Overview - Build a value-driven Marketing FunnelWhy we need a value-driven Marketing FunnelHow to make the most of this PlaybookOverview with an ExampleStep 1 - Funnel Overview - Our Customer Journey that creates Trust and Revenue1.1 Low Touch - How do we attract our customers that convert themselves?1.2 High Touch - How do we actively get in touch with the right customer profiles?1.3 Break-Even - Regain our customer acquisition cost1.4 Revenue - Where we earn the real moneyAction Steps - Funnel OverviewFurther ResourcesStep 2 - Landing Pages - Building Websites that convert our Leads and Sales2.1 Blocks - Key parts of our landing pages2.2 Lead Gen - Basic setup for our lead magnet pages2.3 Sales - Basic setup for our product sales pagesAction Steps - Landing PagesFurther ResourcesStep 3 - Messages - Our Inbound & Outbound Messages and Emails3.1 ToFu - Messages for Awareness3.2 MoFu - Messages for Engagement3.3 BoFu - Messages for Conversion3.4 GroFu - Messages for ExpansionAction Steps - MessagesFurther ResourcesStep 4 - CRM Workflows - Organizing our Customer Journey in the ONE Source of Truth4.1 New Leads - How we handle new Leads entering our CRM4.2 Lead Funnel - The first Funnel after a new Contact wants a Lead Magnet4.3 Evergreen Funnel - The Funnel in which all other Funnels end in4.4 Sales Integration - How Marketing Leads become Sales Leads and backAction Steps - CRM WorkflowsFurther ResourcesSummary - Give, Give, Give, AskFrom not enough converting Leads to a full and qualified Pipeline
Overview - Build a value-driven Marketing Funnel
Why we need a value-driven Marketing Funnel
Understanding the Essence of a Value-Driven Funnel
In our journey through the realms of growth marketing, we've encountered various pathways to engage and convert leads. The funnel building course we embark on today is not just a mere tool; it's a crucial part of our growth marketing mastery. We aim to evolve unqualified leads, possibly gathered through social media or ads, into loyal customers who love our brand and advocate for it.
Why is a value-driven funnel essential? It's simple: it's the reliable system that transforms engagement into conversion. We're looking at a journey from a mere interaction on LinkedIn or Instagram to a committed relationship, where leads are not just passing by, they are embarking on a journey with us.
The Role of Content and Story in Funnel Building
Content marketing and storytelling begins with identifying the right audience and crafting a compelling story. This organic backbone is critical, as it informs what we say on our landing pages, in our emails, and our outreach messages. But having a great story and engaged interactions isn't enough. The ultimate goal is conversion: turning interactions into commitments, gathering crucial information like names, email addresses, and perhaps even company details, and nurturing these leads in a system designed for conversion.
B2B and B2C Models in Funnel Building
Understanding the nuances between B2B and B2C funnels is key. Mastering the B2B approach ensures that our B2C customers feel exceptionally catered to, with personalized and scalable strategies. In B2B, the focus is more on building relationships and trust, leading to high-value conversions. B2C, on the other hand, often requires creating an experience that feels personalized at scale.
The Importance of Data Analytics and Traffic Generation
Once our funnel is built, data analytics comes into play. We track organic traffic, leads, and customer journey progress. This isn’t about measuring for the sake of numbers; it’s about understanding what works and what doesn’t. However, our focus in this course is funnel building, not measurement. That’s a task for the data analytics module.
Traffic generation is vital, but it needs to be directed correctly. Without a proper funnel, paid advertising or influencer efforts might not yield the desired results. People need a process to build trust, an easy entry point like a quiz or event to engage with our brand before making a purchase.
Conversion Optimization and the Power of Testing
Our funnel isn't static; it's a dynamic entity that needs constant optimization. Conversion optimization is closely linked to funnel building, as it often revolves around enhancing websites and email messaging strategies. Topics like A/B testing on landing pages are paramount for fine-tuning our approach to funnel building.
How to make the most of this Playbook
The key to success lies in active engagement rather than passive reading. This immersive learning experience begins with the accompanying Miro board, an interactive guide tailored to your journey through the realms of digital marketing. Each chapter opens with a succinct summary, providing a snapshot of key concepts and setting the stage for deeper exploration. These overviews are crucial for understanding the essence of each lesson and preparing for the detailed content ahead.
Action steps at the end of each chapter transform theoretical knowledge into practical application. Completing these tasks is essential for applying learned concepts to real-world scenarios, allowing you to test, refine, and validate your growth marketing skills. For those with access, the Growth Marketing Mastery video series enhances learning, offering additional insights and reinforcing the course content through visual and auditory means.
Collaboration and discussion form another vital component of the course. Engaging with your team and the wider Pirate Skills Community deepens understanding and introduces diverse perspectives and tactics. These interactions are instrumental in enriching the learning experience.
Crucially, this playbook encourages personalization. The Playbook is a canvas for your creativity, insights, and experiences, adaptable to suit your unique path in growth marketing. This customization transforms the course from merely informative to genuinely transformative, ensuring that you master growth marketing strategies effectively and guide your brand's journey with confidence and skill.
- Don’t just read, follow along.
- Make a copy of the Miro Playbook and start using it.
- Scan the summary at the beginning of each chapter.
- Do the action steps provided at the end of each chapter.
- Follow along the Growth Marketing Mastery videos, if you have access to them.
- Discuss the topics with your team and the other members in the Pirate Skills Community.
- Make the Playbook YOURS. Change it as you please. You AARRR a pirate!
Overview with an Example
Practical Application: Building a Real Funnel Overview
In our third video of the Funnel Building series, we dive into the practical aspects of creating an actual funnel overview. Many of us juggle various elements in our marketing strategies, often losing sight of the bigger picture. This step is where we create clarity from chaos. We divide the funnel into two main sections: at the top, we have lead generation, and at the bottom, money generation. Using Pirate Skills as an example, applicable to both B2B and B2C startups, we see a journey from lead magnet acquisition to the sale of core products.
Low Touch vs. High Touch Processes
Our focus is on two distinct approaches: Low Touch, where customers self-convert through organic efforts or ads, and High Touch, involving more personalized sales calls and outreach. The goal is to nurture our customers through their journey, offering more valuable and, correspondingly, higher-priced products or services.
The Concept of a Break-Even Funnel
A key idea in our funnel strategy is the break-even funnel, which is designed to recover customer acquisition costs. Beyond this break-even point lies the real revenue generation segment of the funnel, which sustains the business. This concept is fundamental and will be explored in greater depth in the respective chapter.
Building Landing Pages and Messaging Frameworks
Most funnel journeys begin with a landing page. We emphasize the importance of creating effective landing pages, acting as the entry doors to your business. With real-world examples, we illustrate the components of a successful landing page, such as headers, value propositions, and calls to action. We also delve into messaging frameworks based on customer stages, managing the flow of communication, whether through emails, push notifications, or other messaging channels.
Differentiating Messages for Customer Stages
We categorize messages into four customer stages: creating awareness, consideration, decision-making, and expansion. Each stage requires a different messaging strategy, from raising problem awareness to offering solutions and eventually leading customers to higher-tier products. CRM systems play a pivotal role here, serving as the central hub for new leads and managing the entire funnel process, from initial contact to long-term customer relationships.
Summing Up the Funnel Building Process
This chapter lays the groundwork for you to become a master in funnel building. While some aspects might seem technical, it's important to start simple and progressively advance to more complex funnel strategies. Our aim is to transform unqualified leads or sparse lead scenarios into a robust pipeline of qualified prospects ready to engage with your offerings. In the next video, we begin with your comprehensive funnel overview, guiding you through the steps to achieve growth marketing mastery.
Pirate Skills Example
Step 1 - Funnel Overview - Our Customer Journey that creates Trust and Revenue
Playbook template
Pirate Skills Example
GOAL
Learn to blend low touch and high touch funnel strategies with a multi-tier product approach, creating a robust and effective funnel system. We aim to attract and convert customers through seamless self-service processes in low touch scenarios, while also engaging in more personalized, high touch interactions for our higher-value offerings. The implementation of a tiered product strategy, ranging from introductory to premium options, is designed to cater to varying customer needs and budgets. Ultimately, we need to learn to nurture leads from initial interest to the purchase of our core products, enhancing revenue generation and fostering sustainable business growth.
Learn to blend low touch and high touch funnel strategies with a multi-tier product approach, creating a robust and effective funnel system. We aim to attract and convert customers through seamless self-service processes in low touch scenarios, while also engaging in more personalized, high touch interactions for our higher-value offerings. The implementation of a tiered product strategy, ranging from introductory to premium options, is designed to cater to varying customer needs and budgets. Ultimately, we need to learn to nurture leads from initial interest to the purchase of our core products, enhancing revenue generation and fostering sustainable business growth.
CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS
Low Touch
In growth marketing, this refers to strategies where customers are encouraged to make purchases independently, with minimal direct sales interaction. It’s particularly effective in e-commerce and low-priced SaaS. By creating intuitive and engaging online experiences, we guide customers through the sales process, from discovery to purchase. These strategies are crucial for scaling in markets where high-volume and low-cost products are predominant.
High Touch
This approach is essential for products or services with higher price points, where customers expect personalized interaction. High touch sales involve more in-depth conversations, demonstrations, and custom solutions. It’s particularly relevant in B2B contexts where the buying decision involves significant investment and consideration. In growth marketing, this strategy is about building relationships and trust, crucial for converting high-value leads.
Lead Magnets
Tools designed to attract potential customers by offering them something of value, such as a free eBook, webinar, or trial, in exchange for their contact information. In growth marketing, lead magnets are used to nurture leads through the sales funnel, providing valuable insights while capturing data for future marketing efforts.
Value Ladder
A concept in growth marketing that involves offering products or services at increasing levels of value and price. This method helps in nurturing customers through their journey, starting with low-commitment, low-cost offers and gradually moving them towards higher-value purchases. It ensures a structured approach to upselling and cross-selling, enhancing customer lifetime value.
Cold Outreach
This involves reaching out to potential customers who are not yet aware of or engaged with your brand. In growth marketing, cold outreach is strategically used to target ideal customer profiles with personalized messages, often leveraging data and analytics to enhance effectiveness.
Warm Outreach
Engaging with prospects who have already shown interest in your brand, such as those who have interacted with your content or attended your events. This method is more effective in growth marketing as it targets leads who are already somewhat familiar with your brand, thereby increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Break-Even Funnel
A strategy focusing on balancing the cost of acquiring customers with revenue generated from initial sales. In growth marketing, this approach is used to sustainably scale marketing efforts by ensuring that customer acquisition costs are offset by early-stage sales, typically from lower-tier products.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Systems and software used to manage all aspects of a company's interactions with current and potential customers. In growth marketing, CRM tools are pivotal for tracking customer interactions, personalizing communication, and optimizing the sales process.
1.1 Low Touch - How do we attract our customers that convert themselves?
The low touch approach, ideal for many entrepreneurs, focuses on customers self-converting without direct interaction, common in e-commerce and mobile apps. This method can be challenging but rewarding in high-value B2B sectors. Recognizing the reality, especially in B2B where direct customer interaction is often necessary, it's crucial to balance low touch aspirations with high touch methods. Building an effective low touch funnel involves starting with traffic channels to create lead magnets and low-tier products, forming a value ladder. This smoothens the customer journey, nurturing leads effectively for eventual conversion to higher-tier products.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
The Dream of Low Touch Conversion
Let’s delve into the low touch approach, a dream for many entrepreneurs. This method revolves around the idea of customers self-converting – finding your solution, recognizing its value, and making a purchase without direct interaction. It's a common phenomenon in industries like mobile apps and e-commerce for lower-priced products, but achieving this seamlessly in higher-value B2B contexts is challenging yet worthwhile.
Balancing Dreams and Realities
While low touch conversions are ideal, the reality often leans towards a high touch approach, especially in B2B businesses with services priced above a thousand euros. Customers in such markets typically require more direct interaction before making significant purchases. The key is to strive for the dream of low touch while acknowledging the effectiveness and necessity of high touch methods in certain scenarios.
Building a Smooth Path for Customers
The first step in creating an effective low touch funnel is to recognize that the funnel doesn’t start on your landing pages but with your traffic channels, including both organic and paid sources. This leads to the creation of lead magnets and low-tier products, essential components for nurturing potential customers. Lead magnets like downloadable content, quizzes, or chatbots provide immediate value and serve as stepping stones in the customer journey, helping build trust and qualify leads for your core product.
Creating a Value Ladder in the Funnel
The concept of a value ladder is integral to the low touch funnel. Start with a low-tier product, priced significantly lower than your core offering, to facilitate an easy entry point for customers. This approach breaks the ice, making it easier for customers to progress to mid-tier and high-tier products, increasing their investment over time.
The Organic Approach and Effective Lead Generation
In the Pirate Skills example, key organic traffic channels include YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google search. The strategy involves driving traffic from these channels to various lead magnets, which then funnel into low-tier products. Host monthly online events for effective lead generation, offering free value in a time-sensitive manner, which increases sign-up rates and cost-effectiveness.
Building a Comprehensive Lead Magnet Library
The process of funnel building in a low touch scenario is about creating a comprehensive library of valuable content. This library, built over time, enhances credibility and trust, making lead generation and customer conversion much more manageable. Compare this to short-lived social media posts, which lack long-term impact.
Practical Example: The Pirate Skills Funnel
In practice, the Pirate Skills funnel begins with organic and paid traffic sources, leading to engaging lead magnets. This transitions into the community and online events, which in turn create content that becomes part of a valuable, downloadable library. This structured journey effectively nurtures leads towards low-tier products, part of the break-even funnel, setting the stage for more significant purchases.
Embrace Low Touch, Prepare for High Touch
While low touch is our aspiration, it’s crucial to be prepared for high touch interactions, especially as the business scales and in higher-priced offerings. The next video will explore the high touch aspect of funnel building, complementing the low touch strategies discussed here.
Action Steps
Draft a big funnel overview that shows your customer journey
Develop a value ladder to ease customer progression
Plan for engaging lead magnets and low-tier products
1.2 High Touch - How do we actively get in touch with the right customer profiles?
High touch sales are crucial for higher priced products or services, requiring more personal customer interaction. It involves three strategies: cold outreach to potential customers using lead research tools, warm outreach to those already engaged with the brand, and partnering with external agencies for broader reach. The process includes identifying ideal customer profiles, employing automated and personalized outreach tools, and transitioning leads from marketing to sales for qualification and conversion. This approach is adaptable to different business models, emphasizing the integration of marketing and sales efforts.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Understanding High Touch in Sales
High touch sales are essential, especially for products or services above the 1000 € / USD mark, where direct interaction is often expected by customers. This approach is more personal and requires a more involved sales process, which can be handled internally or through partners. High touch sales can be incredibly effective, especially when combined with low touch strategies. In high touch, the aim is to enable customers to comfortably engage in a conversation, moving beyond the initial attraction phase to more in-depth engagement.
Strategizing High Touch Outreach
In high touch sales, there are three main categories: cold outreach, warm outreach, and partnering. Cold outreach involves identifying and contacting potential customers who haven’t interacted with your brand yet. It requires careful selection of ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and can be quite effective despite its challenging nature. Warm outreach is more comfortable and involves engaging with people who have already interacted with your brand, like event attendees or those who downloaded a lead magnet. Partnering, on the other hand, involves working with external agencies or influencers to reach potential customers, especially useful for product-focused companies.
Tools and Techniques for Effective Outreach
For cold outreach, tools like Apollo can be used to identify and contact potential customers based on specific criteria such as job titles, location, and industry. Automation tools like Lemlist can send personalized emails and LinkedIn messages, increasing the outreach's efficiency. However, for high-priority prospects, personalized, researched outreach is recommended. This Dream 100 approach focuses on custom-tailored communication to a select list of ideal customers, enhancing the chances of successful engagement.
From Outreach to Sales Conversion
Once potential customers are engaged through outreach, the next step is to schedule calls, usually through tools like Calendly, to qualify them. This process is crucial to understand the customer’s needs and readiness to purchase. In Pirate Skills’ approach, customers who show interest are nurtured with relevant information and gradually led to higher-tier products. The transition from marketing to sales is seamless, with marketing efforts culminating in a call or demo booking, indicating a marketing-qualified lead.
Maximizing the Impact of High Touch Sales
The key to effective high touch sales lies in understanding where marketing ends and sales begin. A strong integration between the two is essential. It’s important to define clear points of handover, like booking a call, where the marketing team's job is considered done, and the sales team takes over. Upselling is also a crucial aspect, where customers who have purchased lower-priced products are encouraged to consider higher-value offerings.
Tailoring High Touch to Your Business Needs
Every business is different, and so is the approach to high touch sales. It’s important to tailor your strategy to fit your business model, whether it leans more towards low touch, high touch, or a combination of both. The upcoming video in the series will delve into the concept of the break-even funnel, revealing how to finance high touch sales efforts effectively. Stay tuned for this insightful session.
