If you've landed on this post, you're probably juggling more than one business and wondering if you can streamline your operations using a single Thrivecart account.
It's a great question — one that I’m asked a lot, and it’s a complicated one. As someone who's gaga for Thrivecart, I've dug deep into the nitty-gritty of using this powerful tool for more than one brand.
Heads up: this article is mostly geared towards those who want to create two businesses where the ideal client is totally different, like a fitness coaching business and an entrepreneurship for busy moms course business. While yes, there may be some overlap, in actuality, the probability is really low. That’s why you’re setting them up as two distinct brands in the first place, as exercise videos and hiring mindset really have no business being next to each other on a webpage or in an email. If you’re creating a new brand that is in an adjacent link, you can skip to the bottom.
Limitations of Using Thrivecart for Multiple Different Businesses
Single Subdomain:
First things first, Thrivecart gives you just one subdomain for checkouts (like damajue.thrivecart.com or go.damajue.com for a custom domain).
This means all your checkouts, regardless of the business, funnel through one URL. Not ideal if you want to maintain a distinct brand identity for each venture.
One Course Dashboard:
Got lots of courses and digital products?Thrivecart only includes a single course dashboard. While it keeps things simple, it also means every course you offer, across all brands, lives in one place, one login. This could confuse your students if they're expecting a dedicated brand experience.
ESP Integration Limit:
Here’s a potential biggie for multi-business owners. You can only hook up one email service provider (ESP) per Thrivecart account. That means you can only connect 1 ConvertKit account or 1 Drip account, for example, but not 2 different ConvertKit accounts.
So, if you’re planning to send customized emails for each brand using the same email service provider, you're stuck unless you get creative with workarounds.
One Account Workarounds and Compromises
Now that we’ve covered a few of the potential limitations of using one Thrivecart account for multiple businesses, let’s talk about ways that you can make one account work for you.
Hiding Courses:
You can set up your course dashboard so only enrolled students see their purchased courses. This helps prevent brand crossover and keeps your students from getting a peek at unrelated courses.
The downside of this is that a lot of people purchase when things they don’t have are shown in their course dashboard. Personally, in the first 17 weeks of 2024, I made an extra ~$6k from sales from people who explored courses in their dashboard that they didn’t yet have. That’s not an insignificant amount and definitely not money I’d be willing to sacrifice to avoid purchasing another Thrivecart license at a fraction of that cost.
Generic Branding on Course Dashboards:
In order to not confuse your customers, you’ll need to skip brand-specific info and design on your main course dashboard. Keep it generic to avoid brand confusion. So they know they’re in the right place, opt for a simple graphic showing both logos.
Using a Generic Subdomain or Embedded Carts:
Again to avoid confusion, which might cost you sales, you’ll need to use either a neutral subdomain that doesn’t favor one brand over another, like your name, or avoid subdomain issues altogether by embedding carts directly on your branded websites.
Course Login Page Adjustments:
Show both brands’ logo on the login page to set proper expectations for your users. Transparency is key to trust!
Financial and Technical Considerations
Single Payment Gateway:
Thrivecart lets you connect one PayPal and one Stripe account per account. This means all money earned, regardless of the brand, ends up in the same pot. If your businesses have different financials, this could get incredibly messy at tax time.
Email Service Provider Split:
To manage communications for different brands, you would potentially need separate ESPs. Think ConvertKit for Brand A and MailerLite for Brand B. This way, you can maintain distinct marketing strategies without stepping on your own toes. Yes, this means having to write and send double the emails, but that’s unavoidable when running two businesses anyway.
Pros and Cons of Multi-Brand Management with Thrivecart (aka using one Thrivecart account for two different brands)
Pros: Using one Thrivecart account means you only need to purchase it once and simplifies your overall business data: you can access total sales for both brands in one login.
Cons: You'll face challenges like brand confusion, limited customization options, difficulty accessing brand-specific data*, and potential customer service headaches when the lines between businesses blur.
*What I mean here: when you use one Thrivecart account for two brands, all your offers will be listed, comingled, in your products tab. All your sales will be comingled in your data dashboard. It is nearly impossible to see only Brand A’s sales or just Brand B’s as there’s no way in the dashboard to select multiple products and then run reports. You’ll have to run the reports for every single product, one by one, and then compile them in Airtable or Sheets or something. Super tedious.
Can I use Thrivecart for two brands if they’re similar and serve the same ideal client?
That’s different. If you’d feel comfortable emailing your list about both or either brands, then yes, you can confidently treat them as two brands run as one business and use a single Thrivecart account to handle all your checkouts and courses for both. This is basically my setup.
I am able to do this because customers who enjoy this blog, or buyThrivecart Template Shop courses, trainings, and templates are interested in Thrivecart, funnels, online courses, launching, digital marketing, and in many cases, automation. Customers of my eponymous brand DamaJue.com are interested in funnels, online courses, launching, digital marketing, automation, and email marketing.
The two brands serve essentially the same ideal client: someone who runs an online business and wants to sell courses or digital products. So I felt it was safe to have one email list, one Thrivecart account. I also knew that I absolutely would not want to send weekly emails separately, for each brand, or manage separate social media channels, separate launches, or separate financials.
So, can you use a single Thrivecart account for two brands? Yes. But should you?
Can you use Thrivecart for more than one business? Yes, but it comes with a “handle with care” warning. If your brands are closely related and you're okay with the compromises, and you’re willing to market them via the same channels, it might work like a charm.
However, if clear brand separation is crucial because they serve two different customers, consider other solutions or gear up for some creative problem-solving that frankly may not be worth it in the long run.
What if I only want to use two separate accounts temporarily? Again, this is another, “sure you can” situation, but consider the drawbacks: every product you create, every course, and every student will have to eventually be moved over to its own account when the business grows. Migrations are tedious and a huge time suck, plus you’ll lose historical data and create confusion and extra work for your customers.
At the time of the publishing of this post, a new Thrivecart account costs $495 for life — frankly that’s a small price to pay for all the benefits of having a dedicated system you can build on for years.
I'm stoked to walk you through the process of setting smart marketing goals that drive real results for your business. Defining clear, actionable goals is crucial for any successful marketing strategy, as they provide direction, focus, and measurable objectives to work towards.
Whether you're looking to boost brand awareness, increase website traffic, or make more sales, smart marketing goals will help you stay on track and actually make your desired outcomes happen, efficiently and without stressing yourself out in the process.
In this guide, we'll explore the basics of smart marketing goals, including what they are, why they matter, and how to create them using the SMART framework. We'll also dive into connecting your marketing goals with your overarching business goals, ensuring alignment and maximizing impact. Plus, you'll find practical examples and insights to help you craft marketing goals that best serve your specific needs.
What Are Marketing Goals?
Marketing goals are the broad, overarching aims that businesses set to achieve desired outcomes through their marketing efforts. They help provide direction and purpose for marketing strategies and campaigns. As an entrepreneur, I’m sure you’ve felt that “pulled in a million directions” feeling before and this sort of thing can really help with staying focused!
Some common examples of marketing goals include:
Increasing brand awareness and recognition
Bringing in more website traffic and online visibility
Getting in front of + converting more qualified leads and prospects
Improving customer engagement and retention rates
Making more sales and consistent revenue growth
Expanding market share and reaching new audiences (fancy way of saying: getting in front of new people!)
Marketing goals differ from marketing objectives, which are the specific, measurable, and time-bound targets set to accomplish those broader goals. While goals outline the general intentions, objectives define the actionable steps and metrics to track progress.
For instance, a marketing goal could be “increasing brand awareness,” while a corresponding objective might be “growing social media following by 5,000 in 5 months to coincide with a new product launch.”
Smart marketing goals guide all marketing activities, ensuring that resources and efforts are aligned toward achieving the desired results. They help businesses stay focused, prioritize initiatives, and measure success effectively.
Why Set Marketing Goals?
Setting clear marketing goals can have a huge impact on the success of any business.
Here's why:
Marketing Goals Provide Direction and Focus:
Marketing goals serve as a roadmap, guiding your efforts toward achieving desired outcomes. They help you identify the most impactful activities to focus your resources on, maximizing your return on investment (ROI).
Aligns with Long-Term Vision:
Well-defined marketing goals keep your business aligned with its long-term vision, preventing distractions from short-term trends or irrelevant activities.
