How to Create a Sales Funnel to Sell Online Classes (Sales Funnel Template)

  Are you struggling to earn regular income for your online course business? It is likely that you'll need an effective sales funnel. Follow this proven process for developing a sales funnel that generates consistent leads and sales for your online courses.

You're the expert on your topic (after all, you did develop a whole course about it! ), but you're not an expert at marketing. Consequently, your course has only a few sales, or perhaps none.

  Is it the right time to toss in the towel? Should you give up on your dream of teaching online with a positive impact in the lives of people around you through sharing your expertise with them?

Absolutely not!

A great class is only the first of the conditions for success as an online instructor. A second requirement is to have an distinct process to attract and enroll students in your course.

This process is known as the sale funnel and, without one to enroll new students on a regular basis is nearly impossible.

For a quick overview on what sales funnels can mean for your company Check out this short video on our youtube channel:

The absence of a funnel for sales for your online courses can be compared to setting up an ice cream stand in the middle of the desert, where no one will ever find it. It's possible that it's super hot outside. Sure, your lemonade may be delicious. But if you're not giving your customers a path they can follow and that leads to your stand selling lemonade you'll never be able to locate it. This "build it and (hope) that they'll come" approach rarely translates into sales or enrolments at the very least, in the real world.

Without a sales funnel, you are pretty much doomed.

Before we move more, I believe it's crucial to make the distinction between a sales funnel and a marketing strategy. Using certain tactics to market your product is not the same as having an effective sales funnel.

Allow me to clarify...

A funnel to sell, on the other side, refers to the whole process you lead prospective students through which ends with them making the decision to enroll (or not enroll) within your program.

Marketing strategies, then, can be used to bring people into that procedure. They're the initial phase to the selling process, but they are not all that is required to sell.

Using marketing tactics without integrating the process of selling seldom results in sales or enrolments. This is true for both free courses and paid courses. In both instances it is essential to lead an individual through the process which concludes with them taking the decision to sign up to your class.

So, now having that difference figured out Let's discuss how to design a funnel for sales for your own course.

Note:the sales funnel I am about to demonstrate is not the only type of sales funnel that you could create to promote your courses, however it's one utilized by a lot of online instructors in the community. One of our customers, Justin Brooke, as an example, utilizes this sales funnel to sell his online courses. And as you can see in his post on the Facebook group the funnel is working quite well for him.

It's pretty awesome, right?

Before we go any further, I should mention that the sales funnel I'm going to demonstrate will require quite a bit of time to create. It's nevertheless effective, and simple to put into place.

The best part is that, after you've create this funnel for sales, it will operate almost on autopilot, which means it'll continue to bring new students onto the course even while you're relaxing in a lounge, watching a flick, enjoying a meal with family members, or even when you're asleep. Woohoo!

  The most important requirements to setting up this sales funnel are:  

  1. Software for marketing emails

  2. Source of traffic

The effectiveness of a sales funnel is only if the customers actually go through the sales funnel. To attract those customers, you either need an audience (your email list as well as blog readers, podcast listeners, social media followers for example. ) and a desire to work hard and/or invest the money to attract people into the funnel. Once you've got people in your sales funnel, it won't convert anyone.

  3. Webinar Software (optional)

Do you meet these requirements?

Great, let's move on:

  6 Steps for Creating the Sales Funnel that Sells Your Online Course:  

Okay, so there are several pieces that make up this funnel for sales, but I've managed to organize everything into six specific actions. It's a good idea to make note of these steps, as we're about to explore a wide range of topics in the coming minutes. Let's start by introducing Step 1.

  1. Determine a specific issue that your market segment is confronting

Let's be honest. Your course is not meant for everyone (don't fret, this is an advantage). There's a certain sort of student who will most likely take an interest in your course. This type of person is to your target market.

Without an in-depth understanding of who you're trying to assist with the course and what they're in need of assistance (what are their concerns, questions as well as their frustrations, issues and pain points are) This will make it very difficult for you to

  A: Create an online course to help them to improve their skills,  

  B: Promote your course to the people who want and need it most  

Actually, I suggest developing an detailed persona of your ideal student or customer (sometimes called an avatar of a customer avatar). Having that clarity will help tremendously when creating your sales funnel for your course. For now, I'm going to assume that you know whom your target audience is.

The next process is to determine an issue users are seeking a solution to (one which is related to the topic of your online course).

  What do you need to find out what your audience is experiencing?  

There are basically two ways to accomplish this. It is possible to conduct some study regarding your intended market or contact for their contact information for their contact information. Ideally, you will accomplish both.

We'll start with the first approach.