Action Steps
Prepare for cold outreach to ideal customer profiles
Engage with previously interacted customers through warm outreach methods
Integrate marketing and sales for seamless lead conversion
1.3 Break-Even - Regain our customer acquisition cost
The Break-Even funnel balances customer acquisition costs with revenue from low-tier product sales. This strategy redefines marketing budget constraints and emphasizes the importance of converting a small percentage of leads to achieve break-even, facilitating sustainable growth.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Understanding the Break-Even Funnel
The break-even funnel concept, popularized by Russell Brunson, revolves around recovering the investment made in customer acquisition. This includes costs incurred in generating organic and paid traffic, sales operations, and collaborations with partners and affiliates. Our aim is to effectively balance these expenses with revenue generated from low-tier product sales, ultimately achieving break-even.
The Practicality of Break-Even in Marketing
In a practical scenario, imagine spending a 1000 bucks on Google Ads, attracting a 100 people to an event, and then converting only 4 of these attendees into buyers of a 50 bucks product. Achieving break-even might not happen instantly but over a period, as part of a continuous sales process. This approach redefines our marketing budget constraints, allowing us to focus on qualified customers who have already made a purchase.
Pirate Skills Approach to Break-Even
In the Pirate Skills example, ads from Meta and Google leading to the Growth Guide cost about 10 euros per lead. Assuming a 1000 euro spent yields 100 leads, only a small percentage, say 4%, needs to purchase a 250-euro package to break even. This scenario not only recovers the initial investment but also leaves a significant number of potential customers in the pipeline for future conversions.
Scaling and Refining the Break-Even Funnel
Scaling the break-even process involves shifting from a monthly to a weekly, and then to a daily budget. This strategy ensures a constant influx of qualified leads and a pathway for them to upgrade to higher-tier products. The key is not to view the break-even process in absolutes, but to appreciate any level of cost recovery as a significant step towards sustainable growth.
Action Steps
Align ad spending with low-tier product sales for cost recovery
Regularly evaluate ad campaign performance for lead conversion efficiency
Optimize the customer journey for maximum conversion from lead to purchase
1.4 Revenue - Where we earn the real money
oA multi-tier product strategy in funnel building ranges from low to high-value offerings. We need bronze, silver, and gold packages, with the mid-tier as the core product. This strategy aids in catering to various customer needs and budget levels. The goal is to guide customers smoothly from initial interest to purchasing higher-value products, thus maximizing revenue generation.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Understanding the Revenue Generation in Funnel Building
In our growth marketing journey, we've navigated through low and high touch funnels. Now, let's focus on where we really earn our money - the core products. Regardless of our success with break-even funnels, the crux of our revenue generation lies in selling these core products. These can range from low-cost e-commerce items to high-value B2B contracts.
Multi-Tier Product Strategy
We recommend adopting a multi-tier approach to product offerings, commonly seen as bronze, silver, and gold packages. The silver tier represents our core product, while bronze draws customers in, and gold caters to those seeking premium, personalized services. This tiered structure also serves as a price anchor, making the mid-tier appear more affordable.
B2C and B2B Product Examples
In a B2C scenario, like our client ‘John Land’ with their soap products, the tiers might include trial packs (bronze), bundled soap packs (silver), and comprehensive beauty packages (gold). For B2B, the tiers could be an introductory workshop (bronze), a subscription service or single purchase (silver), and a high-value comprehensive package (gold).
Pirate Skills Case Study
At Pirate Skills, our core offering, ‘Growth Marketing Mastery’, encompasses a series of workshops and playbooks. These are tiered with the playbook as a low-tier product, individual workshops as mid-tier, and the full package at a discounted rate as a high-tier offering. High-tier products, such as our ‘Captain on Deck’ package, demand a premium for personalized services and significantly contribute to our revenue.
Pricing Strategy and Sales Considerations
Pricing plays a crucial role in guiding customers through these tiers. Products priced just above €1,000 often require high-touch sales efforts, whereas those priced lower can be sold with less direct interaction. We aim to price our mid-tier products such that they are attractive yet require some level of high-touch engagement.
Actionable Steps for Revenue Generation
It’s now your turn to define your product tiers – low, mid, and high. Remember, this isn’t an overnight decision. Test your offerings against the market, adjust pricing, and enhance value over time. This strategy will help funnel more customers from the top of your funnel to the bottom, trusting in your offerings and generating sustainable revenue.
Preparing for the Next Steps
As we prepare to delve deeper into the specifics of funnel building, our next focus will be on creating effective landing pages and leveraging CRM systems to streamline the customer journey. These tools are crucial for converting leads into customers, particularly for your core and high-tier products. Stay tuned for the next step, where we'll explore how to set up landing pages that convert.
Action Steps
Define and implement a multi-tier product strategy
Price products strategically to encourage progression through tiers
Use high-tier products to drive revenue and complement core offerings
Action Steps - Funnel Overview
Step 1 - Funnel Overview - Our Customer Journey that creates Trust and Revenue
Low Touch - How do we attract our customers that convert themselves
Draft a big funnel overview that shows your customer journey
Develop a value ladder to ease customer progression
Plan for engaging lead magnets and low-tier products
High Touch - How do we actively get in touch with the right customer profiles
Prepare for cold outreach to ideal customer profiles
Engage with previously interacted customers through warm outreach methods
Integrate marketing and sales for seamless lead conversion
Break-Even - Regain our customer acquisition cost
Align ad spending with low-tier product sales for cost recovery
Regularly evaluate ad campaign performance for lead conversion efficiency
Optimize the customer journey for maximum conversion from lead to purchase
Revenue - Where we earn the real money
Define and implement a multi-tier product strategy
Price products strategically to encourage progression through tiers
Use high-tier products to drive revenue and complement core offerings
Further Resources
Dig deeper into building marketing funnels
- Books
- Pirate Skills
Step 2 - Landing Pages - Building Websites that convert our Leads and Sales
Playbook template
Pirate Skills Example
GOAL
Let’s elevate the effectiveness of our landing pages. We're focusing on developing pages that do more than just look good - they need to strategically guide our visitors toward taking action. It's about understanding the subtle psychology of our potential customers and creating an online experience that resonates with them. Each element, from the visuals to the content layout, must work harmoniously to inform, engage, and persuade. We'll explore tools like WordPress and Webflow to streamline our design process, making our landing page creation both efficient and impactful. This chapter is about refining our approach, ensuring every landing page we craft aligns perfectly with our growth objectives and speaks directly to our audience's needs and aspirations.
Let’s elevate the effectiveness of our landing pages. We're focusing on developing pages that do more than just look good - they need to strategically guide our visitors toward taking action. It's about understanding the subtle psychology of our potential customers and creating an online experience that resonates with them. Each element, from the visuals to the content layout, must work harmoniously to inform, engage, and persuade. We'll explore tools like WordPress and Webflow to streamline our design process, making our landing page creation both efficient and impactful. This chapter is about refining our approach, ensuring every landing page we craft aligns perfectly with our growth objectives and speaks directly to our audience's needs and aspirations.
CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS
Landing Page
A specific web page designed primarily for marketing or advertising campaigns. It's where a visitor lands after clicking on a link in an email, or ads from Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Unlike general web pages, it focuses on a single objective, known as a Call to Action (CTA), and is crafted to guide visitors towards this specific action.
Conversion
In digital marketing, conversion refers to the point at which a recipient of a marketing message performs a desired action. In the context of a landing page, this could mean signing up for a newsletter, downloading a guide, or making a purchase.
Call to Action (CTA)
A prompt on a website that tells the visitor to take some specified action, such as "Sign Up," "Buy Now," or "Learn More." It's a key element of a landing page designed to guide the visitor towards the landing page's goal.
User Experience (UX)
The overall experience a person has when interacting with a website, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use. UX is crucial in landing page design as it directly affects the likelihood of conversion.
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
A psychological trigger used in marketing to create a sense of urgency or anxiety over the possibility of missing out on an opportunity, often used to encourage quick decision-making by consumers.
2.1 Blocks - Key parts of our landing pages
Let’s explore the key components that make up an effective landing page. From the choice of tools to the structure of the content, every element plays a critical role in converting visitors into customers. Our focus is on creating landing pages that are not only visually appealing but also strategically designed to guide the visitor towards taking the desired action. As we continue to refine our approach, remember that the ultimate goal is to create a seamless and persuasive online experience that resonates with our audience and drives our growth objectives forward.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Understanding the Essentials
Creating landing pages that effectively convert leads into sales is a cornerstone of our digital strategy. It's not just about having a webpage; it's about crafting a journey that guides visitors towards our desired action - whether that's signing up, making a purchase, or downloading a guide. The essence lies in understanding the psychology of our visitors and presenting information that resonates with them. Each element, from color schemes to content layout, plays a crucial role in guiding the visitor's journey, making them feel informed, engaged, and ready to take action. Our focus is on creating a user experience that not only captures attention but also nurtures interest and encourages decision-making.
