Being a service-based business or a B2B business sales can often be more difficult to obtain, so a clear sales funnel needs to be created and continued throughout the growth of your business.
You’re not asking for a one-time purchase, B2B is often aiming to be paid on a monthly retainer which requires building a long-term relationship with the client to provide the gift that keeps on giving.
Today I’m going to be explaining to you the proven best sales funnel for a service-based business so you can see how the customer journey unfolds and how eventually a sale is made.
Step 1- Make sure you’re consistent on social media
Now, your posts on social media may not be responsible for actually getting you leads but trust me it’s necessary to have it. Ever heard the term “people buy from people” well it’s really true. During the later stages of this funnel, your leads are going to be looking at you and researching your company, and if there’s nothing for them to find then it’s all over!
Not only do they want to see a consistent presence on socials but they also want to see that there is a human behind the company. So, make your socials as personable as possible, it’s not always possible to do so. I know we’ve got to stay professional but when you can add something quirky in there that displays your values as a company (something that people can relate to!)
Step 2- Offer free content
So, once you’re consistent on your social channels then we can move onto the real first step of the funnel.
Giving something for FREE, now I know that this isn’t always something we business owners are fond of, we’ve got to make a living at the end of the day but most of the time it is necessary to do for the greater good.
By offering a free asset you’re building the know like and trust with potential leads, displaying to them that you care about their problems whilst showing them that your service is the solution.
If they can see from this free asset that you’ve even marginally decreased their stress surrounding this problem then they’ll begin to understand the magnitude of positive changes your whole service could bring to their lives. These assets could be anything from a free trial, a top tip download, a how-to video, a discount code or an exclusive offer, just something that shows your leads you’re giving them a special service.
Step 3- Make the trade!
When I said your asset would be free, I didn’t mean completely free.
On a monetary value yes it’s for free but as a business owner you will be gaining something in exchange for your hard work, and this something is potentially more valuable than money when you’re growing a business.
When a potential customer is interested in your free offering they will have to give you something in return, their CONTACT DETAILS… depending on the type of free asset it’s usually their email address you’ll be after.
But, how do we make this trade to strangers who would be interested in our service? The short answer is Paid Social Media Advertising!!
Facebook ads manager has all the tools you need to specifically create this sales funnel stage.
All you have to do is select the objective as lead generation. Facebook will then allow you to create a contact form for your users to enter their details.
Then, you’ll connect this form to whichever CRM partner you’re using for your email marketing campaigns, this could be Mailchimp, Active Campaign, Send in Blue, etc. By creating this connection each user that enters their contact details in exchange for the free asset will automatically be emailed what’s been offered to them in the initial ad.
For more support on creating this sale funnel stage check out our whole milk paid ads package, back on the home page https://socialmilkmarketing.co.uk/services/whole-milk/
This essentially means that this lead has turned from a stranger (a cold lead) to someone interested enough in your service to give you their contact details (a warm lead) and all you’ll have to do moving forward is crank up the heat and get them bubbling!
Step 4- FOLLOW UP FOLLOW UP FOLLOW UP
We’re almost at the end of our sales funnel and hopefully, you’ve gained loads of contacts from your Facebook ad in exchange for your free asset which I think you’ll agree will be invaluable to your business and its future marketing campaigns.
The final thing you want to do within this funnel, and let me be clear that this is something you’ll want and need to CONTINUE doing is following up with those email leads.
Being consistently present in someone’s inbox provides more customer touchpoints for your leads.
You can do this through an email nurture campaign( find out how to write a nurture campaign concerning this funnel in blog… link) which can be automated and tracked again through your CRM partner.
Although it may feel like you’ve got to the end of your sales funnel, it’s never truly over. If you have between 500 and 1000 contacts you should be sending 8-12 emails per month as part of a strategic email marketing campaign.
If you have more contacts then you should be looking at 15-20 emails per month. These emails may never receive a response specifically and trust me it’s a long process, but they are watering the seed of interest that you’ve planted with your free asset to the point that it’s a fully grown paying customer!
For more support on writing your email nurture sequence check out https://socialmilkmarketing.co.uk/2021/12/13/email-nurture-campaigns/
So, be sure to persevere and keep monitoring your social stats, your CRM stats and make changes accordingly if one email isn’t working don’t continue to send it, try and try again until you find a sequence that works for you and your customers.
Found this blog useful?
if you’re a service-based business and have found this blog useful feel free to get in touch today and we’ll walk you through it, or even better take it off your plate!
Looking to take your Marketing to the next level?
Check out our variety of blogs and services available to help you bring your Marketing to the next level. Can’t find the flavour for you? https://socialmilkmarketing.co.uk/#pricing Reach out today and we’ll create a unique blend to meet your specific marketing needs. To find out more about what we can do for you and what we’ve done for others visit our About page here: https://socialmilkmarketing.co.uk/about/
