Secrets to a Great Online Course Sales Funnel in 2023
If you've ever been in a conversation regarding online marketing, there's a possibility that you've encountered the word "funnel." There's been more and more chatter regarding funnels and than a few companies promise to help you create the perfect one.
There are funnels that people use to sell things like high-ticket coaching or memberships. So it stands to reason that funnels are ideal for the sale of an online training course. It is true!
This article we'll discuss everything funnels. What is it that creates a successful funnel? What is the best way to prevent it? Here are three possibilities to design your own online course funnel.
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In this piece...
What is an online course's sales funnel?
What an online course sales funnel IS NOT
What makes the sales funnel for online courses be effective?
Truths about online course funnels
How do I make an online course sales funnel
How do you fill in your online course funnel
How can you make an online course using
What is an online course sales funnel?
A sales funnel for online courses is a method of selling that starts with a high volume of potential customers and moves each step of the way to the ultimate course sales. The typical customer experience for a funnel starts by offering a low-cost or free offering, such as an online webinar, a free gift (opt-in), or the community member and then qualified customers go through the funnel until they - eventually - buy the course!
The course funnel could contain upsells on the other side, and often creators include things such as one-on-one coaching, a private group, an additional course or a live event.
Along the journey, the potential customer realizes (by spending a bit of either time or money) that you're the right person to help them, and then they are mentally ready to invest in the program. That's fantastic!
The success of a funnel depends on the high success rate of leads to sales - and the recognition that not all buyers will purchase. That's okay. One of the keys to creating a successful business model for online classes is getting enough people into your funnel so that they get to the final step but it's crucial to tweak your funnel in order to improve it. We'll get to all that!
Value ladder as well as the universal truth about marketing
Here at Mighty, we really like using the term value ladder to talk about a funnel. As long as the students you want to attract are willing to spend some either time or money (in exchange for something worth) and they begin to be able to trust your. When they are confident in your company and trust you, they'll spend more time or money for more benefit.
It's awesome math!
What does an online course sales funnel IS NOT
- High-pressure sales tactics. Because let's be honest We've all been there. In the event that you're not confident whether the product you've chosen is correct or that the seller can aid you, but you're PRESSURED to purchase - that's the worst!
- It should have a "Buy it now" button. The entire purpose of a funnel should be nurturing and providing worth. A funnel needs to contain at least two steps on its value journey.
- One offer. According to definition, a funnel has more than one offer. However, that doesn't mean it's all paid. In fact, your funnel may have 3 free things as well as an offering to purchase a course. There should be a variety of points offering worth.
- Universal. There's not a one-size funnel that works for all. There are definitely the best practices and ClickFunnels has built a great reputation around repeatable components of funnels. But a funnel that worked for one person might not suit your needs. You need to experiment.
- It's a bait-and-switch. You want to build an effective funnel? You must ensure that you are providing worth at every step. If you ask your audience to download a crappy pdf that is worthless and expects them to be a $215 course sale, needs to think again.
What makes an online sales funnel function?
Trust
The power of the funnel is trust. Feel it. Feel the power from the channel. (IS that an actual Yoda quote? That should be!).
The ENTIRE purpose of the ladder's value is earning people's trust. It is essential that they trust:
- You understand their problem.
- The right person to resolve it.
- You are worth their money.
People work hard for the money. Most of us do not like throwing it around - particularly in these times of economic uncertainty.
How do you earn people's trust?
Simple to do. Give value. Before ever asking for money. If you're able to give greater value to your Ideal Student than the money is required to get it, they'll stick around.
And once they've spent some money or time on your product, and realize that the investment was worthwhile and they'll want to move on to the next stage!
The Ideal for Students
For an online course to function, you require an ideal student. It is the centered avatar of the person who would pay for your course. There should be a need you can help them solve... Hence your course.
What are the best way to find your Ideal Student?
First of all, get precise. "People who are dog lovers" is not a good description of an Ideal Student. Like seriously, who doesn't like dogs?
We need to narrow it down. "People trying to train the puppy of their first year" might be a better Ideal Student.
So, as you're designing your course and course flow, you should talk to people you believe would make Ideal Students! Find out about their problems and challenges, and especially if they'd be willing to pay for an answer.
It is then possible to develop what we refer to as an "Big" Purpose Statement for your course. The format is as follows:
Offering Value
We've talked about the importance of value over. However, once you've found the Ideal student The next thing to do is to provide them with accurate information - provide an upfront value. If you're planning an awesome high-end treat that will show you're TOTALLY the right person to support your student, consider: What do they need to learn?
If you have a brand new dog, perhaps it's an e-book with an outline of a dog's training program. It could be a webinar that offers some tips for training.
Value can only be provided when you are aware of who you think the Ideal Student is. What's amazing? When you offer value and trust, people will be more likely to believe in you. Amazing stuff.
Software
Okay, last but not least, the majority of funnels need some software. What software do you require? It is dependent on the kind of funnel you create. However, generally speaking an online course funnel needs software to collect leads, software that nurtures leads, and software to give the class.
