What is a Click funnel?

Recently, we released a blog post detailing ways that your business website could shake hands with the marketing arm of your organization. While doing so, we outlined what a sales funnel is. Which made us think to write this article, which will likely be short, about the digital version of a sales funnel called a click funnel!

What is a click funnel?

In short, a click funnel is a navigational methodology for a website to drive customer sales, up sell, and keep 'em coming back for more.

However, a more in depth answer is that a click funnel is typically a series of web pages that narrow down options for potential customers until they're led to the purchasing decision. These web pages generally start with an online ad, social post, or something not on your website. Then customers are lead to options for what to buy, add-ons, and finally to check out.

The Basic Steps of a Click Funnel

The truth is - there's no single one way to create a click funnel. Business types vary, which means that click funnels vary. However, most of the general concept stays the same. As we're going through the steps, keep in mind that this is written from the point of view of selling a product, not a service. Service click funnels are slightly more abstract (unless its a digital service) because it requires business to customer human contact, leads, following up on leads, quotes, etc.

Off-site attraction

The typical click funnel will begin with some sort of off-site attraction to your business. This could come in the form of a paid online advertisement with google. It could come from a social media post or ad. It could also come through an email campaign with someone who's previously signed up to receive marketing and promotional emails from your business.

No matter what the case is, the first step involves presenting something that's attractive to a potential customer. They're interested in what you sell and they're interested enough in your business to have clicked on your link or navigated to your page.

Your Landing Page (sweeten the deal)

The next stop in the typical click funnel will be a landing page. If your business only sells one thing or one type of thing, this very well may be your home page. However, a landing page doesn't have to be a home page. A landing page is a page that's dedicated to promoting a certain product or service for your business.

This is the step in the process where you may want to try to sweeten the deal by offering shadowbox promotions, or display whatever sale you have going on (in big bright text that's nearly impossible to miss). The point of this page is to get potential customers shopping around on your website and viewing the products and services that you offer. Here is where you'll either display those products and services or have X,Y, and Z for product/service categories for your potential customer to navigate to.

Your General Products/Services Page

Coming from your landing page, your potential customers should end up on a products or services page where they can scroll through the specific product/service offerings that your business has available. For instance if you were a phone company, your customers would now be shopping through different models/brands of the phones that you sell.

This leads them to clicking on a specific product or service offering, which leads us into the next step.

Your Specific Products/Services Page (Up Selling)

To continue our phone example, this is the point in the buying process where your customer is on a specific product's page. Let's say they've scrolled through your phone website and settled on the newest iPhone. Here they'll be choosing their storage amount and color. The only other options that should be on this page are links to other similar phones, the options for that phone, and the option to add to cart.

Cross-selling

Once your potential customer has clicked "add to cart", you have the opportunity to present them with add-ons, warranties, and other items that can be paired with their product or service. For instance, if they've decided they want the latest iPhone, you'll have the opportunity to ask them if they'd like a warranty, a screen protector, a case for their new phone, a screen replacement plan, etc.

The Decision

Once a potential customer has decided exactly what they're going to buy, it's time for them to make a decision. At this point in the process of a click funnel, you want as few distractions or navigational options on the page as possible.

Follow-through/Relationship Marketing

Once a product has been purchased, your customer will likely see a receipt/thank you page, and get an automated follow-up email. This is your chance to boost your relationship by having a great follow-through on your business's promises.

You'll also want to continue marketing to that person to foster the relationship they have with your business, and make sure that it stays a positive one.

How to create a click funnel

By following through on the steps we've outlined above, you and your business can create an awesome click funnel. However, if you aren't in the market to create one yourself - or if you feel that you lack the technical or theoretical know-how, feel free to reach out to us. We'd be happy to assist you in creating a click-funnel for your business.

Futurist Horizons is a website design and marketing company that specializes in creating effective and accessible websites and marketing content for businesses.