Enables Progress Tracking:
Marketing goals allow you to set specific, measurable targets, enabling you to track your progress effectively. This helps you course-correct when needed and celebrate milestones along the way.
Promotes Accountability and Motivation:
Clear goals foster accountability and motivation within your marketing team (or you, if you’re a solopreneur). They provide a shared sense of purpose and inspire everyone to work towards achieving those targets.
Resource Allocation:
By setting marketing goals, you can better coordinate and allocate resources efficiently, ensuring that everything you do is working towards the same objectives.
Demonstrates Strategic Impact:
Aligning marketing goals with overall business objectives helps demonstrate the strategic impact of your marketing efforts, empowering you and your team to deliver tangible results.
In essence, setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) marketing goals is a critical step in developing an effective marketing strategy. It provides the foundation for success, enabling you to track performance, optimize efforts, and ultimately drive growth for your business.
Make Your Goals SMART
To ensure your marketing goals are actionable and impactful, it's crucial to make them SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Aspirational, Relevant, and Time-bound. Let's break down each component:
Specific:
Define clear and precise goals with quantifiable metrics. Instead of “increase website traffic,” aim for “drive 50,000 monthly website visitors from organic search by Q4.”
Measurable:
Incorporate quantifiable metrics that allow you to track progress objectively.
Examples include website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, social media engagement, and revenue growth.
Achievable/Aspirational:
Set goals that are challenging yet realistic based on your current performance, resources, and capabilities. Stretch goals can motivate you, but they shouldn't be unrealistic.
Relevant:
Ensure your marketing goals directly support your overall business strategy and objectives. They should align with your target audience, buyer personas, and long-term vision.
Time-bound:
Establish clear deadlines or timelines for achieving your goals. This adds accountability and allows you to monitor progress effectively. For example, “increase email open rates to 40% within 4 months.”
By following the SMART framework, you'll create focused, measurable, and actionable marketing goals that align with your business priorities and drive real results.
Here are a few examples of SMART marketing goals:
Increase Website Traffic: Achieve a 25% increase in organic website traffic from the US market within 6 months by optimizing content for high-volume keywords and improving site speed.
Boost Email Engagement: Grow the email subscriber list by 10,000 and increase the average open rate to 30% by the end of Q3 through targeted lead magnets and segmented campaigns.
Enhance Social Media Presence: Double social media engagement (likes, comments, shares) across all platforms and gain 5,000 new followers in the next 5 months by implementing a consistent content calendar and influencer collaborations.
Remember, SMART goals provide clarity, focus, and measurability, enabling you to track progress, optimize strategies, and celebrate successes along the way.
Connecting Marketing Goals to Business Goals
Connecting marketing goals to overarching business objectives is important for driving meaningful impact and growth. Here's how to ensure seamless alignment:
Understand the Bigger Picture:
As a marketer, develop a deep understanding of your key objectives, whether it's increasing sales, expanding your reach, building brand awareness, or launching new products.
Set Meaningful Metrics:
Identify marketing goals that directly support business objectives, and establish meaningful metrics to track progress. Continuously analyze how marketing activities influence buyer behavior and revenue.
Account for Time Lags:
Recognize that marketing's impact on revenue, especially in B2B environments with longer sales cycles, may have a time lag. Plan for this by focusing on building a healthy sales funnel today to drive future revenue.
Align Strategies and Tactics:
Carefully evaluate and challenge marketing strategies and tactics to ensure they ladder up to the overarching business strategy. Prioritize activities that drive progress towards shared goals.
By maintaining a strategic mindset, and consistently tracking meaningful metrics, marketers can ensure their efforts are tightly coupled with the broader vision and objectives of the business, amplifying the impact of their work.
Marketing Goals Examples
To illustrate the practical application of smart marketing goals, let's explore some specific examples that businesses can implement:
1. Increase Brand Awareness:
Tell a compelling brand story that resonates with your target audience.
Identify where your ideal customers spend time online and engage with them on those platforms.
Consistently share valuable content and actively participate in conversations to build brand visibility.
2. Generate High-Quality Leads:
Utilize lead capture forms, email newsletters, and retargeting ads to capture potential leads.
Leverage content marketing and social media to attract and nurture quality leads.
Analyze trends in leads that convert to customers to refine and improve lead quality.
3. Acquire New Customers:
Implement sustainable and scalable customer acquisition tactics tailored to your business model.
Track metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC), total new customers, churn rate, and product sign-ups.
Continuously optimize acquisition strategies based on performance data.
4. Increase Website Traffic:
Invest in paid advertising campaigns to drive targeted traffic to your site.
Monitor metrics such as annual recurring revenue, average revenue per user, and conversion rate.
Continuously optimize campaigns and tactics based on revenue performance.
By setting specific, measurable, and actionable goals aligned with these examples, businesses can effectively execute their marketing strategies and drive tangible results.
Marketing Goals Aren't Just Revenue-Driven
While revenue goals are undoubtedly crucial, successful marketing strategies encompass far more than just making sales. I believe that building a strong brand identity, fostering customer loyalty (REALLY high quality offers goes a long way for this), and establishing industry authority are equally vital objectives.
Cultivate a Strong Community:
Nurture a vibrant community of customers, clients, and industry professionals. This can lead to higher profits through repeat business, positive word-of-mouth, and a loyal customer base. Engage with your audience, provide value, and create a sense of belonging. In short, be friendly and approachable while showcasing your knowledge.
Build Brand Identity and Reputation:
Differentiate your brand by crafting a unique identity that resonates with your target audience. Consistently deliver on your brand promises, and use social media to connect with both folks who are curious about your brand and also stay top of mind with long-time fans. Initiatives like volunteering and mentoring can also enhance your brand's reputation and authority.
Become an Industry Expert:
Position yourself as a thought leader by creating high-quality content, participating in industry forums, and offering valuable advice to customers. Collaborate with micro-influencers or other well-respected experts in your niche or adjacent niches, share insights through blogs and events, and provide exceptional customer experiences that set you apart. Personally, I like doing 1:1 collabs and guest blog posts, and soon, interviews for my upcoming YouTube channel.
By pursuing these broader marketing goals alongside revenue targets, you can build a sustainable, customer-centric business that thrives on strong relationships, industry credibility, and a distinctive brand identity.
Final Thoughts
I’ll admit that sitting down and setting big, broad smart marketing goals can feel a bit intimidating or overwhelming, but I’ve found it to be a huge help and also a way to keep me focused throughout the year. By embracing the SMART framework, you can create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives that align seamlessly with your overarching business goals. These well-defined targets serve as guideposts, ensuring your marketing efforts remain focused, purposeful, and impactful.
Ultimately, smart marketing goals empower you to track progress, optimize strategies, and celebrate milestones along the journey. They foster accountability, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose within your team. Remember, while revenue goals are crucial, a holistic approach that encompasses brand building, customer loyalty, and industry authority is key to long-term, sustainable success.
When choosing the right email marketing platform for your business, two leading contenders are Drip and ConvertKit. ConvertKit is an email marketing platform built specifically for creators, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. It's designed to be powerful yet user-friendly, catering to the needs of online creators, bloggers, and content creators.
On the other hand, Drip is marketed as best suited for e-commerce and online sales, offering deep integrations with online stores and advanced behavioral tracking, I've found on a feature-by-feature analysis, it is really well suited to creators too.
While I personally use and love Drip for its advanced features like content snippets (check out my Four by Four Footers strategy), I’ve found that many creators aren’t even considering it, with ConvertKit being the go-to email platform for email marketing for creators. This guide will compare the key features, ease of use, deliverability, pricing, and customer support of Drip vs ConvertKit, helping you decide on the right email marketing platform for your business needs.
When it comes to key features, both Drip and ConvertKit offer robust email marketing capabilities, but with distinct strengths and approaches.
Here's a comparison of their core features:
1. Form and Landing Page Builders
ConvertKit: Includes a simple form builder and offers 4 built-in landing page templates. It can also do pop-ups on your website if the platform is supported, like WordPress.
Drip: Integrates with third-party landing page builders like Thrivecart, Instapage, Unbounce, and Leadpages. It also has a form builder and pop-up builder. Drip calls their popup builder Onsite campaigns, which is like having a a built-in ConvertBox, with slide-ins, spin-to-win popups, opt-in forms with dropdowns and radio buttons, countdown timers, and mystery sale popups. I’ve used the spin-to-win feature and my customers LOVED it. All paid Drip users have access to Onsite campaigns.
