Do your eyes glaze over when you hear the word “funnel?”  Have you ever been told you need to have a funnel to grow your coaching business?  It is indeed true but using the word funnel tends to complicate matters for most coaches.  I know, even I was confused, when I was first introduced to this concept.

Let me simplify it for you.  A funnel is, in simplest terms, a digital pathway that takes prospects on a journey from first hearing about you to getting to know, like and trust you on a deeper level, ultimately leading to a client relationship.  If you picture a real live funnel, at the top are all the many prospects that first hear about your business.  Some of those people will opt into the funnel and start moving on down to various stages. 

The goal of the funnel is that prospects will travel down, hit the bottom, and become a client of yours.

There are many types of funnels that are used for various reasons.  But today, I want to talk with you about the very first funnel you should build for your life coaching business.  The 1st funnel is your lead builder funnel.  You can liken your lead builder funnel to your prospecting funnel.  This is the funnel that builds a list of prospects that could eventually become clients.

Without building an email list of potential clients, you essentially have no one to market to.  With today’s social media engagement falling somewhere between 2-3%, it is crucial that you tap into email marketing.  Email open rates typically range from 20-30%, which is significantly higher than social media.  While you don’t own your followers on social media, your email list belongs to you.

And the best way to grow your email list is to have a lead-building funnel.  There are essentially two types of lead-building funnels – passive lead builder and active lead builder.  You can have one, both, or a combo of the two together.  Let’s define each one.

Passive Lead Building Funnel

A passive lead-building funnel begins with a piece of valuable content, normally in PDF format.  It can be a guide, a toolkit, a checklist, a swipe file, or anything else that prospects can exchange their email address for.  One very effective passive lead magnet is a quiz. With this lead magnet, prospects are asked to take a quiz and the results are given to them after they give you their email address.  Here is an example of a quiz lead magnet, that also includes a PDF guide.

Active Lead Building Funnel

An active lead-building funnel begins with a content webinar or paid workshop.  The content webinar can be a live or a pre-recorded evergreen webinar.  In either case, the prospects sign up for your webinar and listen in to receive valuable content from you personally.  The active lead builder, if done properly, can be more effective because the prospect is getting to know you better on a personal level.

A Combo of Both Passive and Active

In some cases, you may combine the two by offering a value-rich content webinar with an accompanying PDF workbook, guide, or checklist.  This gives your prospects a considerable amount of value from you.  There is no right or wrong in which format you choose.  Do what feels most comfortable for you.

The Components of Your Lead Building Funnel

In order for you to build a successful funnel, it’s important to understand all the components that you need to include.

1. Content

This is the most important piece.  Your content is the value your ideal prospects receive from you and should address a significant pain point they have in their life.  Remember, this can be in the form of a PDF guide or checklist, a quiz, or a free or paid webinar.

2. Landing Page

Your landing page is where your prospects will land to learn more about your lead magnet and sign up with their email address to receive the content.

3. Thank You Page

The thank you page is the page your audience lands on after they have signed up for your lead magnet.  This page should thank them for signing up, give them instructions on how they will receive the content, and also give a call to action on what to do next.  Follow you on your favorite social platform, book a call with you, send you a direct message, etc.  Your thank you page can also include a personal video from you to begin to nurture your relationship with the prospect.

4. Delivery and Introductory Email

The delivery email is the first email they receive from you after they have opted into your lead magnet.  This is their first access to the content and should include a link to consume the content.  It is also where you introduce yourself and your company and let them know what they can expect from you, moving forward.

5. Follow Up Email Sequence

Your follow-up email sequence is normally a series of 3-4 emails that begins to take your prospects on a journey towards a deeper relationship with you.  It can include a request to begin conversing with you, take a survey to pinpoint their challenges, and a personal video message that invites them to take the next step.

6. Your Call to Action

Every lead-building funnel should have a strategic and ultimate call to action.  What do you want your prospects to do to move them towards becoming a client?  Book a call with you?  Sign up for a mini-course or workshop?  What’s the next step?

So there you have it.  Your crash course on building the first funnel for your online coaching business.  

Need help building your funnel?  Amazing OBM is a team of master marketers standing by to provide done-for-you content marketing, funnel building and launch support services. Contact us for a free consultation so we can chat about your business growth plans.