Lesson 2.1

What is a funnel?

Before we dive into the specifics of setting up your funnel, let's take a step back and talk about what a funnel actually is. After all, you might have heard the term thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean in the context of selling your course?

Lesson aim
By the end of this lesson, you'll understand the basics of what a funnel is and why it's important for selling your course.

The purpose of a funnel

A marketing funnel is a series of steps that guide potential customers through a journey, from first hearing about your course to making a purchase. The idea is to take someone who is unaware of your course and turn them into a paying customer.

There are many different types of funnels, but they all share the same basic structure.

Step #1: Get their attention

First, you’ll need a way to get the attention of your audience. And, since attention doesn’t come for free, you’ll “pay” for it in one of three ways.

Pay with money - You can buy your audience’s attention with money, which would involve things like paid social media ads, print ads, or sponsorships.
Pay with time - You can pay with your time by using organic strategies like blogging or social media. These strategies don’t cost money, but they’ll take longer to see results.
Pay with relationships - You can get your audience’s attention by cashing in on relationships. For example, you can network with other people in your niche to build a referral network.

We’ll cover these strategies in more detail later in the course. For now, all you need to remember is that the first part of a successful marketing funnel is a way to get in front of your ideal audience—whether you’re paying for that access with cash, time, or relationships.

Step #2: Capture their details

Once you’ve attracted some attention, the next step is to get your audience’s contact information. Why? Because you need to be able to send them further marketing messages to guide them through the decision-making process.

But they won’t just hand over their contact information for free, so you’ll need to give them something of value in exchange. These pieces of valuable content are often called “lead magnets”.

Popular types of lead magnets include:

Checklists - A simple list of things to do or consider.
Guides - A more in-depth look at a particular topic.
Templates - Pre-made documents that your audience can use.
Mini-courses - A series of short lessons on a specific topic.
Webinars - Live or recorded presentations on your topic.
Quizzes - Interactive forms that give personalised results.

Whatever you choose, the key is to make sure your lead magnet is valuable enough that your audience is happy to trade their contact information for it.

Step #3: Nurture the relationship

Once you have their contact information, the next step is to nurture the relationship. This is where you build trust with your audience and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Usually, this involves sending a series of emails that provide value to your audience. These emails should be focused on helping your audience solve a problem or achieve a goal, rather than just selling to them.

Remember 💡

By providing value upfront, you’ll build trust with your audience and make them more likely to buy from you when it’s time to ask for the sale.

Step #4: Make the sale

Finally, once you’ve built trust with your audience, it’s time to make the sale. This is where you present your course as the solution to your audience’s problems and ask them to buy.

Again, this usually involves a series of emails that explain the benefits of your course, overcome objections, and encourage your audience to take action. If you’ve done a good job of nurturing the relationship, your audience should be primed and ready to buy.

Why do you need a funnel?

So why go to all this effort? Why not just put your course out there and hope for the best?

It’s simple—people buy from people they know, like, and trust. And until you’ve built a solid relationship with your audience, you’re just a stranger on the internet! Sure, some people might buy from you right away, but most need a little more convincing.

Remember 💡

Pitching without a funnel is like proposing on the first date. Most people need warming up before they’re ready to commit!

Key point → Funnels are about relationships

At its core, a marketing funnel is all about building relationships with your audience. It's about guiding them through a journey from stranger to customer, and making sure they feel comfortable and confident every step of the way.

Summary

In this lesson, we covered the basics of what a funnel is and why it's important for selling your course. We talked about the four main steps of a marketing funnel—getting attention, capturing details, nurturing the relationship, and making the sale—and why each step is crucial for turning strangers into customers.

Next, we'll talk about how to tell if you need a funnel for your course and the rare cases where you might not.