WINNER: The advantage goes to ConvertKit if you don’t have a pagebuilder (or website, like WordPress or ShowIt) and need them to host your landing pages. If you don't need a landing page builder for your freebie opt-ins and are happy to use your own site or a popup, then Drip’s Onsite steals the show.
2. Email Automation and Sequences
ConvertKit: Offers “Visual Automations” for automated sequences, rules, email sequences, and can send one-off emails, called broadcasts. You can do a lot with CK's automation builder, including create a “forever funnel” or endless nurture sequence.
Drip: Offers “Workflows” for automated sequences, rules, email sequences, and can also send one-off broadcasts (also called campaigns). Can send and receive webhooks that allow you to connect to other softwares without Zapier — this feature alone is what made me choose Drip over ConvertKit. I save hundreds of dollars each year by using webhooks instead of relying on Zapier to handle all my automations from one app to another. For the super techy, one more thing to note: you can also build automations/workflows in Drip that don't require a trigger; eg. there's no tag or form that add a subscriber into an automation; they're only added from another one of your workflows, something I use in my automations after the lead has gone through several steps and after I've had them go through a conditional/decision, like testing if they've been a subscriber for longer than X days, have or have not made a purchase, etc.
WINNER: While I think both are powerful and offer a lot of automation workflow options, Drip’s drag-and-drop visual automation builder and the webhook capability that ConvertKit doesn’t have makes Drip the winner here.
3. Segmentation and Tagging
ConvertKit: Can segment based on tag and also create custom segments for multiple conditions.
Drip: Can segment based on tag, custom field, lead score, and tagging features.
WINNER: they’re pretty equal
4. Testing and Reporting
Both platforms offer split testing and reporting on campaign performance.
WINNER: ConvertKit’s reporting has improved over the past few years, but Drip’s analytics still show a lot more data with easy-to-use filtering and reporting and are the winner here.
5. Integrations
ConvertKit: Integrates with a LOT of softwares natively, like WordPress, WooCommerce, and Teachable, as well as various apps like Zapier, etc. ConvertKit is often one of the first email softwares that third party companies set up as native integrations, making it super easy to connect to your tech stack.
Drip: Integrates with many third-party tools (like Thrivecart, including automatically tracking customer lifetime value which ConvertKit can’t do) and offers a few native integrations that ConvertKit doesn’t, like Facebook Custom Audiences and Facebook Lead Ads.
WINNER: Let’s call it a tie, although this one is more of a “it depends what other tech you use.”
Example: my favorite form builder software connects effortlessly with Airtable, but doesn't have a native integration with ConvertKit or Drip yet. But, because Drip can accept inbound webhooks (see the Automation section above), I can still connect FillOut with Drip, without Zapier.
5. Email builder
ConvertKit: clean, simple builder. Perfect for folks who want simple, more plain, less designed emails. They recently added some new design blocks but for the most part, there are not a ton of templates. You may need to know some code to design your own highly-designed, attractive email template, or purchase third party templates. The “snippet” or html block can be glitchy. A plus: tagging on link click (aka link triggers) happens right inside the builder and is easy to use.
Drip: The drag and drop style visual email builder makes it easy to design attractive, colorful emails and templates. Large template library. The easy to use drag and drop email builder was one of the biggest reasons I chose Drip over ConvertKit; I felt limited by ConvertKit’s builder. I love that Drip lets you create and save blocks, even for entire sections, that you can easily drop into an email.
WINNER: for me, this is hands-down Drip. These ease of use of their builder was one of the other big reasons I chose Drip
6. Advanced field and personalization features
Both ConvertKit and Drip offer custom fields that can be set by visual automations/workflows, conditional content via liquid code, global content snippets, and trigger links (eg. apply this tag when this link is clicked). Drip also offers expiring links and inbound and outbound webhooks, a feature I absolutely love for compiling subscriber data for tracking data in my funnels.
WINNER: they’re nearly equal, with expiring links and webhooks nudging Drip ahead as a clear winner
7. Ease of Use and User Experience
When it comes to ease of use and user experience, ConvertKit and Drip take distinct approaches that cater to different user groups.
ConvertKit excels in its simplicity and intuitive design, making it an excellent choice for bloggers, content creators, and small business owners who prioritize a user-friendly interface. The platform's clean and responsive email design and straightforward WordPress integration for opt-in forms and landing pages provide a seamless experience for those seeking an uncomplicated email marketing solution.
On the other hand, Drip's interface is more sophisticated and feature-rich, catering to marketing professionals and data enthusiasts. While this approach offers advanced customization capabilities and unique, brand-aligned email designs, it comes with a steeper learning curve. Drip's visual workflow builder and automation tools are powerful but may require more time and effort to make the most of, especially for those new to email marketing.
Drip vs ConvertKit: Which to Choose?
Ultimately, the choice between ConvertKit and Drip depends on your business's needs and the level of complexity you're comfortable with. If you value simplicity and a user-friendly experience, ConvertKit may be the better fit. However, if you are excited to make use of advanced automations, personalization, and customization features, Drip's robust features might be a better fit for you.
6. Deliverability and Spam Handling
When it comes to email deliverability and spam handling, both Drip and ConvertKit have robust systems in place to ensure your emails reach their intended recipients. However, there are some notable differences in their approaches.
Drip is widely recognized for its excellent email deliverability and proactive spam handling. The platform employs advanced techniques to maintain high inbox placement rates, including:
Automated List Hygiene: Drip makes it easy to remove inactive subscribers from your list, improving overall deliverability [6].
Reputation Monitoring: Drip closely monitors its sending reputation and takes immediate action to address any potential issues.
Spam Filtering: Drip's sophisticated spam filters effectively identify and prevent the delivery of potential spam emails.
ConvertKit, on the other hand, takes a more straightforward approach to deliverability. While it doesn't offer the same level of advanced features as Drip, ConvertKit still maintains a solid reputation with email service providers. Its key deliverability features include:
Double Opt-In: ConvertKit requires subscribers to confirm their email addresses, reducing the risk of spam complaints.
Spam Monitoring: ConvertKit monitors spam complaints and automatically unsubscribes addresses with excessive complaints.
Email Authentication: ConvertKit supports email authentication protocols like SPF and DKIM to improve deliverability.
As with any email marketing platform, deliverability can be influenced by various factors, including your content, list quality, and sending practices.
7. Pricing and Value for Money
When it comes to pricing and value for money, both Drip and ConvertKit offer competitive plans tailored to different business needs.
Here's a breakdown of their pricing structures:
ConvertKit is generally more cost-effective for smaller email lists, with plans starting at $29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers for the lower tier and a limited free plan available too. This makes it an attractive option for bloggers, content creators, and small businesses on a tight budget.
Drip, on the other hand, is slightly more expensive, with plans starting at $39/month for up to 2,500 subscribers. However, Drip offers more advanced features, such as drag-and-drop visual workflow builders with webhook capability, in-depth segmentation, and lead scoring, which can be invaluable for larger businesses or those with complex email marketing needs.
Plan
ConvertKit
Drip
Free Plan
Free plan (only includes 1 automation and 1 email sequence)
No free plan
Paid Plan
$29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers, but to be comparable with Drip, would need the Pro plan at $59/mo for 1,000 subcribers
$39/month for up to 2,500 subscribers
Free Trial
14-day free trial (no credit card required)
14-day free trial (no credit card required)
While ConvertKit may be more affordable for smaller lists, Drip's advanced capabilities and integrations can provide significant value for businesses willing to invest in a more robust email marketing solution that can scale with you as your business grows.
Ultimately, the choice between the two platforms will depend on your specific needs, budget, and the level of complexity you require.
8. Customer Support and Resources
When it comes to customer support and resources, both Drip and ConvertKit offer excellent options to assist users, albeit with slightly different approaches.
ConvertKit is widely praised for its personalized support and strong community of creators and bloggers. They provide a ‘concierge migration' service free of charge for users with over 5,000 subscribers, ensuring a smooth transition from other platforms.
Additionally, ConvertKit offers assistance in migrating forms, automations, and subscribers, even for smaller lists. Their customer support and success teams are dedicated to helping creators succeed and fostering a supportive environment.
