So when you’re running Facebook/Instagram Ads there’s ONLY 4 funnels you need to know.
Cold Funnel:
This is generally one that hasn’t received an ad from you, so needs to be primed on who you are, why you’re relevant and what problem you’re solving, or opportunity you’re creating.
Your messaging should only be focused on giving VALUE. At this stage, a common mistake is to ask – for an email address, a click, a download whatever. Instead, give value in terms of knowledge, identifying an opportunity for them or whatever. It’s called reciprocity in psychology.
Types of audiences to target:
- Relevant Interest targeting
- Lookalike audience: By pixel event: View Content, Add to Cart, Lead, Registration Complete, Initiate Checkout,
- Payment Info, Purchase, Search, Custom Events
- Lookalike via email list: All purchasers, Recent purchasers, Purchase lifetime value over X months, Purchased more than twice in X months, Facebook LTV audience, Revenue per user over X value
WARM Funnel:
A warm audience is one that has already had at least one touch point with your business or brand, but not yet clicked through to your site or app. This could be in the form of liking your page, viewing a video, engaging with your Instagram or messaging your page as examples.
Your messaging here should give VALUE but don’t be afraid to ask for what you want! Ideally you’ll have a strong message. Don’t be afraid to get straight to the point, after all they know about you already because they’ve engaged with you. Test a variety of direct response messages, playing on potential barriers to clicking/buying etc. could be cost, trust, timing.
Types of audiences to target:
- Custom Audience: Video view audiences (25%, 50%, 75%, 95%, 10 seconds)
- Custom Audience: Page post engagement
- Custom audience: Opened Lead form but did not submit
- Custom Audience: Messaged your page in the last X days Custom Audience: Instagram viewed profile/engaged with post
HOT Funnel:
A hot audience is one that’s now in your sales funnel. At this stage they’ve made a commitment to click your link, so give them a great experience! Ensure you meet their expectations, whether through the landing page, or even the load time, which is an important metric for the auction.
Your messaging here should be focused on identifying their barriers (reasons why they wouldn’t buy) and break them down.
Types of audiences to target:
- Custom Audience: Visited checkout, cart or product page not purchased. Can include category level
- Custom Audience: Visited non-key page (eg such as blog, homepage) in last X days
- Custom Audience: Visited a key site in last X days by URL (eg /collections, best-sellers, etc)
- Custom Audience: Top 25%, 10%, 5% by time spent. Note: combining this with URL allows you to create a highly engaged website retargeting list and is a better solution than delaying the pixel fire to remove people that don’t engage
Existing Customers Funnel:
This is your existing customer list. It’s such a HUGE mistake to not be selling to these guys. When’s the best time to sell? There was a study done on excitement within the brain in a retail environment, which showed there was an excitement triggered when someone added an item to their basket and also when they then went to the cashier. However a pain trigger occurred when they had to pay for the item, followed by another dose of pleasure once they’ve received the goods again. THIS is the best time to sell to them again and this is why post-purchase upsells work so well. Another time to sell is, for physical products, when they’ve actually consumed/used it, because another dose of pleasure is triggered and so they’re likely to be open to buying again, within reason (based on product/price). Also be thinking of weeks and months post-purchase, and how you can monetise customers further by providing them with even more value.
The messaging here is hardcore sales. They know you AND they have already bought from you. Whatever you do, don’t lose their trust with pushy, spammy tactics. Respect them and their time, but ensure you get your message across.
Audiences to target:
- Custom Audience: Purchased in the last X days
- Custom Audience: Purchased X, cross-sell Y
- Custom Audience: Purchased X, N days ago, promote a repurchase of X again (eg a 30-day cycle for hair shampoo)
- Custom Audience: Subscription renewal – 30 days before renewal
- Custom Audience: Existing customers into a new offer/product
