Jewelry ECOMM Tech
Sales Funnels for Jewelry Stores, Part 2 March 11, 2019 (0 comments)
The Sales Funnel Of Today
In Part 1 of Sales Funnels for Jewelry Stores we covered the basics of sales funnels and how they were a powerful part of marketing even before the internet existed. Today we will look at how technology made it easier and more affordable to run an effective funnel. We’ll also share an example of a funnel using Facebook ads and email marketing.
How Technology Helped
If you remember, in part one we mentioned that good funnels have multiple stages and you should always track your results at each stage. We’ve all heard that we live in a “data-driven world”. Well, technology has made it easier to acquire it. In our case, this data can answer questions like how many people visited your website? Where they are located? Or how much time did the spend on a specific page? These are all valuable pieces of information that can help you make adjustments to your marketing. Technology has made it a lot easier to track nearly every aspect of your sales funnels. From how many people opened your last email campaign to the average time people spent on your latest YouTube video. This information allows you to see what’s working and what needs improvement. You can identify which promotion is getting the best results and direct your marketing dollars to that campaign.
Digital Sales Funnel Example
Let’s run the same marketing idea we had with Jim back in Sales Funnels for Jewelry Stores Part 1. Here’s a Recap:
- Jim Offers a free cleaning to first 100 people who take him up on the offer.
- When they come in for the cleaning, if they show interest in the merchandise, Jim offers a $50 gift certificate for the next visit.
- Jim personally calls them a few days before the credit expires to remind them to use it.
Step 1: Facebook Ad
This time Jim is going to run a Facebook Ad instead of sending a random letter to 1,000 local residents. The ad can be put in front of users who live within 10 miles of Jim’s store. He can also set other specific targeting options. He targets women in the area who are celebrating an anniversary within 30 days. His ad will possibly be shown to thousands of people, but he only pays if someone clicks on it. So Jim decides to deliver the same message from his letter in video form. He grabs his smartphone shots a video introducing himself to the neighborhood and makes his offer. Those interested in the free cleaning click on a “Book Now” button and are taken to a page requesting name, email and an integrated calendar to schedule a free cleaning appointment.Step 2: In-Store Visit
Jim finds that his offer works, and gets a 100 people to schedule their free cleaning. Just like in our pre-internet example, Jim determines if someone is interested in the merchandise and personally gives them a $50 gift certificate. He also follows up with a personal email thanking them for stopping by and meeting them. As much as we utilize digital marketing to try and sell more, personal contact is still the best way to start a relationship with customers.Step 3: Jim’s Email, Remarketing, and Phone Campaign
Jim decides that he wants to keep his brand in front of Jane, a potential customer who fell in love with a diamond solitaire ring Jim showed her when she came in for her cleaning. She loved it but wasn’t sure about buying it just yet. Jim send her emails with images of their ring designs, information about their lifetime warranty, and reminds her of how her $50 credit will expire soon. He also adds Jane’s email address to a Custom Audience list on Facebook and can now put visual ads of the diamond solitaire ring in front of Jane while she’s browsing on Facebook. This is known as "remarketing" and can be very effective. Jim is also able to see when she opens an email and interacts with his ads. Just like at the store he is able to do this with online marketing efforts. While in the store, Jim is measuring one potentials customer's interest while online he can do the same thing with hundreds of potential customers. A few days before the $50 credit expires Jim can check to see if Jane opened his emails and decide if he should give her a call.Step 4: Purchase
Research has shown that the more exposure to a campaign, the greater brand awareness and intent to purchase. Jim’s digital sales funnel is likely to do better than his postcard funnel. Mostly because, in the digital example, Jim was able to place his brand in front of those interested, more often. With the internet, we can send several messages for a fraction of what it cost to send a physical letter or a postcard. This means we can send more messages but only to those that show interest. If done correctly, good marketing leads to sales.
The Field Is Crowded
It’s pretty clear that the internet has made running a sales funnel a lot easier. Unfortunately, this has also lowered the barrier for entry and anyone can set up a marketing campaign like the one Jim did. Over the last few years, channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Ads, and Email have become very crowded. It’s a lot harder to grab a consumer’s attention because they’re just a thumb swipe away from the next post or email. How can we compete? The solution is to go back to the original principles of sales funnels. We want to follow the AIDA model (Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action) and build trust at each stage. Don’t overwhelm potential customers with too many ads or emails. We don’t want to spam or annoy them. The idea is to give more value and useful knowledge and fewer promotional and sales ads.