Step 1 - Goals For The Campaign

Any good campaign has set goals to accomplish. Here were mine:

Goal #1 Get clients. Specifically, I wanted to get "product launch" clients. I am formally trained in a specific specific type of marketing campaign invented (and made famous) by a gentleman named Jeff Walker. It's called Product Launch Formula and it is a beautiful blend of content and direct response marketing. If you aren't aware of it, your should study the strategies. It's you to your advantage.

Goal #2 Use free consultations as the main sales tool. For what I wanted to charge I knew that I wasn't gonna be able to charge that simply by sending people emails. I was going to have to get on the phone and engage. I was prepared to do that.

Goal #3 I needed a scalable solution. I had already tried "networking", "blogging", and "asking for referrals", but those don't generate clients at a predictable clip. I needed a certain number consultations to come through at one time so I could schedule them, choose my clients, and get to work.

Goal #4 I wanted to talk to qualified prospects. If I was going to spend such focused time on the phone converting (and working with) clients I wanted it to be worth my time. It doesn't do me (or the prospective client) any good when consecutive phone calls don't lead to a clear decision. The funnel's content needed to prepare clients for a focused conversation with me where they will make a decision about services.

Goal #5 Keep the funnel simple. Any good funnel involves a series of steps with each step "converting" the prospect to the next. I drew a quick map for myself so I knew what the funnel would look like. In it's simplest form it is AD--> Landing Page --> Consultation --> Sale

Almost every campaign (good or not) has embedded assumptions that affect it's success. Here were mine.

(Keep in mind, I didn't realize I made these assumptions until after the campaign was over. That's why it's important to learn from each campaign you run.)

Assumption #1 The prospective clients were "ready" to buy services. In my mind, I thought that people already knew what they wanted and simply needed an opportunity to say "yes" to a relevant offer. Truth is, the service I offered was new (to the market and to them) and more education was necessary before they understood how what I offered solved a problem for them.

Assumption #2 The prospective clients were "ready" to make a decision. I'm totally okay with people not buying from me. I just want the decision to be quick and clear. In my head, it's a simple "yes or no". Once I present the facts the person would (obviously) be prepared to make a decision. I learned that people aren't robots. More importantly, people aren't ready when I think they are ready. Many of the people I spoke to needed more information to prepare themselves for EITHER decision.

Assumption #3 A decision would require two phone calls (free consultations) at the most. What I learned is that prospective clients will take as much free advice, counsel, and help as you allow them to have. This is not because prospective clients are "blood-thirsty, tire-kicking, freebie-seeking" cheapies. Rather, it is becuase they are HUMAN and if they enjoy your advice, they will listen as long as you talk. In my case, my desire to be helpful open the door for additional conversations beyond my intended scope.

Assumption #4 My services would be easy to understand. I was offering a complete done-for-you service that would handle all aspects of a product launch campaign. This included email copywriting, salesletter copywriting, landing page creation, sales video creation, multimedia uploading, sales sequencing, offer creation, bonus creation, etc. I knew it was a lot. It was MY service. Yes, it all made sense to ME because it was MINE. For me it was OBVIOUS that my services should fall in the $5,000 - $10,000 range. What did I miss? I missed the fact that my prospective clients aren't in MY business...they are in THEIR business. They don't automatically know the details that are involved with MY services. Why should they?

Here is the point. You have assumptions too!

These are some of the major assumptions I made as I put my funnel together.

You have assumptions too!

It is best that you not only lay out those assumptions for yourself, but also include them IN the content of your marketing funnel. Be transparent. Be clear. Be courageous with your communications. Your BEST client will appreciate it.

Coveted Positioning Note: Conventional (normal) consultants don't take the time to write their assumptions out. It's so much easier to just "run the ad" and complain about what clients "don't know". Coveted (exceptional) consultants understand that a more informed prospective client makes a better paying client. Coveted consultants embrace content marketing because it actively prepares clients to do (high-level) business with them.

 

Step 2 - Run the Ad

Running an ad in a relevant newsletter would give my business exposure to thousands of prospects at once (versus networking or referrals that work much slower). So I did some research and found a list that accepted paid advertisements. I chose to run a paid advertisement with the Self-Growth community. Below are the exact steps I took.

