You’ve probably realized by now that grabbing a potential customer’s attention is just the beginning. Sure, creating awareness is vital, but what’s the point if it doesn’t lead to a sale?
Many businesses excel at sparking interest but drop the ball when it comes to sealing the deal. And let’s face it, in business, interest without action doesn’t cut it.
This is where the importance of a solid B2C sales funnel comes in. It’s not enough for your audience to merely know about your product or even be interested in it. You want them to take the leap, to buy.
So, if you’re keen on transforming that casual interest into concrete sales, you’re in the right spot. This article will guide you through crafting a B2C sales funnel that not only captivates but converts.
What is a B2C Sales Funnel?
A B2C sales funnel is a systematic process that guides consumers through their buying journey, from the first touchpoint with your brand to the final purchase and even beyond. In the Business to Consumer (B2C) realm, this funnel is tailored to reflect the unique decisions and steps a typical consumer undertakes. Here’s a breakdown of the funnel…
Lead Capture: This is the entry point of the funnel where you grab the attention of potential customers. This could be through online advertising, social media, email marketing, or even physical advertising. The main goal here is to capture the lead’s contact information, usually through forms or sign-ups, ensuring a direct line of communication for the subsequent stages.
Sales Process: This stage is all about nurturing that lead and turning their interest into a strong desire to buy. It involves giving more in-depth information about your product or service, maybe through targeted content, personalized email campaigns, or webinars. The objective is to build trust, address objections, and highlight the value of what you’re offering.
Order/Upsell: Once the lead is convinced of the value, they transition to this stage where they’re ready to make a purchase. But, before they finalize, there’s an opportunity for upselling or cross-selling. This means recommending related products or services, or premium versions that enhance their initial choice, ensuring they get the best value, and simultaneously increasing your sales.
Ascend: The journey doesn’t end at the purchase. The Ascend stage is about moving your customers up the value ladder. It’s about deepening the relationship, offering more advanced products or services, or perhaps introducing loyalty programs. This ensures not only repeat business but also turns customers into brand advocates.
In essence, a B2C sales funnel isn’t just about making a single sale. It’s about creating an ongoing relationship, maximizing the lifetime value of each customer, and ensuring they find consistent value in your offerings.
1 — Create Dedicated Landing Pages
A lot of B2C companies’ “funnel” looks something like this…
- Run ads to website.
- Hope people buy.
But that doesn’t work very well.
People need to be guided — and that’s what a funnel is for. It’s still possible to sell directly from traffic source to the sales page, but you have to be super intentional about it.
Instead of driving traffic to your entire e-commerce storefront… or to all of your info-products… or service packages… send people to a single offer intended to convert that specific audience.
For example, the landing page by Vahdam spices for their 30% discount offer was sent exclusively to those who opted for an early launch offer:
Why is this better?
Because…
- Website pages Can be distracting with all the other buttons and opportunities for people to wander on your website.
- With a dedicated landing page you can track the impact of a campaign effectively.
- You can simply shut down the page once the campaign is over without impacting anything on the main website.
- To create landing pages easily and quickly without relying on any technical team, you can use ClickFunnels templates.
To customize, you can edit anything in the template. Don’t need a tech team or hours to wait to launch your idea. Even a toddler could do it!
But if you want more customization, you can always tweak the code.
2 — Offer a Lead Magnet
If you’ve ever been lured into giving out your email in exchange for a free e-book, a juicy discount, or an exclusive video, you’ve encountered a lead magnet. But why are these so darn effective, and how can you harness their power for your B2C sales funnel?
Lead magnets are powerful because they give you a chance to “prove yourself” by providing free value for complete strangers in your target market. You get their email address (so you can contact them for free in the future) and they get something of real value.
A few other important parts of lead magnets are…
- Segmentation: Lead magnets not only attract potential customers but also allow you to understand them better. Different offers will appeal to different segments of your audience, helping you tailor your follow-up marketing efforts more effectively.
- Engagement Starter: By offering a lead magnet, you’re initiating a relationship. It’s like a first handshake in the business world. This initial engagement can pave the way for deeper interactions down the line.
They work so well because…
- Since they’re free, there’s less barrier to convince the visitor
- Lead magnets provide something of value upfront, which creates a positive first impression and starts building trust.
