If you’ve spent any time learning about online marketing, you’ve likely heard the terms marketing funnel, sales funnel, or just plain old funnel. 

So let’s start at the beginning with a question many people have: What the heck ARE funnels? 

The short answer is that a funnel is a system designed to attract, engage, and invite your audience to take an action, like buy a product, program, or service you’ve got to offer. 

Let me give you an example. 

My family and I have decided to up our hiking game. We live in the beautiful pacific northwest, surrounded by forests, mountains, and everything in between. Now that the kids are older, we’re wanting to really get out and do some more challenging and longer hikes. 

But I’m no fool. I’ve seen lots and lots and lots of news stories of people who’ve gone wandering off into the wilderness, and something has gone wrong. They weren’t prepared, and they got into dire straits. 

I am NOT taking those kinds of risks with my kiddos, so I decided to get prepared and learn from other people’s mistakes. 

• I did web searches.
• I read blog posts. 
• I looked at recommendations from experts. 
• I signed us up for guided hikes and explorations with experts from the forest service and local hiking clubs.
• I signed up to renew my CPR and First Aid certification from the fire station. 

Then I made a list, and I went on a mission to get everything we needed to be safe. 

And my next stop was Amazon to buy ALL THE THINGS on my list.  

So what does Amazon have to do with marketing funnels? 

Biggest Show Takeaways:

• Amazon is a giant example of a marketing funnel. We log in, we search for what we want, we find options, read reviews, check if it’s on Prime, and then we buy. Amazon has a system all set up for us to visit, browse, and buy whenever we want. 
• The simplest steps in the Amazon funnel:
  • Step 1: You visit Amazon.com.
  • Step 2: You search for a product.
  • Step 3: You find what you want, and add it to your cart. 
  • Step 4: You buy it.
• At every step along the way, Amazon does certain things to help nudge you to the next step — but there is never a time that you’re feeling sold or pushed. You have a problem and Amazon is providing you with a way to easily solve that problem, right? 
• Why is it called a funnel? 
  • Because it looks like a funnel!
  • The top of the funnel is when people FIRST find you or visit your website.
    • At this stage, there are a lot of people who hit Amazon’s site (or app). In fact, according to statista (a company that tracks stats and data online), in April 2019, Amazon had almost 2.4 BILLION visitors — just that month. That’s 80 MILLION people a day. 
    • Do all those 2.4 BILLION people buy? Nope. But they do enter Amazon’s funnel. 
• Have you ever looked at something on Amazon — like a pair of socks — but left before you bought? Suddenly, those socks are following you all over the web with this little picture trying to remind you to come back and buy. That’s because you’re in their funnel. 
  • • • Of those 80 million people a day who visit, a lot of them buy because, in 2018, Amazon reported $635,000 of sales EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
      • That means that, on average, Amazon is making less than one penny for each visitor — so obviously not everyone is buying. 
• To recap how the funnel works:
  • Step 1: You start with a crowd of people. For Amazon, that’s a ginormous crowd. For you an I, it’s a much more manageable crowd. 
  • Step 2: You show them what you’ve got. Your freebie, a call, a video, or whatever you’re showcasing.  
  • Step 3: They decide if they’re interested in learning more. If yes, great! They move on in your funnel. 
  • Step 4: They decide to buy. Woo-hoo! Your funnel is working. 
  • A funnel is a system you put in place to help your audience decide if they’d like to buy from you. 
• The BEST funnels out there don’t even feel like funnels. They just feel like the company or person is anticipating your needs and inviting you to take the right next step. 
• Once you get this in your business, you are well on your way to Profit Without Worry because you’ve got a profit engine that runs 24/7 that your audience will love. 

Create Profit Without Worry — one system at a time. I’ll show you how to attract a steady flow of buyers without all the hustle with this free download →  5 Steps to Profit Without Worry.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ubersuggest
• Similar Web
• BuzzSumo
• FREE DOWNLOAD: 5 Steps To Profit Without Worry 
• Connect on Facebook
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• Connect on Instagram
• Create Profit Without Worry – one system at a time with this free download →  5 Steps To Profit Without Worry.