How to Turn a Website into a Sales Machine (AKA Funnel-in-Disguise)
Nobody likes being sold to. That’s the downside to using landing pages, squeeze pages, upsell pages, and other typical stuff that is often associated with sales funnels. The easiest way around this is to build the funnel out like a website, or just make certain parts of a website function like a funnel.
Website sales funnels are a user-friendly and effective way of gathering qualified leads. These types of funnels are perfect for products that people want to explore the benefits and features of before buying. This is a ton of information that would create one endless page to scroll through. At this point, I predict that the die-hard advocates of the Long-Form Sales Copy are already preparing an objection for the comments section.
Hear me out, though, because I’ve thought this through. The main purpose of long-form copy is to answer ALL of the prospect’s questions and objections, as well as providing ALL of the benefits and details of the product.
But what happens if the potential buyer really only needs one or two specific details before making a decision? Why should they have to scroll through a huge page to find the information they need? This is why the Website Sales Funnel is ideal for events, trade shows, or products that are bought based on impulse. They provide the visitors with a direct path to the information they want, with a button to buy right at their fingertips at all times.
A funnel website works based on one simple principle: only one call to action on every page, leading your reader to make a purchase.
Advanced tip: you can also combine the concept of a long-form sales page and a navigable website. Thus, you would create one long page with navigation options somewhere in the interface. This is a tricky undertaking, however, and deserves an article of its own.
Building a funnel like a website
When building a “website sales funnel”, you must start with a goal. What do you want the reader to do?
Build each page of the website around this one objective, omitting any content that isn’t leading to your goal. For example, if you want the reader to buy a ticket to your event, build a website with multiple tabs of information, (speakers, schedule, vendors, location, etc.) but on each page, have only one clear call to action: “click to buy your ticket”. From the user’s perspective, they are on an informative website, but you are providing them with only one outcome to their visit.
Remember that a website funnel doesn’t have to be bare-bones either. You can get creative with presenting your call to action. One great way to do this is to include a blog with multiple engaging articles, each ending with the call to action. You can also include separate pages that showcase photos and videos of past events, or other content surrounding your product. The point is that these additional things are not exactly sales copy, yet they provide your visitors with the information they may want in order to make their decision.
Whatever you do, remember to include that one call-to-action on every page!
Adding a lead magnet offer
A funnel wouldn’t be a true funnel without an additional step or two. An easy addon for the website funnel builder is a pop up that gathers email addresses in exchange for relevant and appealing content, such as a full-length video from the last event, a few exclusive tips from the keynote speaker, or some promotional offer. This way users will provide you with an email to reach them at in the future.
But wait, didn’t I just say to have only one call to action? Absolutely. This secondary opt-in should definitely be de-emphasized. And when the visitor does opt-in, whatever they receive should definitely include the primary call to action that you have established as your primary goal.
One way to include this magnet offer is to set up a pop-up that triggers only once the visitor has spent a specific amount on the site (3 minutes, for example), has visited multiple pages, OR (warning: this can be annoying) when they try to navigate off the site.
If you are stepping into this advanced territory, you can change this magnet over time or if they opted in (tracked by browser cookies) and appeal to users at different stages of the buying process.
These methods are extremely effective for selling on traditional websites. Remember to start with your goal in mind, maintain one clear call to action, and don’t be afraid to get creative.