ConvertKit Support Highlights
Free concierge migration service (for lists over 5,000 subscribers)
Assistance with migrating forms, automations, and subscribers (for smaller lists)
Personalized support and success teams
Strong community of creators and bloggers
On the other hand, Drip shines with its excellent technical support and extensive resources, including videos to accompany their support documentation. The platform offers a wealth of webinars and detailed guides to help users navigate its advanced features. Drip also provides a concierge service specifically focused on assisting with email copywriting, a valuable resource for businesses seeking professional guidance.
Drip Support Highlights
Excellent tech support via email and chat with native English speakers in the US Central time zone — they’ve saved my bacon a few times!
Frequent live webinars and detailed resources
Concierge service for email copywriting assistance
Quick and detailed responses to customer inquiries
While both platforms excel in customer support, their strengths align with their respective target audiences. ConvertKit's personalized approach and creator-focused community resonate well with bloggers and content creators, while Drip's extensive resources and technical support cater to the needs of marketing professionals and data-driven businesses.
Features Drip has that ConvertKit doesn't (and vice versa)
Only with Drip: Deep integration with Thrivecart
While both Drip and ConvertKit have a native (read: no Zaps required) integration with Thrivecart, Drip's robust API means that Thrivecart users get a lot more data, including:
Tracking lifetime value (total $ in purchases), per subscriber
See the revenue generated by every broadcast (campaign, one-time email), email series, and workflow (automation). How would knowing exactly how much revenue a specific email or workflow generated impact you + your business?! I'm willing to bet seeing those numbers would give you a motivational boost to write + automate more 😉
Trigger an automation to run only when a customer's lifetime value exceeds a threshold, eg. after someone has purchased more than $100 with you, start them in an automation that thanks them for their business and offers them a custom coupon, for example. See image below
Tigger automations based on events in Thrivecart. See image below
Connect your customers to the products they love with product recommendations (I'm still figuring out how to use this with Thrivecart, will update when I have more to share here!)
See some of the triggers available in Drip, specifically, the lifetime value trigger:
See some of the triggers available based on events inside Thrivecart:
NOTE: as of April 2024, these advanced triggers are not yet firing reliably due to API updates that Thrivecart needs to make on their end. As of April 12, 2024, these are planned for implementation by June or July, 2024.
Only with ConvertKit: Creator referral network
ConvertKit’s creator referral network allows its users to recommend other creators to their new subscribers, and also benefit from being recommended. For several friends of mine, this has been a really nice method for growing their list and something I wish Drip had. One more thing: while both Drip and ConvertKit can integrate with SparkLoop, ConvertKit has the integration built right into their higher tier plan.
Biggest perks and annoyances
ConvertKit:
Biggest perks: Creator referral network for list growth, Sparkloop integration for collecting data like polls, etc
Biggest annoyances: glitchiness and limitations within the email builder, no webhooks, no lifetime value tracking unless you exclusively use their Stripe integration + checkouts, not the best reporting and analytics
Drip:
Biggest perks: Lifetime value tracking for Thrivecart and Shopify, Onsite campaigns (spin-to-win popups, etc), inbound/outbound webhooks, drag-and-drop email builder and visual automation builder, deep integration with Thrivecart for customer lifetime value tracking (and also being able to see how much revenue each email or automation brought in)
Biggest annoyances: no creator referral network for list growth, no countdown timer widget that you can add to emails. I embed email countdown timers with this instead.
What's the best email marketing software for course creators, Drip or ConvertKit?
While I personally use and love Drip for its advanced features and seamless integration with content snippets (a strategy I teach called Four by Four Footers), it might be a bit robust for beginner email marketers.
Choosing the right email marketing platform can go a long way towards the success of your business and marketing efforts, as it impacts your ability to effectively communicate with your audience, nurture leads, and make sales.
Both Drip and ConvertKit offer powerful solutions, but their strengths align with different business needs and user preferences.
Ultimately, the decision between Drip and ConvertKit should be based on factors such as the size of your email list, the complexity of your marketing goals and funnels, your budget, and your willingness to invest some time to get the most of the platform's features.
Not sure which email marketing platform is right for you? Check out my Email Service Matchmaker training that covers all of the most popular options and who they are best for. Whichever platform you choose, ensure it aligns with your business goals, provides the necessary features, and enhances your overall email marketing efforts.
Sales funnels aren’t just for selling your own products! Affiliate marketing is a pretty awesome method for earning passive income, but affiliate funnel success isn't just about choosing the right products to promote; it's about how you promote them. A sales funnel, specifically designed for affiliate marketing, is a powerful tool to increase conversions and maximize earnings.
This guide will walk you through building a sales funnel for affiliate marketing success, using strategies I've implemented with tools like Thrivecart, to give you a leg up on your affiliate marketing.
Understanding Sales Funnels for Affiliate Marketing
A sales funnel outlines the journey a potential customer goes through, from learning about a product to making a purchase. In affiliate marketing, this journey is crucial because it helps warm up leads to a product or service you endorse but don't own.
The essence of a successful affiliate marketing funnel is treating the promoted product as if it were your own. This approach ensures you select products with a significant commission and genuine value to your audience, much like I do with Thrivecart.
Components of an Effective Affiliate Marketing Funnel
The effectiveness of an affiliate marketing funnel lies in its components, tailored to guide potential customers through the stages of awareness, interest, decision, and action.
One of my most successful affiliate funnels is my free Thrivecart mini training funnel. I think this funnel really excels because it demonstrates thee product value through an in-depth video, making it easier for leads to understand the benefits and make a purchase decision, especially when incentives like exclusive bonuses are offered. Sidebar: check out my epic affiliate bonus for Thrivecart here.
How to Build an Affiliate Marketing Funnel
Now you know a little bit more about why and when you might want to create an affiliate marketing funnel, let’s talk about the steps:
Identifying the Right Affiliate Products
The first step is selecting products that align with your audience's needs and offer attractive commissions. You want to choose evergreen products (so you won’t have to continuously update your funnel), that will make you enough money that it’s worth the time investment.
Choose products you've used and can enthusiastically vouch for, which makes promoting easier for you and brings some major realism and authenticity to your promotions.
Creating Compelling Content
Your funnel should start with content that addresses a problem your audience faces, positioning the affiliate product as the solution. This content can be a blog post, a social media update, or a webinar, like my Thrivecart example, designed to generate interest and lead viewers to the next funnel stage.
Lead Capture
Use an opt-in page to capture email addresses by offering something of value in return, such as a free guide, a discount code, or bonus content. This step is crucial for building your email list and also following up on their interest. I have the opt-in page linked all over my website, my blog sidebar, and featured in my emails using my very affiliate marketing friendly email strategy, Four by For Footers.
Nurturing Leads
With a series of automated emails, you have an easy way to remind folks about your bonus, provide additional information about the affiliate product, share testimonials, and address common objections. This stage is about building trust and demonstrating the product's value.
Conversion
Finally, direct your nurtured leads to the affiliate product's sales page, where they can make a purchase after clicking your affiliate link. Consider offering a bonus if they purchase through your affiliate link as it can have a huge positive impact on conversion rates. This is a bit ‘extra’ but if you have time, or if its a lucrative affiliate funnel, you can also create a landing page about the product with your affiliate link and bonus, a sort of affiliate sales page. These are great for SEO!
Leveraging Bonuses in Your Affiliate Marketing Funnel
Bonuses are a really successful strategy for me when it comes to my affiliate marketing efforts. They add value to the offer and can be the tipping point for someone on the fence about making a purchase.
For instance, with Thrivecart, I provide exclusive bonuses to those who purchase through my affiliate link, treating the promotion as diligently as I would my own product. Be sure to create or choose bonuses that complement the affiliate product and enrich the buyer's experience, preferably something you can create once and can deliver with little extra work or fuss.
Best Practices for Affiliate Marketing Funnels
Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your funnel pages are mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of online traffic comes from mobile devices.
Track and Analyze: Use tools to track your funnel's performance. I use Airtable to track things, for the most part, and check on it once a month or so. Analytics will help you understand where you're losing leads and where you're converting, allowing for optimization. Start by checking how many people opt in to your affiliate funnel and how many buy within a few weeks of opting in.
Continuous Testing: Always test different elements of your funnel, from the opt-in offer to the email copy, to find what works best for your audience.
Final Thoughts
Building a sales funnel for affiliate marketing requires careful planning, a focus on providing value, and strategic use of incentives. By treating affiliate products with the same care as your products and creating a structured funnel strategy, you can significantly increase your affiliate marketing success.
