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The Importance of Lead Generation Funnels
Introduction
If you’re looking to grow your business and acquire new customers, you need a lead generation funnel. This article will provide you with all the information you need to understand lead generation funnels and how to build one for your business. We’ll also discuss different scenarios of how lead funnels can be used in various industries.
Understanding Lead Generation
A lead is someone who has shown interest in your product or service. However, not all leads are created equal. To differentiate between different types of leads, marketers and sales teams use the concepts of MQLs, SQLs, and SALs.
MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads)
MQLs are leads that have been deemed qualified by the marketing team based on specific criteria. These criteria are typically set by the marketing and sales teams together, and they aim to identify leads who have shown a certain level of interest or engagement with the company’s marketing efforts.
SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads)
SQLs are leads that have been further qualified and deemed ready for direct engagement by the sales team. These leads have shown a higher level of interest and engagement compared to MQLs. The sales team evaluates SQLs based on additional criteria beyond what the marketing team assessed.
SALs (Sales Accepted Leads)
SALs are leads that the sales team has accepted and agreed to engage with, but they have not yet met the criteria to be classified as an SQL. Further qualification or nurturing is required for SALs to be considered sales-ready.
It’s important for all teams to use the same definitions when running lead generation campaigns to ensure consistency and easy reporting.
Building a Lead Generation Funnel
Lead generation funnels, also known as acquisition funnels, are a subset of sales funnels. The goal of a lead generation funnel is to acquire leads, rather than making an immediate sale. A lead generation funnel typically consists of five essential elements.
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Traffic Generation: This involves driving visitors to your squeeze page or landing page. There are various ways to generate traffic, such as running paid ads or leveraging social media.
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Squeeze Page: This is the page where visitors land and learn about your offer. It should have a compelling headline and persuasive copy to entice visitors to provide their contact details.
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Lead Capture Form: The lead capture form is where visitors can exchange their contact details, such as their email address, in exchange for the incentive you’re offering.
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Thank You Page: After submitting the lead capture form, visitors should be directed to a thank you page where you can present them with a special offer or additional information.
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Incentive Delivery: The incentive, such as an ebook or video, should be delivered to the visitors via email or another method.
Once you have these elements in place, your lead generation funnel is ready to go. Let’s explore some examples of how lead funnels can be used in different industries.
Lead Funnels in Different Industries
Example 1: Dietician
Let’s say you’re a dietician looking to acquire new customers. Your lead magnet could be an ebook with healthy breakfast recipes for busy commuters. To drive traffic to your landing page, you can leverage your Instagram and Facebook presence. Once visitors sign up and provide their contact details, you can send them a welcome email with more information about the content they’ll receive. Additionally, you can present an offer for a one-on-one consultation with a complete training program and an individually-prepared diet plan.
Example 2: Ecommerce Business
Imagine you’re an online store owner selling accessories and fashion items. To generate leads, you create gift guides for different interests. You can drive traffic through Facebook ads targeted at people with specific characteristics and interests. Once someone fills out the signup form, they receive a thank you email with a link to download the guide. From there, you can turn your lead funnel into a sales funnel by adding more emails with recommendations and discount codes for their first purchase.
Example 3: Coaching Business
Coaches can also use lead funnels to acquire new clients. The lead magnet could be a strategic guide, video course, or toolkit related to the coach’s area of expertise. The rest of the funnel would follow a similar structure as in the previous examples, with traffic generation, a squeeze page, lead capture form, thank you page, and incentive delivery.
Creating a Lead Funnel with GetResponse
To create a lead generation funnel using GetResponse, follow these steps:
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Access the funnel creator by clicking on the menu icon in the navigation bar and selecting the GetResponse Conversion Funnel.
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Name your funnel and choose the “Build a list” option. This will generate a new list of contacts for your leads.
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Use the funnel wizard to manage the elements of your funnel, such as signup pages and automated emails.
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Create a signup page by selecting a template or building one from scratch. Edit the template to customize it to your brand and add the necessary elements.
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Create an email for the welcome message that will be sent to leads who fill out the signup form. Customize the email template to match your signup page.
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Promote your signup page through various channels, such as social media and your blog, to drive traffic and generate leads.
Once your funnel is live, you can continually optimize and improve it to generate more leads and conversions.
Conclusion
A lead generation funnel is a crucial tool for any business looking to acquire new customers. By understanding the different stages and interactions a potential customer goes through, you can create an effective lead generation funnel that drives traffic, captures leads, and converts them into paying customers. Use the steps outlined in this article and the features provided by GetResponse to build your own lead generation funnel and start growing your business.