The internet is famously anonymous, casual, and voyeuristic. The vast majority of people who end up on any page of your website will read a bit, maybe give your page a timid scroll, then disappear forever, never to return.
But how can we pump up the persuasion and turn your professional service into more than just an idle web page they glanced at for 12 seconds? Answer: the sales funnel.
What’s a Sales Funnel?
A sales funnel is a powerful marketing concept that helps you engage audiences the way they want to be engaged: on email. Through the prospect’s eyes, being added to emails is fast, clutterless, and free. You can unsubscribe or decline an email without issue, so it’s low pressure.
Here’s an example of the “top” of a funnel, in which people trade their email for some content:
Structure of a Sales Funnel
In today’s world, giving out one’s email feels like a bit of a risk. Will they spam me? Sell my info? Add me to some sort of list I’ll never be able to escape from? Your visitor is willing to take that risk in exchange for something of equal or greater value.
The digital document being downloaded is called a “lead magnet” in the marketing world because it fundamentally acts like one: it attracts leads, just like a magnet would.
Many people will visit your opt-in page.
A subset of those people will enter into your value trade and give you their email in exchange for your lead magnet.
Fewer and fewer people matriculate from the top of the funnel to the bottom, but as they do, you’re left with only your hottest, most motivated leads.
The beauty of the sales funnel is that it corrects the most glaring problem in most advisors’ follow-ups: consistency. By employing a sales funnel, you have an automated and reliable way to engage and persuade leads.
What happens after they download the lead magnet?
After visitors opt-in to your lead magnet, it’s usually best to send them to a dedicated thank you page. After identifying themselves as people who need what you have, these people are ripe to pull into your other media channels or even “upsell” into scheduling a direct call:
But the thank-you page isn’t the most important part.
The prospect usually advances through your sales funnel via the targeted email campaign that comes next. Here, you can provide your audience with even more help and information through the lens of your brand, which keeps you top-of-mind and motivates them to take action.
The best content to send to your audience is helpful and actionable for their financial needs. Don’t be afraid to share up to 90% of your knowledge to demonstrate value.
If you’d like more tips about increasing the size of your subscriber list, check out our article here.
Many financial advisors use their email subscriber list as recipients for their newsletters. To get the most out of your newsletter, here’s a top strategy.
“What are the secrets of a successful sales funnel?”
#1: Know what your audience wants.
Consider the literal questions bouncing around in your dream clients’ brains as they lay awake at night. If you can offer them a shot at fixing this problem with your lead magnet, more of your visitors will turn into leads.
#2: Keep track of your metrics.
Only things that are measured can be improved, and you want to be running as cost-effective a marketing plan as possible. Consider how much it costs you to get a single opt-in.
How many of these opt-ins become reach-outs? How many reach-outs become sales calls?
When you calculate these numbers, you’ll spot the leaks in your funnel and have the opportunity to patch them.
#3: Nurture your prospects into leads.
Few people will decide to work with you the first time they read about you online. Nurturing means playing the long game, slowly trickling out value as you convey authority and build trust.
Soon prospects will feel like they know you only through engaging with your content, and when the need arises, you’ll be the first person on their mind for financial needs.
Want a Professional Sales Funnel Built on Your Behalf?
In an increasingly competitive landscape, prioritizing lead conversion and meticulous follow-up is essential for financial advisors seeking sustained growth.
At Indigo Marketing Agency, we specialize in creating sales funnels on behalf of financial advisors so they can increase their audiences, engage new prospects, and create end-to-end client pipelines using digital solutions. Elevate your conversion efforts with the Total Marketing Package Growth Tier and harness the power of the lead magnet funnel to optimize your pipeline and increase the likelihood of conversion with no cracks in the follow-up process.
Interested in learning more about how sales funnels can help your business scale? Schedule a strategy call with our experienced team today. We’ll get to work creating, managing, and optimizing your own proprietary sales funnel, targeting your ideal clients in your local area.
FAQs
A sales funnel is a marketing strategy that guides potential clients through a journey from initial interest to final conversion. For financial advisors, a sales funnel is crucial because it systematically engages prospects, builds trust, and nurtures leads through targeted email campaigns. This process increases the likelihood of converting website visitors into clients by providing consistent and valuable interactions.
A sales funnel enhances lead generation by offering valuable content, known as a lead magnet, in exchange for a prospect’s email address. This initiates a targeted email campaign that consistently engages the lead with helpful information, keeping the advisor top-of-mind. The automated follow-up process ensures that no leads fall through the cracks, maintaining a steady and reliable method of persuasion.
The best content for a sales funnel includes helpful and actionable information that addresses the financial needs of your audience. This can be in the form of educational articles, how-to guides, case studies, and personalized financial advice. Sharing up to 90% of your knowledge demonstrates value and builds trust, encouraging prospects to engage further with your services.
Financial advisors can measure the effectiveness of their sales funnel by tracking key metrics such as the cost per opt-in, the conversion rate of opt-ins to reach-outs, and the number of reach-outs that become sales calls. Analyzing these metrics helps identify leaks in the funnel and provides opportunities for improvement, ensuring a cost-effective and efficient marketing strategy.
A professionally built sales funnel offers several benefits, including increased audience engagement, higher lead conversion rates, and a streamlined client acquisition process. By leveraging the expertise of a marketing agency like Indigo Marketing Agency, financial advisors can focus on their core services while ensuring their digital lead machine operates effectively. This leads to sustained growth and a steady pipeline of qualified leads.