Remember, the goal is to guide potential customers through a journey that not only introduces them to a product you believe in but also shows them its value, culminating in a purchase that benefits them, the product creator, and you. That’s a win-win-win!
Finding tools that streamline business operations while allowing me more creativity and a better student experience is a huge win for entrepreneurs. One such tool that has had a huge positive impact in how I manage and grow my course creator business is Softr.
As a big fan of effectiveandefficient (ok, yes, lazy) business solutions, I keep finding new ways to use Softr, and I'm excited to share some of them today.
What is Softr.io?
Softr.io is a versatile platform that allows users to create no-code websites, web apps, and portals directly from Airtable data, without any coding knowledge.
Its native (aka free) integration with Airtable, along with the no-code interface, makes it a big time-and-hassle-saver for business owners looking to improve their student and member experience with automations, filterable and searchable dashboards, and interactive course features.
Softr Pricing
Softr does have a free plan so you can test it out for yourself. I do recommend upgrading to a paid plan for extra features, like: custom domains, being able to embed blocks onto another website or inside your courses (more on that later), and remove Softr’s branding.
There are so many unique ways to use Softr in your business. Here are 8 ways that I’m currently using Softr for my course creator business to give you some ideas of how versatile it really is.
1) Using Softr For Bundle Dashboards
Thinking about hosting a bundle? Use Airtable for your submission forms so you can use Softr to pull that data into a beautiful page for your bundle buyers.
It makes it so much easier for them to sign up for the products they want and it’s so much easier vs copying & pasting all that info to a separate website.
I also keep myself organized as a bundle host with Airtable and Softr too. You can learn more about hosting your own bundle (and using Airtable + Softr) inside Bundle Formula.
2) Using Softr For FAQs
FAQ sections are vital for customer support. Using Softr, I've developed comprehensive FAQ pages for within my courses and programs that not only address common student questions but also let them explore questions others have asked, too. It also embeds beautifully inside my courses, so they don’t have to log in anywhere else.
3) Using Softr For Assets / Template Libraries
Have a digital product or course that includes a lot of resources or templates? My program Bundle Formula alone has over 100 templates inside, the library was massive! You can use Softr to set a beautiful template library that is searchable and filterable by category – your students will thank you!
I currently have this set up for ConvertBox Jumpstart and my Move to Thrivecart group program too.
4) Using Softr For Slide Deck Embeds
Ever have students asking you to share your slide decks? I don’t usually share them, as they’re my intellectual property, but occasionally I’ll use Softr to embed the slide deck inside courses, like my Google Doc workbooks viral training On Brand Fillable Workbooks. so students can thumb through them.
5) Using Softr For Resource Lists / Affiliate Links
I love using Softr to create resource lists or for sharing affiliate links. While this is a really good idea for Black Friday, it works year-round!
I share exactly how to do this (with templates and tutorials) inside Black Friday Deals. This is perfect for anyone who wants to make affiliate marketing a bigger slice of their revenue streams.
6) Using Softr For Live Q&A Replays
Softr has revolutionized how I offer value through live Q&A sessions. By sharing replays using Softr, I provide ongoing searchable access to these resources, which my students absolutely love.
7) Using Softr For Podcast Guest Episodes
Are you a speaker or looking for more speaking opportunities? Adding all of these features to your website can be time-consuming. As I do more podcast guest episodes, I’ll be using Softr to keep track of them and will then embed that list onto my speaking page.
So much easier and FASTER to update!
8) Using Softr For Popup Websites
Softr’s agility in creating popup websites has been a game-changer for launching short-term projects or events. The speed and ease with which I can set up these sites have significantly boosted my marketing campaigns.
I used Softr to build this page for my Show and Tell Contest.
After thoroughly integrating Softr into various aspects of my business, I can confidently say that its value far exceeds its cost. The time and resources saved, coupled with the increased productivity and creative freedom it offers, make Softr an indispensable tool for any business looking to save time, automate, and streamline different parts of their business.
Final Thoughts
Embracing Softr has not only optimized my business operations but also opened up new options for creativity and growth. Its user-friendly interface, coupled with powerful integration and customization capabilities, provides a solid foundation for any business looking to leverage the power of no-code solutions.
If you're on the fence about adding Softr into your tech stack, my advice is to dive in with a free account and try it out – the potential benefits are too big to ignore.
If you’re not very tech-savvy or want Softr help, you’ll definitely want to check out my Black Friday Deals training that shows you exactly how Softr works!
’ve been a funnel strategist for years and while I don’t build funnels for clients anymore, I’m still very much connected to the world of sales funnels. The one problem I see? Sometimes we are just overcomplicating the sales funnel creation process! Creating a sales funnel quickly and efficiently is essential for businesses aiming to increase their online presence and sales. Simplifying your tools can streamline this process in a major way, making it totally doaible even for beginners.
This blog post will guide you through creating a quick funnel using three powerful tools:Thrivecart, Marketing Magic App, and Drip. These tools will help you set up your offer, craft compelling copy, and automate your email sequences, ensuring a smooth journey for your potential customers from awareness to purchase.
Understanding the Basics of a Quick Sales Funnel
A sales funnel is the journey a potential customer goes through, from first learning about your business to making a purchase. It's crucial for converting leads into customers. The right tools can make this process simpler and more effective, allowing you to focus on what you do best – growing your business.
Tool 1: Setting Up Your Offer with Thrivecart
Step 1: Start by creating a $0 product in Thrivecart for your freebie.
This could be an ebook, a mini-course, or any other digital product that provides value to your potential customers. Snag some of my templates inside the Thrivecart Template Shop to make this process even faster.
Step 2: Consider adding a bump offer or an upsell in Thrivecart.
Tool 2: Crafting Your Copy with Marketing Magic App
Step 3: Use the Marketing Magic App to generate all the copy you need for your opt-in pages, thank you pages, and emails.
Struggling with the right copy for your sales funnel? This AI-powered tool can save you hours of work and ensure your copy is optimized for conversions.
Click here to see behind the scenes of how I use it and how awesome it really is! Plus, you can grab a free trial to test it out yourself.
Tool 3: Automating Email Sequences with Drip
Okay, so you don’t have to use Drip as your email marketing provider. I do and I love it, but it’s not the right choice for everyone’s needs. Click here to check out Email Service Matchmaker if you aren’t sure about the email platform you’re currently using.
Step 4: Connect Thrivecart to Drip using Thrivecart behaviors.
This integration allows you to automate the delivery of your freebie and the follow-up communications, making your funnel run smoothly without constant supervision.
Step 5: Set up your email workflow and sequence in Drip.
This should include a series of emails that nurture your leads, provide additional value, and guide them toward making a purchase.
Optimizing and Refining Your Funnel
Anytime I talk about funnels, I can’t not talk about this: they aren’t a ‘set it and forget it’ type of thing. It's important to monitor your funnel's performance and make improvements based on the data you collect. Watch your stats in both Thrivecart and Drip to see where you can optimize your funnel for better conversions.
Final Thoughts
Creating a sales funnel doesn't have to be complicated. By following these steps and leveraging the power of Thrivecart, Marketing Magic App, and Drip, you can set up a simple yet effective funnel that guides potential customers through the buying process.
Remember, the goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to learn about and purchase your products or services. With these tools, you're well on your way to achieving that goal.
If you landed here on this blog post, you were probably searching for‘Funnel Gorgeous Society Reviews’or ‘FG Society Reviews’ — and you're in the right place! I’ve wanted to write this in-depth review of FG Society since I joined over 2 years ago, as it is one program I’m often asked about.
So, if you’re considering signing up for Funnel Gorgeous Society and getting certified as a triple-threat marketer, keep reading!
Let's dig into the Funnel Gorgeous review of their funnel certification program and how it impacted my business.
What Is Funnel Gorgeous Society?
In a nutshell, Funnel Gorgeous Society is an online marketing and funnel certification program that teaches you how to grow your business using digital marketing tactics such as sales funnels. As part of the program, you get access to tons of great resources in the member’s area, including tutorials and step-by-step training modules on everything related to sales funnels.
There are many different options for learning digital marketing today. What makes FG Societystand out is its commitment to delivering actual results for marketers at all skill levels.