Choosing the Right Tool
When contemplating the creation of a landing page, the choice of tool is pivotal. Our preference leans towards WordPress for its versatility and widespread support. It's a powerhouse capable of handling diverse needs, from basic landing pages to complex e-commerce sites. The key is to pair it with an intuitive website builder like Elementor or Oxygen, which simplifies the process. These tools allow for drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy for our team to design, test, and implement landing pages rapidly. However, for those who prioritize design aesthetics and unique layouts, Webflow stands out as an excellent alternative. Known for its sleek, designer-friendly interfaces, Webflow allows for the creation of visually stunning landing pages that are as functional as they are attractive.
Efficiency in Design
Efficiency in landing page creation is non-negotiable for us. A new landing page should not take more than a day to create. With tools like WordPress, the process becomes streamlined as we can quickly replicate templates and make modifications as needed, making the process both time-efficient and cost-effective. This agility allows us to respond to market changes rapidly and test different landing page variations to see what resonates best with our audience. For those seeking a more design-first approach, Webflow offers a robust solution, enabling the creation of visually compelling landing pages without compromising on functionality. With Webflow, the focus is on design and user experience, providing an intuitive platform for creating landing pages that truly stand out.
Optimizing for Conversion
The most crucial aspect of any landing page is the header, as it's the first element that visitors engage with. It plays a pivotal role in conversion rates. A compelling header must include an eye-catching graphic, a clear and strong title, a persuasive subheadline, and a distinct call to action. The header should encapsulate the essence of the offer, delivering a compelling message that grabs attention and encourages further exploration. This section must be meticulously designed to create an immediate impact, as it sets the tone for the visitor's entire experience on the page.
The Anatomy of Effective Landing Pages
The Header Block
The beacon of our landing page, the header must captivate with a strong title, a supportive tagline, and a clear call to action. This block sets the tone for the entire page and is vital in securing the visitor's interest. It should encapsulate the core value proposition in a concise yet powerful manner, making it clear what the visitor will gain from engaging further.
The Value Proposition
This section is dedicated to articulating the benefits of our offer clearly and compellingly. It should resonate with the visitor's needs and desires, outlining how our product or service will solve their problems or enhance their life. The value proposition must be presented in a way that is easily digestible and immediately understood, using bullet points, infographics, or short paragraphs.
Trust-Building Elements
Establishing credibility is key. This can be achieved through testimonials, endorsements, success stories, and certifications. These elements serve to build trust and validate our offerings, showing prospective customers that others have benefited from what we offer.
Explainer Blocks
These are designed for visitors who seek more in-depth information. Whether it’s through detailed text explanations or video content, the goal is to articulate the value and functionality of our offer thoroughly. This section should address any potential questions or concerns a visitor might have, providing them with all the information needed to make an informed decision.
Call to Action (CTA)
The CTA should be reiterated throughout the landing page, guiding visitors towards the primary action we want them to take. The CTA must be prominent, persuasive, and clear, encouraging the visitor to take the next step, whether it's signing up, making a purchase, or requesting more information.
The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Integrate elements that highlight what visitors stand to lose if they don't take action. This psychological tactic can effectively nudge visitors towards conversion by creating a sense of urgency or highlighting the limited availability of an offer.
Pricing and FAQs
Clear pricing and FAQs are crucial for product pages. Transparent pricing helps customers make informed decisions, while FAQs address common concerns, smoothing the purchase process. Concise, informative FAQs complement clear pricing, enhancing customer confidence and simplifying decision-making.
Value Previews
Value previews effectively demonstrate the benefits of responding to the CTA. They include product demos or samples that provide a glimpse of the offer, enticing visitors to learn more. For services, showcasing success stories or testimonials is beneficial, while product demos or feature highlights work well for products. These previews increase the likelihood of conversion by clarifying the offer's value.
Action Steps
Examine each section of your landing pages to ensure they all aid in conversion
Opt for tools that align with your landing page creation needs and skill set
Develop templates for landing pages to streamline future page construction
2.2 Lead Gen - Basic setup for our lead magnet pages
We delve into the strategic composition of landing pages for effective lead generation. The chapter emphasizes the importance of strong headers, advocating the inclusion of engaging videos to connect with the audience. A clear value proposition and demonstrations of the lead magnet are highlighted as essential for enticing visitors. Trust-building elements and repeated, clear calls to action are also deemed crucial. The chapter encourages experimentation with various page structures, learning from successful examples, and optimizing lead generation forms by minimizing form fields and testing modal pop-ups versus embedded forms. The overarching theme is to craft landing pages that balance compelling visuals and clear messaging to efficiently convert visitors into leads.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Crafting Effective Lead Magnet Pages
As we delve into the art of lead generation, we understand that the structure and composition of our landing pages play a critical role in attracting and converting leads. Drawing upon our knowledge of fundamental blocks, let's explore how to effectively compose these elements into landing pages that are not just visually appealing but also highly functional in lead generation.
Emphasizing Strong Headers
The header of a landing page is the gateway to engagement. A great header must be more than visually striking; it needs to clearly communicate the value and intent of the page. Whether it's a compelling call to action or a succinct explanation of the lead magnet, the header must capture attention and encourage further exploration.
The header of a landing page is the gateway to engagement. A great header must be more than visually striking; it needs to clearly communicate the value and intent of the page. Whether it's a compelling call to action or a succinct explanation of the lead magnet, the header must capture attention and encourage further exploration.
Incorporating Video Elements
In a world increasingly dominated by video content, including a video on the landing page can be a game-changer. Videos provide a dynamic way to convey information and engage the audience. If creating videos seems daunting, remember that authenticity often trumps high production values. A simple, straightforward video can effectively communicate your message and connect with the audience.
In a world increasingly dominated by video content, including a video on the landing page can be a game-changer. Videos provide a dynamic way to convey information and engage the audience. If creating videos seems daunting, remember that authenticity often trumps high production values. A simple, straightforward video can effectively communicate your message and connect with the audience.
Value Proposition and Demonstration
After drawing in visitors with a strong header and engaging video, it's crucial to present a clear value proposition. What will visitors gain by downloading the lead magnet? Providing a sneak peek or a demonstration of the lead magnet can significantly increase its appeal, making it irresistible for visitors.
After drawing in visitors with a strong header and engaging video, it's crucial to present a clear value proposition. What will visitors gain by downloading the lead magnet? Providing a sneak peek or a demonstration of the lead magnet can significantly increase its appeal, making it irresistible for visitors.
Building Trust
While not always mandatory on lead generation pages, including elements that build trust can enhance the effectiveness of the page. Testimonials, endorsements, or trust badges can lend credibility and reassure visitors of the value and reliability of the offer.
While not always mandatory on lead generation pages, including elements that build trust can enhance the effectiveness of the page. Testimonials, endorsements, or trust badges can lend credibility and reassure visitors of the value and reliability of the offer.
Clear and Repeated Calls to Action
The call to action (CTA) is the culmination of the lead magnet page. It should be clear, compelling, and repeated throughout the page, guiding visitors towards the desired action – whether it's signing up, downloading, or subscribing.
The call to action (CTA) is the culmination of the lead magnet page. It should be clear, compelling, and repeated throughout the page, guiding visitors towards the desired action – whether it's signing up, downloading, or subscribing.
Diversifying Page Structures
Our lead generation pages should not be monolithic; instead, they should be varied and tested. Different structures may include just the header, a combination of header and video, or a more comprehensive layout with all elements. The key is to experiment and find the best format that resonates with your audience and maximizes conversion rates.
Our lead generation pages should not be monolithic; instead, they should be varied and tested. Different structures may include just the header, a combination of header and video, or a more comprehensive layout with all elements. The key is to experiment and find the best format that resonates with your audience and maximizes conversion rates.
Learning from Others
An effective way to enhance our lead generation pages is to draw inspiration from others. Browsing through successful landing pages, both within and outside the Pirate Skills realm, can provide valuable insights. Observe what works well, adapt it to your context, and continuously innovate.
An effective way to enhance our lead generation pages is to draw inspiration from others. Browsing through successful landing pages, both within and outside the Pirate Skills realm, can provide valuable insights. Observe what works well, adapt it to your context, and continuously innovate.
