Conversion Funnel

A conversion funnel describes a website visitor’s journey before they make a purchase.

The concept of a funnel is an accurate metaphor because the number of prospects (typically) gradually decreases through every step of the process. The challenge for marketers is to keep prospects engaged as they move through the various stages of the funnel—if you manage to achieve this, you’ll massively increase your sales rate.

If your website meets or (exceeds) the expectations of shoppers, they’re more likely to make it down the entirety of your funnel.

So with all that in mind, we’ve listed the different stages of the conversion funnel:

Conversion Funnel Step #1: Brand Awareness

During the awareness phase, you’ll need to come up with marketing strategies to boost the exposure of your brand. There are tons of techniques you can use, but the ones you opt for should always align with the goals, vision, and values of your company as well as your budget.

One of the most effective and wallet-friendly methods is SEO, as the higher you rank in search engine results, the better chance you have of driving traffic to your site.

Social media is also fabulous for heightening brand awareness. In fact, over half of online shoppers (at one point or another) have made at least one purchase directly through a social media platform.

So, be active on social media, interact with your following, and post informative content—not only will this expand your audience but it will also help cement the idea that you’re an authority in your niche.

Conversion Funnel Step #2: Intrigue Customers

When consumers are familiar with your brand, it’s time to intrigue them—which is where content marketing and top-quality web design come into play.

You want to make your website as user-friendly as you can while providing customers with as much information about your brand possible. This is the only way to answer their questions and overcome any objections they might have about purchasing from you.

As such, you’ll want to create and publish high-quality content. When done well, this should build trust with prospects which—needless to say—helps boost conversions. The sorts of content you post should provide actionable, entertaining, and informative material on issues pertaining to your niche. People want information before they commit their hard-earned cash, so give it to them!

It doesn’t matter whether its an article, a video, an infographic, or an ebook, etc.—each and every piece should have the same goal; you want to gently push consumers further down the conversion funnel without coming across as sales-y. Instead, the focus should be on providing information and value.

Conversion Funnel Step #3: Consideration

Although this stage is very similar to the above phase, it serves a slightly different purpose.

At this point, you’ll need to provide incentives for a shopper to make a purchase. This goes beyond interest—this is where consumers start to understand and consider the benefits of what you’re offering.

The customer will likely weigh up an array of factors and make comparisons to your competitor’s solutions (especially if you’re selling high-ticket products), including:

• Cost
• Quality
• Convenience

Hopefully, by the time the consumers are at this stage of the funnel, they’ll want to make a purchase from you! However, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll follow through. If you’re experiencing high cart abandonment rates, you’ll need to get to the bottom of why people aren’t completing their purchases then modify your checkout process to try and improve things.

Now What?

Once you’ve managed to make a sale, you’ll need to continually launch new marketing campaigns to secure future transactions from existing customers—so, as you’ve probably already guessed, the conversion funnel is a constant cycle.