This article provides you with 3 critical things that will help your business.

Hopefully, you’re already doing them; however, if not – I’ll show you how to start!

1. Collecting Email Addresses

That’s right! Good ol' fashioned email. The same stuff that’s been around since the public’s version of the Internet came into existence. (You've got mail!)

It still remains the #1 way to reach your customers.

It’s quite cheap, it’s able to be automated, it puts you in direct contact with your customers, it’s measurable, and it’s both effective and efficient.

Given all of that, why isn't your business doing it?!

2. Taking Control Of Your Google Listing

I’m not going to give you any stats or study results.

Instead, I’m going to ask you to think about what you personally do.

When you’re deciding between two or more local businesses – do you do a search first, to see which one looks better?

My guess, is that at least half the time – the answer is yes.

Add in the fact that the #1 search engine is Google and it’s easy to see that you need to ensure your business listing is correct.

Take a look at this listing –

Does it say, “I’m an Acura dealer”?

No. It doesn't.

Yet, almost 200,000 people have landed on this page.

200,000 people saw rainbow construction paper as opposed to a picture promoting their business.

More than likely, your business has a page like this – Google automatically makes a “default” page for businesses (unless your business isn't listed on Google, which is even worse than rainbow construction paper).

How do you want your business represented?

My guess is, you want your listing to represent your business.

3. Using Twitter

I know, you’re too cool for Twitter.

I was too, until I realized it’s one massive party with tons of customers waiting to be engaged!

At this party, you’re given a microphone to broadcast your message to your followers, there are also sidebar conversations to participate in via hashtags, private conversations via direct messages, shoutouts via @s, and everything in between.

Not to mention, people are constantly voicing their thoughts, opinions, and most importantly – their problems.

All of which – are easy to search for. Enabling you to find exactly who you’re looking for and allowing you to directly engage with these potential customers.

Twitter is an incredibly powerful platform for small businesses, you just need to know how to use it!

There are many benefits to creating and selling digital courses online…

• High margin – nearly 100% pure profit
• Scalable – you can sell an infinite amount
• Helpful – you can literally change people's lives with your courses
• Boosts authority – you've probably heard the saying, “you wrote the book on it”… well, that applies to courses too, “you created the course on it”, making you an authority on the subject

I'm sure there are more benefits, but those are the biggest.

This post is will walk you through the steps to create and sell “affordable” courses. Note: if you want more step-by-step instructions, you can checkout the course here.

What's An “Affordable” Course?

Before we dive into the details, let's define “affordable”…

• A course that's less than $300

And here are some of the pros and cons for selling these “affordable” courses…

Step 1) Plan & Create Your Course

If you don't have a course already, then you need to start here. If you already have a course, feel free to jump down to step 2.

There are a few things to take into consideration when planning your course…

1. Audience – who is this course for? ex. Small business owners.
2. Topic – what is the course is about? ex. Facebook ads.
3. What type of course are you going to create?
   • Mastery level – Everything you need to know about [topic]. ex. Everything you need to know about Facebook Ads.
   • Results-based – How to [generate result]. ex. How to generate leads for your small business with Facebook Ads.

Once you've answered those questions, it's time to work on your course outline.

Creating an outline is a critical step because it…

• Ensures your course follows a logical progression.
• Ensures you cover all necessary topics and details.
• Makes your life easier because you don't have to think about “what to do next”, you already know what you need to do.

The video below will show you how I go about creating my course outlines. Note: the video is from the course, so you might hear me reference some other videos, but the “meat” of the training stands on it's own. Y don't have to watch those other videos prior to watching this one!

After you've taken a few days to plan your course, it's time to actually create it.

There are many ways to create a course, but here are a few of the key tools I use for mine:

• Camtasia
• PowerPoint
• Draw.io

Is your course made? Great, move onto the next step!