To be certified as a triple-threat marketer, you need to take all 3 phases of the certification program within 12 months (and pass your exams). Certification is not required, but many people opt to get certified as there are so many extra benefits. Personally, I found the exams challenging yet fair, and I LOVE having something specific that I'm working toward. The certification element of this program really helped me stay motivated to complete the program.
Already know you want to sign up for Funnel Gorgeous Society?
TAP HERE TO SIGN UP with my affiliate link and earn $500 credit good for anything I sell
The 3 core phases of the FG Society Certification Program are:
– Phase 1 – Offers: Creation and Strategy
The first phase of the FG Society funnel certification program is the foundational strategy piece. Before you can dig into copywriting and design, you need to have an offer that is going to sell. If you love strategy, this will probably be your favorite phase of the Funnel Gorgeous Society program!
– Phase 2 – Sales Funnel Copywriting
After creating an offer that sells and knowing your audience, the next piece is the copy and messaging. Some people really struggle with writing great copy, but this phase breaks it down in an easy-to-follow way. You don't have to be a professional copywriter (yet!), but you will feel a lot more confident in your copywriting skills after phase two.
– Phase 3 – Sales Funnel and Sales Page Design
The final piece of the sales funnel strategy and skills training is the design. This entire phase is to help you put those finishing design touches like a pro. You don't need a funnel design course; phase 3 of the program goes deep into everything.
My Favorite Things About Funnel Gorgeous Society:
1) The Creators: Julie Chennel (formerly Julie Stoian) and Cathy Olson
FG Society was created by Julie Chennel and Cathy Olson of Funnel Gorgeous. They are both fantastic, and their passion for helping marketers succeed really shows! FG Society was the first four-figure investment in my business that I bought with zero hesitation. A big reason why I was so confident to make that decision was that I knew how well Julie and Cathy knew their stuff.
While it is a significant investment (we'll get into that even more later), it was definitely a good decision!
2) The Level of Support
There is a really supportive community of people in FG Society, and everyone is always happy to help out. Whether you have a question about sales funnels or need support with an issue, there’s always someone available to lend a hand, in addition to the weekly live Q&A call inside the community and the monthly call for certified marketers — both are directly with Julie and Cathy. The certified call, only available to actively certified members, is a more intimate call on Zoom where you're invited to unmute and chat through your unique concern, question, or struggle directly with Julie and Cathy. Julie Chennel has a $20k+/year mastermind where you can get her advice directly too (it's called Digital Insiders, but I am not a member), but I really love that we have this option available to us. I make showing up to these calls a priority.
3) The Funnel Certification Program Content and Training
I LOVE the program content and training throughout each phase of the certification program. Every video is short, actionable, and very easy to consume.
There isn't so much content that it's overwhelming, but there is enough to cover absolutely everything you need to know.
In the 2 years since I first signed up for Funnel Gorgeous Society, I am still referring back to some of the content and training materials for a refresher. If you're serious about growing your sales funnel knowledge and digital marketing skills, this is the BEST program for you.
4) The ROI
My personal results and ROI for this program -while amazing– aren't super uncommon. This program works! My ROI was 400% within weeks. You read that right: 400%!
I paid $2,300 for the Funnel Gorgeous certification program when it was brand new in 2020 and made over $12,000 in client work building my first high ticket funnel, after only a couple of weeks of completing the program. The price for Funnel Gorgeous Society is $5,000 (on sale for $3,000 through March 4, 2024, but I joined during the first round of it, so I paid less. Still, it was a nerve-wracking investment and the absolute MOST I'd spent on a program to date. Thankfully it paid for itself immediately.
In the 2 years since taking this program, I can attribute making multiple 6-figures to this program and the skills that I learned. That's the power of a program like this. The ROI just keeps on giving!
I've been paid to write copy for clients (thanks, phase 2!), strategy sessions to help clients map out their funnels and offers (thanks phase 1!), and earned over $100k as a funnel builder, incorporating skills learned in all three phases. Phase 3 (design) was a challenge for me, but I really enjoyed it, and now I apply those same funnel design skills to my template shop.
Who Is Funnel Gorgeous Society a Good Fit For?
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or marketer who wants to learn the latest digital marketing strategies and grow your business online, then Funnel Gorgeous Society is definitely for you. What you learn, you can absolutely apply to your own business, as you craft your offers and funnels.
If you're looking to niche down from social media manager, virtual assistant, or OBM to funnel builder or funnel designer, copywriter, or strategist, this is a GREAT program for you. You can also become certified as a business coach or service provider to up-level your marketing skills (for yourself or for client work!)
However, if you do want to become a sales funnel specialist, strategist, designer, or copywriter, I 100% recommend and strongly encourage you to become a triple-threat marketer. You can go through the entire certification program in as little as a few months and become a booked-out funnel expert!
Do You Need to Use FG Funnels?
One big question a lot of people ask is about FG Funnels. FG Funnels is Julie and Cathy's sales funnel software. However, you don't need to use FG Funnels in order to become Funnel Gorgeous certified. You could, but you can also continue to use whichever software you prefer, such as Clickfunnels, Leadpages, Kajabi, etc or WordPress with Elementor Pro. Personally, I use WordPress for my websites, and Thrivecart to build my entire funnel. Curious? See more here.
Funnel Gorgeous Society Cost
What does Funnel Gorgeous Society cost? It's not a low-cost program, and for a good reason! Because of the level of content, training, support, and ROI, it could cost a lot more (in my opinion).
📌 Pssssst: I have an amazing bonus if you end up joining Funnel Gorgeous Society by clicking any of the FG Society links on this page, read on for details
Each of the 3 phases costs $1,000, so your full certification costs around $3,000. There is also a $500 annual renewal fee to keep your certification active. You do not need to re-submit or pass any new exam for renewals. It is strictly a renewal fee to keep your community access and certification active. The $500 certification maintenance fee covers access to the weekly live Q&As, the twice-monthly hot-seats with Julie and Cathy, an affiliate commission increase, and other perks, like 3 live workshops a year. It's worth it for me and an easy-yes to maintain my certification. However, if you don't want pay it, you won't lose access to the course, just the live elements mentioned above.
Funnel Gorgeous Society: Is It Worth It?
In my opinion, Funnel Gorgeous Society is absolutely worth it. The program provides you with all of the latest digital marketing strategies and tools that you need to grow your business online.
It offers a supportive community of marketers who are always available to help you succeed, and the ROI is incredible. Funnel Gorgeous Society is the perfect program for you whether you're looking to develop your funnel specialist skills, copywriting chops, or digital marketing strategies. So sign up today and start growing your business!
I wholeheartedly recommend signing up for Funnel Gorgeous Society! I'll see you and your triple-threat marketer status badge soon!
Unlock a huge from me when you use my link to join Funnel Gorgeous Society
When you join Funnel Gorgeous Society by clicking any of the FG Society links on this page, you also unlock $500 in credit you can use toward anything I sell — Thrivecart templates and trainings, email strategy trainings, 1:1 coaching, resources for service providers and digital product creators, and more. It's good for a full year, so you don't need to rush to spend it either! This kind of bonus isn't available anywhere else!
How to Get Your Funnel Gorgeous Discount & Bonus Credit:
Once you sign up for Funnel Gorgeous Society, click here to request your bonus of $500 in credit that is good for anything I sell – from full funnel templates to courses, trainings, 1:1 calls, and more!
Need more clients or customers? Want to grow your email list? Let’s talk growing your email list with lead funnels and how they can have a massive impact on your business. As an entrepreneur and funnel strategist myself, I know the importance of generating quality leads — growing my network of interested folks for my offers —and converting them into loyal customers. That's where lead funnels come into play!
In this ultimate guide, I will walk you through everything you need to know about lead funnels and how they can work for you.
Why Lead Funnels Are Important for Businesses
All businesses need a systematic approach to attract and nurture leads. For me personally, that means growing my email list as that’s the number one way I engage with folks in my community, share value, spotlight my offers, and make sales of my digital products. Lead funnels serve as a roadmap, guiding potential customers through the buying process. They allow you to build relationships, showcase your expertise, and ultimately turn leads into paying customers.
Without a well-designed lead funnel, your marketing efforts may be scattered, resulting in missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Understanding the Stages of a Marketing Funnel
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of creating an effective lead funnel, it's crucial to understand the stages of a marketing funnel. A marketing funnel consists of three main stages: awareness, consideration, and conversion.
