ral funneling: how to guide your readers without forcing CTAs

Imagine this.

You go to Home Depot for a rake to help you with your yard work, but you decide to browse through the aisles for ideas on how to create the dream kitchen you’ve been dreaming of (but don’t yet have the budget or time to build). You look at the pre-built layouts to learn more about your style and what options are available.

A sales associate will stop you as you walk away with a rake and offer you a free consultation at your home to get started on your dream kitchen right away. You can also sign up for an installment plan.

You feel anxiety and fear immediately because you did not intend to do it today. You were just browsing to gather information so that you could make a decision later.

You feel rushed out of the store and as if you are just a number. Two years later, you get your dream kitchen but it’s from Lowe’s.

It sounds like an unpleasant experience, doesn’t it? You make your customers feel that way by adding a CTA (call-to-action) to the end of each piece of content.

Your visitors may have visited your website to learn more about the marketing automation software, but they are not yet ready to request a demo. When they are ready, the will remember their experience and look for alternatives (i.e. your competitors).

This article explores how to achieve a seamless customer experience by using a more personal marketing approach.

Takeaways from

• It is important to understand the three stages of a marketing funnel in order to create a seamless user experience.
• It is important to include both hard and softer CTAs in your content.
• Email marketing can be a powerful tool to nurture leads.
• It is important to guide readers through the marketing funnel in a natural way. This will create a smooth user experience and increase conversions.

Marketing funnels: What you need to know

Let’s discuss the marketing funnel. The marketing funnel is the path that customers take to buy your product, from when they first hear about you. This funnel has three stages:

• Awareness.
• Consideration.
• Decision.

Awareness

You want to create blogs at the awareness stage that inform your audience about the benefits of your service or product without being overly salesy. 79% of companies that use it report a positive ROI ROI. You can include CTAs in your blog for things like newsletters and social media channels.

Lavender.AI uses this in their blog. They guide readers to relevant content, after they read the article. This naturally moves them through the funnel. No demo. No hard pitch.

Consideration

You must give detailed information in the consideration phase to help potential customers make an informed choice. It is the ideal time to provide additional resources, such as white papers and case study to build trust and demonstrate your expertise.

In the example below Demandbase concludes their article with social evidence — encouraging readers to read a study on the topic of the article and giving context to the information.

You can also find out more about Decision Making

Lastly, at the decision-making stage, you should make it as easy as possible for customers to convert, without being aggressive or pushy. It’s important to have a clear CTA, but it is also crucial to create a seamless experience for the user that does not feel forced.

ClickUp includes a demo CTA that is free in an article about the best ClickUp templates. This placement is relative and appropriate because the reader will likely use the templates that they have just read.

According to the report, more than 40% of the B2B SaaS sites evaluated had a CTA “Get a Demo”. While these CTAs may be used frequently, the placement of them can have a significant impact on conversions.

Your CTAs must be relevant to the customer and their needs. They should not feel forced or pushy. Conversions are largely a result of a nurturing process that provides buyers with the information they need to decide on a purchase.

Learn how to optimize content for every step of the buyer journey

Content that incorporates CTAs

There are two kinds of CTAs – hard and soft.

A hard CTA can be a call to action that is more aggressive, such as asking customers to sign up for free trials or schedule a demonstration. These CTAs are used at the end of the funnel, when customers are ready to act.

A soft CTA, on the other hand is a subtler approach. For example, you might ask readers to download an informational resource for free or find out more about your product. Soft CTAs can be used early in the funnel to establish trust and credibility.

Here’s the thing, not every article requires a CTA. A soft CTA is sometimes just as, if no more, effective. You can create relationships with customers by offering them valuable information or resources. This will help you guide them down the funnel naturally without being pushy.

If you are writing an article on the benefits of software for project management, a soft CTA might be to provide a guide that explains how to increase team productivity. This CTA offers value to your reader and establishes you as an expert in the field.

A soft CTA that works well is inviting readers to interact with your brand via social media. You can create a community for your brand by asking readers to join your group or follow your company’s page.

The key to successfully integrating CTAs in your content is providing value to the reader, and guiding them down the funnel naturally. Don’t be afraid of experimenting with different CTAs and seeing what works for your audience.

Email marketing is a great way to nurture leads

Let’s look at email and marketing to see how it can nurture leads.

Email marketing can be a powerful tool to guide potential customers through the sales funnel and build strong relationships. Sending personalized and relevant content will keep your audience engaged and encourage them take action. Some marketers call this content marketing.

How can you design email campaigns that will naturally guide your readers through the funnel? Here are some tips:

Segment your audience

Segment your audience according to their interests, behavior and where they fall in the funnel. You can then send your audience more relevant and personalized content. This will encourage them to act.

Provide value

Like with CTAs it is important to offer value to your subscribers in your email campaign. You can do this by offering exclusive content, discounts or useful tips and advice. By offering value, you can establish yourself as an authority and engage potential customers with your brand.

Use engaging subject lines

It’s the first thing that your reader will see, so you want to make sure it is engaging and relevant. A good subject should be concise, clear and encourage readers to open your email.

Include clear CTAs

Your emails should also include relevant and clear CTAs to guide your readers down the funnel. Your CTAs should be easy to locate and aligned with your marketing strategy, whether you’re inviting readers to sign up for free trials or download a resource.

Measure success

You need to track the success of your email campaigns in order to know whether they are successful at driving sales. To find out what works and what doesn’t, track metrics such as open rates, conversion rates and click-through rates. This information can be used to improve your campaigns over time.

Discover 6 ways to make your email marketing recession-proof

Wherever your customers are, meet them.

It is important to guide readers through the marketing funnel in a natural way. This will create a seamless and enjoyable user experience while increasing conversions. You can effectively guide your readers through the stages of the marketing funnel with a good understanding of it, by using CTAs, and creating well-crafted emails.

Soft CTAs may be equally effective in nurturing leads as hard CTAs. You can improve your marketing strategy by tracking and analyzing your results. Put these tips to work and see your marketing efforts flourish.

The original post MarTech : The Art of Natural Fluting: How to Lead Your Readers Without Forced CTAs was first published on .