Tips to Create the Great Online Course Sales Funnel in 2023
In the event that you've been in a conversation regarding internet marketing, there's a high likelihood that you've heard the term "funnel." There's been more than just a few conversations about funnels, and more than a few companies promise to help you create the perfect one.
People are using funnels to promote things like premium coaching , memberships or even coaching. It stands to reason that funnels are an excellent idea to sell an online course. They can!
So in this article, we'll talk about all things funnels. What creates a successful funnel? What is the best way to prevent it? We'll provide you with three ways to create your own online course funnel.
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This article...
What exactly is an online course's sales funnel?
What does an online course funnel for sales is NOT
What is it that makes an online course sales funnel be effective?
The truth about online course funnels
How to build an online sales funnel
How do you fill in the funnel of your online course
How to create an online class using
What exactly is an online course sales funnel?
An online course sales funnel is a method of selling that starts by attracting an abundance of prospective customers and moves forward step-by-step towards the intended course purchase. The typical customer experience for an online course starts by offering a low-cost or free offering, such as an online webinar, a free gift (opt-in) or a the community member and then qualified customers go through the funnel until they finally, they purchase the course!
The course funnel may have upsells at one end too, often course creators will include items like one-on-one coaching, a private community, a different course, or a live event.
On the way when the prospective customer is convinced (by paying a small amount of either time or money) that you're the right person to assist them, and they get psychologically ready to buy the program. And that's awesome!
A funnel is based on a successful ratio of leads to sales - as well as recognizing that not all buyers will purchase. That's okay. The trick to a viable course business plan is getting enough people in your funnel to ensure they can get to the final step - although it's important to tweak your funnel to optimize it too. Let's get into all of that!
The value ladder as well as the universal truth about marketing
At Mighty We really love the concept of a value ladder, for a funnel. As long as the students you want to attract spend a bit of time or money (in exchange for something of value) and they begin to trust the person you are. As they trust you, they'll be willing to put in more effort or spend cash to get higher worth.
And dang that's great math!
What is an online course funnel for sales is NOT
- Sales tactics that are high-pressure. Since, let's face it, we've all been there. When you're not sure you're getting the right product or the salesperson can assist you, but you're PRESSURED to buy it - it's THE WORST!
- It should have a "Buy it right now" button. The entire purpose of a funnel should be nurturing and giving value. Every funnel must include at minimum a few actions on the value-adding journey.
- A single offer. In essence the term funnel means multiple offers. This doesn't mean that they're all PAID. Your funnel could have 3 free things as well as an invitation to purchase a program. But there should be multiple options that offer worth.
- Universal. There's not a one-size fits all funnel. There are definitely best practices, and ClickFunnels has created a strong brand around the repeatable parts of funnels. However, a funnel that works for one person might not suit your needs. It is important to test it.
- A bait and switch. Do you want to create an effective funnel? You must ensure that you are providing worth at every step. Someone who asks their audience to download a crappy, worthless PDF and then expects them to into a $ 215 course sale, needs to think again.
What is it that makes an online sales funnel work?
Trust
The secret to the power of funnels is the trust. Feel it. Feel the power from the channel. (IS this a Yoda quote? That is!).
The primary purpose behind the value ladder is to gain people's trust. They need to trust that:
- You understand their problem.
- The right person to help you solve this problem.
- Your worth is worth the price.
People work hard for cash. We don't enjoy throwing money around, especially in this economy.
What is the best way to gain trust from people?
Easy peasy. Value your words. Before you ever ask for cash. If you are able to provide more value to your Ideal Student than they'll need to acquire it, they'll stick around.
And once they've spent little cash or time with your items, and can see that the investment was worthwhile then they'll go on the next level!
The Ideal Student
In order for an online course to function, you require the ideal student. This is the specific model of the student that will be paying for the course. There should be a need they need help with... Hence this course.
How do you find your Ideal Student?
The first step is to be particular. "People who are dog lovers" is not a good description of the Ideal student. Like seriously Who doesn't love dogs?
We need to limit it down. "People who are trying to teach crate training to a new puppy" may be the best candidate for the Ideal candidate.
So, as you're designing your course and course funnel, go and interview some people who you think might make good Ideal Students! Discover their struggles as well as their challenges. Ask them if they'd be willing to spend money for an answer.
Then, you can create what we call an "Big" Purpose statement for your program. This is how it looks:
Offering Value
We sort of talked about worth above. Once you've identified your Ideal student then the next task is to provide them with the right info - give the value they deserve upfront. If you're planning a great dessert to prove that you're the perfect person to assist your student, consider what do they require to know?
If you have a brand new dog, perhaps it's an e-book with an outline of a dog's training program. Perhaps it's a webcast with some training tips.
It is only possible to provide value only when you understand who you think the Ideal student is. You know what's awesome? As you give value and trust, people will be more likely to believe in you. Amazing stuff.
Software
Last but certainly not the least, all funnels require software. What do you need? Well, that is dependent on the kind of funnel you build. But in general, an online course funnel will require software to generate leads, software for nurturing leads, and software to give the class.
This can become quite confusing and it's is a fantastic web-based learning tool as does most of this stuff for the students.