Does this list include my target audience? Why Self-Growth? Because they have a list of business owners (specifically experts, coaches, and consultants) who are familiar with the basics of online marketing. Most are already selling digital products, coaching programs, and robust consulting packages. All of these offerings are proven to work well with product launch methodologies. In addition, this audience is already familiar with Jeff Walker's name and his Product Launch Formula.

David Riklan and the Self-Growth team made the advertising process very easy. They interviewed me (to make sure I offered legit services). I wrote an ad. They approved and scheduled it accordingly.

Write the ad as if you are speaking to one person. I made it a point to limit my use of 3rd person. Instead I chose to write like I was sitting across from the table from the reader and looking them in the eye. It's a more direct and personal writing style.

Make ONE clear offer. The product launch strategy involves a lot of moving parts. It would be confusing to try to explain all of those parts in an email. Instead, it is my job to simplify the communication down to one core problem and offer one clearly understood solution. In my case, this boiled down to a complete, done-for-you offer.

Offer ONE clear next step. Once I've made the offer clear, now it's time to make the next step clear. All I want the reader to do in this email is click the link. So, that is exactly what the email said to do.

Below is the beginning of the exact email I used. The attached download has the exact email I used plus a template you can use for yourself.

 

 

Step 3 - The Landing Page

Once the reader has clicked the link, the person is now a web visitor at my site. The role of the landing page is to convert them to a free consultation lead. Here is the exact process I followed.

Headline needed to match the ad copy. In the email I stated a clear problem, offered a clear solution, and invited the reader to click the link to receive the solution. It's VERY important that the next thing they read is directly connected to what they have previously read.

Remind of the problem/solution. In addition, the headline should restate the problem and solution they have come to receive.

Show proof. I was very aware that I was inviting people to speak with me and they had NO idea who I was. I used a testimonial to provide social proof.

Offer the appropriate next step. I invited people to this page because I wanted them to register for a consultation. I made that call to action easy to understand and execute.

Explain consultation process. I set expectations to give clarity on the process. The consultation would be 30 minutes. My assistant would follow-up. My frequently asked questions (FAQs) would be delivered immediately. I would be sending newsletters as follow-ups over time.

Below is a breakdown of the landing page I used. I took the video down, but I've given you the exact slides I used plus a template in the download.

I am NOT a web designer. It's not my strength. I use a variety of tools to manage my website. All of the webpages used in this campaign were made with the Optimize Press software founded by James Dyson.

 

Step 4 - Thank You Page

Once the web visitor has registered they are now a lead for my free consultation. My next job is get them scheduled and prepared to speak with me. Here is the exact process I followed.

Explainer video. At this point the reader opened my email-->read my email --> clicked the link --> registered at my site for a free consultation. It is safe to say that they have a decent level of interest in my services. This is where the tone shifts a bit. Now is the time to inform them about the benefits of saying "yes" to my services and how the free consultation will help them make the best decision.

When I ran this ad my thank you page included old footage of Jeff Walker describing the value (and process) of Product Launch Formula. I knew the audience would already have some familiarity with him so this content made sense.

Note: you can just as easily create an explainer video yourself. Since this campaign I have offered other services and used self-made explainer videos to introduce my services. I have included an outline of what to say in your explainer video in the available download.

Provide the promises. I provided a document answering frequently asked questions and gave them the email my VA would use to contact them.

Below is a breakdown of the thank you page I used. In the download you have this template AND my simple recipe for your own consulting explainer video.

 

 

Coveted Positioning Note: Every time you make a promise and keep it you build trust. When someone registers for something give it to them quickly.

Step 5 - Follow Up Sequence

It's really important to move quickly here. Having someone register for a conversation is one thing. Getting someone to commit to a date and time is another. I wanted a personal touch in this process (it being my first). So I asked my VA to own the follow-up process. Here is the exact process I followed.

Gave my VA very clear instructions. This is where she really made me look good. My VA and I discussed how follow-up should work and she was off to the races! Her role in this process was to a) be a human touchpoint b) schedule their free consultation. The process worked like this:

1. Call first and leave a voicemail message if necessary
2. Send and email to follow-up voicemail
3. Handle the appointment when they call back or
4. Follow-up with a 2nd email and then handle the appointment
5. Follow-up with a 3rd email , including a quick link for the appointment
6. Fagedaboutit (they will receive my normal newsletters going forward)