MLM Sales Funnel: Important Components
MLM Sales Funnel: Components
Here are the major components:
1. Your Domain Name
2. Squeeze Page
3. Sales Page (Optional) Some MLM companies WILL NOT allow you to name their Company or Products. Your “sales page ” might be the emails you send out. You’d use a sales page when promoting affiliate or your own products, not your MLM products.
4. Blog/Website (self hosted and unique)
5. Autoresponder Email System
6. Web of Content (including videos)- for traffic generation (the bait that attracts the fish!)
1. Domain Name
Its best to get the .com! Go Daddy is a good option to register your domain name.
Use a keyword rich domain name with a benefit in it that talks to your target market. For example www.sinus-wellness.com talks to the target market of sinusitus, and has the benefit made very clear within the domain name.
Other benefit loaded domain name examples are: www.positivehealth.com, www.skin-you-love.com, www.videomarketingqueen.com, www.ppcdomination.com, www.getprospectsformula.com…you get the idea.
Register your domain for 2 years (renewable). Google ranks these domains higher than 1 year domain registrations (it assumes you are a more serious business person- in for the long haul!)
Read this article on choosing and registering the right domain name.
2. Lead Capture Pages
This is the entry point of your online MLM sales funnel. Your prospects details are captured here so you can continue the relationship with them.
www.blinkweb.com and www.weebly.com are two excellent easy-to-use, and FREE resources to create capture pages.
Ideally you’d want to use self-hosted lead capture pages (Google indexes these and you can track using Google analytics).
For that you’ll need to use an html editor (www.Nvu.com is a free tool) and FTP your files up from your computer to your host server, using an FTP client like Filezilla.
You’ll need to learn a bit of coding.
If you’re not keen to do that (and I don’t blame you!)- find a geek and outsource it!
Remember: If you use a free service like Blinkweb or Weebly, you’ll need to REDIRECT your domain name to that server, where they host your lead capture page.
If you use your own hosting, you’ll just add your unique domain name to your C Panel. (In your public_html folder)
You can have many capture pages for different sub niches (or micro niches) within your niche. This is a good idea, as each page can be customised to that particular micro niche’s needs.
e.g. Constipation in toddlers blog post has a link to your lead capture page made for parents with toddlers having constipation.
You might give them a general free report, which also has a chapter in it on dealing with constipation in toddlers. They’ll become a lead and your auto email series can talk to their specific issues- dealing with their kids constipation.
Your “constipation in the elderly” blog post could lead them to a capture page that talks specifically to your elderly leads.
They might also get the same free report as the parents of the toddlers (above)- as it also has a chapter in it on the elderly. They will become a lead and enter your funnel. You can then tailor make your email series to their specific needs and concerns.
Both types of leads will ultimately be encouraged to buy your MLM Product (which helps relieve constipation in everyone- from toddler,to the elderly- heck, even to dogs!)
You get the idea.
You might also create a lead capture page that brings leads in that are interested in an affiliate product you are promoting.
If you like, you can then send those leads to your affiliate product sales page (your affiliate URL).
The nice thing is, you captured the lead independently of that affiliate programme- and that lead is yours (not the affiliate programme owners!)
Read this article called: Squeeze Pages: Vital Component of MLM Marketing Systems “for 10 tips On Making Cool, Authentic and Converting Squeeze pages.
Especially what you need to have on them, the do’s and dont’s and the best practices for maximum conversion.
3. Sales Pages
The sales page comes in if you’d like your prospects to be moved from becoming a lead into a buyer.
The best time to put your prospect onto a sales page is immediately after they become a lead (opted in).
You have their attention and they’ve just said “yes” to you by giving their name and email address.
You’d usually not make a sales page about your MLM products/services.
Some MLM companies give generic (customisable) squeeze page, sales page and mini site templates.
Once again- beware: You’ll look similar to the others and Google wont index them.
You also need to ask yourself: “Will I be able to track these pages?”
The sales page is really useful when you have your own products/services that you are promoting as part of your funnel.
So in addition to seeing your MLM Company or products as a potential back end, you are also able to offer your leads related products they might be interested in. (like E book, coaching services, home study course, webinars, membership sites etc).
Of course, the secret to a good sales page is the copy and the ability to have a “1 click upsell”.
Your copy must be compelling enough to get those “fence sitters” to take action.
We go into good copywriting in this blog in much greater detail.
Re the “1 click upsell”- this means you need to have an integrated payment gateway/shopping basket that allows your customers to simply add items to their cart (with one click) after you’ve presented them with an upsell (higher priced item than your first offer).