Minimalistic to Comprehensive Designs
Lead magnet pages can range from minimalistic designs featuring just a header and a video to more comprehensive pages with detailed explanations, trust elements, and multiple CTAs. The choice depends on the nature of the lead magnet and the target audience. Simplicity can be powerful, but a well-structured, detailed page can also be highly effective.
Lead magnet pages can range from minimalistic designs featuring just a header and a video to more comprehensive pages with detailed explanations, trust elements, and multiple CTAs. The choice depends on the nature of the lead magnet and the target audience. Simplicity can be powerful, but a well-structured, detailed page can also be highly effective.
Optimizing Lead Generation Forms
A crucial aspect often overlooked is the optimization of form fields. The fewer fields you have, the higher the likelihood of conversion. Focus on collecting only the most essential information. Overloading forms with unnecessary fields can deter potential leads. If you haven't tested the impact of your form fields on conversion rates, now is the time to start.
A crucial aspect often overlooked is the optimization of form fields. The fewer fields you have, the higher the likelihood of conversion. Focus on collecting only the most essential information. Overloading forms with unnecessary fields can deter potential leads. If you haven't tested the impact of your form fields on conversion rates, now is the time to start.
Modal Pop-ups vs. Embedded Forms
Deciding between modal pop-ups and embedded forms is another strategic choice. Pop-ups can be attention-grabbing and effective, but they might not suit every context, especially in B2B settings where embedded forms are more common. The key is to test different formats to see what works best for your audience and lead magnet.
Deciding between modal pop-ups and embedded forms is another strategic choice. Pop-ups can be attention-grabbing and effective, but they might not suit every context, especially in B2B settings where embedded forms are more common. The key is to test different formats to see what works best for your audience and lead magnet.
Action Steps
Review your blocks ensuring each part contributes to lead generation
Experiment with various page layouts to see which one converts best
Focus on essential form fields to enhance conversion rates
2.3 Sales - Basic setup for our product sales pages
Let’s focus on the basic setup for our product sales pages. We emphasize the importance of strong headers, the use of FOMO, clear demonstrations, and success stories to build trust. The chapter also discusses our transparent pricing strategy and the importance of detailed product descriptions and qualification sections to ensure we attract the right customers. Each element of our sales page is designed to guide potential customers towards a clear call to action, ensuring an effective journey from interest to conversion.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Strong Headers and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
In the realm of sales landing pages, our initial focus is on crafting strong headers. These headers need to immediately capture attention and set the tone for what follows. Implementing a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) section right at the beginning is crucial. By highlighting what potential customers stand to lose by not using our product, we engage them emotionally, piquing their interest and drawing them into the narrative.
Demonstrations and Success Stories
Using videos to demonstrate our product is a key strategy. It's not just about showing the product, but also about illustrating the process of working with us. After this visual demonstration, we reinforce our message with success stories and trust elements, showcasing how our product has made a difference for others, and affirming its effectiveness in similar scenarios.
Pricing Strategy
The debate over whether to display prices on landing pages is ongoing, with valid arguments on both sides. Our approach prioritizes transparency. We understand that displaying prices might reduce the volume of inquiries, but we prefer to engage with more qualified leads. This approach is aligned with our philosophy of clarity and efficiency.
Detailed Descriptions and Qualification
Our sales pages include detailed descriptions of each product module, helping potential customers understand exactly what we offer. We also use qualification sections to ensure that the right customers are engaging with our product. This step is about honesty and integrity in marketing, ensuring our customers are well-informed and a good fit for our product.
Call to Action
Finally, our sales landing pages conclude with a clear call to action. Whether it's a direct prompt to buy now or an invitation to book a call for more information, this final step is crucial in converting interest into action.
Action Steps
Create strong headers and FOMO sections to engage visitors immediately
Use videos for product demos and include success stories for credibility
Test transparent with pricing to attract qualified leads
Action Steps - Landing Pages
Step 2 - Landing Pages - Building Websites that convert our Leads and Sales
Blocks - Key parts of our landing pages
Examine each section of your landing pages to ensure they all aid in conversion
Opt for tools that align with your landing page creation needs and skill set
Develop templates for landing pages to streamline future page construction
Lead Gen - Basic setup for our lead magnet pages
Review your blocks ensuring each part contributes to lead generation
Experiment with various page layouts to see which one converts best
Focus on essential form fields to enhance conversion rates
Sales - Basic setup for our product sales pages
Create strong headers and FOMO sections to engage visitors immediately
Use videos for product demos and include success stories for credibility
Test transparent with pricing to attract qualified leads
Further Resources
Dig deeper into building landing pages
- Books
- Tools
- WordPress - The most popular website builder
- Oxygen Builder - My prefered WordPress page builder
- Webflow - A modern alternative to WordPress
- Unbounce - Landing page builder optimized for lead generation
- Pirate Skills
Step 3 - Messages - Our Inbound & Outbound Messages and Emails
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GOAL
Our goal for this chapter is to fine-tune our messaging for each critical phase of the customer journey. At the outset, in the Top of Funnel (ToFu), we're focused on grabbing attention and building trust. As we move to the Middle of Funnel (MoFu), our communication will nurture leads with more targeted information, nudging them towards making a decision. At the Bottom of Funnel (BoFu), our messages are all about conversion—turning prospects into customers and starting our relationship on the right note. Finally, in the Growth Funnel (GroFu) phase, we'll solidify our relationship with customers through strategic onboarding, referrals, and upselling techniques. Key to our success here will be leveraging a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to ensure all communications are timely, relevant, and tailored, fostering a seamless customer experience and driving our business growth.
CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS
Top of Funnel (ToFu)
The initial stage of the marketing funnel where potential customers first become aware of a brand or product. Communications here are about building awareness and trust, engaging prospects with valuable content that answers their questions and sparks interest.
Middle of Funnel (MoFu)
This stage occurs after awareness has been established. Here, prospects are considering the offerings more seriously. MoFu messages are designed to provide more targeted, detailed information to help the lead evaluate the product or service and move closer to making a purchase decision.
Bottom of Funnel (BoFu)
The stage of the funnel where decision-making and conversions happen. At this point, messaging is focused on closing the sale and may include incentives, reassurances, and detailed information. It's crucial to maintain a balance between persuasiveness and providing genuine value.
Growth Funnel (GroFu)
This refers to post-sales messaging strategies aimed at customer expansion. These strategies include onboarding to ensure customers understand and can effectively use the product or service, as well as upselling or cross-selling to encourage additional purchases. It also involves referral initiatives seeking to transform current customers into advocates for the brand.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
A technology system that manages all the company's relationships and interactions with current and potential customers. It helps businesses streamline processes, build customer relationships, increase sales, improve customer service, and increase profitability.
3.1 ToFu - Messages for Awareness
Creating effective ToFu messages demands a blend of strategic communication across various platforms, from lead generation forms to post-conversion encouragement. The aim is to engage leads during the awareness stage and seamlessly guide them to view more of our offerings, all while building trust and ensuring each step provides value. By understanding the psychology of our potential customers and responding with the right messages, we set the stage for a deeper relationship that propels them further down the sales funnel.
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The Role of ToFu Messages for Awareness
In growth marketing, ToFu (Top of the Funnel) messaging is pivotal in nurturing leads at the earliest stages of awareness. As newcomers to our orbit, these prospects need to be gently educated and engaged through an array of communications channels. The process begins with a signup or a direct outreach and is purposefully designed to lay the foundation of a relationship with potential customers.
Creating a Cohesive Communication Flow
From initial contact forms to double opt-in confirmation pages, each touchpoint is a crucial step in building trust. Users' interactions with our brand start here, guiding them through a journey that, ideally, leads to conversion. For instance, even the placement of checkboxes for marketing consent is part of the dialogue we establish, setting expectations and ensuring compliance.
The Follow-Up: Delivering Promised Value
Once someone has opted in, we follow through by delivering on our promises. Be it through a landing page hosting a video, a downloadable asset, or another lead magnet, we must ensure that the design and messaging resonate with the newly acquired leads. It's crucial that these elements effectively communicate the value offered and encourage further engagement.
Transitioning Leads to The Next Step
A cleverly crafted success landing page does not just celebrate the conversion but encourages the lead to take their next step with us. Upselling can be seamlessly integrated at this high point of lead engagement. For example, introducing community groups or showcasing premium products is an excellent technique here. However, it's imperative to ensure that any upselling is contextual and not premature.
