If you‘ve been in the content marketing world for any amount of time, you‘ve likely heard the term "sales funnel" thrown around. But what exactly does it mean in the context of blogging, and how can you leverage it to grow your online business?
In this post, we‘ll break down the 5 key stages of a well-designed blog sales funnel. More importantly, you‘ll learn actionable strategies and see real examples for optimizing each stage to attract leads and convert them into loyal, high-paying customers.
By the end, you‘ll have a clear roadmap for building an automated sales machine that works for you 24/7. Let‘s dive in!
The Evolution of the Sales Funnel for Bloggers
The sales funnel concept has been around in some form for over a century. In its simplest form, it represents the customer‘s journey from initial awareness of a product to eventually making a purchase.
Traditionally, most funnels followed the basic AIDA model:
- Attention
- Interest
- Decision
- Action
The marketer‘s job was to provide the prospect with the right information at each stage to guide them toward the sale at the end of the funnel. Once that single sale was made, the funnel ended.
However, the modern blogging sales funnel looks quite different. With the rise of content marketing, sales funnels have become more sophisticated, personalized, and focused on maximizing the lifetime value of the customer.
Rather than a single sale being the end goal, that initial purchase is now viewed as just the first step in an ongoing relationship. Smart bloggers continue delivering targeted, valuable content to those buyers, steadily moving them toward higher-priced offerings on the back end.
When properly structured, a significant portion of a blog‘s profits is generated not from the first sale, but from these repeat purchases in the back end of the funnel. The key is keeping buyers engaged and consistently providing them relevant offers they can‘t resist.
With that context in mind, let‘s examine each stage of the modern blog sales funnel in more detail.
Stage 1: The Eye-Catcher
At the very top of your blogging funnel, your job is to cast a wide net and attract as many targeted visitors to your site as possible. At this stage, assume that most people are not highly familiar with you or your brand yet.
Your primary goals with top-of-funnel content are to:
- Generate broad awareness
- Establish your authority and credibility on your blog‘s topic
Types of content that work well at this stage include:
- SEO-optimized blog posts and articles
- Social media posts
- Infographics
- Short educational videos
The key is to focus on creating high-value content that provides real solutions to the common problems and questions your target audience has. You want this content to be easily discoverable through search engines and highly shareable on social media.
For example, popular internet marketing blog Backlinko publishes in-depth, definitive guides on SEO topics that generate a ton of organic search traffic and social shares. Founder Brian Dean has established himself as one of the top authorities in the SEO space largely through these eye-catching top-of-funnel assets.
Stage 2: The Lead Magnet
Once you have a visitor‘s attention, the next stage is to convert them into an email subscriber so you can follow up with them on an ongoing basis. Email marketing still generates the highest ROI compared to other channels, so building your list should be a top priority.
The most effective way to entice people to hand over their email address is by offering a free resource, or "lead magnet", in exchange. Common types of lead magnets include:
- Ebooks
- White papers
- Checklists
- Templates
- Mini video courses
Unlike top-of-funnel blog content which appeals to a broad audience, lead magnets should be more specific and ultra-relevant to your target customer. The best ones provide a "quick win" and deliver a desired result related to the end product you ultimately want to sell them.
Many bloggers make the mistake of simply putting an opt-in box on their site and assuming people will subscribe. But you‘ll get MUCH better results by creating a dedicated landing page for your lead magnet that really sells people on the benefits.
Ramit Sethi does this exceptionally well. To promote his flagship course on starting an online business, he offers a free downloadable PDF guide called "30 Successful Online Business Ideas". The landing page is basically a long-form sales page that builds massive credibility and makes a compelling case for why you‘d be crazy not to sign up.
Stage 3: The Initial Offer
Now that you‘ve captured a lead‘s email address, it‘s time to convert them into a paying customer with an irresistible initial offer. At this stage, your aim is to deliver a tremendous amount of value at a relatively low price point.