There are several ways you could conduct some investigation on the internet to find out about specific issues that your targeted market is facing:

• Look over the comments on forums and blogs on your topic

Perform a Google lookup to find the top blogs, forums, and publications about your course subject. Find the most read articles on those sites (as shown by the number of shares and comments in social networks). Then, read the comment section on the posts. It is common to find feedback (positive and negative) in the comment section, along with queries that were submitted by the people who are in your market.

• Check out the review of books that cover your topic

Head over to Amazon to search for books on your topic. Take a look through the Table of Contents section of the book (to provide an overview of the subjects discussed) as well as, more important look over the reviews from customers. Negative reviews will often reveal what readers expecting to be addressed (or elaborately covered) in the book, however, they weren't.

• Ask queries on Quora about your topic

Quora is a site for questions and answers which allows questions to be asked, answered, edited and organized by its community of members. Millions of people visit this site every day but I've yet find a topic that hasn't been debated on Quora.

• Answers in Facebook as well as LinkedIn Groups

Join a few Facebook and/or LinkedIn groups that are related to the subject of your class or a related topic that your market segment is attracted to. Be attentive to questions that members are asking within the groups. If someone asks for advice or feedback on a specific problem You can bet other people in your target market have that problem as well.

• Customer service enquiries as well as complaints

If you own or work in a business that is serving the market you want to serve, pay attention to the queries that customers send to the customer service team. Customers rarely call customer service in the event of a query or have a concern or have a problem, so these could be an excellent way to determine the needs of your customers. assistance in.

Another way to discover what the market you are targeting is struggling with is to talk to them(yes that's actually speak with them).

Here are some ways you can ask your target market:

• Email your list
• You can ask Facebook for or LinkedIn Group members
• Social media

If you have people from your marketing target using social media to follow you create a blog post in which you invite them to share any particular questions or concerns they may face in relation to your course topic. Like the email you sent, you can share a link to an online survey to encourage them for them to respond to you in public (this may be the most effective choice based on the specifics of your course topic).

• Contact your customers or clients

Then, you can get in touch with your existing and/or past clients and customers. Inform them that you're doing some studies to develop additional content and resources that can help them. You could also ask them for 10-15 minutes of their time to get to know more about their specific questions and challenges. You'll be amazed at how many people are willing to be open when you demand it.

2. Create free content to solve the issue

After you've pinpointed a specific problem your audience is searching for a solution to then the next step is to create free content that helps to solve the issue.

The concept behind this action is to offer an advantage to the people you are targeting at the start for no cost (by posting content that actually helps them) and gain the trust of your audience and positioning yourself as an expert throughout this process.

That being said, if you decide to write a blog post, I recommend a length of at least 2000 words. The longer and more helpful, the better. Plus, you'll score brownie points from Google after they discover that you've published one of the best (if not THE best) article online about that specific issue or topic.

  But.. however.. If I can help them solve their problem for free, why would I encourage them to purchase my course? ?

Perhaps you're wondering if providing help to someone else with their problems by offering them a free solution will assist you in helping sell your course which is a legitimate concern. Allow me to describe the rationale behind this strategy...

The issue that your blog article helps solve shouldn't be the only problem that your course helps to resolve. It's just one of many problems the course tackles. Therefore, your blog post will benefit the reader but is also a way to solve a bigger issue (one which your course offers an answer to).

So for example, if you offer a class on the best way to instruct your dog it's a bit difficult to create an article that is comprehensive and covers all the information one needs to know about the process of training their pet (hence the need to make the course). But what you can do is tackle a smaller issue that forms a component of the whole dog training procedure.

Here are a few problems that dog owners often confront when they train their pets:

• Their dog won't stop chewing their furniture
• The dog is constantly peeing inside the house
• Their dog pulls too hard when walked
• The dogs bark at people (how they are rude!)

All of them can be an excellent blog post for someone who is trying to train their dog will find useful. Actually, here are some headline ideas that could be used in blog posts like:

• How do you train your dog to not chew on furniture
• How do you get your dog to stop peeing in the house
• How do you train your dog to stop pulling when walking them
• How to train your dog to stop barking at strangers

If you were a pet owner and were suffering from any issues If you came across the headline of a blog posting that offered a solution to that exact problem Wouldn't you like to read it? Absolutely - exactly what you're searching for!

When you've settled on the specific problem you are planning to present your solution for, you can go ahead write your blog article (or make a podcast, or video, etc.). You must make sure that you provide an clear and compelling headline which will instantly grab the attention of those who is searching for solutions to this issue.

Actually, there is a great tool from Co-Schedule known as Headline Analyzer. Try some headlines for your blog post, and use those that have the highest score.

3. Add a no-cost resource (content update) to add your list of email subscribers

Some people who see your blog post is likely to sign up for your online course, and that is perfectly fine. The most effective way to distinguish people who read your blog post for pleasure from individuals who are more likely to sign up for your course is to get people to sign up to your mailing list.

