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The Perfect Match of Sales Funnels & Dropshipping
Dropshipping and sales funnels are a match made in heaven.
On the one hand, dropshipping is one of those things that feels too good to be true — you sell ecommerce products, and someone else fulfills your orders and ships directly to your customer.
On the other hand, sales funnels help you actually sell those e-commerce products — they’re the difference between throwing up an e-commerce store and crossing your fingers… and actually finding your target market and getting them to buy.
With ClickFunnels, you can easily build sales funnels (now with AI). We now integrate directly with Zendrop — so that means you can build your sales funnels and source your products all basically in one place.
Cool, huh?
So let’s talk about the steps to successfully building a dropshipping sales funnel!
Get HELP Building Your Ecommerce Funnels Now!
Step #1: Getting Traffic
In today’s online world, you can’t build a business with traffic — I’m talking about website visitors and people entering your sales funnel.
How do you get the right people (i.e. your target market) to find out about your products… and then give them the opportunity to visit your sales funnel?
Here are the most proven ways to do that.
Search Engine Optimization
You’ve probably heard the term SEO thrown around before by your marketing friends.
The history of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) began in the mid-1990s with the advent of the first search engines.
But, the launch of Google in 1998 revolutionized SEO, introducing algorithms that prioritized relevance and quality.
The gist is this — you want to rank as high as possible in Google for relevant phrases. So if you sell basketball shoes, you’d likely want to rank for “best basketball shoes” and other similar phrases.
The great thing about SEO is that it organically drives traffic to your website and sales funnels — the more you invest in it, the more traffic it drives.
And that traffic lasts.
This article, for instance, has literally driven tens of thousands of visits to our ClickFunnels blog over the last 2-3 years…
That’s the best part. Once you write an article that ranks for one of your target keywords, it typically will rank for quite a long time. You might continue to get traffic from that article for years to come.
But… how do you actually optimize your site and funnel for search engines?
We have an SEO guide over here.
But here’s the “quick start” version!
Keyword Research:
- Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush
- Identify key phrases your target audience is searching for
Create High-Quality Content:
- Incorporate identified keywords naturally into your content (blog, landing pages, etc.)
- Focus on relevance and value to your audience
Technical SEO:
- Improve site speed
- Ensure your site is mobile-friendly
- Optimize meta tags, titles, and descriptions
Build Quality Backlinks:
- Gain links from reputable, authoritative websites
- Engage in guest blogging, collaborations, and partnerships
User Experience:
- Ensure easy navigation
- Provide engaging and informative content
- Optimize site structure for better user engagement
Regular Content Updates:
- Keep your content fresh and relevant
- Update old articles with new information and insights
Monitor Performance:
- Use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console
- Track your site’s performance and traffic
- Make data-driven adjustments to improve your SEO strategy
SEO can make a HUGE difference in how much traffic you drive to your website day-in and day-out — even if you’re only creating a few new blog posts every month, it’ll be worth it down the road!
Organic Social Media
It can be hard to get visibility for your brand on social media — but if you do it right, it’s still possible to build an audience and even drive traffic to your website.
Here’s a great example from Lululemon.
They have 5 million followers on Instagram — so clearly it’s possible to still build an organic following as an ecommerce business.
Red Bull is another great example — they have 23 million followers.
But let me ask you this — what do these two brands have in common in their Instagram marketing?
The main commonality I see is that their content is…
- NOT over-the-top promotional…
- Super entertaining or valuable
Red Bull, for instance, posts crazy stunts by amazing humans — you’ll want to follow them even if you’re not a fan of their energy drink.
Lululemon actually posts quite a bit promoting their products, but in a way that feels natural and not pushy — plus their customers love their product so much that they don’t even care.
Probably the best platforms right now for e-commerce brands are Instagram and TikTok — here are a few tips to get you started…
Focus on Quality Content: Ensure your posts are visually appealing and provide real value to your audience. Whether it’s educational, entertaining, or inspiring, high-quality content is key.
Consistency is Key: Regularly posting content keeps your audience engaged and helps in building a loyal following. Create a content calendar to stay organized and consistent.
Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, engage in conversations, and show appreciation for user-generated content. Building a community is essential for organic growth.
Leverage User-Generated Content: Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products. This not only provides you with authentic content but also builds trust among potential customers.
Utilize Hashtags Wisely: Research and use relevant hashtags to increase the reach of your posts. Don’t overdo it, but find a balance that maximizes visibility without appearing spammy.