That can get quite confusing and to be honest, an excellent online learning platform like does the majority of these things for the students.
However, here's what you might need software for:
Attracting New Customers |
Delivering Value |
Selling the Course |
|---|---|---|
|
Paid Ads |
Webinar Platform |
Point of sale |
|
|
PDF Downloader |
LMS, streaming platform or even a live stream |
|
Social Media |
Community platform |
Chat and messaging |
|
A site (SEO) |
Software to send emails |
Community |
|
A podcast |
Event platform |
Analytics |
The funnel type you're designing will affect the software, but we'll get into that.
The truth about online course funnels
- Only a percentage of people will purchase - your "conversion" rate. No funnel creator ever believes that 100% of customers are going to buy the thing. The range of potential buyers is anywhere from 1-5% max.
- Funnels require tests. You can be sure that the first funnel could lead to your goal However, it's highly very unlikely. Chances are you'll need to work out how. Yet, as the founder of ClickFunnels Russel Brunson says - there's only one funnel to go!
- A well-designed funnel could earn millionaires. Have reasonable expectations, however, be aware that many creators of courses take people through funnels again and again once they have found one that's effective.
- Funnels should make more than what they cost. Marketing is a process where the price of acquisition is an one of the most important numbers. If you are aware that every dollar you pay for Facebook ads you get 30 dollars back from course sales, you might just keep feeding that funnel!
How to build an online sales funnel
There's not one single way to design a funnel for sales for an online class. You must determine what is best for your personality and your audience. We'll show you couple, including one that we secretly think is the most effective. However, you are able to combine and match them.
Sequences for Email
This sales funnel of an online course is as old as internet. You've seen it in the past. It happened to you when you visited a site and were offered an "Cool pdf" as well as "Free Training." You handed over your email address and started receiving emails from them.
If it is successful, an email sequence builds an increasing amount of trust. It is easy to imagine your Ideal students waiting eagerly for the next one, being glued to every word that you say. So that when that invitation to purchase the online course finally comes they say "Gee Golly, gosh that's awesome!" !"
This is the ideal scenario.
You know how email works. There's a good chance that people have signed up for 39 other email lists and your brilliant emails end up being buried in their junk-mail folder in the course of time.
You're now required to figure out if the email you send out is appropriate for your audience. It can certainly be element of a larger funnel. If you've got a tiny email list (e.g. 100 individuals) and you can only get an additional 2% of them to purchase will not help much. If you're dealing with 100,000 people, 2% of people buying is a lot of income!
Webinar
It's a common one. It's where you sign up for the "Free Training" - usually via ads posted on Facebook, Youtube, or LinkedIn. You get a link to view a video either live or pre-recorded. (Or it's prerecorded however they make it appear live. Those sneaky sneakers. )
Watch it and they give some value in the end, but at the end the show, they provide you with the chance to buy or redeem a coupon or a special offer to keep the urgency up.
The reason webinars are more effective than email is that you can often establish trust faster. There's something about video that can make it extremely efficient. You can look the person in the eye, get a few questions addressed (maybe), and decide if they're best fit for you.
And, if willing to buy it, then you'll purchase!
Community Funnel
Best sales funnel for online courses
So the final value ladder that we'll discuss is a community. We at Mighty, we really love wonderful communities.
And in fact, a community is able to do all that the traditional sales funnel can do as well. People can learn about the community. Members can sign up (either on a free basis or at the cost of a fixed amount). It's easy to join and let members join in a conversation that's already happening with you and your other members.
Your audience is filled with engaging content, questions and answers and webinars. You also stream live Live events, everything else you want. You provide a great deal of value at scale.
When the time is to promote your online course You'll have an established group of people who know that they trust, love, and like your business. They know you're the one to assist them and they're going to whip off their wallets and shell out for it!
It's true that if you get the Ideal Students and Big purpose right, it's easy to create value and trust in a group. The best part is that you don't have to do it all yourself, other members can give value - because of the effect of network. It's the top online funnel for online courses.
How to make the online course funnel
There are a variety of ways of bringing customers to your funnel. Here are some suggestions!
- Paid ads
- Social media posts
- Social media posts groups
- Sharing with Friends
- The posting of your site (SEO)
- Based on an email list that is already in place
- Forming partnerships with similar creators (get to be in front of their target audience)
- Podcasts appearances
- Guest post
How can you make an online class using
If you're ready to create your own online course funnel, here's an overview of how courses work in Mighty.
Are you ready to begin?
Did all this info get you excited to create your personal funnel? There's no better way than a great funnel to create an online course that sells. If you have something to share now is the time to start creating the funnel!
If you're looking for a community funnel (or webinar - let's get real - you could do both) Try Mighty! We're a software for culture which lets you connect classes, communities, content, and commerce. Our flexible Spaces lets you combine features like live streaming via an LMS, discussion forums, chat and messaging, Member profiles, Q&As and many more!
It's also simple to market your course in 135 different currencies and even make money using token-gating. Your students will be able to take the course using an excellent app that works on every device.