Ever bought something off the internet? Maybe some websites you stumbled on and really liked the product or service? You probably went through a user-centric sales funnel. Sales funnels have always been present and to some extent quite effective as well but with the advent of digital marketing things have ramped up pretty fast. The need for a user-centric sales funnel is not deniable anymore and here’s how you can build one:
What is a Sales Funnel?
A sales funnel is a pretty standard concept. It’s a journey the user undergoes while buying a product or a service. The best way to understand what a sales funnel is to just look at a real-life funnel. We’re sure you must’ve come across a funnel in your chemistry class! What happens in a funnel? You pour some liquid in the funnel and particles move towards their destination.
This mechanism is pretty much the same when it comes to user-centric sales funnel as well. Your website might get some visitors, some will leave and some will go through the process of buying your product. However, the difference lies between that not all of your visitors will end up buying your product or service.
A User-Centric Sales Funnel:
A sales funnel becomes a user-centric sales funnel when it uses a variety of means to draw in a prospect. The entire process of formulating a sales funnel within a user-centric approach involves techniques that focus on awareness, stories, decision & action. All these four aspects play a central role in defining how you can create a user-centric sales funnel. Here we’ll be describing each step in detail:
Sales Funnel Aspect #1 – Needs & Awareness:
Doesn’t really matter what you’re trying to sell as long as you know that people need it. Once you have identified the need, whether it’s a new product or it’s going to address a certain problem, you need to start creating awareness. Even if your customer has already entered your sales funnel, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are fully aware of what you can do for them.
Regardless of how they have entered your user-centric sales funnel, either through paid ads or organically. The fact is that you need to make them aware of your product or service in an effective manner. If someone enters organically then it’s more obvious that you have some form of authority over them. However, with paid ads, you need to present information in a way that can take them over the next line. You can use techniques such as enticing them with an offer so you can get lead information such as an email address.
Sales Funnel Aspect #2 – Stories & Relatability:
Once you have an email address you have reached a point where you need to be extremely careful. As this step can be considered as a bridge between you and your customer. A sales funnel becomes truly user-centric when you are able to develop some form of a personalized relationship with your prospect.
This is where you need to bring in some stories and they can be real-life experiences as well. Something that a prospect can possibly relate with his own life and in essence how you can help him out whether through a product or a service. Once you are ready to send him a response on his email, make sure that the email is personalized and doesn’t sound like a robot.
Sales Funnel Aspect #3 – Decision:
Once you’ve piqued a prospect’s interest you need to slowly give them hints that there are other people like him that have benefited from your service. Getting them to decide on whether to buy your product or service can be tough and does require exceptional skills and time. It’s not just how creative you are with your content, or how good your product is. The fact is, you need to tell them that your product can make a difference and has already made a difference in many people’s lives.
One of the ways you can do this is through customer testimonials because they are relatable to people and creates a sense of easiness and trust. Customer testimonials can be used in different ways in a sales funnel and one of the ways is through videos or images. Whatever medium you try, it can certainly make a difference.
Sales Funnel Aspect #4 – Action:
The last stage is the one you have worked everything for and is the final destination of your user-centric sales funnel. In most cases, it’s a sale, and conversion rates matter here. This step is more to do with how you can predict or perfect your sales funnel for the future. Once you get some sales, you will get your conversion rates. With those statistics in hand, you can tweak your sales funnel for better performance.
In a Nutshell:
A user-centric sales funnel is highly relevant in digital marketing. In fact, it’s a culmination of all forms of marketing that include blog posting, content marketing, paid ads & even webinars. Together these can join forces to convert your prospects into customers.