But here's the stuff that you may require software for:
Attracting Prospects |
Delivering Value |
The Course is Selling |
|---|---|---|
|
Paid Ads |
Webinar Platform |
Point of sale |
|
|
PDF Downloader |
LMS or streaming platform |
|
Social Media |
Community platform |
Chat and messaging |
|
A website (SEO) |
Email software |
Community |
|
A podcast |
Event platform |
Analytics |
The funnel type that you're creating will determine the software, but we'll get into that.
Facts about online courses funnels
- A small percentage of the population are likely to buy your product - this is called the "conversion" percentage. No funnel creator ever hopes for 100% of the people to buy the thing. You can expect anywhere between 1 and 10 percent maximum.
- Funnels require the time to test. You can be sure that the first funnel will get you there however it's very unlikely. You'll likely need to come up with a solution. Yet, as the founder of ClickFunnels Russel Brunson says - You're only one click away!
- A good funnel could earn millionaires. Have reasonable expectations, however, be aware that course designers often take people through funnels again and again once they find one that works.
- Funnels should make more than what they cost. Marketing is a process where the price of acquisition is an an important number. If you are aware that every when you invest $10 on Facebook ads you get the equivalent of $30 in course sales, you might simply keep feeding the funnel!
How do I make an online course sales funnel
There's not one single way to design a funnel for sales for an online course. Really, you've got to choose what best suits your needs and your target audience. We'll show you some, and we'll even show you the one that we secretly think is the greatest. You can mix and match these.
Sequences of Email
The sales funnel for online courses has been around as long as the internet. You've seen it in the past. You came across a website and they gave you the option of a "Cool PDF" or "Free Training." You handed over your email address to begin receiving email from them.
If it is successful when it does, an email sequence gains an increasing amount of trust. It is easy to imagine your Ideal students eagerly awaiting your next emailand waiting for every word you say. So that when that invitation to buy the course online finally arrives, they say "Gee, golly, gosh yes !"
This is the ideal scenario.
However, it's true that you are aware of what happens when you use email. There's a good chance that you've signed up for 39 other list of email services and your wonderful missives end up in their junk-mail folder in the course of time.
You're now required to figure out if it's a good fit for you and your audience. It can definitely be a part of a bigger funnel. If you have a small email list (e.g. 100 persons) and you can only get the 2% you need to purchase won't assist much. If you've got 100,000 and 2% of those purchasing is quite a bit of income!
Webinar
It's a common one. You sign up to receive a "Free Training" - usually through advertisements on Facebook, Youtube, or LinkedIn. The link you receive will allow you to watch the video whether recorded live or pre-recorded. (Or it's recorded and they'll pretend to be live. Those sneaky sneakers. )
You watch it, and they give some value in the end, but in the final minutes they offer you an offer that is limited to purchase, a coupon code, or some offer to get you to buy.
The thing that makes webinars better than email is the fact that they can build trust more quickly. Video has a certain quality that is extremely effective. It allows you to gaze the other person in the eye, have a couple of inquiries answered (maybe) as well as figure out if they're the perfect match to meet your needs.
And, if willing to buy it, then you'll purchase!
Community Funnel
The best sales funnel for online classes
The final value ladder we'll talk about is one of community. At Mighty we are incredibly passionate about community.
And in fact, a community could do everything that a traditional sales funnel does and more. People can learn about your group. You can invite them to join (either on a free basis or at an agreed-upon fee). Joining is easy and lets users join in on the conversation already going on with you and the other members.
Your community is populated with engaging content, questions and answers webcasts, webinars, live streams Live events, just about anything else you'd like to. You provide a great deal of value on a large scale.
Then, when the time is to promote your course online, you've got an existing group of people who know, like, and trust you. They know you're the one that can assist them and they're going to whip out their purses and pay for the course!
If you get your Ideal Students and the Big Purpose right, it's easy to give value and build trust within a community. It's not even a task at alone, but other members can give value - thanks to the network effect. And that makes it the top online funnel for online courses.
How to fill up the funnel of your online course
There are a variety of ways of bringing the right people to join your funnel. Here are some ideas!
- Paid advertisements
- Social posts on media
- Posts in social media groups
- Share with your friends
- Posting on your website (SEO)
- Based on an existing email database
- Creating partnerships with like-minded creators (get the attention of their target audience)
- Podcasts appearances
- Guest Posting
How can you make an online course with
If you're eager to start building your online course funnel, read this an review of the course's functionality in Mighty.
Ready to start?
Did all this info get you motivated to design your personal funnel? Honestly, there's nothing like an excellent funnel to help ensure that your online course is sold. If you've got something to teach, it's time to start creating your funnel!
For those who want to create an online community funnel (or webinar - let's be honest - you can do both) Try Mighty! We're a cultural software platform which lets you connect courses, community content, as well as commerce. Our flexible Spaces lets you combine features like live streaming via an LMS and discussion forums, chat and messaging, Q&As, member profiles, and many more!
And it's really simple to market your course to 135 distinct currencies or even monetized using token-gating. And your students can use the course via the best app available for each device.