You likely know that you’re not going to get make a good living selling just one product. And if this is your first time hearing this, I'm not going to apologize, I'm going to show you the way to make a better living. In order to have a successful business, you need to sell additional products to your existing customers. In other words, you need to set up a sales funnel with a variety of offers at different products, and then promote these offers to your prospects and customers.
Here’s a crash course in how to do it…
Step 1: Design Your Funnel
The first thing to do is decide what products you’re going to give away and sell. A “funnel” is simply your process for making sales in your business.
Digital assets that might be in your sales funnel include:
- A free lead magnet to attract people into your sales funnel.
- A low-cost, high-value tripwire offer to turn your prospects into buyers. I personally hate the term tripwire, so henceforth I will refer to these as “expansion packs” as that fits better.
- Your main business offer aka your core offer.
- Upsell offers.
- A variety of products and services at a variety of price points to sell throughout your funnel. While these may vary widely in pricing, be sure to include premium offers here.
For example, let’s suppose you’re selling weight-loss information. Your funnel might look like this:
- Lead magnet: a set of meal plans and recipes.
- Expansion pack offer: A weight-loss report with 101 dieting tips.
- Core offer: a weight-loss membership site.
- Upsell/cross-sell on the order form: personal nutrition consulting.
- Funnel offers: recipe books, additional meal plans., exercise videos, reports about supplements, personalized diet and exercise coaching/consulting.
Now let’s walk through the steps of promoting these offers throughout your sales funnel…
Step 2: Insert Order-Form Offers (Order Bumps)
Order-form offers, often referred to as “order bumps”, are strategic additions to your checkout process designed to enhance the customer's initial purchase. The primary aim here is to introduce products or services that complement the main item, thereby maximising the value and convenience for the customer. For instance, if you're selling a guide on copywriting, an effective order bump could include a collection of ready-to-use copywriting templates. These templates serve as practical tools, enabling customers to apply the lessons from the guide more efficiently and effectively.
Here's a screenshot of one of my order bumps in ThriveCart. On the image 1 is the main offer (off-screen). 2 is the actual order bump. 3 is the reminder of the main offer.
Why Include Order Bumps?
The inclusion of order bumps is grounded in understanding the psychology of buying behaviour. When customers are in the mindset to buy, they are more likely to consider additional, helpful options if these are presented as direct enhancements to their purchase. This method not only increases the average order value but also boosts customer satisfaction by making their purchase more comprehensive.
Best Practices for Order Bumps
- Relevance is Key: Ensure that the order bump is directly related to the main product and adds clear, immediate value. If the main product is a digital course, a relevant bump could be an exclusive webinar series that deepens the learning experience.
- Simplicity Sells: The offer should be straightforward and easy to understand. A complicated offer might confuse the buyer or slow down the buying process, reducing its effectiveness.
- Visibility: Position the offer where it cannot be missed. Ideally, this would be on the same page as the checkout, where the customer makes their final purchase decision.
- Limited Choices: Too many options can lead to decision fatigue, which can ultimately discourage additional purchases. Limit order bumps to one or two per purchase to keep the decision simple.
- Clear Benefits: Clearly articulate how the bump complements the main product. Use concise, compelling descriptions that focus on the benefits rather than the features.
Example of Order Bumps in Action
Imagine you are selling an online photography course. A smart order bump to this product could be a set of professional presets for photo editing software. This not only adds value by saving time in post-processing but also enhances the results the customers can achieve with their photography, making the course itself more valuable.
We use and recommend this Thrivecart for your sales funnel and order bumps. Not only is it easy to use, it's currently on a lifetime deal, which means you pay for it once. Hurrah! One less subscription each month. You can read my more detailed ThriveCart review and see if it's for you.
Step 3: Promote Offers in Emails
Email marketing is an exceptionally effective tool for promoting offers, but its success largely depends on how well you tailor the content to your audience. Segmenting your email list is crucial, as it allows you to send highly relevant content and offers to specific groups within your audience. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of engagement and conversion.
Importance of Segmentation
Segmentation involves dividing your email list into smaller groups based on specific criteria, such as past purchases or expressed interests. This strategy enables you to customise your messaging to meet the unique needs and preferences of each segment.
Implementing Targeted Email Promotions
For instance, if a segment of your audience has purchased a copywriting guide from you, you know they have an interest in improving their writing skills. You can leverage this information by sending them targeted emails promoting complementary services, like a sales page critique. This service can help them refine their skills further, applying the principles they’ve learnt from the guide to enhance their sales pages.
Example of an Email Promotion
Here’s how you might structure such an email:
“Hello [Name],
Thank you for purchasing our Copywriting Guide! To help you apply these new skills more effectively, we're offering a personalised Sales Page Critique. This service will help you refine your sales messaging, ensuring you capture your audience's attention and drive conversions.