- A well-crafted lead magnet addresses a specific problem or fulfills a need for the potential customer, ensuring it attracts the right target audience.
But what is a lead magnet?
It’s just a free item or service that is given away for the purpose of gathering contact details (like email addresses) of potential customers.
For example — a downloadable piece of content, a free trial, a product sample, a webinar, or even a newsletter.
Here are some tips for creating your own lead magnet!
Solve a Problem: Your lead magnet should address a specific problem your target audience faces. If you sell skincare products, perhaps a guide on “10 Steps to Clearer Skin” would be enticing.
Make It Easily Consumable: People are busy. Offer something they can use or consume quickly. Think checklists, short videos, or one-page infographics.
High Quality: This might be free, but it’s a reflection of your brand. Ensure whatever you offer is of top-notch quality, as it sets the expectation for your actual products or services.
Promote It: Your lead magnet can be the best thing since sliced bread, but if no one sees it, it won’t matter. Make sure to promote your lead magnet through social media, on your website, or even via paid advertising.
Test and Tweak: Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your lead magnet. Is it bringing in the desired leads? If not, tweak its content, presentation, or promotional methods.
Make sense?
Good!
But you might be wondering… where does this fit into your B2C sales funnel?
Specifically, it fit into 2 stages…
- Awareness stage: The lead magnet serves as an initial touchpoint to introduce potential customers to the brand or product.
- Interest stage: Once they get value from the lead magnet, they will pay attention to the emails that you send them and become interested in knowing more about your brand.
When people sign up for your lead magnet, you can now email them for free (instead of running ads to contact them) and make offers, and provide further value…
In terms of the tech side of building your lead magnet, ClickFunnels has a template for this — ‘Lead Funnels’.
Select that funnel to get an overview and even select the pages to get started with your funnel.
And you’re off to the races!
You can create your landing page for your lead magnet, and even deliver it via email… all with ClickFunnels!
3 — Create a Waitlist
Launching a new product or offering a service just a few times a year? Harness the power of anticipation.
By setting up a waitlist, you can stoke interest, build a dedicated audience, and set yourself up for a successful launch. Here’s how.
At its core, a waitlist is simple. If you’re launching a product or opening up your services in limited bursts throughout the year, you set up a dedicated landing page. On this page, interested folks can drop their email addresses or contact details. They’re essentially raising their hands and saying, “Hey, when you’re ready to roll, let me know!”
This is a game-changer because…
- Warm Audience: The beauty of a waitlist lies in the quality of leads. Everyone on that list has expressed a direct interest in your product or service. This isn’t a cold call; it’s an invitation they’ve asked for. And when you finally do launch? You’re reaching out to an audience that’s primed and ready. This means significantly higher conversion rates compared to trying to woo strangers.
- Sense of Urgency: Ah, the sweet pull of exclusivity. When you finally open the doors to your product or service, those on the waitlist get the first dibs. Knowing that availability might be limited or that they’re getting priority access can light a fire under potential customers. This sense of urgency often leads to quicker decision-making and purchases. Plus, who doesn’t love feeling like a VIP?
- Builds Anticipation: The mere act of signing up for a waitlist builds anticipation. It turns your product or service launch into an event, something to look forward to. And as the buzz grows, so does word-of-mouth marketing.
If you’re planning on implementing a waitlist, ensure you keep your audience engaged. Send them occasional teasers about the product, updates on the launch date, or even exclusive content just for them. The key is to keep the excitement alive.
Here’s an example of how to run this kind of funnel. The landing page is for collecting email addresses from people in your target market…
And then when it’s launch day, you send an email opening the doors.
And finally, the sales page where you make sales!
You can create this entire funnel (and each individual page & email) with ClickFunnels super easily.
Customize the landing page using templates.
And to send emails, you can use our drag-and-drop editor.
4— Re-engagement Ads & Abandon Cart Emails
In case you’re new to the internet marketing world, here’s what we’re talking about…
- Re-engagement ads: Ads shown to people who added items to their cart or simply visited the sales page but didn’t buy. Target people in the consideration and intent stage.
- Abandoncart emails — emails specifically about items added to the cart but not bought. Abandoned cart emails specifically target individuals at the Intent stage, as they’ve shown a clear inclination to buy but haven’t finalized the transaction.
You’ve already acquired the lead! These two strategies are about doing all that’s possible to convert them into a customer!
