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marketing funnels are silly: part four
Part four: creating a system that works for youCool. So. So! So far in this series, you have seen the light about marketing funnels. They are nice and pretty BUT they are a failed attempt to simplify something deeply complex.
They force organizations to make company-centered instead of customer-centered decisions.
They create tunnel vision, causing people to miss or flat-out ignore signals customers are sending that say WE WANT THIS.
All of this is because humans are chaotic.
Your job in all of this is to determine what your customers need and are asking for, what you can actually deliver on, and how to get it to them. It’s a giant task. What you need is a system to make it easier. NOT a funnel. Systems can adapt and change. Funnels are rigid and flat. We’re going to start to build one today! You ready? If you’ve done your homework over the past few installments, by now you know your customer must-haves and what offers would entice them the most. You have a basic understanding of your customer journey. The next question is: How do they make decisions? Is your sales cycle long? If you have a service-based business, your sales cycle is likely longer than a month. As in, you get a lead, you start talking to them, you get on some calls, you scope a project, you pitch, you edit, you negotiate, and finally you sign a client. Our sales cycle is typically 1-6 months, depending on the urgency of the need. If you are selling products, your sales cycle should be much shorter. Your customer needs/wants a thing. They find your stuff and buy it. (note: if it’s a luxury item, the cycle is likely longer as they might have to save up for a special occasion) Homework one: how long is your sales cycle? Answering this question will help keep your spirits up when you don’t see movement immediately. Things take time! Next step: where do your customers live? What marketing channels do you need to be active on? Where do they make decisions and not just scroll on by? I can’t tell you how many service-based businesses I’ve worked with that put a ton of effort into Instagram when, in reality, most of their customers are over on LinkedIn. Or newsletter lists that are woefully neglected for products and sending one email brings in thousands in sales. (this happened last week for one of our clients) Or a whole catalogue of high-quality workshops gathering dust. My guess is you have plenty of content to work with. You just need to put the effort into the right places to make that content work for you. Homework: make a list of channels you should be active on Or choose from this non-exhaustive list:
Feeling overwhelmed? That’s ok. Your next step is to choose 1-3 channels you want to focus on for the next 3 months. Start small. Get a rhythm going. Then expand into more channels. The biggest blunder I see companies making is trying to do it all at once. It’s ok to do a couple of things really well before you add more to your plate! Ok, that’s a lot for now! Next week is the conclusion to marketing funnels are silly. We’ll rehash everything we’ve learned so far and talk about how to take what you did today and continue building a system that grows with you! Cheers, Anna (they/them) 🏳️⚧️✊🏳️🌈✊🇵🇸 Marketing funnels are silly, the series
What I'm (still) reading Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie Book three! Still reading it. Slowly, because my life is absolute chaos right now and I barely have time to do my favorite activity: sit quietly and read a book. A podcast about rethinking how business works - and who it should work for. Episode 14 features the one and only Tarzan Kay talking about consent-based marketing. You wanna listen to it, I guarantee it. Next episode drops Thursday! |
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Flying the Coop: EMMA Technology Cooperative "When you take infinite growth off the table, this entire world of possibilities opens up." — Ramsey Nassar, EMMA Technology Cooperative We make this show to learn things, ask good questions, and let really cool people shine (and maybe occasionally get a little clever ourselves). This conversation did something different: it reminded us that what we're building isn't just a business model. It can be radical. And maybe it should be. 📖👀 Prefer...
Part five: conclusion Y’all ready for the final installment of marketing funnels are silly? I am! This one has been fun to write. I do apologize for it coming out with long breaks between installments. Life got in the way, but that happens! And ironically, something a lot of funnel tactics don’t account for. (I’m looking at you, countdown timers) What we’ve learned so far: Balancing company- and customer-centered needs when you make sales and marketing decisions is critically important...
Part three: why the chaotic nature of being a human makes everything really hard The topic of today’s installment of marketing funnels are silly series: HOOOMANS ARE CHAOS MACHINES In the first installment, I broke down why marketing funnels encourage company-centered decisions instead of customer-centered ones. The second one, I showed y’all how marketing funnels create tunnel vision, leaving companies sans happy customers and/or fewer customers overall. The thesis throughout this series is...