Marketing Funnel Stage 1 – Awareness:
At this stage, your goal is to create brand awareness and attract the attention of your target audience. You can achieve this through various channels such as social media, content marketing, and advertising. The key is to provide valuable and relevant content that resonates with your audience.
Marketing Funnel Stage 2 – Consideration:
Once you have captured the attention of potential customers, you need to nurture them and build trust. This stage is all about educating your leads and showcasing the value your product or service offers.
Email marketing, webinars, and personalized content are effective strategies to engage with your leads during this stage.
Marketing Funnel Stage 3 – Conversion:
The final stage is where the magic happens. Now that your leads are aware of your brand, and have considered your offerings, it's time to convert them into paying customers. This is where you make your sales pitch and demonstrate why your product or service is the best solution for their needs.
Testimonials, limited-time offers, and compelling call-to-actions play a vital role in encouraging conversions.
How to Create an Effective Lead Funnel
Now that you have a solid understanding of the marketing funnel stages, let's dive into the process of creating an effective lead funnel.
Here are the fundamental steps:
1. Define Your Target Audience:
Start by clearly defining your target audience. Who are they? What are their pain points? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your messaging and offers to resonate with them.
2. Create Compelling Lead Magnets:
A lead magnet is an irresistible free offer that entices potential customers to provide their contact information. It could be an ebook, a free course, or a helpful template. Make sure your lead magnet provides significant value and addresses a specific problem your audience faces.
3. Design Landing Pages:
A landing page is where your potential customers land after clicking on your lead magnet. It should be visually appealing, have a clear call-to-action, and capture the necessary information to follow up with the lead.
4. Implement Email Marketing:
Email marketing is a powerful tool to nurture your leads and move them through the marketing funnel. Set up automated email sequences that deliver valuable content and build a relationship with your leads.
5. Optimize Your Conversion Process:
Continuously test and optimize your lead funnel to improve conversion rates. Analyze data, track key metrics, and make data-driven decisions to enhance your funnel's performance.
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating an effective lead funnel that drives results for your business.
Top Lead Gen Tactics for Each Stage of the Funnel
Now that you know how to create a lead funnel, let's explore some top lead generation tactics for each stage of the funnel.
Awareness Stage Tactics: At this stage, focus on increasing brand visibility and attracting your target audience. Leverage social media advertising, collaborations like summits and bundles, and content marketing to reach a wider audience. Engage with your audience through comments, shares, and likes to build brand awareness.
Consideration Stage Tactics: In the consideration stage, your goal is to nurture leads and establish your credibility. Folks want to know that you’re knowledgeable and experienced when it comes to your niche before they trust you with their money. Offer valuable content such as webinars, case studies, and debriefs that showcase your expertise. You can use retargeting ads to stay top of mind with your leads and encourage them to take the next step if you’d like.
Conversion Stage Tactics: When it comes to the conversion stage, personalized and time-sensitive offers work wonders. Limited-time discounts, exclusive bonuses, and free trials can help push your leads toward making a purchase. Make the buying process as smooth and frictionless as possible to maximize conversions.
By tailoring your lead generation tactics to each stage of the funnel, you'll be able to attract, nurture, and convert leads effectively.
Tools and Software to Optimize Your Lead Funnels
Implementing lead funnels can be made a lot easier with the help of various tools and software. Here are some top recommendations:
1. Landing Page Builders: Tools like Thrivecart or Leadpages allow you to design stunning landing pages without the need for coding knowledge. These platforms offer loads of extra features and integrations with popular email marketing services.
2. Email Marketing Automation: Platforms such as Drip and ConvertKit offer robust email marketing automation features. They allow you to set up automated email sequences, segment your audience, and track the performance of your campaigns.
Not sure which email marketing platform to use for your business? Let Email Service Matchmaker help you make an informed decision!
3. Analytics and Tracking:Fathom Analytics or Google Analytics is a must-have tool for tracking the success of your lead funnels. They provide valuable insights into website traffic, conversion rates, and user behavior. However for privacy regions, especially in Europe, I don’t prefer Google Analytics/GA4. I am happy with Fathom Analytics. I also like that I can see all of my sites current traffic in one place, on one screen.
Additionally, tools like Hotjar offer heatmaps and user recordings to understand how visitors interact with your landing pages.
These are just a few examples of the many tools and software available to optimize your lead funnels. Explore different options and find the ones that best suit your business needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Implementing Lead Funnels
While lead funnels can be highly effective, there are some common mistakes that businesses often make. Here are a few to avoid:
1. Lack of Personalization: Generic messaging and offers won't cut it in today's competitive landscape. Personalize your lead funnels to cater to the specific needs and pain points of your target audience. Start for sure by asking for their first name on the opt-in form when they’re signing up for their freebie, and use their name where appropriate in the follow up emails.
2. Overcomplicating the Funnel: Keep your lead funnel simple and easy to navigate. Don't overwhelm your potential customers with too many steps or information.
3. Inconsistent Follow-Up: Consistent follow-up is crucial for nurturing leads. Make sure you have a robust email marketing strategy in place to engage with your leads regularly.
If you struggle with writing emails consistently to your list, check out the amazing Email Marketing Membership!
By avoiding these mistakes, you'll ensure that your lead funnels are optimized for success.
How to Measure and Track the Success of Your Lead Funnels
Measuring and tracking the success of your lead funnels is essential to optimize your strategies and drive better results.
Here are some key metrics to monitor:
1. Conversion Rate: This metric tells you the percentage of leads that convert into paying customers. It helps you understand the effectiveness of your lead funnel in driving conversions.
2. Cost per Lead: Calculate the average cost per lead to evaluate the efficiency of your lead generation tactics. This metric allows you to allocate your marketing budget effectively.
3. Engagement Rate: Monitor the engagement rate of your emails, landing pages, and social media posts. A higher engagement rate indicates that your content is resonating with your audience.
4. Return on Investment (ROI): Calculate the ROI of your lead funnels by comparing the revenue generated with the investment made in acquiring leads. This metric helps you determine the profitability of your marketing efforts.
By regularly analyzing these metrics and making data-driven decisions, you can continuously improve the performance of your lead funnels.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! You've now reached the end of this ultimate guide to lead funnels. Now that you are armed with the knowledge and strategies shared here, you're ready to take your business to new heights.
Remember, lead funnels are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Experiment, iterate, and tailor your lead funnels to your unique business needs. With the right tactics, tools, and a data-driven approach, lead funnels can become a powerful asset in your marketing arsenal.
If you're ready to take the next step, click the link below to learn exactly how to set up your first tripwire funnel and set up fully automated flash sales for every single new email subscriber with Freebie to Flash Sale.
Is it still worth buying ConvertBox even if your email service provider isn’t a native integration? ConvertBox is a powerful tool that allows you to create engaging popups, forms, quizzes and surveys to capture leads and make more sales of your products.
Currently, ConvertBox supports integration with 14 popular email service providers like ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Drip, AWeber, Hubspot and more. See the full list here. But what if you use Flodesk, Birdsend, FG Funnels, GoHighLevel, System.io or some other email service provider that isn’t currently supported? Don't worry; you still have plenty of options to make the most of ConvertBox.
How to Use ConvertBox with FloDesk, BirdSend, Systeme.io, GoHighLevel, and other non-natively supported email service providers
Connecting ConvertBox via Automation Software
If your email service provider isn't directly supported by ConvertBox, you can bridge the gap by using automation software like Zapier, Pabbly, Integrately, Make, or SureTriggers. These platforms act as connectors, enabling you to transfer data seamlessly between your email service provider and ConvertBox. Heads up: ConvertBox will post a webhook, and for some automation softwares, like Zapier, webhooks require a paid plan.
If you want to use FloDesk with ConvertBox, you’ll need a paid Zapier plan.
Connecting ConvertBox via Webhooks
A webhook is sort of like throwing a ball with a message on it into the air – ConvertBox shares the data on your new lead, like their first name and email address, but your email service provider has to catch it in order to actually subscribe the person. Not all email service providers can catch webhooks, or trigger an automation with an inbound webhook, but if yours can, this is a good option and does NOT require Zapier or any other paid software.
If you want to use Systeme.io with ConvertBox, you can collect leads via ConvertBox’s webooks feature without Zapier. Read more on Systeme.io’s website here.
