Digital Marketing Explained: What Is A Marketing Funnel & What Copywriters Need To Know

What’s one of the most desirable skills that the highest-paying brands and businesses are looking for in copywriters today?

It’s not just that you can write killer copy… 

They also want to see that you know – and actually understand – exactly how a complete and cohesive marketing funnel works. 

So in this blog, we’re going to break down the marketing funnel – piece by piece. 

Hey, Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.

If you’re new to the crew – welcome!

On my blog, you’ll find tons of in-depth tutorials, copy critiques, practical tips and exercises you can use to start, grow and scale your online business. 

Now, it goes without saying that there are many, many, many different types of marketing funnels out there – ranging from those with an Einstein-level of complexity, with upsells, downsells, crosells, add-ons, tripwires, exit offers, cart abandonment offers and the list goes on and on… 

To your basic “starter” funnel, which is what I’m going to breakdown for you today…

Because before you can get all fancy with your funnel optimization, you gotta first HAVE one that works…

So today we’ll break down the core components of a marketing funnel, the purpose and goal of each component, and finally – how they’re all interwoven together to take a fresh lead from cold ➡️ to warm ➡️ to ready to buy! 

Let’s dive right in, shall we?

The Marketing Funnel Explained

Alright first, let’s start off with a super simple definition of what a marketing funnel actually is, and why it’s so important to understand as a copywriter. Now you’ve probably heard of the simple AIDA framework…

This is a conceptual sales funnel.

With awareness at the top, followed by interest, desire and ultimately action! This is how you take people from an unaware state to actually purchasing from you amongst all the other options in the marketing place.

I love the AIDA framework because it applies to every single sales process in the world. It’s not specific, it’s universal. So, keeping this universal framework in mind, how do you create a digital marketing funnel – what does it look like?

Well, essentially, a digital marketing funnel is the entire flow and assets and strategies used to attract visitors, convert them into leads, and nurture them towards making a buying decision. 

It’s designed to turn eyeballs into clicks and clicks into conversions, and conversions into long-time repeat customers! 

And it’s important for good copywriters to understand this process because the truth is… 

You might be the best copywriter in the world, but without the proper funnel in place to meet your customers WHERE THEY ARE AT and guide them through a buying journey – it doesn’t matter very much. 

This is why the highest-paying brands and businesses will pay extra for a copywriter who knows how to write and strategically map out each and every piece of an effective funnel.

The basic funnel we’re going to break down today looks like this: 

Ads ➡️ Landing Page ➡️ Sales Page ➡️ Indoctrination Emails ➡️ Sales Emails 

So let’s get started.

Ads

The #1 goal at the very top of every marketing funnels is getting awareness and attention (aka eye balls on your stuff). We call this “impressions” or “views” in the marketing world.

I mean people need to discover that you and your product actually exists before they can buy something, right?!

There are many different ways you can go about getting eyeballs or traffic to your content or website:

• Organic traffic via SEO
• Content marketing via social media
• Cold email marketing
• And so on.
  

But one of the most common ways to do this in direct response marketing is through using paid ads. These are the copy pieces that’ll take your prospects one click closer to discovering all you have to offer them.

Businesses will often run multiple variations of paid ads, with slightly different hooks and angles. But ALL these ads (once clicked) will move leads on to the next part of the marketing funnel…

Landing Page 

Once leads have discovered you through your ads, your goal is to get them to go one step further with you so you can continue to build a relationship with them and move them through your funnel. 

You want to pique their interest and get them to say, “Yeah, I want to know more about this…”

Again, there are various ways of doing this, but one of the common ways is to direct all this traffic to a landing page (also sometimes called a squeeze page or opt-in page).

While a landing page is technically any page where traffic “lands,” I personally use this term specifically for pages that are used for the purpose of converting visitors into leads. 

This is often done by providing a highly valuable FREE asset.

• Checklist
• Cheat sheet
• Guide
• Webinar
• Workshop 
• Masterclass

And they do this in exchange for their contact information (aka email address!) Once you have their interest AND email address, they then drop into the next component of the funnel…

Sales Page 

Once you’ve converted eyeballs into leads, the next step of the funnel is to try to convert those leads into customers. This is where you present them with an offer and turn their interest into desire.

This would be via a webinar, sales call or (my personal favorite) a beautifully written sales page! Or as I like to call it, the money page. 

This is the “big one” that most brands and businesses are focused on getting right – simply because this is the page that actually sells the product or service (aka this is where they finally make money!) 

The other components of the funnel – while all very, very important – don’t actually make your clients any money at all. In fact, they actually cost them money! 

But here’s the thing – the vast majority of your leads will not purchase right away. That’s why it’s so important to continue building desire, trust, and rapport with your audience in hopes that they will take action!

You don’t want holes in your funnel, your goal as a copywriter or marketing is to make sure your leads stick around…

Once of the best ways to do that post sign-up is through…

Indoctrination Emails

Once you’ve actually gotten a prospect to give you their email address, you can begin the process of nurturing those leads through a series of emails often referred to as indoctrination emails. 

The purpose of these emails are to build up more desire, awareness and trust by providing valuable and relevant content.

So instead of hard-selling, your primary goal with these emails is to educate your prospects on who you are and WHY you’re uniquely qualified to help them.

This is a great time to share who you are, what you stand for, and more importantly, that you understand THEM and their unique challenges and obstacles. 

Only then, once you’ve given your new lead enough time and valuable content to become more acquainted with your brand and values can you move them into the next component of your funnel and remind them of your offer with…

Sales Emails

Sales emails are sent with the purpose of ultimately getting a sale (aka taking ACTION). This can look different for every brand or business.

But generally speaking, when we’re talking about a new lead – who has never bought from you before – you’ll want to send them a minimum of 6-10 sales emails, including: 

• One to introduce your product.
• One to educate on the benefits and how it can help your prospects.
• One to convey incentive & scarcity. 
• One to showcase social proof & build authority.
• And a few to overcome objections + build trust.
  

And all of these emails should obviously have a call-to-action button or link that would bring your leads back to your sales page or core offer and hopefully buy.

And there you have it! The 5 core components of a marketing funnel. What it IS and what you as a copywriter need to know.

Now, are you ready to take all this knowledge from tactical to practical?

In my 8-week copywriting coaching program – The Copy Posse Launch Files – I won’t only equip you with the latest copywriting principles and techniques that are working today… 

But I’ll also walk you step-by-step through writing the essential copy assets we talked about today. 

That’s right, you’ll learn exactly how to write each and every component necessary for a complete and cohesive marketing funnel.

Which means in your portfolio, you’ll be able to showcase your next-level writing abilities and you’re understanding of how the pieces of a funnel work synergistically together.

And trust me… that is the type of experience and expertise that high-paying brands and businesses are looking for! 

You’ll find the link to get started right away in the description box below! 

Until next time, I’m Alex – Ciao for now! 

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