How to Design an effective Sales Funnel for Selling Online Classes (Sales Funnel Template)

     Are you struggling to make a steady income from your online course business? Most likely, you'll require a successful sales funnel. Follow this proven process for designing a sales funnel which generates regular results and sells for online courses.

You're an expert of your subject (after all you were the one to come up with a book on the subject! ) But you're also not an expert at marketing. So, you're likely to have only a few sales, or maybe there are none.

     Do you think it is the time to throw in the towel? Are you ready to let go of the idea of online teaching that has a positive effect on the lives of people who surround you by teaching them your knowledge?

Absolutely Not!

An excellent class is just one of the prerequisites to be a successful online instructor. The second is that you possess a unique method to draw and enroll students to your class.

The process of selling is known as the sales funnel and without it, to enroll new students frequently is almost impossible.

For a quick overview on what sales funnels can mean for your company Check out the following video we have posted on our youtube channel:

The absence of a funnel for sales for your online courses can be compared to creating an ice cream stand in the desert, and no one will ever find it. It's possible that it's super hot outside. Sure, your lemonade may be delicious. If you're not offering your customers a pathway they could follow eventually, your stand selling lemonade you'll never find the stand. The "build the structure and (hope) that people will come" approach rarely translates into sales or enrolments in the least in real life.

Without a funnel to sell, you are pretty much guaranteed to fail.

Before moving forward in this direction, I think it's essential to differentiate between a funnel for sales as well as a marketing strategy. Using certain tactics to market your business isn't the same as creating a successful sales funnel.

Allow me to clarify...

A funnel to market, on the other part, is the whole process you lead prospective students through which ends with them making the decision to join (or to not sign up) in your course.

Marketing strategies, then are a way to draw people into the procedure. They're an beginning phase in the process of selling however, they're not the only thing needed for selling.

Using marketing tactics without integrating selling techniques rarely result in enrolments or sales. This is true for both classes that are free and those with a fee. Both are essential to lead an individual through the process which concludes with them making the decision to join your class.

After having this distinction, let's talk about how to design the sales funnel of your own course.

NOTE:the sales funnel I am going to show you is not the only type of sales funnel that can be created to market 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, uses this funnel to promote his courses online. As you can see on his Facebook page, in the post he posted to the Facebook group, the funnel has been working extremely well for him.

It's pretty awesome, right?

Before we proceed I'd like to mention that the funnel that I'm about to demonstrate will require considerable time to design. It's nevertheless effective, and simple to put into the right place.

It's the best thing about it is that once you've created this funnel for sale, it'll work almost like a robot, which means it'll be bringing students onto the course even when you're in your sofa, watching a film, enjoying a meal with friends and even while you're asleep. Woohoo!

The primary prerequisites to establishing this funnel of sales are:

     1. Software for sending marketing email marketing

     2. Traffic source

The success of a marketing funnel is only if the customers actually go through the funnel. To attract those customers it is necessary to have an audience (your email list as well as blog listeners, readers of podcasts, social media followers to name a few examples. ) and a desire to work hard and/or invest in the effort to bring customers to your funnel. After you've gotten people into the sales funnel, it isn't going to convert anyone.

     3. Webinar Software (optional)

Do you meet the requirements?

Great, let's move on:

6 steps to create the Sales Funnel That Sells the Online Course you are offering:

There are several pieces that make up this funnel for sales, but I've managed to break everything down into six specific actions. It's important to make note of these steps, as we're about to explore various issues in the coming days. We'll begin by discussing Step 1.

     1. Find a particular issue your particular market is facing

Let's face it. The course you're offering isn't to be for all students (don't fret, this is an advantage). There's a specific type of student who will most likely take an interest in the course. This type of person is the ideal your market.

In the absence of a thorough comprehension of the people you're trying to assist with the course and what the person is in need of help (what are their issues, questions as well as their frustrations, issues and pain points are) It will be very difficult for you to

A: Create an online class to assist students improve their abilities,

B: Market your program to those who would like and require it the most

In fact, I would suggest creating an thorough persona of the ideal customer or student (sometimes called an avatar or the persona of a customer). Having that clarity will help immensely when you design your sales funnel for your course. For now I'm going to assume you have a clear idea of who your ideal customer is.

The next step is to determine an issue users have been trying to resolve (one which is related to your online course).

 What are you looking for to know about what your customers are having to say?

There are two methods for achieving this. There is the option of conducting an investigation of your target customer base or inquire about their contact information to get the contact details. In the ideal scenario, you can accomplish both.

The first approach.

There are a variety of ways that you can conduct an online research for information about particular issues that your targeted customers are facing.