According to Salesforce according to Salesforce, it takes on average six to eight interactions for generating a valid leads for sales. This means that a prospective pupil will probably have to be contacted 6 to 8 times before they are able to take your course. How can you best accomplish that? Email.

In order to get someone to subscribe to your email list it is necessary to give them an incentive for doing it. This incentive must be free and is in addition to the information you shared in your blog article.

Sometimes referred to as a Content upgrade This is a resource which you offer in exchange for someone's email address. An exercise, checklist or resource guide, as well as additional training or even a course for free, are all examples of upgrades to content can be offered.

Make sure it is very evident that you're offering a content upgrade on your blog page. It should be at the topof the page, on the middle of the page, near the bottom, and maybe even on the sidebar of the page too.

We've created an Course Pricing Workbook (a fillable PDF file) We offer it for free to anyone who provides their email address. This is as you can see in the screenshot below:

After publishing the article in 2016, we've had more than 5,000 readers go through it, and nearly 1,000 people opt-in to receive our price workbook. It's more than 1,000 possible customers to (many of which have eventually become customers) just a single piece of content! That's pretty impressive, right?

There's a chance that not all who reads your blog post will subscribe to your mailing list in order to receive the free resource, but those that will do so will be willing to contact those who do. That's precisely what you're going to do (=)

4. Create a welcome message (with the resources for free) for new subscribers.

This step is very straightforward it is also probably the most simple of all the steps involved in creating this sales funnel.

With your email service provider, you are able to make what is known as an autoresponder mail. It is an email that is sent to someone automatically and after a predetermined duration of time. The time in the case of an email to welcome them will be right after you sign up them to your mailing list.

I suggest keeping the welcome message to a minimum (you don't want to overwhelm those who are new to your mailing list). Introduce yourself, thank the person for taking time to read your blog post as well as a link to download the document you promised them.

You could also invite people to get in touch with your (because actually talking to those in your market is always a good idea). Inform them that they are able to contact you at anytime, connect with you on social media and visit your site etc.

Lastly, make them aware that if they ever want to unsubscribe from emails sent by the company, they just need to do remove themselves to your list of email recipients. Email marketing only works when those on your list have granted you permission to reach them. Actually, the majority of companies that offer email services require you notify all new subscribers an email confirmatory email (asking them to confirm they are willing to receive emails from the company) before they will even mail them your welcome emails.

5. Created an automated email follow-up series that will help you sell your class

In the beginning of this piece that this particular sales funnel, once created, can run virtually in autopilot. One aspect that make it possible is an automated series of email follow-ups.

The process is simple. It is easy to write several emails, and then you add them to your autoresponder (follow-up) series by using the email service you use. It is your choice ahead of time when these messages are sent out in relation to the date that the first person joins your email newsletter.

So for example that you write 7 follow-up emails, and then configure your autoresponder series to deliver one email each every day, for seven days, to each new subscriber on your list of email subscribers. Here is a screenshot of a follow-up series I made using Aweber in order to show you an instance.

I don't recommend giving your follow-up emails with the subject line "Email #1", "Email #2", "Email #3", etc. But you'll can get the concept. The goal is to ensure that everyone who subscribers to your mailing list gets identical emails with the same frequency as well as in the exact length of time.

The purpose of the emails is to convince the recipient to join the online course you offer There are several ways you can do it:

     If your course is not cost-free:    

If your course is cost-free, you shouldn't need much effort (or a lot of emails) in order to get anyone to enroll in it. You can even offer them the opportunity to attend your course in your initial welcoming email, as I did in this (hypothetical) example below:

     If your course is available for auction:    

If your students have to be paid to attend your class, it will likely require some time to convince them to enroll in it. Here are a few approaches you can take:

Give a trial for free (let them try some of your lessons for free)

Utilizing its free trial feature, you can choose to have certain lessons from your course a component of a trial that is free. For instance, if the course you are taking has 10 lessons for instance you can make the first 1-2 lessons available for the price of.

The nice thing about the free trial is that it provides someone with the chance to try your course risk-free, learn from you and decide whether they are satisfied with your material and approach to teaching, before they purchase your entire course. After a person has completed your free trial, you can send them an email inviting the person to sign up for your entire course.

  Write a series of emails which conclude with an invite to register in your program  

By using this method using this method, you compose a set of emails that work together to help your pupil, build their confidence and then present your program to them over a pre-determined duration. They could contain exclusive advice, links to other blog posts or useful resources, and eventually an invitation to sign up to take your class.

The idea is to position your subsequent series as an free email course (as numerous on-line course developers have created). This way, you treat each email as a particular lesson from an educational course. When you have completed your email course for free, the subscribers are invited to sign up for the paid version of your course.

