When it comes to marketing, small businesses have a nasty habit of making novice mistakes. They think that they need to spend a fortune on radio ads or Facebook marketing. But little do they realize that there are other, much cheaper, techniques out there that work much better. 

Enter Funnels

Enter the humble marketing funnel. 

Funnels have become much more popular over recent years. Practically everyone is using them because of their profound ability to radically transform conversion rates and sales. 

Funnels are essentially digital guideposts that steer customers towards a purchase decision. 

When customers first encounter your products, many of them don’t know why they should buy them. They can’t quite see the benefits that they offer. Plus, it can be hard for them to know which product to choose. New customers particularly can become confused by all the options open to them. 

Funnels on your website and other marketing channels can help tremendously here. You can think of them as being a bit like guideposts that let consumers find their way through complicated product categories. Once you have a funnel in place, you can build it up and make it more successful with the help of a web design agency.

The Stages Of Sales Funnels

Most companies think of sales funnels as being digital assets on their web pages, like a product page. But the most successful entrepreneurs view them more broadly than this. They see them as internet-wide tools for capturing and processing customers. 

Funnels are wide at the top for collecting the largest number of people. So, translated into marketing terms, this stage of the funnel usually involves putting effort into raising awareness of your brand and getting people interested. Usually, generating impressions is cheaper than leads, so you can afford to reach out to a vast number of people. 

At some point, a subset of these individuals will choose to explore your products further, perhaps visiting your website. These people are essentially prospects - people with an intention of buying from you either now or in the future. 
Getting these people to part with their money is still tricky. But a sales funnel can help to guide them in the right direction. 

After that comes the people who are ready to commit to your brand. Usually, these individuals just require a smooth payment process and that’s it - nothing else. They know they want the product - it’s just a question of handing over the requisite money. 

Using Funnels In Your Business

The great thing about funnels is that all arms of your digital marketing complement each other. Your Facebook ads, for instance, serve as the awareness stage of the funnel, getting people interested in your brand. Then your product pages and checkout provide the final stages that transform prospects into customers.

Funnels are a basic idea, and yet companies still aren’t using them to the extent they should. Once you have a powerful conversion pipeline in place, you can begin converting at a higher rate and making your marketing dollars work for you, not the other way around.