If you want to use GoHighLevel or FH Funnels with ConvertBox, you can easily add the base code to your website and pages, and to collect leads, you’ll need to set up an automation that has Inbound Webhooks as its trigger. Note: this is a Premium feature with GoHighLevel but is included with FG Funnels for free. Zapier is not needed. Here’s a support doc from GoHighLevel about Inbound Webooks.
Connecting via ConvertBox’s HTML form integration
This is another alternative you can use if your email service provider is not natively supported by ConvertBox. As long as your email service provider supports HTML form codes, you can use this to collect leads with ConvertBox without Zapier.
Of the three options, using webhooks and HTML form integrations are more technical, but if you want to avoid paying for Zapier or other automation software, it’s a good alternative.
How to Use ConvertBox to Make More Sales, Without Collecting Leads
Even without collecting leads directly into your email service provider, you can still make the most of ConvertBox's features:
Promote Products Directly: Drive sales by showcasing your products or services through targeted popups.
Share Sales and Promotions: Let your audience and casual web traffic know about special offers, discounts, and limited-time deals using ConvertBox. You can add a countdown timer too, to help them understand the urgency of the promo.
Recommend Affiliate Products: Monetize your platform by recommending affiliate products through ConvertBox. Use page-by-page targeting or WordPress blog categories. You can even have multiple affiliate ConvertBox campaigns that rotate automatically for you.
Share Popular Content: Have a blog post or some social content that is crushing it? Use a ConvertBox popups to share it with folks cruising your website.
Set Up Exit Intent Popups: Reduce cart abandonment with exit intent popups on your sales pages. You can add a coupon or recommend a related but lower-priced product if they’re about to navigate away from your sales page.
Collect Testimonials: Yes, you can use ConvertBox inside your course platform. Gather valuable feedback and testimonials from your customers through popup forms.
Communicate with Students: Engage with your course participants directly within your course platform using ConvertBox. I use these to let them know about upcoming live Q&As, workshops, or when I’m adding improvements to the courses they already have.
What are the Drawbacks of Using ConvertBox with Non-Supported Email Service Providers?
While using a non-supported email service provider with ConvertBox can still be very lucrative when you use the strategies listed above, there are some limitations to using ConvertBox with an email service provider that isn’t natively supported.
Here are some constraints to consider:
Inability to Target Based on Products Purchased or Tags – since ConvertBox isn’t automatically communicating with your email service provider, that means you don’t have as much data for targeting, such as showing a ConvertBox only to leads who have already purchase a specific product or have a tag in your email service provider.
Lack of Personalization with First Names in Popups or Messages – a nice feature of ConvertBox is to be able to add their name to one of your popups (with a fallback of “friend” or “there”) but when you don’t use one of the supported email service providers, this option isn’t open to you
Here’s a suggested workaround though: If you exclusively use ConvertBox forms to collect leads (via Zapier, webhook, etc), ConvertBox may not have access to your customer’s tags or past purchases, but as long as you ask for a first name on your forms, it should be able to store that data and allow name personalizations until the person clears their cookies.
Why ConvertBox Is Still Worth It
Despite some of the personalization and targeting limitations I mentioned above, ConvertBox is still a hugely valuable tool for making the most of your marketing efforts, improving student experience, and making more sales from casual website visitors. Its intuitive interface, customizable features, and ability to engage and convert visitors make it a worthwhile investment, even if your email service provider isn't natively integrated. With creative workarounds and strategic applications (I can help with this!), you can maximize ConvertBox's potential and drive results for your online business. If you don’t yet have ConvertBox, I clearly highly recommend it! In fact, it had a huge financial impact on my business to the tune of $5k in extra digital product sales in 2023 alone. Curious? Check out my free 13-minute mini training here:
Hey there, brilliant biz owners! Ready to change your lead magnet tripwire from a mere handshake to a full-on high-five that gets your audience excited and your sales revenue growing? Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of making your lead magnet tripwire not just noticeable but irresistibly clickable (and buyable!).
Lead Magnet vs Tripwire
Before we go into ways to sell more of your tripwire offers, let’s chat about the difference between a lead magnet vs tripwire.
Both are powerful in their own right, but they play very different roles in your marketing strategy. A lead magnet is designed to grab attention by offering something valuable for free, usually in exchange for their email address.
After signing up for a lead magnet, a few things might happen:
1) A simple ‘check your email’ message appears.
2) They are redirected to a thank you page without an offer on it
3) They are redirected to a thank you page with a time-sensitive offer on it (this is the tripwire offer)
A tripwire is typically an irresistible, low-cost offer, making it hard for your audience to say no. It's the small commitment that leads to bigger things.
While the lead magnet woos and wins trust, the tripwire converts that budding relationship into a sales transaction. Together, they create a dynamic duo, turning casual onlookers into invested fans, one step at a time.
10 Ways to Improve Your Lead Magnet Tripwire Conversion Rate
1. Nail Your Lead Magnet
Your lead magnet is your opening act – it's got to be engaging, valuable, and so stinkin’ relevant that your audience can't help but want more.
Think of it as your first date – you want to impress, engage, and ensure there's a second date, right? Make sure your lead magnet solves a real problem in a way that's as easy as grabbing your favorite snack (because who doesn't love a good treat?). This isn’t a place for a long, rambling free course but something actionable they can implement or use ASAP.
2. Price Your Tripwire Like It's Happy Hour
Finding the sweet spot for your tripwire pricing is like hosting a happy hour – it should be enticing and feel like a great deal. Whether it's $5 or $50, the price should make your leads think, “Wow, I’d be losing money if I didn’t grab this deal!”
It's all about making it a heck-yes, wallet-friendly choice.
3. Bridge That Lead Magnet to Tripwire Gap Smoothly
Imagine your lead magnet and tripwire are parts of a thrilling movie series. The transition should be as smooth and compelling as moving from one exciting scene to the next.
Your audience should be at the edge of their seats, popcorn in hand, eager to see what's coming. Align your messaging so that moving from the lead magnet to the tripwire feels like the natural next step in an epic saga.
Make sure they understand that 1) their new lead magnet is on the way and 2) how your tripwire offer relates to it
4. Amp Up the Value Volume
I’ll be blunt – perception is the name of the game. Are you doing your best to truly convey the value of your tripwire offer? To make your tripwire irresistible, pack it with value that screams, “This is the deal of the century!”
Think bonuses, limited-time offers, and those sweet customer testimonials. It's about giving your audience the VIP backstage pass experience.
5. Craft a Sales Page That Sells Itself
Your tripwire sales page is your stage – and you're the rockstar. Every word should sing with benefits, compelling CTAs, and the kind of persuasive charm that would make even the most reserved audience member get up and dance.
Use authentic urgency (read: do not bother using countdown timers that just start over when they expire, ick!), scarcity, and your unique voice to turn casual browsers into raving fans.
6. Make the Checkout a Breeze
Ever been in a line so long you forgot why you were there? Don't let that be your checkout process. Simplify it, break it down into baby steps, and watch as your audience goes from “just looking” to “take my money!”
7. Don't Ghost – Follow Up!
Not everyone buys on the first pitch, or time that they hear about your product, and that's okay. Set up a follow-up sequence that's like a friendly nudge, not a pushy salesperson. Remind them of the awesome deal they didn’t get take you up on and maybe throw in a special discount to sweeten the pot.
8. Test, Tweak, and Triumph
The digital world is always changing, and so should your lead magnet tripwire strategy. Test different elements of your lead magnet and tripwire.
Keep what works, toss what doesn’t, and always be ready to adapt.
9. Build Trust Through Education
Sometimes, your leads need a little warming up. Use your emails to educate, inspire, and sprinkle in a little bit of your magic. Show them you're not just selling – you're solving.
10. Social Proof It Up
Nothing speaks louder than a chorus of happy customers or clients. Let your satisfied fans do the talking with reviews, testimonials, and success stories that turn skeptics into believers. You can even just use screenshots of happy customers, with their privacy protected of course, unless they give you permission to share.
Ready to put it all together and create your tripwire funnel?
If all this sounds exciting but you’re craving a step-by-step guide to make your lead magnet tripwire truly shine, why not check out my Freebie to Flash Sale training? It’s your backstage pass to converting leads like a rockstar. Learn more here!
Remember, folks, converting leads is like hosting the ultimate party – you want everyone to have a great time and keep coming back for more. With these tips and your unique flair, you're not just hosting a party; you're creating an experience that's unforgettable. Let’s turn that lead magnet tripwire into your most happening event yet! Ready, set, convert!