Ideal front-end products include:
- Ebooks
- Short online courses
- Coaching sessions
- Software tools
While you may have lofty ambitions for high-ticket products down the road, it‘s crucial not to ask for too much too soon. Price your initial offer at an almost no-brainer level (e.g. $7-$99) so that purchasing is an easy decision.
Remember, the goal isn‘t so much to make a big profit on this first sale, but rather to acquire a new customer you can market to going forward. You want to deliver an amazing experience that leaves them thinking, "Wow, I can‘t believe I got all that for such a low price…I wonder what else they have to offer!"
For example, Sean Ogle sells a short but value-packed ebook on starting a lifestyle business called "Location Rebel Arsenal" for just $7 on his blog Location 180. Once someone buys this initial offer, they immediately get an upsell to his main $497 course and $97/month community upsell.
Stage 4: The Follow-Up
At this point, you‘ve successfully converted your blog readers into paying customers – but you‘re just getting started! With the right follow-up marketing, you can quickly turn that initial sale into long-term customer loyalty.
The key is to continue providing relevant, valuable content to your buyers, ideally through an email autoresponder series. Some effective follow-up content includes:
- Case studies showing how others have gotten results with your product
- Usage tips to help them succeed with their purchase
- Related articles and resources on your blog
- Webinars diving deeper into topics that interest them
- Special "customer only" discounts and bonuses
By staying top of mind and continuing to educate your audience, you‘ll cultivate a tribe of raving fans eager to buy whatever you release next. Focus on building real relationships and becoming their go-to expert on their issues.
Look at how the popular email marketing software ConvertKit onboards new customers. After you make your first purchase, you‘re put into an email sequence that drips out helpful tips, interviews with power users, invitations to live training sessions, and links to their extensive knowledge base. By the time you‘ve gone through it, you‘re practically a ConvertKit ninja!
Stage 5: The Big Back-End Sale
Now we come to the most lucrative (but most neglected) part of the blog funnel – the big ticket back-end offer. This is typically a premium product that provides the maximum value to your most loyal, high-paying customers.
Types of back-end offerings include:
- Multi-week signature courses
- Private coaching and consulting
- Live events and workshops
- Recurring software subscriptions
- Done-for-you services
While it may seem intimidating to ask for premium prices, remember your rock solid customers are actually eager for more comprehensive solutions from you. You‘ve built up immense trust through your initial offer and follow-up campaign – now it‘s time to fully monetize that relationship.
Back-end offers commonly range from around $300 on the low end to $3000+ for more exclusive offerings. Since you‘re marketing to a small segment of proven buyers, you can afford to provide tons of personal attention and real results.
Legendary blogger Yaro Starak sells a back-end "Blog Mastermind" coaching program for nearly $2000. Before anyone even sees that offer though, they will have gone through his front-end ebook, email course and hopefully an initial sale.
Putting It All Together
Building a blog sales funnel does require some up-front work in terms of planning and content creation. But once it‘s set up, much of the process can run on autopilot, attracting leads and generating sales for you 24/7.
The best part is, your funnel can evolve and grow along with your blog. Continue testing new lead magnets, email campaigns and offers to optimize your conversions over time. Track your key metrics and always focus on improving the experience for your readers.
With consistency and a relentless commitment to providing value, you can turn your humble blog into a highly profitable, automated sales machine. Here‘s a quick recap of the 5 essential stages:
- Eye-Catcher Content
- Lead Magnet Opt-In
- Initial Low-Price Offer
- Ongoing Follow-Up
- Premium Back-End Sale
I hope this post has given you a clearer roadmap for leveraging a sales funnel in your own blogging business. While it may seem overwhelming at first, just focus on optimizing one stage at a time.
Pick one of the strategies above and implement it this week. Then gradually build out your funnel piece by piece. Trust me, once you start seeing those automated sales notifications rolling in, you‘ll be hooked!
What stage of the blog funnel do you need to focus on next? Let me know in the comments!