Interested? Click here to learn more and see how we can help you enhance your sales strategy!
Best wishes, [Your Name]”
Offering Additional Support
Recognise that some business owners may need further assistance beyond digital products. In such cases, it’s beneficial to offer personalised support. For example, suggest booking a consultation call if they need help implementing the strategies discussed in the emails. This not only provides them with valuable support but also enhances customer engagement with your brand.
By using targeted promotions in your emails and providing avenues for additional support, you can significantly increase the relevance and effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Remember to maintain clarity and conciseness in your messages, ensuring that the benefits of any offers are immediately apparent to your recipients.
Step 4: Cross-Promote Within Products
Integrating cross-promotions within your existing products, such as guides, membership sites, and digital content, is a strategic way to increase visibility and usage of your broader product range. This method involves embedding offers or links to related products directly within the content you provide.
Effective Placement of Offers
Consider including a “Recommended Resources” section within your eBooks or online courses. This section can feature links to related products or services that enhance the reader's understanding or application of the content. For instance, if your eBook covers advanced photography techniques, you could link to a series of video tutorials or specialised equipment that further supports these skills.
Linking to Additional Resources
Another approach is to provide links to resources pages on your blog or website. These pages can offer in-depth information or tutorials that complement the product the customer is currently engaging with. By guiding customers to these resources, you provide them with easy access to additional valuable content without requiring them to search for it independently.
Using Multimedia
Incorporating multimedia elements, such as videos where you discuss or demonstrate the use of these resources, can significantly enhance the customer's learning experience. Videos offer a dynamic way to engage customers and provide a richer, more interactive way to explore the content.
The Value of Recommendations
While some might consider this approach too direct or promotional, it is essential to recognise the convenience it offers, especially for busy individuals. Recommendations can save customers significant time and effort in researching tools and products that would benefit them. As a business owner, highlighting products that you believe will aid your customers not only serves them but also builds trust and reinforces the value of your brand.
Example in Action
Imagine you are offering an online course on digital marketing. Within the course, you could include a section that links to a set of exclusive webinars on content strategy, or to software tools that automate social media posts. This not only enhances the learning experience but also provides practical tools that can be used in tandem with the course material.
By thoughtfully integrating cross-promotions within your products, you can create a comprehensive ecosystem of resources that supports your customers' journey and encourages deeper engagement with your brand. Remember to keep these integrations relevant and helpful, ensuring they genuinely add value to the original product.
Step 5: Promote Wherever You Communicate
Expanding your promotional efforts across all communication channels can significantly enhance your marketing impact. It's crucial to utilise every interaction point with prospects and customers as an opportunity to promote relevant offers. Here’s how you can effectively integrate promotions across various communication platforms:
Thank You and Download Pages
After a customer completes a purchase or downloads a free resource, the resulting thank you or download page is an excellent opportunity for further promotion. These pages can host offers for products that complement what the customer has just bought or downloaded. For example, if a customer has just purchased an eBook on dieting, the thank you page could promote a discounted consultation session on nutrition planning.
Private Groups and Forums
If you manage private, customer-only or member-only groups and forums, these can be ideal places to introduce exclusive offers. Members of such groups often perceive exclusive deals as high-value rewards for their loyalty or membership, enhancing engagement and increasing the likelihood of purchases.
Social Media
Social media platforms allow for dynamic and direct customer engagement. Promote limited-time offers, flash sales, or exclusive content to create urgency and drive action. Using visually appealing graphics, engaging videos, and direct calls to action can significantly boost your response rates.
Your Blog
Your blog is not just a platform for sharing insights but also a prime space for promoting offers. Embed calls to action within your blog posts that link to your product pages, or use sidebar advertisements to promote current deals. Ensure these promotions are related to the content of the blog to maintain relevance and interest.
Incentivising Offers
To effectively increase response rates across these platforms, consider providing a compelling reason for customers to engage with your offers. Limited-time coupons, special edition products, or access to exclusive content are all powerful incentives that can encourage more immediate and enthusiastic responses from your audience.
Creating a Cohesive Offer Strategy
The key to a profitable strategy is to have multiple related products and services that cater to the needs of your customers at different stages of your sales funnel. Start by integrating offers right from the initial point of contact, such as order bumps, and continue promoting these across all your communication channels. This approach not only maximises exposure but also taps into the established interest and trust of your existing customers.
By strategically promoting your offers wherever you communicate with your audience, you can effectively widen your reach and deepen customer engagement. Each platform offers unique advantages for connecting with your audience, so tailor your message to fit the medium while ensuring it resonates with the interests and needs of your customers. Remember, the more relevant and timely the offer, the higher the likelihood of a positive response.
For best results, be sure each piece of your sales funnel solves a part of your audience’s problem, because if it doesn't… You won't make any money at all!
Sarah x