These are effective because…
- Top of Mind: Let’s face it, we’re easily distracted. Whether it’s a notification from a social media app, a call, or just good old procrastination, there are countless reasons people navigate away from a purchase. Re-engagement ads and emails serve as a gentle nudge, reminding customers of what they were considering, and ensuring your product stays at the forefront of their thoughts.
- Incentives Can Seal the Deal: Sometimes, all it takes is a little extra push. Offering a discount or a special bonus can be the difference between an abandoned cart and a completed sale. It’s like a sweetener, making the deal too good to pass up.
But a few critical things to keep in mind…
Make It Personal: Whether it’s an ad or an email, ensure it’s tailored to what the individual showed interest in. If they were looking at a particular pair of shoes or a specific course, bring that into your messaging.
Incorporate Incentives: If possible, offer an additional discount or bonus. This isn’t just about reducing prices but adding value. Think along the lines of “Complete your purchase in the next 24 hours and get 10% off!” or “Come back and get a free accessory with your order.”
Visuals are Key: A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Use images of the products left in the cart. This serves as a visual reminder of what they’re potentially missing out on. Alongside, crisp descriptions can reignite their initial interest.
Timing is Everything: Strike while the iron is hot. The sooner you send out an abandoned cart email after the customer leaves your site, the higher the chances of conversion. Their interest in the product is still fresh, making them more likely to finalize the purchase.
5— Upsell and Cross-sell
Imagine you’re ordering a burger at your favorite fast-food joint. The cashier asks if you’d like to supersize your meal or maybe add a dessert. Suddenly, you’re not just buying a burger; you’re getting fries, a larger drink, and a delicious sundae to go with it. In the world of sales, this scenario encapsulates the essence of upselling and cross-selling. But what are they, and how can they boost your business? Let’s dive in.
Upselling is the practice of encouraging customers to purchase a comparable higher-end product than the one they initially were considering. In simpler terms, it’s about getting the customer to spend a bit more by highlighting the benefits of a more premium option. Using the burger example, upselling would be offering a larger portion or a more premium burger.
Cross-selling, on the other hand, is the act of selling an additional product to a customer that complements their primary purchase. Think of it like suggesting fries or a dessert to go with that burger. It’s about enhancing the primary purchase experience with additional items.
These are CRITICAL because…
- Maximizing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): You’ve already invested in getting the customer to your platform. Upselling and cross-selling allow you to increase the revenue from that same customer, effectively getting more return on the same CAC.
- Boosting Average Order Value (AOV): With every successful upsell or cross-sell, you’re increasing the average value of each order. This directly impacts profitability and can significantly boost your revenue.
Here’s an awesome example of an upsell page…
To make this process super easy, you can use ClickFunnels’ Upsell funnel template or create your own from scratch.
Every page can be customized!
Not only that, but with ClickFunnels you can also…
- Streamline Your Sales Process: With its drag-and-drop interface, set up efficient, high-converting funnels without needing any technical expertise.
- Automate Email Follow-ups: Integrate with your email provider and set up sequences that nurture leads and re-engage potential customers.
- Track Your Success: Use the built-in analytics tools to measure the performance of your funnels, helping you refine and optimize for even better results.
- Host Webinars: Engage your audience in real-time, offering value, and driving sales with integrated webinar tools.
- A/B Test with Ease: Test different funnel designs, copy, or offers to see what resonates most with your audience, ensuring the best possible conversion rates.
- Integrate Seamlessly: Connect with a myriad of third-party tools and apps, from payment processors to CRM systems, making your sales process more efficient.
- Create Membership Areas: Offer exclusive content or products to a dedicated member base, increasing retention and customer lifetime value.
… and lots more 🙂
Final Thoughts
Crafting a potent B2C sales funnel isn’t just about guiding a potential customer—it’s about creating a memorable journey that converts. Key takeaways:
Embrace Personalization: Tailored experiences via re-engagement tactics and upselling can significantly impact conversion rates.
Anticipation is Powerful: Utilize strategies like waitlists to make product launches and offers more enticing.
Leverage Modern Tools: Platforms like ClickFunnels can streamline and enhance the funnel-building process.
Ultimately, prioritize a genuine customer experience. A well-constructed funnel meets customers’ needs and positions your business for success. Here’s to more conversions and happy customers! Cheers!