Ongoing Communication: Email Follow-Up and Outreach
Email follow-ups are deliberate and timed well, not to overload the fresh lead but to encourage the next commitment stage. They should highlight other available resources, continuing to provide value and reinforcing trust. For outbound communications, like cold emails or LinkedIn messages, we need to craft concise, compelling copy that spurs action without being pushy. These messages' intent isn't to close a deal immediately but to warm up leads and move them towards the MoFu (Middle of the Funnel) stage.
Summary: Creating effective ToFu messages demands a blend of strategic communication across various platforms, from lead generation forms to post-conversion encouragement. The aim is to engage leads during the awareness stage and seamlessly guide them to view more of our offerings, all while building trust and ensuring each step provides value. By understanding the psychology of our potential customers and responding with the right messages, we set the stage for a deeper relationship that propels them further down the sales funnel.
Action Steps
Deliver promised value immediately after an opt-in
Use success landing pages to guide leads towards the next commitment
Craft personalized email follow-ups for continued trust-building
3.2 MoFu - Messages for Engagement
In the MoFu stage, it's about harnessing increased lead readiness by providing targeted, value-packed messages that steer them toward a decision. Whether it's through showcasing our most valuable content, personalized email communication, or direct calls-to-action for demo booking, the goal is to deepen engagement and set the stage for the final decision-making process at the funnel's bottom. Successful MoFu strategies leverage the lead's consideration phase to create opportunities for commitment to our offerings.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Crafting MoFu Messages for Engagement
Once prospects have been warmed up during the ToFu stage, our messaging in the MoFu (Middle of the Funnel) becomes more intentional and directive. At this stage, our prospects are considering their options and are more receptive to messages that may nudge them towards a decision. It's our opportunity to showcase the depth and value of our offerings, from low-tier products to our next best content.
Strategic Product Upselling
When we introduce low-tier products, we direct warmed leads to specially crafted landing pages or we connect with them through targeted emails and ads. The key is in adapting the language and content to fit the context of an email, maintaining the user's interest, and guiding them to the next logical step, such as making a purchase.
Promoting High-Value Lead Magnets
We leverage our most successful assets, like high-converting lead magnets, to draw users deeper into our funnel. For example, we could share our 'mad marketing skills' guide as the next step in their journey. These assets help in drafting a customer path that showcases our best and most engaging work.
Variety in Email Communication
When it comes to emails, variety is our friend. We might alternate between short and long form content, testing which yields higher engagement and conversions. Conversions at this stage might look like an invite acceptance to a demo call, indicating a deeper level of interest from the prospect.
Personalized Outreach
Emails can vary in their design—from highly crafted visual emails to more personal-looking one-on-ones that seem to come directly from an individual's email address. The latter can be particularly effective when reaching out to leads who have already shown some interest or intent.
The Goal: Booking a Call
The primary objective in the MoFu stage is to prompt the prospect to schedule a call or demo. This call-to-action can work not just for leads already in the system but also for cold prospects reached through targeted outbound tactics, like LinkedIn messages or warm email pitches.
Preparing for the BoFu Stage
All of these strategies are designed to bring our leads to the brink of the Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu) where the purchase decisions are made. In MoFu, regardless of whether the leads come from inbound or outbound channels, they are steered towards showing clear intent and commitment.
Action Steps
Promote your best lead magnets as the next step in the customer journey
Experiment with email lengths and styles to see what best drives conversions
Focus messaging on getting prospects to book a demo or an exploratory call
3.3 BoFu - Messages for Conversion
At the critical BoFu stage, conversion-centric messages play a key role in transforming prospects into customers. This stage requires a combination of preparation, strategic follow-ups, value reinforcement, and thoughtful upselling. It's not just about closing the sale; it's also about starting the customer relationship on the right foot. Through detailed planning and understanding the importance of every message, we create a path that leads to satisfied, converted customers, ultimately setting the stage for retention and advocacy in the post-purchase phase.
Playbook Template
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Perfecting BoFu Messages for Conversion
Now, we find ourselves in the exciting Bottom of the Funnel (BoFu) stage, where our prospects are primed for conversion. Here, the objective is to ensure that the seeds sown in the ToFu and MoFu phases come to fruition as actual sales or commitments. At Pirate Skills, as in many other growth-focused ventures, marketing and sales need to interweave seamlessly to guide the prospect across the finish line.
Pre and Post-Demo Engagements
For service-based businesses, one strategy is to provide pre-demo materials to prospects who have booked a demo, ensuring they come prepared or feel a sense of responsibility to engage. Following a sales demo, sending personalized post-demo summaries with clear next steps and tailored proposals helps clarify the decision-making process and encourages a commitment.
Crafting Thank You Communications
Upon a successful purchase, we need to make customers feel valued; a well-crafted thank you page and email can affirm their decision. For example, as shown on the playbook's thank you landing page, we explain product access details and offer a bonus, such as a discount code for future purchases. This not only enhances the customer experience but also creates an opportunity for an upsell, beneficial to both parties.
Repeat the Value Proposition
It's important to communicate the value proposition repeatedly and clearly. The confirmation email after a purchase should reiterate the benefits, access instructions, and any additional offers using a discount code, ensuring the customer feels confident and has everything they need to begin enjoying their purchase.
Reflect on the Customer Experience
As we approach the end of the funnel, it's crucial to revisit our core messages across all funnel stages. Reflect on customer experiences at every touchpoint: from awareness, consideration, and now, to conversion, confirming that each step is intentional and aligned with our marketing strategy.
Anticipate E-Commerce Pathways
For B2C and e-commerce businesses, consider the entire online shopping experience, from cart abandonment recovery efforts to post-purchase upsell strategies. Implementing effective cart abandonment emails or offering additional products post-purchase can significantly boost conversion rates and average order values.
Action Steps
Provide pre-demo materials to prepare prospects for sales demos
Send personalized post-demo communications with concise next steps
Craft a value-affirming purchase thank you page and follow-up email
3.4 GroFu - Messages for Expansion
Messages for expansion are not just about attracting new customers; they encompass nurturing relationships post-sale. We guide customers effectively through onboarding, provide clear next steps, and foster a connection that invites referrals and upsells. Personalizing the journey, from welcome messages to setting key appointments, is vital. Referral strategies must consider both external and internal prospects, and upselling involves showcasing a clear path of progression, from free offerings to premium products. Leveraging scalable templates for communication saves time and enables more effective A/B testing. Lastly, managing these messages through a CRM system is crucial for a seamless integration throughout the customer's lifecycle.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
Aligning the Messages with the Customer Journey
When we think about marketing, our responsibility doesn't stop at lead generation. We need to walk with the customer throughout their entire journey, even post-purchase. The goal isn’t just to deliver a customer; it's to guide them so they can make the most out of our product, foster their love for it, and lead them to explore what more we can offer. This often-neglected aspect is precisely why we emphasize the expansive journey within our marketing funnel.
Onboarding and Customer Success
The onboarding process is pivotal. For Pirate Skills, this means a personalized welcome and setting a clear first appointment. It's critical for customers to know their next steps—whether it’s a one-on-one coaching call or the next workshop date. This clarity is something our customers value immensely. Effectively onboarding customers ensures that they start on the right foot, reducing confusion and increasing product satisfaction.
Generating Referrals
Working towards referrals, we look toward two main categories: external referrals from friends and colleagues, and in-house referrals within larger organizations. We encourage our satisfied clients to share their positive experiences within their circles. However, internal referrals can be even more beneficial, as different departments can be quite autonomous. Making conscious efforts to cross-pollinate our services within the organization can open new avenues for us.
Upselling to the next level
Upselling is the next frontier we contemplate. By presenting a clear progression path—from free materials to workshops and coaching—we chart a growth course for our clients. The key here is to maintain a progression path in mind at all times and make sure that after completing one stage, like the Growth Roadmap, they are aware of and enticed by the next, such as the 'Growth Marketing Mastery'.
Developing Replicable Templates
Creation of versatile templates that can be adapted across various mediums is a considerable time saver. Instead of starting from scratch each time, we can refine our approach using templates for emails, landing pages, and promotional material. This allows us to conduct A/B tests efficiently and integrate the winning elements back into the templates.
Effective Messaging Through CRM
Understanding how to manage these messages via a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is critical. Orchestrating emails, landing page redirects, workshops, and coaching follow-ups in a CRM can streamline the process. It will help in crafting a consistent narrative across each customer touchpoint.
