If you want to launch a simple funnel that turns a cold audience into appointments in the next 7 days, I’m going to break down the funnel we use to generate appointments on autopilot.
If you are in any kind of professional service business, whether you’re an accountant, broker or allied health professional, you’re reliant on those initial appointments, whether paid or free.
Once you get them into that first appointment, there’s a good chance they will then turn into a long term engagement.
….but booking out your calendar is where the struggle starts. If you don’t have a repeatable, and scaleable, model for putting appointments into your calendar then your business will always be stuck in a cycle of feast and famine.
So right now I’m going to show you a simple funnel that you might be surprised is widely used by us marketing types, but rarely used by regular businesses. It filters down a broad audience, allows you to target better audience matches and reduces your cost per lead.
Here’s why most Facebook ads fail:
- You create an offer with some ad assets
- Load it up into Facebook and choose your targeting
- Wait for the leads to come in.
But it does not work. You’ve just jumped to the end of the process – you’re targeting an a cold audience and you have not built both the need and the trust with the audience first.
When people are in Facebook, or any social platform, people are not there to buy something, so 2 things are happening here:
- Ad blindness – people are filtering out anything that is obviously an ad.
- People will only stop for something that hooks them – something that creates curiosity or addresses a need…but still people are not looking to buy from you.
People generally don’t like buying from strangers, and we have to recognise this. Furthermore, even with the best targeting most people are not going to be in the market for what you are offering right now.
So what do you think this does to your ad performance? People aren’t engaging, clicking and converting…your ad costs go up and just don’t work.
What does work? Treat your funnel like a relationship
We’re not talking about wining and dining them for the next 9 weeks. We’re just talking about leading with value before you ever promote to them.
You’re not giving everything away, just something they may be able to implement themselves – a taste of the value engaging you would give.
For example, if you offer a weight loss program, what’s one thing someone could do every day to achieve results? You know your program is more than one thing, so do you lose anything by giving it away? No, but you have just added to your “brand bank” – how much more likely is it that someone will now take an action when you ask them to?
So stepping it out, here’s how to create a very simple funnel to get people into your ecosystem.
Step One: Create incredible video content
Why video? Stat’s show that it performs better.
For some industries it might be an explainer video, but if you’re in a service industry where people are buying you – a paid initial consultation/long term engagement, or even a free discovery call – then I believe the best thing you can do is get in front of the camera.
As for what content to produce, the secret is in knowing your audience – what are their pain points? What do they want and need? Know the outcomes they are looking for and produce content that provides a solution for them.
At this point you are just giving. Do not ask for marriage on the first date!You want people engaging with your content, watching your videos or visiting your web pages.
Example: Weight Loss Coach
Topics: This one strategy helps my clients lose 5 kilo’s in 5 weeks
Step Two: Offer Something For Free In Return For Contact Info
At this point you are targeting someone that has already engaged with your content – you will be retargeting based on video views, website page views, post engagement, etc. The offer will have value
Some industries will get away with promoting an offer, but generally this stage is about offering something of value for free, that is also relevant to the content they have already consumed in exchange for contact details, with the minimum being an email address.
This content is often referred to as a “lead magnet” – an ethical bribe for someone’s details. The more value you offer, the more details someone is likely to share.
Common formats for lead magnets include:
- Free guide
- Free ebook
- Free cheatsheet
- Free trial
- Webinar
- Video series (in a membership area, or delivered via email)
- Free consultation
Example: Weight Loss Coach
Lead Magnet: Diet planner, or 10 minute a day exercise regime
Step Three: Convert To Sale
If someone has consumed your content and taken you up on your free offer, then they’re in your hitting zone.
You’ve now got options to convert them to a sale or an appointment. You can continue running ads to them, email them, and even call or text if you have those details.
Example: Weight Loss Coach
Conversion: Paid consult, or join program
If they’re not ready to take action then let your content marketing engine take over…keep delivering value, building your brand and authority until they are ready to take action.
Why Does This Work
Step 1 is about engagement. You’re producing content that is all about value so you get great engagement and Facebook rewards you for this with lower ad costs.
Step 2 is about content that achieves engagement (and by extension lower ad costs) because it is targeted to an audience that has been filtered by step 1.
At step 3 people are more likely to take action because they have been warmed up, have received value, and understand what you do and the impact you can have on their life/business.
This is all about helping people to buy, not selling….it’s about how you can help them, not about you.
