You have the right offer and the right copy, but no one is biting. You may feel as though you have done everything in your power to raise your conversion rate, with no avail. You may be using the correct procedures, such as incorporating whitespace and including only one call to action. Even if you feel that you have the right offer and copy, nobody is taking the bait.
Sales funnels are what keep a business going by providing a stead stream of revenue. Without them, a business will quickly run out of gas and come to a screeching halt.
Drive high-quality traffic to a high-converting sales funnel and the result is a simple math problem:
Traffic + Sales Funnel = Revenue
When it comes to top of the funnel content marketing, the one size fits all tactic is not applicable. Different types of ToFu content attract different customers:
1. Blog content
You should start a blog if you don’t have one already. Blogs are a great way to stay relevant, attract site visitors, and create conversations. They also increase your ROI by 13%.
There is no doubt that creating and maintaining a blog takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
But creating a ToFu content post or two per week could be all it takes to prove to clients that your business is up to date with current trends and information relating to your industry. Here are a few top of the funnel content ideas:
Skyscraper/Cornerstone Content
ToFu content, or “skyscraper blogs” are those high quality pieces of content that your audience will want to refer back to again and again. Just like you would pin your favorite posts to the top of your social media pages, ToFu content is trustworthy and significant.
An excellent cornerstone blog consists of:
- At least 2000 words ( should be three times longer than an average blog)
- Several links that lead clients to your other top of the funnel content
How-to guides
How-to guides are reliable when you want to save time. This top-of-the-funnel content gives a quick, straightforward tutorial on how to do something.
In order to make your content more captivating, you should include images or screenshots of the process and mention items or services that your company offers to make the task simpler.
Comparison posts
While most clients want to use the best services and products, an average client may not have time to research the best products and services. They may rely on service providers to give them options that represent good value. You can simply:
- Pick at least two popular companies.
- Compare and contrast their services and product features.
- Jot down the reviews
- Mention how easy they are to operate and the customer support.
2. Industry trends and analysis
Here you can write about topics that are frequently searched in your industry. This will attract other clients who are curious as to why these topics are paid attention to.
3. Guest posts
Publish content on a third-party website that will introduce your business to a new audience.
4. Interviews and webinars
Interviews offer an opportunity for maximum visibility. You can improve your image by recording an interview with a colleague or someone in the same business network. You should also look for opportunities to be interviewed by other companies.
Webinars provide an opportunity for interactions and learning. Potential customers can attend live sessions where they can ask questions and get feedback. This increased interaction allows you to showcase your products and services more effectively.
5. Podcasts
Podcasts are growing in popularity very quickly. You can use them to share large amounts of content that is easy to consume.
6. Quizzes and surveys
There’s nothing more engaging than content that’s interactive and at the top of the funnel. Here are some ideas to make it enticing and fun:
- Keep it short and captivating with at most ten questions.
- Add a text box on surveys for your audience to ask questions.
- Make it easily readable by adding images on text responses.
- Include a call to action
7. Press releases
A press release is a tool that can help you get the attention of media outlets and media personalities. By creating curiosity, a press release can prompt people to read your content.
8. Company news
You could be making your business stand out from the competition by doing great things, which you could show off in press releases.
Thank yourself for your efforts and then reflect on any challenging decisions you made as well as your growth and long term goals.
9. Images
An image is worth a thousand words.
10. Pinterest
When you post images from your ToFu content on Pinterest, you can increase your visibility.
11. Infographics
Infographics can help to make complex statistics more understandable and visually appealing, making your audience more likely to want to learn more.
12. Video content
In addition to educating your audience through video content, you can also use short videos (10 minutes or less) to demonstrate the problems your business solves, showcase a product or service, or provide a combination of testimonials.
Other ways to engage your audience are through long videos, such as vlogs, case studies, success stories, or behind the scenes footage.
You should make sure your top-of-the-funnel content is more attractive as it goes along to keep your audience’s attention.
13. Free website tools
This includes free webpages, online tools, and a free subscription to newsletters and email lists.
14. Product pages
If your website offers different pages for each product or service, it can help you expand your top-of-the-funnel content and increase your chances of being found online.
15. Ads
Reach out to potential customers through paid advertising with ads that will Funnel them to your product. Make sure your content is captivating and motivates leads to sign up for your newsletter or purchase your products and services.
16. Landing page
The main goal of a landing page in a top-of-the-funnel marketing strategy is to convert visitors into potential clients with a great call to action.
17. Lead magnets
Generating leads can be difficult, but using a lead magnet can be a helpful strategy, especially if you need to generate leads in a large quantity.
What’s a lead magnet?
You can give someone a gift by asking for their email address and/or other contact information. This is a great way to get someone’s name and/or email address.
For your own business, you could create a…
- Free eBook
- Free masterclass
- Free downloadable resource
- Free checklist
18. The soap opera sequence
Not all experiences are good. Not all experiences with new companies are good.
The idea with a Soap Opera Sequence:
The first email should be exciting and suspenseful to make the reader want to read the second email. Continue this pattern with each email until you have built trust and authority with the reader. Then, offer a product or service.
