The search for targeted traffic
It is important to realize from the outset that the sales funnel concept
does not work on the basis of pulling just anyone to visit your website.
On the contrary, it is absolutely essential for the funnel concept to make
any sense that the people you draw your website are targeted, prequalified
visitors.
Using a simple example will explain this very easily. If you have a
website based business that promotes weight loss products online, it is
logical that the best prospect for your business is someone who is
overweight that wants to change their life.
Consequently, you would target your marketing and promotional efforts
in such a way that they would be put in front of people who are
overweight. By doing so, you ensure that the majority of people who
come to your site already represents a hot prospect because they are
looking for or interested in the products you have to offer.
If however you bring someone who is trying to decide whether they
want to buy an Xbox 360 or Wii, the chances of that individual buying
your products are almost zero.
Sure, it is perfectly possible that they might be overweight but they are
still not going to buy. The fact is, they are not particularly interested in
weight loss related products at this particular moment in time, so why
would they?
They are searching for specific information that is completely different
to that which you provide and they are therefore going to close your
site within milliseconds.
Hence, all of your initial marketing efforts have to be focused on making
sure that the people who you bring to your site (to the first, widest level
of your funnel) are targeted visitors.
We have already considered the various different ways that you can
drive traffic to a website. The only additional proviso should be made is
that in each and every case, you have to make sure that your
marketing efforts are targeted.
For example, your AdWords advertising materials must feature your
primary keywords as must any articles that you publish on directory
sites like EzineArticles as well as the descriptions that you attach to the
videos that you publish at YouTube and so on.
This element of prequalifying visitors to your site is an essential part of
an efficient sales funnel.
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Or, to put it another way, without pulling targeted, pre-qualified visitors
to your site, trying to construct an efficient, profitable sales system is a
huge waste of time.
If the ‘front end’ of your system is not attracting the right kind of
visitors to your site, then the chances of converting any of those visitors
into customers are very remote indeed.
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