewers wanting to know more.

How can we succeed in our own stories? How does Shopify fit in?

Structure of the Funnel

On-demand demo videos typically have a two-page funnel. Customers should be led to a contact page or a free booking page. In some cases, they may be taken to a pricing page.

1. Demo Video Page — Your demo video page should be like a landing page.

2. Contact Page, Free Booking Page, or Pricing Page — Upon landing on this page, prospective customers will reach out to you via phone or email, book a consultation, or browse your products (and maybe even buy).

Best Practices

Keep these best practices in mind as you make your demo video:

• Simple is best: Keep your demo video simple. Don’t necessarily require opt-ins to view it.
• Appointment-focused CTA: The CTA should be about booking an appointment rather than buying a service.
• Capture contact information: Do so using a lead box that pops up and easily collects the information.

 BONUS TIP:

 ?? What should you be thinking about when creating product or service videos?  ?? 

Here are a couple of things:

1. Hook the audience immediately.
2. Show the product or service.
3. Tell a story specific to the consumer.
4. Show how it solves a problem.
5. Inject some human elements.
6. Keep it simple.
7. Add a CTA to the product or service.

Keep those product or service video tips in mind and you will have an award-winning video that converts sales!

Type #3: Get Access to Pricing Funnel

How It Works

As a service business, the number one concern for your customers is whether or not they can afford your services.

I’ve said in the past that this is the reason why one of the best lead magnets for a service business is to offer people instant access to pricing or an instant quote.

Your prospective customers understand that you want to meet their needs, but putting the pricing up front is a risk that could potentially turn them away.

It’s common for service business owners not to advertise their pricing too soon. That said, it can be an opportunity to drive more leads.

Create a landing page that describes your service and answers some common questions about it. Then, as an opt-in opportunity to collect contact information, you have a lead box that leads to a pricing page.

If your customers are particularly price-sensitive, you can show a demonstration video on the pricing page.

This is a preface to showing the numbers. Instead, you’re focusing more on the value customers will get for their money.

In general, you should not show pricing upfront for your service. Instead, ask people to opt-in to get access. Alternatively, place it on a separate page that people will see after they have learned a bit more about what you are offering via your home or about pages.

You always want your prospects to see pricing in the context of value, not simply in the context of “Oh, this is expensive/cheap.”

Structure of the Funnel

This is one that we’ve consistently seen perform well for our clients. Here’s an example of what Apollo does.

1. Pricing Page — Right on Apollo Answering Service’s homepage is a button that takes a prospective customer to the pricing page.

2. Opt-in Page — From there, they must sign up to access pricing information.

3. Checkout Page — Once Apollo has the opt-in information, prospective customers can choose a package and then check out.

Best Practices

Here are my recommended best practices for a “get access to pricing” funnel:

• Use a two-step opt-in: With this, people may not immediately see the form on the page. Instead, they click a CTA button that may say “get an instant pricing quote” or “see our pricing packages.” Then they’re brought to a form they can fill out.
• Ask for minimum information: You at least need the name, email, and phone number of a prospective customer, but anything else is optional.

Type #2: Lead Magnet Follow-up

How It Works

The idea for this funnel is that you create a lead magnet, like a checklist or a template, and you require a prospective customer to opt in to get it. You can go further than a name or email depending on the qualified leads you want, like phone number or marketing budget.

If you have higher-end clientele, you might want to request more information from potential customers in order for them to get access to a lead magnet.

Structure of the Funnel

This funnel here is pretty simple.

1. Lead Magnet Landing Page — This is the page with the lead magnet offer. Make sure yours includes a bulleted benefits list and a large, colorful download button.

2. Opt-in Page — To get access to the lead magnet, the prospective customer now has to sign up. In the case of CRM Switch, a prospect must include their first and last name, work email, and top CRM challenge.

3. Download Page — There’s usually a three-to-five email follow-up sequence that is triggered after opt-in. After that, the customer is brought to the download page to download the lead magnet. CRM Switch asks a few extra questions to improve their process, but this is optional.

With a lead magnet follow-up, the first email presents value based on what the subscriber opted-in to get in the first place, the second email has authority, and the third email has your call to action.

Your CTA shouldn’t be too aggressive. Make it something like “let’s hop on a call to see if we’re a fit for your needs.” Remember, people like direct but casual and friendly, too.

Best Practices

Here are some tips to follow for your lead magnet follow-up:

• Keep your emails short: Don’t exceed 500 words. These emails should be easily digestible.
• Focus on the idea: If you’re sending email drips, make sure your emails are idea-focused and actionable. These should still each be 500 words. By focusing on one idea at a time, it’s easiest for the prospective customer to take action if they want to. You can also build credibility and trust this way.

Type #1: Survey Funnel

How It Works

With a survey funnel, you quiz the people who sign up to your email list. You ask them what their biggest challenges are, giving them two to five options. Depending on their responses, you can put them in a specific email follow-up bucket.

You should follow up in a three-email sequence.

Arrange customers in up to five buckets. Then present them content that’s most relevant to who they are and what their needs are.

Structure of the Funnel

1. Opt-in Page — The prospective customer must first opt in.

2. Survey Page — This is the page that contains your survey. In our case, we include a short video about why customers should bother to fill out the survey. There’s also a brief benefits list on the side of the page.

3. Results Page — Some service businesses may opt to make a separate results page. This is optional, though.

Best Practices

When making a survey funnel, remember this best practice:

• Limit your questions: Again, ask no more than three questions to avoid fatiguing the prospective customer.

Conclusion

For more information about sales funnels, DM me.

When it comes to sales funnels, it’s not about building any kind of funnel for your business, but a lead generation funnel that gives you leads and results.

To review:

• Live webinar funnels work because they introduce the element of scarcity.
• On-demand demo videos need to have a catchy headline and strong CTA to be most effective.
• If you’re shy about showing your pricing because you think it will discourage customers, make prospects opt in to get a quote.
• Lead magnet follow-ups should be personalized. When writing these follow-ups, stay within a 500-word limit.
• Survey funnels should follow the VACuum Formula: value, authority, and call-to-action.

Which of these lead generation funnels do you think would work best for your service business?

Why?

Let me know in the comments below.

Stay Safe

— Jas