This way they don’t have to enter their credit card details again- (which lowers conversions.)
Other aspects of your sales page should include:
* Bonuses,
* testimonials,
* proof (of the claims you’ve made) and
* a money back guarantee always gives an added “push” to the buyer- reducing their risk and removing any lingering obstacles to buying.
Using a video makes the sales page convert more.
4. Your Blog
This is your “home” or central hub.
Its where your prospects get to know you and get to like you.
Most prospects will visit your blog before they opt into your squeeze page or make a purchase from your sales page. It’s where they get “warmed up”!
Its also a stand alone lead generation technique- as blogs are indexed by Google.
If you get your niche keywords right, you can rank high up for blog posts and generate search engine traffic.
You can also syndicate your blog (plug it into the social networks) for more exposure and get viral exposure that way too! WordPress blogs are ideally suited to this.
There are many blog platforms (Squarespace, Blogger etc), but a self hosted WordPress blog is the best for search engine rankings as well as content syndication.
You can get free hosting at WordPress.com for your WordPress blog, but then you don’t have full control over the blog.
WordPress can delete your blog if they think its inappropriate- and they do not like MLM Blogs!
Its well worth the $6.95 (or thereabouts) monthly hosting fee you’ll pay to privately host your blog at webhosting services like Hostgator or Bluehost.
For those just starting out, you might enjoy this article Blogging For Dummies which outlines the basics of WordPress Blogging.
5. Autoresponder Email Marketing System
Email Marketing
This is where you use email software to send automated (and manual) email messages to your leads and buyers.
Once your prospcet has entered the sales funnel as a lead, they can be immediately placed onto your leads list.
They have given you permission to continue marketing to them.
So you send them pre designed auto emails (and weekly time sensitive manual emails) that:
* Continue to build the relationship with them
* Send them to your blog posts
* Put offers infront of them (including your affiliate and MLM products)
* Invite them to conference calls or webinars you offer
* Keeps you visible and in the prospects mind
Its an invaluable follow up tool, but there’s an art to email marketing.
It must be studied and done correctly so that you do not get flagged as a spammer or have your prospects unsubscribe.
Constantly placing offers in front of your leads and buyers will not endear them to you! You need to be entertaining, enlightening and educational (i.e. give value) in your emails.
I-contact, Oprius and Aweber are excellent software programmes. They start at around $9.95 per month and increase in price the more subscribers you have.
(You want to be paying more!!!)
I personally use I contact because you do not need a double opt in, to generate a lead on your list. (Improves conversions)
The great thing about these software programmes is you can go into your email software back office and easily create opt in forms to put on your squeeze page and blog.
When a prospect visits your blog and optsin, they are automatically put onto your emailing list- and if you’ve set up your autoresponder, they’ll start getting their emails immediately, at timed intervals.
You can also track the number of opens, clicks and bounces.
This way you can continually test new subject headlines to improve your open rate.
The Email Marketing section of this blog includes what to write in your emails, how often to write, when to place offers (and how), how to set up an autoresponder series and what you should and should not be doing in your email campaigns.
And much much more, of course!
6. Your “web of content” to drive traffic to your Sales Funnel
Traffic Traffic Traffic!
There’s no point having an online MLM sales funnel if you cannot get traffic to it!
And not only traffic, but pre qualified traffic- people interested in what you have to offer.
Your web of content is your “point of contact” marketing.
Its where your prospect will come across an article, or a forum post, a video or a blog post, or a note at your FaceBook, or your URL posted at Twitter (retweeted) and be led ultimately to your capture page (perhaps via your blog).
There are many methods and places to place your content all over the internet so that your interested prospects find you.
Here are some examples:
Article Marketing
Squidoo
Hub Pages
Ezine Articles
Your Blog
Social Media Marketing
YouTube
Social Bookmarking sites like Digg, Delicious, Reddit, Stumbleupon, Misterwong
And Content Syndication is where you link up all your content and disperse your blog posts across all the major social media marketing sites!
There is an art and a skill to getting qualified online traffic to your sales funnel.
For in depth MLM Sales Funnel Training and MY Number One Secret For Sales Funnel Success in MLM, visit
MLM Sales Funnel Related Posts
Help Me Figure out My Domain Name: Web Site Name Search and Choosing the right Domain Name
Blogging for Dummies: Set Up Your WordPress Blog Easily
Squeeze Pages as part of your MLM Marketing System
