EP73: The Magic of Funnels

We ALL want things to work exactly the way they are in our mind. Our business plan is perfect. The goals we set will become real. But, life gets in the way. Reality takes over. Things change.

Welcome back, my friends.

I had planned on doing a series on FUNNELS and the power they have in the marketing community.

But, there has been so much already said about funnels. There are complete programs built around funnels that anyone can access at any time.

Some gurus have built their own products using the basics of funnels to create their businesses.

Besides that, there are funnel concepts and misconceptions that are all over the internet.

It seems like everyone, and their brother has their idea of what a funnel is or is not.

I will just tell you what I believe to be the best use for funnels, and how I think they can help anyone build a MORE successful business.

Some of my ideas can be plugged right into your ideas of a funnel and some will not.

The point being…

I'm not here to compete with anyone, nor to proclaim myself the purveyor of knowledge.

I just want to be of service.

If anything I teach helps you and your business do better, I'm happy to have helped.

But, if my ideas rub you the wrong way, that's ok too.

I never said my way was the only way.

I just want to help those new to online marketing begin their career with the best available understanding of online marketing available today.

Tomorrow may be completely different. It is the nature of online marketing to be ever-changing.

Just when we think we have it figured out something changes to throw us off our game.

Seth Godin, in his 2009 book All Marketers are Liars [Tell Stories] helps us better understand worldview and the stories we tell.

I have gone through that book multiple times, and each time I seem to find more things to learn again.

Sadly, we have limitations in knowledge retention. Which is one reason you will find me repeating some things I've taught before. Hoping to help you retain certain truths that are critical to your business.

I have yet to find any one of Seth Godin’s books that I did not learn something.

Lately, I've been going back over some of his classics like 2009 All Marketers are Liars [Tell Stories], the 2002 Purple Cow [2009 version], 1991 Permission Marketing, and 2018 This is Marketing.

He has been teaching all of us for the last few decades.

I wish I had started learning from him when I first started online. I am absolutely sure I would be in a different place today, had I done so.

The bad part of online marketing is that the truth is all around us, but hidden from view.

It's one of those, you don't know what you don't know, things.

It isn't until later in your career that you finally stumble upon the truths you were looking for for so long.

I have since decided that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

I hope that in some way, I can help one person avoid the struggle.

I hope that someone is YOU.

This is for YOU.

Now, let's talk about FUNNELS.

I found a blog post from Seth Godin in 2006 about funnels. Seth said he had talked about funnels for the previous 10 years (1996-2006), and had never written a blog post about funnels.

I'm a bit confused about it. To me, it seemed to speak about funnels more in a way for Google to send people’s searches to certain sites.

Seth said the person went further down a funnel by being more specific in the search query.

For me, and I can only speak for myself. That is NOT the kind of funnel that I think about when I’m envisioning a marketing funnel.

When I think of a funnel, I imagine someone finding one of your posts, web pages, landing pages, or other content, through a search online, or by an email link sent by yourself or another person, possibly an affiliate, introducing you or a product of yourself.

This person landed on your content page. Now there is the question of whether there is interest.

Is there something compelling enough to create a connection between the prospect and you?

If there is an attraction and something discernible takes place, clearly this funnel is starting to do its job.

What job?

Good question…

The job of a funnel is to fulfill its mission.

Let's say the mission you have is to create a new lead. Simply get a sign-up for an email or a newsletter.

Being that is the mission, then it must happen quickly.

Like right now. Before they bounce!

You want that piece of content to convert the prospect into a "customer".

I say customer because by them signing up to read the emails you are going to send him or her, the prospect has paid with his time and attention.

His time is more valuable (initially) because you can always make more money, but no one can make more time. (the money comes later).

Had the mission of the funnel been to make a sale, the piece of content that the prospect was on had to focus on doing something different.

We will talk about what that may have been next week.

And you can send me a message to let me know what you think should happen on that content page.

Click HERE and let me know!

Tune in next week to find out the answer.

I'll see you then.

Bye for now.

James "Outside-the-Funnel" Brown

P.S. - In the event, you DO find that once an episode has been produced and posted, that YOU really would like more information, just let me know. Use the Podcast Questions link, click on the link here. Or you can just leave a voice message here.