19. Tripwire funnel
Now let’s examine a few sales funnels that we have found to be effective for growth at ClickFunnels.
Two-Step sales page
First, visitors see the sales page which offers a great deal that your target market can’t resist. It’s a lead magnet except you’re offering it for a small amount of money. This page requires people to enter their shipping and payment information to continue.
OTO page
The second page in a funnel offers a discounted, one-time offer that is more expensive than the previous page.
Most people abandon their shopping cart because they have to input their shipping and payment information. The OTO Page usually converts at a surprisingly high rate because this step has already been taken care of.
Offer wall page
This is your receipt and/or thank you page.
A tripwire funnel is an effective way to convert cold traffic into customers or to get warm leads who have not purchased before to make a purchase.
20. AutoWebinar funnel
At ClickFunnels, they have two types of webinar funnels.
- The Webinar Funnels
- The AutoWebinar Funnel
The two webinars differ in that The Webinar Funnel happens live, while the AutoWebinar Funnel is a replay of a recorded webinar.
Webinar registration page
This is the section where people sign up for your webinar and provide their contact information. Take note that on the AutoWebinar Funnel, the webinar’s scheduled playtime is usually just 10-15 minutes from the viewer’s current local time, even though the webinar has been pre-recorded. This is done to create a sense of urgency and scarcity.
Webinar confirmed/countdown page
The next page the new webinar registrant goes to is a page where they wait for the webinar to start playing. There is usually a countdown timer on this page to indicate how long the registrant has to wait.
Webinar broadcast
Then there’s the webinar broadcast!
Webinar replay
You can direct people to this replay of the webinar if they missed it or had to leave early.
Indoctrination pages
The Indoctrination Pages are designed to make people more likely to buy what you’re selling and to get them to agree with your ideology.
Follow-Up funnel automation
The “follow-up funnel” is a series of emails that are sent out after a webinar. These emails promote the replay of the webinar, as well as any products or services that were offered during the webinar.
21. Upselling
Upselling is offering an additional product or service in the middle of your sales funnel.
An upsell is a product or service that is offered to a customer who has already purchased a different product or service from the same company. The upsell is usually more expensive than the original purchase, often by a factor of three to five times. For example, if a customer buys a $7 product from a company, they may be offered an upsell that costs $21 to $35.
People are more likely to accept an offer during an upsell if it is appealing and not too expensive. This is because people are already in the buying mindset and have already overcome the friction of entering their shipping and payment information.
22. Down selling
Down selling takes upselling one step further.
If someone rejects an offer to purchase a more expensive item, a less expensive item is offered instead. This could be the same item as the original offer with an additional discount, or a different but less expensive item.
An upsell is when a company tries to get you to buy a more expensive version of the product you were originally going to buy. A down sell is when a company tries to get you to buy a less expensive version of the product you were originally going to buy.
23. Order bumps
An order bump is an additional product or service that a customer can add to their order with a single click at the last minute.
Most of the time, order bumps can be found on the “Confirm Your Order” page during the checkout process. There may be just one order bump available, or there could be multiple options.
When adding an order bump, it is best to include an item that is related to the customer’s current purchase. For example, if they are buying shoes, try adding matching socks.
An order bump is an additional product that a customer can add to their order with just one click. Order bumps are a great way to make the most of your existing customers because they’re already interested in what you’re selling.
24. Hook, story, offer
When you start digging into the nitty-gritty details of designing and building a funnel that converts, things can get a little tricky. Sales funnels are a great idea in theory, but can be difficult to execute in practice.
You see the sales funnel and you understand the steps that people are supposed to take. The whole thing can be very eye-opening for online entrepreneurs!
Here are the details.
Hook
An effective sales page needs to be attention-grabbing in order to make people want to take the time out of their day to learn more about what is being offered.
Story
Your next step is to tell a story to the visitor. This story should be about a time when you or a client were in the same position as the visitor. Next, detail the discovery process that you or the client went through. Finally, explain how you or the client emerged from the situation better than before. This story will illustrate to the visitor why your products or services are the solution they need.
Offer
Make an irresistible offer by using things like urgency, scarcity, discounts, and bonuses.
25. Problem aware vs. solution aware
People who are problem aware are those who know that they have a problem that needs to be solved. People who are solution aware are those who know that your product or service can solve their problem.
Problem aware
The people in question are aware of the issue they face but are unaware of any potential solutions. The sales page should play on their emotions by showing empathy for their problem and then presenting a previously unknown solution.
Solution aware
The people in question are aware that solutions to their problem exist, but have not yet committed to taking action to fix the issue. The reasons for this could be fear, lack of self-trust, or simply because the problem has not yet caused enough pain to spur them into action. A sales page attempting to sell this solution should highlight why many other solutions are ineffective, and why this one is different.
Conclusion
It is not easy to set up content at the top of the funnel. It is something that you cannot do in one day. It is something that you will have to actively work on as long as your business is running. Even though it may be difficult, closing deals effectively and efficiently will lead to significant improvements.