•       Look over the forum comments and blogs related to your subject      

Perform an Google lookup to find the top websites, forums and other publications on your subject. Find the most read content on these websites (as as indicated by the quantity of shares and comments in social media). Then, read the comment section on the posts. There is a tendency to see feedback (positive and negative) within the comments section, along with queries from customers in the market.

•       Review of the books on your topic      

Go to Amazon to look for books that cover your subject. Check out the Table of Contents section of the book (to present a summary of the topics covered) and other important information about reviews left by customers. Negative reviews will often reveal what readers expecting to be addressed (or more in depth covered) in the book but they didn't.

•       You can ask questions on Quora about your topic      

Qora is a site with answers to questions that allows questions to be asked or answered. They can also be edited and arranged by the membership. Many people use this site each day. However, I haven't yet find a topic that isn't being debated in Quora.

•       Answers in Facebook and LinkedIn Groups      

You can join a handful of groups on Facebook or LinkedIn groups related to the class you are taking or to a similar subject that your target market is drawn to. Take note of questions users are asking in the groups. If someone asks for assistance or suggestions regarding a particular issue, you are likely to find that other members who are in your market the same issue.

•       Customer service enquiries along with grievances      

If you run or are employed within a business serving the market you want to serve, pay attention to the queries that clients send to the Customer Service team. The majority of customers call customer support in the event of a query or have a question or issue, so these could be an excellent approach to understand the demands of your customers. Assistance in.

Another method to determine which market segment you're trying to reach is to speak to them(yes you can actually talk to them).

Below are some of the ways you can ask your target market:

•       Email your list      
•       You may contact Facebook to add or LinkedIn Group members      
•       Social media      

If you've got people who are your marketing target who are on social media, make a blog post that invites users to discuss any specific questions or concerns they may have regarding your subject. Like the email you sent, you can share the link for an online questionnaire to invite them to respond to you on the internet (this could be the most effective choice based upon the particulars of your course topic).

•       Contact your customers or your clients      

You can then contact any of your past and present clients as well as customers. Tell them you're working on some studies to develop more content and other resources which can assist you. It's also possible to request a few minutes in order to find out more about their specific concerns and questions. It will be amazing the amount of people willing to share their knowledge whenever you ask them to.

2. Create content for free to help solve the issue

If you've identified the specific issue your customers are searching for solutions to, it's time to create free content that helps to find a solution to the problem.

The idea behind this strategy is to provide a competitive advantage for the audience you're seeking to attract at no cost (by posting information that can actually benefit the people you are targeting) and gain the trust of your target audience and positioning you as an expert in the process.

In the event that you choose to create your blog I suggest a minimum length of at minimum 2000 words. The more extensive and helpful, the better. Additionally, you'll earn brownie points with Google once they find out that you've published one of the top (if not the most effective) blog posts on the internet about this specific topic or issue.

     But.. however.. If I can aid them with their problems without cost, then why should me encourage them to pay for my course? ?

Perhaps you're wondering if providing help to someone else with the same issues, by giving them the option of a no-cost solution can help in promoting your product, and is an appropriate concern. I'll explain the rationale behind this strategy...

The problem that your blog article helps solve shouldn't be the only challenge your course aids solve. This is only one of the challenges that your course will tackle. Thus, your blog article can benefit readers, however, it also serves as a method to resolve a more complex issue (one which your course offers an answer to).

For instance, if you offer a class on the best way to train your dog, it's a bit difficult to create an article that's comprehensive and covers all the information one needs to know about the process of training their pet (hence the need to make the class). What you can focus on is a minor issue that forms a component of the overall dog training procedure.

There are some issues that dog owners often confront when they train their pets:

• Their dog won't stop chewing on their furniture
• The dog is constantly peeing inside the house
• The dog is pulled too for their comfort when walking
• The dogs bark at people (how they are rude!)

All of them can be an excellent blog post for someone who is looking to teach their dog something that they can benefit from. In fact, these are concepts for headlines that can be used in blog posts such as:

• What can you do to train your dog not to chew on furniture
• How can you convince your pet to stop peeing inside the house?
• What are the best ways to teach your dog to not pull while walking?
• How can you teach your dog to not bark at strangers

If you're a pet owner and were experiencing any problems, if you saw the headline of an article on a blog that provided the solution for that problem Wouldn't you like to know more about it? Yes, exactly what you're searching for!

After you've chosen 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,.). You must make sure that you have a attractive and concise headline that immediately draws people's attention. are looking for answers to this issue.

There is actually a great tool from Co-Schedule that is known as the Headline Analyzer. Check out some headlines to use to your blog, and use those which have the best score.

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

The majority of people who visit the blog article are more likely to sign up for your online course and that is perfectly appropriate. The most effective way to separate people who are reading your blog post for pleasure from those who are more likely to enroll in your course is to get individuals to join your email list.

