Today, we are breaking down a relatively simple funnel.
A simple funnel that is a guaranteed business builder.
You see, what makes this funnel so effective is it harnesses the power of friendship to grow your sales.
It takes one friendly customer and turns that customer into another friendly customer, and so on and so forth... until your business is friends with all your customers’ friends… and your customers’ friends are your new customers.
Make sense?
Well, don’t worry if it doesn't.
Because you’ll understand exactly how the Friendly Funnel works by the time you finish digesting this short and sweet edition of Full Funnel Nudity.
(Hey friend, in case you're new around here, before we start sipping from the same milkshake, let me fill you in on…
How the Full Funnel Nudity Works:
Every month, I break down a live advertising funnel. Sometimes these are ad funnels that have proven their effectiveness by standing the test of time. Other times, these are the latest ads that have caught my eye.
During these breakdowns, I delve into the copywriting and direct-response marketing intricacies that make the ad work. And I also go inside the advertiser's funnel to show their landing pages, email sequences, etc.
By following along with these detailed breakdowns, you’ll learn the latest advertising strategies and tactics that are winning over customers. Also, by simply reviewing my breakdowns, you’ll be able to gain unique, REAL-WORLD advertising knowledge you won't find anywhere else.
You can think of the Full Funnel Nudity as your ready-made swipe file… complete with crib notes.
BTW: if you happen to see an ad you love, but you don’t have time to dissect it, send it my way. You’ll help indulge my curiosity, feed my addiction, and benefit from my obsessive desire to understand how great ads convert.
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How to invite your friends to your funnel party
The friendly funnel is kind of like a hot date.
Because all the action happens at the end.
So, we could just skip ahead to that part...
... But then we’d miss out on all the fun of "getting to know each other."
Instead, let’s start where every Friendly Funnel starts.
By inviting some of your friends over!
What’s the best way to advertise to your friends?
You guessed it - retargeting!
But what type of retargeting?
You want to retarget your customers if you can.
Because your die-hard brand-fan customers are the people who are most likely to convert and grow the reach of your Friendly Funnel.
Targeting a "brand fan" is exactly how the advertiser we're examining today got me into their funnel.
One of my favorite brands - Vivobarefoot - hit me with a simple yet eye-catching retargeting ad.
What I love about this ad is that it’s nothing fancy.
It’s the contrast in carousel images that makes the ad stand out.
Shoe on vs. Shoe off.
This contrasting image format is a savvy way to disrupt the scroll and catch your brand fan’s attention.
And really, any advertiser can leverage this format.
It’s a great way to showcase “before and after” or “with and without” product images.
It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s eye-grabbing!
More in store!
The next step in this funnel is also quite basic.
Remember, you are trying to attract repeat customers. These people have been to your store.
They have bought from you. They know what to expect.
So, just show them what they want to see!
In my case, Vivobarefoot was showing me that one of my favorite products was back in stock.
And once I saw that product was available, what did I do?
You're damn right I bought it!
I have been wearing the same shoes for so long that my socks are starting to touch pavement.
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How to make new friends and new customers
In the interest of keeping my order history, CC info, and all that jazz to myself… I am gonna skip the cart and jump ahead to the big finish.
Because post-purchase is where the Friendly Funnel multiplies your pay out!
Here’s how the magic happens…
After the purchase, you present your customer with an opportunity to share an exclusive discount code with their friends!
Now - you may be thinking to yourself, “That’s it? That's the big finish?”
Kind of, and kind of not.
The REAL reason the Friendly Funnel is a sales machine!
Setting up your funnel is where your work ends.
But it’s ALSO where the fun starts.
Here’s what I mean…
After Vivoebarefoot hit me with their little “refer a friend” offer, I decided to share my discount code with my brother.
He has wide flat feet too. So I figured he might like some Vivos.
And he did.
In fact, he liked them so much he bought four pairs!
Then, he shared his “refer a friend” discount with my mom… and she also bought two pairs!
Unfortunately, for Vivobarefoot, the Jordans are not the most social bunch.
So it’s possible that’s where our refer-a-friend chain will end.
Yet, consider that outcome.
One retargeting ad produced seven orders and two new customers!
That’s a crazy powerful funnel if you ask me.
And it is so simple anyone can do it… AND everyone should do it.
Because there’s some hyper-effective neuropsychology that makes this funnel work no matter what you’re selling.
You see, shopping causes our brains to release dopamine.
Essentially, our brains are hardwired to give us a little boost when we are in “hunting” mode.
Right after a purchase is made (but before we see the bill on our credit card) is often when our shopping induced dopamine boost hits its peak.
This post-purchase dopamine dump makes us feel good! (This is one of the reasons people get addicted to shopping).
The Friendly Funnel leverages this post purchase high.
It incentivizes your customers to share the joy they just experienced with their friends.
It also helps your customers show off their status.
Everything we buy is a reflection of how we see ourselves.
In your customers’ case, when they introduce their friends to a product they love, they are showing off their status.
Of course, they are also being helpful and thoughtful.
They are telling their friends, “I got this discount code. I can share it with anyone. And I decided to share it with you.”
Then on top of the psychology, there are also the mechanics of why this works.
The easiest way to meet new people is through a warm connection.
The friendly funnel turns your customers into the warm connection that introduces your brand to new friends.
What tech stack do you need to run a Friendly Funnel?
There are quite a few tools you can use to build a Friendly Funnel.
The tool featured in the funnel we broke down today is called MentionMe.
I am not an affiliate of MentionMe, and I am not endorsing this particular tool.
However, I will say it is the tool I am likely to use when building friendly funnels for my ecommerce clients.
If you want to check out more types of referral marketing tools, Influencer Marketing Hub put together a nice run down of the top options.
Also, keep in mind, if you don’t want to add a new tool to your tech stack… you can always build your own custom “refer a friend” offer using email automation.
All right friend, let’s take a quick look back at what we learned from Edition #7 of Full Funnel Nudity…
The key takeaways
Are we friends yet?
Hey before you go… now that we’re friends… I have a small favor to ask of you.
If you enjoyed this edition of Full Funnel Nudity, do you mind sharing it with your friends?
All you have to do to share it is paste this text into an email:
“If you want to become a filthy rich bad ass marketing genius who’s admired and loved by all, you should read Full Funnel Nudity. You can subscribe to it HERE."
Then, shoot that message off to every one of your contacts.
Sound Good?
Super!
And thank you!
You’re a true friend!