Collaborate with Influencers: Partnering with influencers who align with your brand can help you reach a larger audience. Choose influencers whose followers are likely to be interested in your products.
Showcase Behind-the-Scenes Content: Give your audience a peek behind the curtain. Whether it’s product development, office culture, or events, behind-the-scenes content can humanize your brand.
Use Stories and Reels: These features on Instagram and TikTok can significantly boost your visibility. They are great for sharing quick updates, engaging content, and even promotions.
Analyze and Adapt: Regularly check your analytics to understand what type of content performs best. Use these insights to refine your strategy and improve your engagement.
Run Contests and Giveaways: Encourage user participation and attract new followers by hosting contests and giveaways. Ensure that the rules are simple and the prizes are enticing.
The Dream 100
If you’ve read Russell Brunson’s book, Traffic Secrets, then you’d be familiar with the concept of “The Dream 100”.
This is the main way Russell built ClickFunnels to be nearly a billion dollars… and it’s the way he’s building all of his other brands.
Check out this video.
Once you’ve identified who your dream customer is, the next step is to determine where they hang out online.
This will take a bit of research but it’ll be a thousand times worth it once you’re trying to drive traffic to your sales funnel.
Try to identify…
- 10 websites and forums they spend time on
- 15 active Facebook groups they participate in
- 50 influencers they follow on Facebook and Instagram
- 30 podcasts they listen to
- 40 email newsletters they subscribe to
Make a list!
After you’ve built your sales funnel, you’ll infiltrate these online congregations to drive high-quality traffic.
You can do that through cold outreach, paying for visibility, or collaborative efforts. Get a free copy of Russell’s book, Traffic Secrets, to learn more about how this works!
Step #2: Building Your Email List
You might be wondering:
“Why do I need to build an email list? Can’t I just promote my business through SEO, Instagram, etc. and make sales that way?”
There are three really simple answers to that question…
1. Direct Communication:
When you have an email list, you have a direct line of communication with your audience. Unlike social media platforms where algorithms decide who sees your posts, emails go straight to the inboxes of your subscribers.
2. Ownership and Control:
Social media platforms and search engine algorithms are constantly changing. What works today might not work tomorrow. By building an email list, you own your audience. You are not at the mercy of external platforms that can change their rules or algorithms, potentially diminishing your reach.
3. Higher Conversion Rates:
Email marketing typically has higher conversion rates compared to other channels. When someone subscribes to your email list, they have already shown interest in your brand and what you offer.
Here’s how you can build your email lists organically and systematically turn subscribers into paying customers!
The Lead Magnet
You can think of a “lead magnet” as your “bribe to subscribe”. This is the free thing you give away to people in return for their email addresses.
At ClickFunnels, we use this quiz lead magnet on our blog homepage.
Here’s an example of what this might look like if you had a health food e-commerce store…
The idea is just to give your target market something super valuable for free — so that they’ll give you their email and you can add them to your email list.
Your lead magnet needs to be…
→ Highly relevant to your target audience’s interests or needs
→ Easy to consume and instantly valuable
→ Directly related to the products or services you offer
Of course, the next question is, what do you send to the people who give you their email addresses to turn them from subscribers into paying customers?
Keep reading!
The Soap Opera Sequence
A soap opera sequence is a series of emails that tells a story over several days or weeks. Each email leaves the reader wanting more and builds anticipation for the next email in the sequence. The emails are usually sent out at regular intervals and aim to create an emotional connection with the reader.
This technique is especially useful in B2B email marketing because it helps you stand out from the crowd and establish a relationship with your subscribers. By creating a story that resonates with your audience, you can capture their attention and keep them engaged. It’s a great way to showcase your brand’s personality and values and naturally guide them toward purchasing your front-end product.
The soap opera sequence is also effective in building trust with your subscribers. By providing valuable information, insights, and tips through the story, you can demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. This can lead to increased brand loyalty, customer retention, and ultimately, more sales.
So how do you do it?
The story typically revolves around a problem that your customer is facing, and how your product or service can help them overcome it.
The idea is to keep your customer engaged by telling an interesting story that piques their curiosity, and then offering your product or service as a solution to the problem they’re facing.
For example, let’s say you’re selling a weight loss program.
Your soap opera sequence might look something like this…
Email 1: The problem (e.g., “Are you frustrated with your weight loss efforts?”)