According to Salesforce According to Salesforce that it requires approximately six to eight interactions to generate leads to sell. This means that a prospective students will need to be contacted 6 to 8 times before they are able to take your course. What is the best way to accomplish this? Email.

If you want to convince individuals to join your email list it is essential to offer them an incentive for doing it. It should be a free incentive and is in addition to your information in your blog post.

It is sometimes referred to as an Content upgrade A resource that you provide to someone in exchange for their email address. A checklist, an exercise or resource guide, along with additional instruction or even a program that is free are examples of upgrades to content can be offered.

Make sure it is very evident that you're offering a content upgrade on your blog's page. The page should have it at the topof the page, in the center of the page, close to the bottom and perhaps even on the sidebar of the page as well.

We've created an course Pricing Workbook (a printable PDF document) The Workbook is offered at no cost to those who provides their email address. The format is what you see in the screenshot below:

After publishing the article in 2016, we've had more than 5,000 visitors go through it, and nearly 1,000 sign-ups to get our price workbook. This is more than 1,000 potential customers to (many of which have eventually become customers) in a small amount of content! That's pretty impressive, right?

There's a chance that not everyone who reads your blog post will subscribe to your mailing list to be able to access the free resource, but those that will do so will be willing to contact those who are on your list. It's exactly what you'll be able to do (=)

4. Create a welcome message (with the resources for free) to welcome the first time subscribers.

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

With your email service provider, you can to create what's called an autoresponder message. It is an email that will be sent automatically to a person at a specific time of duration. In the event of an email to welcome it will happen immediately after you have signed up for them on your mailing list.

I would suggest keeping the welcome message to a minimal amount (you do not want to overburden the people who have just joined your list of subscribers). Introduce yourself, thank the person for taking time to read the blog article as well providing a download link for the email you gave them.

It is also possible to invite others to get in touch with you (because actually talking to those in your market is always an excellent idea). Inform them that they are able to contact you at anytime, join you via social media, go to your website, etc.

Finally, inform them that should they decide to stop receiving emails from by the business, they just need to complete the process to the following: remove themselves from your database of recipients. Marketing via email only works if those you have on your list have agreed to give you permission to reach them. Actually, the majority of companies that offer email services require you notify all new subscribers an email to confirm their subscription (asking them to confirm they're willing to receive email from the business) before they will even mail welcome emails to them.

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

In the beginning of this article, we will discuss how this particular sales funnel, after being created, is able to run virtually in autopilot. One aspect that make the process possible is the possibility of an automated series of email following-up emails.

The process is simple. It's simple to write several emails, and then you can add them to your autoresponder (follow-up) series by employing the email platform that you are using. You can decide to decide ahead of time the date these emails are distributed in relation to the date on which the first subscriber is added to your newsletter.

As an example, suppose you write 7 follow-up emails to your subscribers, then you configure the autoresponder to send one email each every day 7 days to each new subscriber on your list of email subscribers. Below is an example of a series of follow-up emails I made using Aweber to give you an instance.

I wouldn't suggest sending your subsequent emails using the subject phrase "Email #1", "Email #2", "Email #3", etc. You'll be able to grasp the concept. It's the goal to ensure that everyone who subscribers to your mailing list receives the same emails at the same time, with the same frequency and in the exact length of time.

The aim of emails is to get the recipient to join the online course you offer There are many ways that you can do it:

When your program costs more than $0:

If the course you offer is free and you don't have to put in a lot of effort (or lots of emails) to persuade anyone to enroll in it. In fact, you can offer them the opportunity to attend the course as part of your welcome email, like I did in the (hypothetical) instance below:

In the event that your program is offered for auction:

If your students have to pay for your class, it will most likely take patience to convince students to sign up for the class. There are several approaches to consider:

     You can offer a trial of HTML0 for the cost of nothing (let them try some of your lessons at no cost)    

By using the free trial feature You can select to have certain lessons from your course a component of a trial that is free. For instance, if your course includes 10 lessons, for example you can make the first 2 lessons free at a cost of.

The benefit of the free trial is that it provides someone with the chance to take your course at no cost to learn from you, and determine if they're satisfied with your material and approach to teaching, before they purchase your entire course. Once a student has finished your free trial it is possible to send an email inviting them to sign up for your complete course.

Create a sequence of emails that concludes with an invitation to sign up with your program

Utilizing this method, you compose an email sequence designed to aid your pupil, build their confidence before presenting your course to them for an agreed-upon time. They could contain exclusive advice or links to other blogs or other useful websites along with an invite to register for your class.