Action Steps
Clearify the next steps after purchase to ensure effective onboarding
Develop referral and upselling strategies that align with the customer's journey
Refine templates for emails to manage the messaging through a CRM system
Action Steps - Messages
Further Resources
Dig deeper into writing great messages
- Books
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
- Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age by Jonah Berger
- Expert Secrets by Russell Brunson
Online
- Copyblogger - Focuses on content marketing advice and copywriting tips
- Marketing School by Neil Patel & Eric Siu - Daily podcast
- Call to Action - Podcast about digital marketing and conversion rate optimization
- Tools
- Pirate Skills
Step 4 - CRM Workflows - Organizing our Customer Journey in the ONE Source of Truth
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GOAL
As marketers and founders, our chapter goal is to master lead management within our CRM, ensuring we're structured to nurture growth. The focus is on integrating and tracking new leads effectively, emphasizing the capture of key data and employing UTM parameters for detailed source tracking. A double opt-in process is critical to confirm lead interest levels and maintain a clean, responsive list. We'll dive into lead scoring to identify and prioritize leads with real conversion potential, aiming to steer our efforts where they matter most. We're committing to documenting these steps clearly to share a competent strategy with our team. This clarity will streamline our CRM approach, organizing our customer journey, and fortifying the transition of new leads into loyal customers. By consolidating this framework, we aim to elevate our marketing and sales effectiveness, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and enhanced business growth.
CONCEPTS & DEFINITIONS
Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is a marketing term for a free item or service that is given away for the purpose of gathering contact details. Lead magnets can be trial subscriptions, samples, white papers, e-newsletters, and free consultations. Marketers use lead magnets to create sales leads.
UTM Parameters
UTM parameters are five variants of URL parameters used by marketers to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing media. They were introduced by Google Analytics' predecessor and, if used correctly, they can help you track the success of your marketing campaigns on a granular level.
Double Opt-In
Double opt-in is a two-step process where a user needs to confirm their email address after signing up before they can be added to an email list. This process is especially important to prevent spam and to ensure that the person subscribing is genuinely interested in receiving emails from the organization.
Lead Scoring
Lead scoring is a methodology used to rank prospects against a scale that represents the perceived value each lead represents to the organization. The resulting score is used to determine which leads a receiving function (e.g. sales, partners, teleprospecting) will engage, in order of priority.
Sales Development Representative (SDR)
SDRs are tasked with qualifying leads at the initial stages in the sales process. Their role involves assessing the lead's fit and interest level through various criteria, before passing on the qualified leads to the more senior sales team.
Account Executive
An account executive is a salesperson who has the primary day-to-day responsibility for an ongoing business relationship with a client. They manage the client's account and are often responsible for soliciting new business from the client and are the lead point of contact for all client communications.
Evergreen Funnel
An evergreen funnel is a content-driven marketing strategy where the content is timeless, relevant, and always "in season." It is an automated sequence that perpetually guides leads through the funnel and can be entered at any time, providing consistent nurturing and path to conversion.
4.1 New Leads - How we handle new Leads entering our CRM
Here we explored the critical role of CRM in managing and understanding our customer journey. We discussed the importance of CRM not just as a tool but as a vital process that helps us retain a clear view of our leads, especially as the number of leads and team members grows. We covered the practical aspects of setting up CRM, including the essential information to import, the importance of attribution with UTM parameters, and the advantages of implementing a double opt-in process. Additionally, we highlighted the benefits of lead scoring, which helps prioritize leads based on their potential value to the business. By following these steps, we can organize our customer journey efficiently and maintain our sanity while growing our business.
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The Essence of CRM
To kick off our discussion on CRM workflows, it's crucial to understand what CRM stands for—Customer Relationship Management. It's often thought of in terms of tools, like HubSpot, Active Campaign, or Mailchimp, but at its core, CRM is about a process. Yes, each tool has its features, but the core purpose is interchangeable—to give us a comprehensive overview of our customers and leads, including their actions and stages in the sales funnel. We use CRM to maintain sanity when tracking multiple customers and to ensure that leads on the cusp of buying do not slip through the cracks because of disorganization.
Big Picture: CRM's Role
The overarching role of CRM is to ensure that we don't lose sight of our leads and customers. It serves as our one source of truth, particularly significant when handling a growing number of leads and when the team expands beyond a single person. Keeping everything in a spreadsheet or in our heads becomes impractical, and that's where CRM steps in, providing us with the necessary structure to keep track of customers' status and our interactions with them.
Setting Up Our CRM
Starting with the practical setup, we should identify all relevant traffic sources and decide what information we need to import into our CRM. At the basic level, this includes names, emails, company names, and other pertinent details. Determining which fields are required and which are optional helps us streamline the import process and ensures we have the needed data for effective relationship management.
Attribution and UTM Parameters
Moreover, we must not overlook attribution—knowing where our leads come from. UTM parameters are instrumental here, tracking the source, medium, campaign details, and specific content that led a lead to our site. Ensuring that our forms on different platforms, like WordPress or event platforms like Eventbrite, capture these UTM parameters is essential for understanding and tracking lead sources with precision.
Doubling Down on Double Opt-In
Double opt-in processes, while potentially mandated by regulations such as GDPR, also serve as a quality filter ensuring that those who sign up are genuinely interested. This step requires leads to confirm their email address, verifying their interest and intent, which can significantly enhance the quality of our lead pool. We need to provide a seamless experience, from the sign-up form to the confirmation email and success page.
Lead Scoring: Separating Wheat from Chaff
Finally, not all leads are equal in value, prompting the need for lead scoring. By assigning points based on fit (how well the company matches our ideal customer profile) and engagement (how active the lead is with our content), we can prioritize our outreach efforts more effectively. Most CRM platforms support lead scoring, so we should tailor our process to match our specific business criteria and needs.
Action Steps
Identify and catalog all relevant traffic sources for lead imports into our CRM
Implement UTM parameters to effectively track lead attribution
Set up a double opt-in process to ensure lead quality and compliance
4.2 Lead Funnel - The first Funnel after a new Contact wants a Lead Magnet
In our exploration of structuring an effective lead funnel, we outlined the journey a lead takes after expressing interest in a lead magnet, such as an event or guide. We emphasized the importance of CRM automations that are triggered by specific actions, like form submissions, and the use of tags to identify and segment leads. The double opt-in method ensures that we build a list of verified and interested leads, while third-party tools can enhance the process with actions like lead scoring. Once the lead magnet is delivered, the process doesn’t end; we continue to engage the lead by offering additional relevant content and ultimately leading them into an Evergreen funnel for ongoing nurture. This structure keeps our marketing efforts organized, relevant, and efficient, while providing value to the leads at every step.
Playbook Template
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Starting the Lead Magnet Journey
After we've addressed how to handle and categorize new leads in our CRM, the next pivotal step is the construction of the lead funnel. This lead funnel is tailored to each specific lead magnet. For every event, downloadable guide, or free trial we offer, there should be a distinct funnel that guides the leads through the process after they’ve shown interest.
Automations and Actions
Most CRM systems enable us to create automations, which are essentially workflows that are triggered when a certain action occurs, such as when a lead fills out a form on our website. These automations are indispensable because they allow us to carry out a series of actions automatically, such as tagging leads to keep track of their activities, sending emails, and waiting for responses, all based on specified conditions.
The Tagging System
Tagging is the action of marking a lead with a specific label that indicates what they've done. It's the crux of segmenting and targeting within our CRM. When a lead signs up for something, like a growth guide, they are tagged accordingly. This tag not only initiates the automation but also gives us a way to remember the origin and status of the lead in our overall marketing strategy.
The Double Opt-In Sequence
The tagging process tends to start with a form submission, which in turn triggers a double opt-in sequence. This is critical as it ensures that our list consists of engaged and verified leads. Following confirmation, we might tap into third-party tools like Zapier for additional actions, such as lead scoring or enrichment, and internal notifications.
Delivering the Lead Magnet
Once the lead has passed through the double opt-in and the lead scoring processes, they finally enter the lead magnet automation, where they receive what they initially signed up for. Consistent tagging continues here, covering topical interests and lead quality, which allows us to segment our audience for future targeting and personalization.
From Delivery to Discovery
Upon delivering the lead magnet, we don't want the journey to end. It's essential to have subsequent automations set up that guide the lead to discover other relevant resources, ultimately leading them into an Evergreen funnel, which is designed to continually nurture and potentially convert leads over time.
Action Steps
Set up automations for each lead magnet with a trigger and series of actions
Implement tracking of interests for segmentation and follow-up communication
Develop a follow-up automation that introduces leads to additional content
4.3 Evergreen Funnel - The Funnel in which all other Funnels end in
The Evergreen funnel represents a cornerstone in the overall funnel building strategy, serving as the ultimate nurturing sequence. Its purpose is to foster long-term engagement with leads by providing continuous value through phased email campaigns that culminate in a sales pitch or call to action. By adopting a modular and flexible approach, we can keep our content fresh and resonant with our audience, ultimately guiding them toward conversion. This method provides a framework for systematically enhancing relationships with leads, aligning them more closely with our brand, and building up to a moment of decision—an approach that benefits both the leads and our business over time.