Email 2: The story (e.g., “I was in your shoes not too long ago…”)
Email 3: Introduce the solution (e.g., “This is what helped me finally lose the weight…”)
Email 4: The offer (e.g., “Here’s how you can get started with my program…”)
Email 5: The urgency/scarcity (e.g., “This offer won’t be available for much longer…”)
Soap opera sequences are a great way to keep your customers engaged, and they can be very effective in increasing sales.
If you want to see real examples, check out this guide.
Step #3: Creating Your Sales Funnel
Ok — so we’re driving traffic and we’re turning that traffic into leads on our email list. We even know we need to send them a Soap Opera Sequence to get them to buy for the first time.
But to get them to buy, we need to send them to a sales funnel!
Now you might just be tempted to send them straight to your storefront to let them browse… but don’t. Because it will very likely give them too many options and they might not buy.
Here’s how to think about it…
Your storefront is for your loyal customers — people who already love you, your products, and just want to keep buying from you.
Your funnels are for your new customers — these people have never bought from you before so it’s important to use funnels to focus on offering them one product at a time.
Here’s how to build your sales funnel!
Choose Your Style
The first step is to choose what “type” of sales funnel you’re going to use — there are a lot of different kinds.
You could do a webinar funnel — which includes some sort of free video training that leads into the product you’re offering…
(These are SUPER effective)
Or you could do a product launch funnel if you’re releasing a brand new product to the market…
Or you could do a video sales letter funnel — this is just your basic sales funnel but it includes a video at the top of each page.
Or — and this is one of our favorites, you could do a tripwire funnel — that lures people in with a heavy-discount and then makes money on the upsell.
If you want to see examples of all of these in action, check this out.
If you’re just getting started out, I highly recommend either the webinar funnel or the tripwire funnel — those are both super effective and proven to work in the e-commerce space.
Build it With AI
How do you build your sales funnel?
Now you used to have to create all of this on your own. You’d have to write the copy, create the designs, map out the funnel, and everything else. It took weeks or months.
But now you can do 90% of the work with AI 🙂
In fact, at ClickFunnels, we created an AI funnel builder that will ask you some questions and spit out a functional funnel.
The benefits?
- No Prior Experience Required: If you’re new to digital marketing, setting up a sales funnel can feel overwhelming. The ClickFunnels Smart Funnel Builder provides step-by-step guidance, making it easy for anyone to create a professional funnel without needing extensive marketing knowledge.
- Time-Saving: Traditionally, creating a sales funnel involves multiple steps, such as designing pages, writing copy, and setting up integrations. This process can be time-consuming and complex. The Smart AI Funnel Builder automates these tasks, allowing you to create a fully functional funnel in under 15 minutes.
- Cost-Efficiency: With the Smart Funnel Builder, you get high-quality copywriting and design services included. This means you don’t need to hire additional professionals, saving you significant costs while still ensuring your funnel is effective and visually appealing.
Want to see how it works?
Let’s walk through it together!
Build Your AI Funnel NOW For Free!
As I walk you through this, I’m going to imagine that I’m building a squeeze page for a fitness coach who’s offering a guide to his target audience: busy executives.
I’m going to select the “Optin Funnel” — the same as the Squeeze Page Funnel. This will allow me to offer a gift to my target market in exchange for their email list. And once they’re on my email list, I can reach out to them whenever I want to for free!
Then I’ll choose a brand color palette…
…and image style…
… and finally, I’ll provide some details about my offer and the style of copy that I want. The more information and details you provide the AI with here, the better job it’ll do of creating a sales funnel for you that makes sense.
Then watch the quick video from Russell if you’re new to ClickFunnels. After that, you can either create a ClickFunnels account for free or login to your existing account.
Once you do, you’ll be able to access your complete AI-built funnel.
You can edit each page, delete, or even add more pages/steps to the funnel. It’s fully customizable but now you have an almost complete funnel that will need only a few tweaks (or none at all!).
Cool, right? You can literally have your dropshipping funnel off the ground in the next 5 minutes!
Build Your AI Funnel NOW For Free!
Final Thoughts on Dropshipping & Sales Funnels
Dropshipping makes finding and sourcing products easy.
Sales funnels make selling easy.
It’s a match made in heaven 🙂
And with ClickFunnels — since we now integrate directly with Zendrop, you can build your sales funnels, your storefront, and source your products all in one place.
It’s never been easier to build a successful e-commerce store than it is right now.
If you want help, click the link below for a ridiculous offer!