Sales Page or Funnel? How to Know Which Comes First to Win Big

You’ve come up with a pretty remarkable idea for a new product or service, and have put your fair share of blood, sweat, and tears into creating the prototype. So, what’s up next on the agenda? It’s time to push it out into the world and let it set sail—straight into the hands of customers.

Sigh. If only it were that easy. You want to start sending your ideal customers to a sales page without delay so the money can begin trickling into your bank account.

But, what you also want is to start building out your sales funnel to help grow your social following and email list from the ground up. That way, you can actually get people informed and interested in your offer.

Now, you probably have one question you’re just dying for me to answer:

Monica, please tell me how I can decipher this chicken and egg situation. Which comes first—the sales page or the sales funnel?  

Well, as American businessman Arnold H. Glasow once said, “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.”

And, that couldn’t be truer. Today, let’s get you the answer to your question so you can push your product or service out into the world, win big, and grab hold of the sales numbers you’ve always envisioned.

Sales Page or Funnel? How to Know Which Comes First to Win Big

Thanks to the help of Amanda Genther of AmandaGenther.com, I’ve put together the sequence of events I recommend you follow before you launch your new product or service into the world. Check it out:

1. Grow that email list of yours, gosh dang it!

I know this may seem like a dreadful, daunting task. But, trust me when I say that without it, you can expect to climb the ladder towards success for a long, long time. Reason being, it’s a high-impact, low-cost way you can deliver your message to a highly targeted group of people that are actually interested in what it is you have to offer.

All that said, growing your email list should, without a doubt, be the very first thing you tackle. How can you do that the right way, however, when you don’t have a sales page to send them to or any traffic to rely on just yet?

Well, I recommend you quickly create a simple squeeze page with a sign-up box so you can hand over a valuable gift, so to speak, to your potential customers. It’s a fail-safe method to make a trade for that sought-after email address of theirs. But, precisely what kind of valuable gift?

Check out this post we wrote, which offers up 11 ideas that will bring sizeable growth to your subscriber list. And, as soon as you’re ready to promote your freebie, you can create a Facebook ad to attract your ideal customers to the page and ramp up conversions. Just be sure that when you’re setting it up, you’re strategic about the copy, image, call to action, and target audience selections. If not, you’re bound to experience lackluster results.

2. Warm up those subscribers.

Your task list doesn’t stop once you get a good amount of quality subscribers on your list. So, don’t go calling it a day. Instead, you need to deliver relevant, valuable content to them on an ongoing basis, and be sure it relates back to the product or service you’ll be offering.

After all, you can’t expect to get anything when you don’t give anything. And, the last thing you want to do is start sending out junk to a list you worked hard to grow from scratch in the first place.

Though, when it comes time to actually create alluring content, follow super-successful entrepreneur Melyssa Griffin’s advice to show your readers you genuinely care:

Whenever you create a new opt-in incentive, send it to your current list, too. No opt-in required.

Whenever you have an inspiring breakthrough or vulnerable, personal story that might resonate with them, share it.

Whenever you’re hosting a free workshop or just hit publish on an amazing piece of content, tell them about it.

And continue sharing valuable strategies and info with your list, long after they subscribe.

Not only will this delight your subscribers, but it’ll also motivate them to spread the word about your awesome content with their friends, family, and colleagues. Who knows, it may even lead other websites to highlight your insight and advice. And, that can provide the extra boost you need to take your launch to the next level.

3. Build and launch an attractive sales page.

Now, the countdown to launch day is on and it’s time you build an attractive sales page for your new product or service. You know, the place you’ll send your ideal customers to.

Notice I’m putting an emphasis on good looks? That’s because, when you design a kick-butt sales page, you appear even more professional and build trust with your target customer instantaneously. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors, however, that bad design drives more conversions.

But, according to conversion expert Peep Laja, “The next time someone tells you bad design converts better than good design, punch them in the face.” Okay, maybe don’t go that far. What I’m getting at is that it’s pretty dang easy to translate all your copy into a messy, unattractive online page. And, when you do, you’ll scare off your audience, forcing them to hit the X button on their browser quickly.

Sound the alarms—that’s definitely a situation to steer clear from. Just follow these quick tips, and you’ll be in good shape:

• Supply copy that “rules the roost”—you can’t execute good design if you don’t have good copy to go with it. And I’m not talking about the fancy stuff we’ve shared in previous posts to help you write copy that sells. I’m talking about the elementary stuff here. Stop closing out every other sentence with exclamation points, rid yourself of “all caps” syndrome (unless you like to make people feel as if they’re being yelled at), and quit with the hype and slimy BS sales terms.
• Allow readability to ride shotgun—sometimes sales pages can be a beast to digest. But, that’s only if you format the content incorrectly. To avoid suffocating your readers, weave the following into your page: short, attention-grabbing headlines fewer than 70 characters, subheadlines every two to three paragraphs, abbreviated sentences, clear and ramble-free paragraphs, bulleted or numbered lists, dressed up text (think bolded, italicized, or even underlined words).
• Accessorize with good-looking visuals—images, bite-sized infographics, graphs, and tables can, and should, be thrown into the mix to strengthen your copy. Consider them the accessories to your outfit. A simple t-shirt and jeans can look a bit boring. But, top it off with a slick watch and/or bright shoes, and you’re dressed to kill.

4. Construct a simple online funnel.

Once you’ve launched your sales page, you’re ready to put your online funnel in place to lure in your people. Luckily, our friends at Closer’s Cafe know all about this, and have agreed to share their secrets to success with us!

Your funnel steps can vary depending on your product or service offering, but, for the most part, they generally include:

• Traffic Generation—obviously, you need a solid method in place to get people onto your page. Think of traffic generation in terms of Facebook ads, guest blog posts, organic/paid search, and referrals. But, that’s to lure in people you wouldn’t have ever reached in the first place. Don’t forget about those who are already interested in what it is you’re offering—aka your subscribers from that email list you’ve built! Craft a pre-launch email sequence to give them the chance to get their hands on your product or service before anyone else.

• Sales Page with a Contact Form—the last thing you want to do is get people on your page and end up with nothing in return. Be sure yours has a contact form box, offering up a bonus so you can not only entice them to buy, but also get them on your email list to grow your subscriber numbers even more.

• Thank You Page—once your leads have submitted their information, this is the spot to tell them instructions as to what to do next (whether that’s calling your office and referencing a discount code, etc.).

• Follow-Up—the degree to which you follow-up with those who’ve opted-in to receive your offer can make or break your conversion numbers. That said, you’ll need to set up a series of emails to maintain an open line of communication. The first email should merely restate the same information from the Thank You page. And, the second should be sent two days later, stating the benefit of claiming the offer.

If you’re curious what this looks like in action, especially when using Facebook ads for traffic generation, head over to this post once you’re done reading here and check out six high converting local funnels you can steal this year.

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It’s time you find a new brain teaser because we just solved the chicken and egg dilemma. The sales page wins every time, in my opinion. Now, take my recommended sequence of events I laid out for you today, and get ready to win big—grabbing hold of the sales numbers you’ve always envisioned.

If you’re looking to use Facebook ads to drive some much-needed traffic to your sales page, I have just the thing you need—a free copy of my eBook, “One Easy Strategy That Will Make You More Money with Facebook Ads.” Just enter your email into the box on the right-hand side of your screen, and it’ll arrive in your inbox in no time.

Have questions or something to share on today’s topic? Drop us a note in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you or be of help!