A well-planned lead generation funnel creates your leads’ best possible sales journey.
It allows you to guide them through the buying process and ultimately convert them into paying customers.
Building a lead generation funnel can sometimes feel intimidating, not just to those first starting out but also to seasoned marketers.
What is the first step?
Where should you start?
What should the end look like?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry!
This guide will show you how to build a lead generation funnel that generates, nurtures, and converts leads into customers.
What Is A Lead Generation Funnel?
Lead generation is all about finding potential customers and turning them into qualified leads.
A lead generation funnel is a framework that guides leads through a series of steps to convert them into customers.
Think of it as fishing—you cast a wide net to catch as many fish as possible (leads), then sort through them and keep the ones that are most likely to become customers.
The funnel enables you to:
- identify leads
- track leads
- nurture leads
The Stages Of A Lead Generation Funnel
A lead generation funnel typically consists of four main stages: awareness, interest, decision, and action.
Each stage represents a different level of engagement with your potential customers.
Awareness
At this stage, the goal is to attract as many potential customers as possible.
This can be done through a “lead magnet“. Something that captures your potential customers’ attention.
For instance, it could be a free e-book, webinar or tool. This offer should be valuable enough for your potential customers to give you their contact information in exchange.
Interest
Once you have captured your potential customers’ attention, the next step is to pique their interest.
This is where you nurture the relationship by providing valuable and relevant content that addresses their pain points and needs.
You can do this through email marketing, social media posts, blog articles, or other forms of communication.
Decision
In this stage, your potential customers are considering whether or not to make a purchase from you.
Your goal is to continue building trust and credibility with them through targeted and personalised content.
This could include case studies, testimonials, product demos, or free trials.
Action
The final stage of the funnel is when your potential customer becomes a paying customer.
Here, it’s important to make the purchasing process as easy and seamless as possible.
Ensure that your checkout process is user-friendly and offer support if needed.
Additionally, it’s important to continue nurturing the relationship with your customers even after they have made a purchase. This can help build brand loyalty and lead to repeat business or referrals in the future.
How To Build A Lead Generation Funnel
Below, we’ll outline the key steps to building a successful lead generation funnel:
Step 1: Define Target Audience
The first step to building a successful lead generation funnel is knowing exactly who you’re trying to attract.
You can’t market to everyone, so get specific.
Think about who your ideal customers are, where they hang out online, and what problems they need solving.
To find your ideal target audience, use tools like surveys, interviews, or data from your website and social media analytics to really understand their demographics, interests, and behaviours.
Once you have a clear picture of your target audience, create detailed buyer personas.
These represent your ideal customers and highlight their needs, goals, and challenges.
Step 2: Create A Lead Magnet
Now that you know who you’re targeting, the next step is to grab their attention.
This is where your lead magnet comes in.
A lead magnet is something valuable you give away in exchange for their contact information — like an email address.
The trick is to align your lead magnet with your audience’s needs and pain points.
Think about what would be irresistible to your audience. It could be an eBook, a checklist, a free template, or even a short video tutorial.
Whatever you choose, ensure it’s highly relevant and quick to consume. Your lead magnet should feel like a win for your audience, leaving them eager to hear more from you.
Step 3: Build A Landing Page
Once your lead magnet is ready, you need a landing page to showcase it. This is where your audience will go to learn more and sign up.
A good landing page has one job—driving conversions. Keep it clean, simple, and focused on your offer.
To build a great landing page, insert the following:
- A compelling headline
- A brief description of your lead magnet
- A clear call-to-action
- Bullet points to highlight the benefits of your offer
- Attention-grabbing images and graphics
Remember, the fewer distractions on the page, the better. The goal is to make signing up a no-brainer for your visitors.
Step 4: Set Up An Email Nurture Sequence
After someone signs up for your lead magnet, it’s time to nurture them.
You’re not trying to sell to them yet; instead, you’re building trust and positioning yourself as an expert they can rely on.
Use email marketing to deliver helpful, relevant content over time.
Your nurture sequence might include a welcome email, an introduction to your brand, and value-packed content like tips, how-to guides, or success stories. Gradually, you can also start sharing information about your product or service.
The key is to stay helpful and not overly pushy.
Step 5: Develop A Lead Scoring System
Not every lead you attract will be ready to buy, so you need a system to identify the most likely to convert.
Lead scoring assigns points to leads based on their behaviour and engagement levels, such as clicking a link in your email or visiting key pages on your website. This helps you prioritise leads and focus on those who are ready to move further down the funnel.
You can set up lead scoring using tools like Leadtrekker, a CRM system in South Africa that automatically scores and prioritises leads for you.
Define the actions that indicate buying intent and assign them point values. This way, when a lead reaches a certain score, you can pass it along to your sales team or deliver more sales-focused content.
Step 6: Optimise For Conversions
Finally, always be optimising.
Your lead generation funnel isn’t a “set it and forget it” system. You must analyse your metrics to see where people drop off or what tactics work best.
To optimise your conversions, do the following:
- Look at your conversion rates on your landing page, email open, and click-through rates.
- Run A/B split testing on elements of your funnel, like headlines or colours, to see what performs the best.
- Use heat mapping tools to see where people click and how they navigate through your funnel.
With these insights, you can continue to refine and improve your lead generation funnel for better results.
Wrap Up Your Funnel Success with Leadtrekker
Building a lead generation funnel doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Each step plays a vital role in guiding leads through their journey and ensuring your efforts translate into real results.
If you’re ready to take your lead generation efforts to the next level, why not make it even easier with Leadtrekker? From tracking leads to managing follow-ups, Leadtrekker simplifies the process and helps you stay on top of every opportunity.
Try it today and see the difference it can make for your business!
