Create a Marketing Funnel For Your Niche

Your marketing funnel is like a visual marketing plan for your business. Your marketing funnel allows you to structure exactly how you will create multiple streams of income. It also creates a road-map of how you can guide your target market through a path of increasing loyalty and confidence that you can help them.

If you picture a funnel, you know it’s wide at the top, and narrow at the bottom. At the top of the marketing funnel is where you want to get in as many people from your target market as possible. The best way to do this is by offering a free giveaway that is valuable for your target market. Knowing what giveaway to offer involves understanding the top burning needs of your target market, the solutions you provide, and the key messages behind your personal brand.

In exchange for this giveaway, your prospects provide you with their name and email address. This is called “permission marketing” because they are giving you permission to continue to communicate with them.

Once people enter your marketing funnel, you don’t want to slam them with marketing messages. You want to continue to provide value and can do this in various ways, e.g. through your newsletter, special offers, contests, etc.

You can also tell the people in your marketing funnel about your products and services. Generally speaking, in the middle of your funnel you will put your low to mid-range products and services. And at the bottom of the funnel are your highest priced programs and services.

Many coaches and consultants make a mistake with their funnel. That mistake is starting with one-on-one support as their very first offering. Not everyone is ready to make the leap from free to what can be a significant investment.

As you know, people only do business with those they know, like and trust. Its unlikely that someone who doesn’t really know you or your work, will buy a high-end product or service from you, without having a “taste” of what you do.

Your free giveaway is your first taste. You want to offer a low-end product or service so people can continue to “sample” you without making a big investment.

The idea of this targeted internet marketing strategy is to keep people moving down the funnel, from the top to the bottom. But not everyone will reach the bottom of your funnel. And that’s okay, for a few reasons. First of all, everyone learns differently and some people will prefer an information product or Home Study Program vs. working with you directly. Secondly, while everyone in your target market is your prospect, not everyone will resonate with your style and messages. You want the people who really connect with you and with whom you really connect to be the ones to move through your funnel and to stick with you.

Remember that your goal is not just to “move people through your funnel”. That’s way too depersonalized. Your real goal is to build a community. Treat the people on your list with respect. They are valued members of your community and without them, you wouldn’t have a business.

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