Let's begin by first defining what funnelling is. A marketing funnel is a tool that helps you visualize a consumer's or prospects journey, or the path they take as they become familiar with your company/brand/organization, from the introduction to conversion (and hopefully beyond).

It is not complicated to understand. It is important that you do understand that consumers and prospects, especially in the social network channels, are not going to jump at the first offer or deal that pops into their newsfeed. Most people would first like to understand who they are buying from before making a decision to purchase.

Put a little love in their hearts...

Nurturing your prospects and future customers will help increase conversions (closing sales/deals/leads). If you have been seeking a proven strategy, that really works for any amount of time, you have by now heard all the buzzwords and catchphrases:

• Content is King
• Video is King
• Engagement
• Call To Action
• Retargeting/Remarketing
• SEO
• Blogging
• Algorithm
• AI
• Marketing Automation
• CRM
• Analytics

These marketing concepts are all necessary at some point for you to consider or fully understand what they mean. The truth to be told is most of all the elements should play a role in your marketing funnel. Marketing Funnelling is not just another catchphrase. Understanding the journey your future customer takes is necessary to improve conversions.

What does a great marketing funnelling plan look like?

Your marketing funnel plan must take your prospect on a journey from start to finish. It is recommended that you map out the journey in advance (old school style - pencil and paper). Anticipate the journey/process circulating for more than 1 day or even 1 week in some cases. We all have different sales deadlines, however, keep in mind a consumer or prospect may take more than one touch. Therefore the shorter or sales/prospect window the more aggressive your plan will need to be.

Get Started

Determine your end game (result desired / conversion) - Yes, start your plan backwards. What are you trying to achieve (conversion goal)? If you are trying to gain a lead (prospect inquiry) then write this down at the end of the map. To obtain a lead your prospect must complete your lead capture form (right?). Well, what compelling reason have you presented to give your prospect to give up their most private asset - their email address? Don't panic - the answer to this question is not figured out at the end of the map but it is important to keep the eye on the prize.

Keep the campaign consistent - Your plan needs a campaign strategy. The elements of a good campaign include but are not limited to:

Keep the campaign consistent - Your plan needs a campaign strategy. The elements of a good campaign include but are not limited to:

1. The Target

   Thet most important step in the process of planning a marketing campaign is identifying and defining your audience. Who do you want to appeal to? Who is the person at the end of the funnel? The more narrowly you can define the person -- remember you are talking to a person, not a company -- who will benefit from your service or product, the better results you will get. What problem will you solve for them?

2. The Audience

   Once you have the target definition established, you need to identify a set of contacts that fit that profile. First, look inside the organization for contact lists. You may have more than you realize. Salespeople's contact lists, opt-in lists gathered from your Web site, other departments and existing customers are all sources to turn to first. People that you already have a relationship with will be more likely to read your message than a stranger - but keep in mind the prospect should be someone likely to purchase your product or services. Using Facebook's audience manager will give you a huge jump start in building your plan. Keep in mind that you want to build a relationship with these prospects. If you execute your campaign as a one-time event rather than to build long-term relationships, you are going to be massively disappointed.

3. The Value Proposition (what can you offer before the conversion)

   Think about the target audience you have identified, stand in their shoes and identify their problem you can solve (find the pain). Your value proposition is just that: What value can you deliver to help them improve their business or solve their problem? Tell them, clearly and without jargon, how you can do that. Make it real to your prospects by giving them actual examples of how you have helped organizations similar to theirs.

4. The Delivery Method

   How are you going to deliver the message to your target audience? Consider strongly a multi-touch strategy. Different people respond to different types of contact and content types. whatever you decide make sure you keep the message consistent. Keep your end goal in mind. If you provide coaching services then the majority of your campaign content needs to ensure that point of the topic is covered in the delivery of the message.

5. The Follow-Up

   Your campaign is only as good as your follow-up. Just like you, your prospects are busy and get hundreds of marketing messages each day. You need to continue the dialogue with them until they opt out or buy.

Provide value first / The Offer (Call to Action) - Don't leave the conversation without offering more to those who are interested. Don't dismiss the opportunity to convert early if possible. A call to action helps you identify the prospects who need more attention. Not everyone you target is going to buy (convert); it's a very small percentage that will read your message and a smaller percentage that will have any interest. Give them a reason to engage. The first engagement point in the journey of a prospect may be as simple as watching a 60-second video for 10 seconds. As the prospects engagement level increases or continues to be steady you will find these people convert much faster. This is the entire secret sauce to funneling.

Building a retargeting strategy - Retargeting is traditionally thought of as a process that takes places after prospects enter into the conversion funnel but do not convert. As a part of your follow up strategy you must prepare to retarget not only failed conversion but prospects that engage with campaigns. It is a natural part of the marketing funnel to retarget prospects and it is a MUST DO. If you don't know how to implement tracking pixels, or monitor your online presence get help (we can help - release.zone/helpme)

Monitor and Measure everything - You cannot retarget properly without measuring and reviewing your progress. For example, if you target 5000 prospects and only 5 engage, and 1 converts, your campaign may need to be adjusted. Your campaigns to follow will not do well if your retargeted audience is only 5 of 5000 prospects. Monitoring your campaigns daily will position you to respond to anomalies that were not foreseen in the initial planning process.

Nurture loyalty - How do you define loyalty? Is loyalty solely a conversion? For sure you need to keep following up with those that convert to ensure repeat business from these customers or referrals. Many overlook following up during the customer's journey. What does that mean? For example, if a prospect comments on a post it is your duty to respond and engage with this person. Failure to do so could easily disrupt the journey of this future customer. Also, don't be afraid to direct message customers where the opportunity introduces itself. Doing this will position you to deliver content and future campaigns directly to them (boom!).