Lots of people have created a lead magnet to help to grow their list, but that’s it. There is so much more to a good marketing funnel than a lead magnet and a list. That is literally the tip of the ‘iceberg’!
Getting people signed up to your list is just the first step – but then what do you do with them?
Deliver more value
You need to nurture them, so they get to know you are going to deliver great information and they are always ready to open your emails and get great value from everything you send them.
The first step once someone signs up to your list is for them to receive a series of useful emails – maybe over the 2 weeks following their sign up. It’s not just a ‘thank you’, but some useful information. This can include:
- A reminder to read the document they’ve received
- Additional tips around the subject of that document
- Reminders regarding some of the content in the document and how it can help them
- Signposting to additional material on the same subject
This does two things – it creates reciprocity and it establishes that they’re getting great value from you and, so far, it’s all been free.
You’re building a fan base!
The next step in the process is to offer something that is low cost. This could be a book (you have written a book haven’t you?), a webinar, an e-course, a set of tools,
Low cost is generally considered to be anything up to £50. I find that something that costs between 1-10% of your high cost items works well.
When you’re planning this email campaign, remember that this will all be done using autoresponders so that, regardless of when someone signs up they will get the same series as someone who signed up six months earlier. That means that anything you offer cannot be something that happens on a specific date at a particular time. It has to be evergreen. If you’ve got a webinar as your low cost offer, it will need to be pre-recorded so it can be watched at any time.
Not everyone will buy
Of all the people who originally signed up for a free download, only some will put their hands in their pocket and buy something. This may be for all kinds of reasons.
- They don’t think it’s relevant to them
- They’re not in a buying mood
- They can’t afford it.
There are issues behind each of these:
- If the material is congruent with the original free download, it should be relevant. You need to think about your funnel’s progression when you plan it. The lead magnet needs to attract your target audience – and anything else you offer needs to build on that.
- The point at which they open your email may not be a convenient time for them to take the offer on board. They may be just about to go into a meeting, their train may be arriving, they may get a phone call. There’s nothing you can do about this – except ensure you make your offer more than once!
- If they can’t afford your low cost item, they won’t be able to afford your higher cost products or services so you can safely ignore them – they’re not your ideal clients.
Deliver even more value
When someone purchases your low cost item, you need to do more nurturing – add more value so they feel that their purchase has been well worth the cost.
You’ve now got a list who has put their money where their mouth is and demonstrated that they value your material, expertise and have, effectively, ‘bought’ you. This means they’ll be open to other offers.
That doesn’t mean you should spam them with sales messages, but you can offer them more great things to buy, if you get the tone of your emails on target.
The next offer will be to something at the next level – maybe a subscription to a group where there is lots of value – a course they can join, a process they can follow with tangible results – it’s up to you.
And some of these people will become valuable premium clients who are happy to pay you a substantial sum for your expertise delivered 1-2-1. Now your marketing funnel is running on rocket fuel!