If you were to offer a complimentary 7-day email course, for example, your follow-up series might look something like this:

• Day 1. Day 1: Welcome Email
• Day 2: Content (Lesson #1)
• Day 3: Content (Lesson #2)
• Day 4: Content (Lesson #3)
• Day 5: Content (Lesson #4)
• Day 6: Content (Lesson #5)
• Day 7: Content (Lesson #6)
• Day 8: Content (Lesson #7)
• Day 9 Day 9: Invitation to Enroll (Sell your Course)
• Day 10 Answering Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  Invite your list to participate in a live webinar during which you'll be presenting your course  

We won't go into too much detail here, because we do have an entire guideline that will help you sell your webinar course live (see the hyperlink below). However, the idea behind it is to invite your email subscribers to join a live webcast where you'll share your top tips prior to the presentation of your course. The great thing about hosting live webinars is they let you take some time in talking to and engaging with your prospective participants (which allows them to be familiar with, respect and respect you) before you invite them to sign up for your course.

  Send your contacts to view a recorded webinar or sales video which explains your course  

Another alternative (instead of hosting a live webcast) is inviting your subscribers via email to view a pre-recorded webinar or sales video in which you outline your training. If you opt to employ this approach, I recommend hosting a few live webinars first to refine the presentation, and ensure that your presentation is successful before you start directing people to a pre-recorded video.

One disadvantage to sending your customers to a recorded webinar or sales video is you won't be there in the room to talk to people or address their concerns at the same time. So unless you have a really effective presentation that's been tested numerous times, this strategy might not be as efficient as the ones mentioned above.

6. Keep in touch with those who aren't buyers on your email list

The majority of people you invite to sign-up for your online course will do it, and that's perfectly normal. Be patient and don't be upset. The thing all salespeople have to discover is that not all they meet with will purchase. If you know how to make 100% of people you pitch to buy from you, then please share with me the secret.

However, there is something you should do when you promote your course to newsletter subscribers (whether by sending them directly to your sales page, offering them a free trial or inviting them to attend an online webinar, etc.) is to politely inquire about to explain why they didn't purchase.

Most people will be surprised to hear that you've even asked and if you do correctly, you'll obtain some incredibly valuable feedback from your target audience. Sometimes , they simply want to talk to them and ask a few questions before purchasing from your. However starting a dialogue with them is a great idea.

In the worst case, you receive a rude message like "Stop emailing me! I'm not interested in taking the path you've chosen. I'm not going to take your advice. !"

Fun fact: I once received a nasty email on Christmas morning, from someone who was from my email list. They received an automated email from me the next morning (they had signed up to my list a few days prior) but they weren't aware that it was an automated email. They were convinced that I wrote and sent that message to them on Christmas morning, and they were livid. I did end up apologizing to them and explaining that the email was sent by an automated system. Trust me when I say that generally speaking, it's better to unsubscribe them to your mailing list and move on to your daily routine.

  Sales funnels are ready, what's next?  

Okay, so once your sales funnel is put in place, the following step is to fill your funnel with customers who will likely be keen on your online course (your targeted audience).

  Here are some ways to market your blog for your current audience:  

• Send your subscribers' list an email and include a hyperlink to your blog
• Post your blog's post to all of your social media channels
• Share your blog post inside the group of the group on your Facebook or LinkedIn group

If you're not able to have direct access to your target audience, don't fret. There are plenty of choices.

  Here are some ways to get your target market to find and read your blog post:  

• Share the link to your blog's post on the social media forums where members discuss your topic (always read the group guidelines prior to publishing, so you won't be flagged as a spammer)
• Make sure to share the link with websites and online communities like Reddit and Quora.
• Publish a similar video upload to YouTube (the second-largest internet search engine) and direct viewers to your blog by referring them to the video
• Improve your blog's performance to be optimized for search engine Optimization (SEO) using using your most important keyword(s) in the post's title, sub-headlines, and paragraphs.
• Use prominent social media sharing buttons that make it easy for readers to post and
• Include a couple of Click-to-Tweets in your blog post, like I've done with this one

To get more suggestions to make your blog post go viral, check out How To Promote Your Blog with the 105 Tips for Content Promotion

  Utilize your sales funnel to sign up in new students for your course via autopilot  

Hope these suggestions are helpful to you. Also, I need to remind you that this is certainly not the only sales funnel that you can make use of to increase enrollment to your online course. It is a funnel which a large number of online instructors are using and experiencing great success using.

By creating content and lead magnets that are appealing to the people you want to reach through every step of the customer buying journey, you attract the most potential buyers feasible into the sales funnel. But not only the ones willing to buy right now.

Another piece of advice that I would like to give you is that you shouldn't expect your first sales funnel to be perfect. Always be testing various strategies, making changes on your sales funnel, and measuring the results. How it is measured can be improved.

  What kind of sales funnel are you using to sell your online course? Do you have additional ideas or suggestions to offer on this issue? Comment below and let us know!