Playbook Template
Pirate Skills Example
The Philosophy of Nurturing
When it comes to funnel building, one of the fundamental philosophies is the continuous nurturing of leads. The interaction with a lead shouldn't just halt after a few initial emails; the same goes for customers. The objective is always to keep people engaged and to maintain a relationship that extends beyond a single transaction.
Introduction to the Evergreen Funnel
The Evergreen funnel is designed as a long-term nurturing process through a nearly endless series of follow-up emails. It's the funnel where all other lead magnet funnels converge at the end. Leads who have gone through specific content offers are introduced to the Evergreen funnel to be continuously engaged with valuable content and offers.
Phased Email Campaigns
An effective Evergreen funnel utilizes phased email campaigns typically structured around sets of three emails. Each phase provides the leads with a specific value: the first email offers another relevant lead magnet, the second gives more general context or storytelling, and the third includes a subtle sales pitch or call to action for a product demo that relates to the context provided.
The Methodology of Value and Context
Providing value and context helps transition leads from a purely transactional interaction to feeling part of a community or a tribe. It's essential to balance the give-and-take with your audience, whether it's more educational content or gentle nudges towards making a purchase. The methodology often employed is “give, give, give, ask,” where two instances of providing value precede a sale solicitation.
Modularity and Flexibility
Using modular automation for each phase makes it easier to manage and optimize. If a particular set of emails isn't performing well, we can shift it down the line or replace it with more effective content. This modular approach also simplifies moving successful content earlier in the funnel where it can have more impact.
Continuous Optimization
While the Evergreen funnel may seem a tad abstract at first, once we start executing within our CRM, it quickly takes shape. It allows us to cater to the specific interests of leads based on how they came into our world and continuously optimize it over time. Beyond automation, we can supplement engagement with manual newsletters to provide current updates or extra personal touch.
The Endgame: Conversion
After extending various offers and content, ideally, a point comes where the lead is convinced enough to become a qualified prospect or to purchase - a transition from being engaged to being fully vested. At this juncture, we can explore further segmentation and potentially move qualified leads into a sales integration process, a topic we will delve into in subsequent videos.
Action Steps
Develop an Evergreen funnel in the CRM to continuously engage leads
Structure the funnel around phased email campaigns giving before asking
Use a modular sequence approach for ease of optimization and management
4.4 Sales Integration - How Marketing Leads become Sales Leads and back
Sales integration serves as the pivotal mechanism through which marketing leads are evaluated and shifted along the path towards becoming sales leads and, potentially, back to marketing when timing isn't right or the fit isn't there. The process is underscored by engagement scores that signal a lead's readiness to enter the sales conversation and, subsequently, assignment of deals within the CRM to track these business opportunities. Automated tasks and deal progressions are designed to guide the sales team through qualification, demo, and follow-up actions. Not every lead progresses linearly—some return to the nurturing funnel in anticipation of future readiness—while others may be archived due to mismatch. This continual cycle ensures that no lead is left behind and that each one proceeds on an appropriate path reflective of their engagement level and fit for the product.
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Defining Sales Integration
The term 'sales integration' refers to the process where marketing leads transition to become sales leads—and vice versa. Understanding the triggers that indicate a lead's interest level is crucial. These triggers involve engagement metrics within our CRM, highlighting when a lead becomes hot enough to warrant direct sales attention.
Engagement Scores and Qualification
As leads interact with our content and offerings, their engagement score increases. Once this score surpasses a predetermined threshold—ours is set at 70—a trigger is fired to qualify the person. Qualification involves creating a 'deal' in the CRM, signifying that the lead is seriously contemplating our product or service.
Deals and Tasks Creation
Deals differ from contacts as they represent a potential business opportunity rather than just an individual's information. They come with a monetary value, usually the price of the product or service desired. Subsequent to deal creation, tasks are automatically assigned to sales development representatives (SDRs) for further qualification and, ideally, to schedule a demo or a meeting.
From Qualification to Demo
Upon qualification, leads pass into the hands of account executives or senior salespersons for a product demo. The outcome of this demo is binary: either the lead is won (successfully converted into a customer), or they are deemed not yet qualified.
Looping Back or Moving Forward
When a lead is not qualified, two primary scenarios ensue: a 'bad timing' case or a 'bad fit.' In the former, the marketing team reactivates nurturing by placing the lead back into the Evergreen funnel. In the latter, the lead may be archived if they're assessed as an unlikely buyer. It's a call to either persist in engagement or cease further efforts, depending on the lead's potential alignment with our offerings.
The Continual Nurture and Growth
The cycle then revolves back to nurturing through the Evergreen funnel or to onboarding and upselling post-conversion. This sales integration process is a loop, cycling from landing pages to emails, nurturing, sales, and back to nurturing—essentially encapsulating the entire lead generation and funnel-building process.
Action Steps
Establish clear criteria for assessing leads as qualified or not qualified
Implement lead scoring to signal when leads are qualified for sales
Set up automatic deal creation within the CRM
Action Steps - CRM Workflows
Step 4 - CRM Workflows - Organizing our Customer Journey in the ONE Source of Truth
New Leads - How we handle new leads entering our CRM
Identify and catalog all relevant traffic sources for lead imports into our CRM
Implement UTM parameters to effectively track lead attribution
Set up a double opt-in process to ensure lead quality and compliance
Lead Funnel - The first funnel after a new contact wants a lead magnet
Set up automations for each lead magnet with a trigger and series of actions
Implement tracking of interests for segmentation and follow-up communication
Develop a follow-up automation that introduces leads to additional content
Evergreen Funnel - The funnel in which all other funnels end in
Develop an Evergreen funnel in the CRM to continuously engage leads
Structure the funnel around phased email campaigns giving before asking
Use a modular sequence approach for ease of optimization and management
Sales Integration - How marketing leads become sales leads and back
Establish clear criteria for assessing leads as qualified or not qualified
Implement lead scoring to signal when leads are qualified for sales
Set up automatic deal creation within the CRM
Further Resources
Dig deeper into CRM Workflows
- Books
- Ask by Ryan Levesque
- Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler
- Sales Enablement by Byron Matthews & Tamara Schen
- Pirate Skills
Summary - Give, Give, Give, Ask
From not enough converting Leads to a full and qualified Pipeline
As we journey through the seas of growth marketing, we've charted a course that has led us to the creation of a marketing funnel rooted in value and driven by meticulous strategy. We began with a Funnel Overview, navigating the waters of low and high touch sales strategies and a multi-tier product approach. Each tier, from bronze to gold, has played a significant role in guiding potential customers to higher-value purchases.
Then, we anchored at the Landing Pages, where we constructed digital platforms designed to not only attract visitors but to convert them into leads and sales. The key to success here was understanding visitor psychology and designing each page to resonate and elicit the desired actions from our website traffic.
Communicating effectively is imperative to our excursion, and in crafting messages, we dove deep into our inbound and outbound correspondence – fine-tuning our approach for every stage of the buyer's journey. We tailored messages for awareness (ToFu), consideration (MoFu), and the critical conversion stage (BoFu), and didn't stop there—post-conversion, in the GroFu stage, we focused on nurturing and expanding customer relationships.
Finally, CRM Workflows empowered us to organize our customer journey neatly within a single source of truth. From the swift onboarding of new leads through seamless sales integration, we leveraged technology to keep our voyage on track, simplify our marketing efforts, and ensure a personalized approach to each prospect.
Our foray into building a marketing funnel has prepared us to take the next step: diving into the world of Data Analytics in Growth Marketing. Here, we'll unlock the power of data to refine and optimize our strategies further, ensuring that every decision is informed, every tactic measured, and our treasure – Growth – is ever within reach.
In a nutshell:
- Leverage both low and high touch sales strategies to navigate customer acquisition effectively.
- Design and optimize landing pages and messaging to better convert visitors through each stage of the funnel.
- Utilize CRM workflows to systematically engage and nurture leads towards sales conversion.
In summary, we've plotted a strategic map through creating a marketing funnel that's both resourceful and effective. From crafting trust-building customer journeys to proficiently converting leads into loyal customers, we have left no stone unturned in fortifying our arsenal for sustainable growth. Now, with our sights set on the horizon, we are embarking on the next leg of our adventure – making Data Analytics our steadfast ally in the realm of growth marketing.
See you there!
Ben
Captain at Pirate Skills