It is the idea to present the next series of emails as a unpaid email course (as several online course developers have created). This way, you treat each email as a particular lesson from an educational course. Once you've finished the course in your free email, the subscribers are invited to sign up for the premium version of your course.

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

• Day 1. 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 Register (Sell your course)
• Day 10: Answering the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Invite the people on your list to participate in a live webinar where you'll present your class

We won't go into too many details, as we have a complete outline of how to promote your webinar live (see the link below). However, the idea behind it is to invite your email subscribers to join an online webcast in which you share your top tips prior to the presentation of the course. The benefit of streaming live webinars is that they let you take some time in talking to the potential participants (which allows them to know the course, and to respect your brand) prior to inviting participants to join the course.

Contact your customers to view an recorded webinar or sales video which explains your course

Another alternative (instead of hosting a live webcast) is to invite your customers via email to go to a pre-recorded webinar or sales video that outlines the training you offer. If you decide to use this approach, I recommend hosting a few live webinars initially to improve your presentation and make sure the presentation's effectiveness before you start directing people to a recorded video.

One disadvantage to sending your customers to an recorded sales or webinar is that you're not at the table to speak to people or address your concerns at the same time. If you don't have an effective, well-crafted presentation that's had numerous tests it's unlikely to perform as well as the previously mentioned ones.

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

A majority of the people who you invite to join the online course will sign up for this, and it's normal. Don't get angry. What salespeople must to discover is that not all people they talk to will buy. If you have the ability to make 100% of people they meet with to make a purchase you, then please let me know the secrets.

But, one thing that you must do when you promote your course to newsletter subscribers (whether by sending them directly to your sales page providing them with a free trial or inviting them to join an online webinar or other event, etc.) is to ask them politely your reasons for why they didn't make a purchase.

Most people will be surprised by the fact that you've requested their opinion. If you follow the procedure correctly, you'll obtain some incredibly valuable information from your audience. Sometimes , they simply want to talk to them, and they may ask some concerns before buying from your. However starting a dialogue with them can be a good concept.

If you're lucky, you receive a rude message such as "Stop messaging me! I'm not interested in taking the route you've decided to take. I'm not going take your suggestions. !"

Funny fact: I received an unpleasant email on Christmas morning, sent by an individual who was on my email list. The recipient received an email that was automated from me the next morning (they had joined my list several days before) however they were unaware that it was an automated email. They believed I wrote and sent that message at Christmas time, and they were livid. I did end up apologizing to them and explaining to them that the message was sent out by an automated system. Trust me when I say that, generally speaking, it's better to unsubscribe them to your mailing list and get back to your daily routine.

The sales funnels of the future are ready What's the next step?

Okay, so once your sales funnel has been put into place, the next step is filling the funnel with customers that are likely to be interested about your online course (your target audience).

Here are some ways to advertise your blog to your existing audience

• Include your list of subscribers in an email, and also include a hyperlink to your blog
• Share your blog's blog's content to all of your social media platforms
• Share your blog post inside the group the group on the group's Facebook or LinkedIn group

If you don't directly connect to the people you want to reach Don't worry. There are numerous options.

Here are some methods to convince your audience to discover and to take time to read the blog article you wrote:

• Send the link to your blog's blog post on the social media forums in which members debate your subject (always go through the group's guidelines before publishing your blog, to ensure that you're not identified as spammers)
• It is important to share the link with websites and online communities like Reddit and Quora.
• Create a similar upload to YouTube (the second largest internet search engine) and link viewers to your blog by referring the viewers to the YouTube link.
• Improve your blog's performance to optimize it for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) using using your top keyword(s) within the blog's headline, sub-headlines, as well as paragraphs.
• Use the most prominent buttons for sharing on social media that make it easy for readers to post as well as
• Include a couple of click-to-tweets on your blog, like I've done with this one

For more ideas on how to make your blog content become viral, take a look at How to Promote Your Blog using the 105 Promoting Content

Make use of your funnel for sales to draw as new students to your course on autopilot

Hope these suggestions are helpful to you. Additionally, I want to let you know that this is certainly not just the one sales channel that is a possibility for increasing the number of students who enroll in your online course. It is a funnel which is used by a lot of online instructors have been using and enjoying great success.

In creating leads and content magnets that are appealing to the audience you would like to reach through every step of the purchase journey You will draw the largest number of potential customers through the funnel of sales. But not only the ones who are ready to purchase right now.

Another tip I would like to give to you is that don't expect your first sales funnel to be flawless. Be sure to test different strategies changing your sales funnel, and measuring the results. The way it's measured could be enhanced.

     What sales funnel do you use for promoting your online course? Do you have additional ideas or tips to add to this topic? Leave a comment below and let us be aware!

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