Customer Journey Centered Web Design: Utilizing Marketing Funnels

Customers Want Things Easy

Customers want things easy; if they have to work too hard for something they tend to give up or move on. This makes sense, right? Think about the last time you were at the grocery store. There was one product on your list that you just could not find. You walked up and down multiple aisles where you thought it could be located and there was no employee in sight who might be able to point you in the right direction. How long did you continue to look for this product? I would bet that if the product didn’t show up in a reasonable amount of time you probably didn’t buy it on that occasion; you decided to try again another time, and perhaps at a different store (lets be honest, you probably went to Amazon).

The same thing happens in the digital space. When consumers have to work too hard to find what they want on a website, they tend to abandon the website.

So, how can you avoid having this problem with your website? The answer is through design!

An intuitive, easy to navigate customer interface that utilizes marketing funnel principles to guide the user through their journey on your website will see great results in the conversion rate (meaning a high percentage of the users that arrive to your site actually take the action that you want them to take- like making a purchase or booking an appointment).

In other words, utilizing the marketing funnel when designing your website ensures that users find what they want seamlessly, easily and quickly, which makes you money!

What is a marketing funnel?

Marketing funnel: A model describing the various stages of a prospect’s journey from the first interaction with your brand to the ultimate goal: conversion. This can also be referred to as a sales funnel or a conversion funnel, so, don’t let this confuse you; in general, all these funnels refer to the same process.

What does this mean?

In general, all consumers make their way through the same journey as they decide whether or not to make a purchase.  The length of time that consumers take to go through the marketing funnel can vary. For example, with low risk purchases, like buying a new blouse, this process may happen somewhat quickly. On the other, bigger purchases, like buying a new car, may take much longer. Think about the last time you purchased one of these, and you will probably find that this process sounds familiar.

Awareness and Interest – First, the customer becomes aware of a want or need and realizes that there are products or services that can satisfy this want/need; they become interested in looking for these products/services.

Consideration and Intent– After the initial Awareness and Interest stages, the customer become actively engaged in learning more about the product/service. When marketing is done well, a customer will begin to desire the product/service (this is that familiar feeling you might get after browsing Instagram or watching TV, that life would be so much better if you had product X, Y or Z).

Evaluation and Purchase– In this stage the customer evaluates your product or service against competitors and decides which he/she will choose, and in the end the consumer makes the purchase.

 Different models of the marketing or sales funnel might show slight variations, for example some may contain more steps or less steps, and some extend a step or two beyond the purchase; nevertheless, all models are just different versions of the same core, basics steps as discussed here.

How can this model be used in web design?

There are two types of funnels that are absolutely essential for your website: a lead generation funnel and a sales funnel.

The Sales Funnel: What is the main goal of your website? Are you an ecommerce company who wants users to purchase items from your latest launch? Are you a hair stylist who wants people to book appointments? Are you an online educator who wants people to download your courses? Regardless of the business you run, you must ask yourself what your main goal of the website is.

Once your main goal is identified ask yourself, how do I get customers to take this action? It is essential to have a “call-to-action” placed in a visible area on the website in order to grab users’ attention. This call-to-action is generally a button, and should lead users to a landing page that is specific to that action.

For example, a lawyer’s main goal for their website could be to book consultations. This lawyer might have a “Request A Consultation” button located in the showcase (a.k.a the top, center area on the homepage) and in the navigation bar of their website. This way, the call-to-action button is visible no matter what page the user is on. When a user clicks on this button, they are taken to a separate page with content that describes what they will get out of the consultation, and with a Consultation Form where they can submit the request.

It’s that simple. This sales funnel makes it easy for users who are looking for a consultation with a lawyer to contact you, and you have guided them through the process and helped them descend through the marketing funnel.

The Lead Generation Funnel: This funnel is meant to capture information about users who are interested in your product or service so that you can then qualify and nurture the lead and utilize remarketing strategies. These are extremely valuable users because you know that their intent is to learn more about the product or service that you provide. To create this funnel first ask yourself, what type of content do I have on my website that might be interesting for users, or how can I encourage users to engage with my company?

For example, if you are an online educator who sells courses on “how to use wordpress” you could utilize free content to generate leads. You might offer users a free video on “the basics of wordpress”. When users click on this video, a pop-up appears requiring the user to enter his/her email to access the video; when a user does so, it results in a lead for you.

The Bottom Line

When trying to improve the customer journey on your site, try navigating through the site “in the shoes” of the consumer. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is my main goal and what process do consumers take to complete this goal?
2. What obstacles are in the way?
3. Is the journey streamlined and specific to the goal?
4. Do I have call-to-action buttons on my site? If so, are they visible and easily located?
5. Do I have free content that offers value to consumers?
6. How can I encourage users to engage with my company (give their email address, phone number, ect.)?

If you would like help getting your website optimized with marketing funnels that are specific to your business, we are here for you!  We can help you through the process of understanding which funnels you need and implementing them on the site.