Step 2) Sell Your Course With A Funnel

Sure, you could sell your course by setting up a sales page, slapping a PayPal button on it, and delivering it via email. Or, by using a tool like Gumroad to make it even easier… but, in my experience, the best way to sell a course is with a sales funnel…

Why use a sales funnel? A couple reasons:

1. Funnels can increase conversion rates. On average, sales pages convert between 1-5%; however, with the proper strategy, you can dramatically increase conversion rates by bringing people through a funnel which “warms” them up before presenting the offer.
2. Funnels can increase Average Order Value (AOV). Funnels give you the opportunity to present more offers to people as they checkout in the form of order bumps, 1-click upsells, and 1-click downsells.

Obviously, being able to sell to more people and increasing the amount they spend is something we all want to do… right?! Well, a funnel is the best way to do it!

Let's examine the parts of the funnel:

1) Squeeze Page

The “Squeeze Page” is designed to capture someone's contact information in exchange for a Lead Magnet. Having someone's contact information gives you the opportunity to follow up with them and build a relationship.

A Lead Magnet is something of value that your potential customers want. It can be a checklist, cheat sheet, flowchart, or even video training.

Ideally, you'll be able to use a resource (pdf, doc, etc.) or even a training video from your course, as your Lead Magnet.

From my experience, having a very simple squeeze page with a headline, possible sub-headline, and a picture of the offer, tends to convert better than something “fancy” with a lot of details.

This is my top converting squeeze page format:

2) Welcome and Pre-Sell Page

The Welcome and Pre-Sell Page is the page an individual lands on after they request your Lead Magnet.

There are 2 courses of action you can take on this page…

Course of Action #1: Pre-Sell

For this CoA, I recommend having a short 1-5 minute video that does the following…

1. Congratulates them on requesting the lead magnet and tells them it will land in their inbox in the next few minutes. Also, remind them to check the spam folder if they don't see it.
2. Confirm the lead magnet will help them with X, Y, and Z, but…
3. It's just one piece of the puzzle. If they really want to get to the next level… you have a special offer for them on the next page! (you can end the video here if you want, or you can keep going…)
4. Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How…
   • Who needs this special offer? Call out your audience. Makes sure people are in the right place… this special offer is for small business owners looking to drive more leads.
   • What is the special offer? It's a step-by-step video course on [topic] with dozens of resources and flowcharts, supportive community, and a 30 day money back guarantee.
   • When is the special offer? You can gain instant access right now at this introductory price; however, the price will go up in the near future.
   • Where is it? On the next page!
   • How to get it? Click the button below… (you can end the video here if you want, or you can keep going…)
5. Here's what our customers are saying about the course… scroll through testimonials, reviews, and real world results.

Course of Action #2: Teach

In this CoA, you're not going to go straight into selling.

Instead, you're going to deliver the Lead Magnet right on this page, so they have instant access.

Then, teach a lesson on the Lead Magnet – how it relates to them and how to use it so they can get the most out of it. This training will be as long as you need – from 3 minutes to 90 minutes and anything in between is perfectly fine here.

During the training, you want to soft-sell and tease your course. Basically, highlighting the fact that the Lead Magnet isn't “everything” and there's more stuff they can learn from you.

I highly recommend split-testing these two CoAs.

The Page

Here's what my typical Welcome & Pre-Sell page looks like:

The content on the page is pretty self-explanatory, so I won't bore you with those details. Below the video, you may want to have a few bullet points that highlight the key points covered in the video, just in case someone would rather read than watch.

3) Sales Page

The Sales Page is the page where you sell your course. (obviously!)

While you've certainly seen thousands of sales pages in your lifetime, you may have never created one.

To help you understand the underlying principles of a sales page, here's a breakdown of the common elements most sales pages have:

• Headline – Only job is to capture attention
  • Ex. How to get [benefit] without [pain].
• Subheadline – Clarify headline, share main benefit of the offer
  • Ex. Title of your course. (or vice versa, use the title of your course as the headline with the formula as the subheadline)
• Image – You will likely have a bunch of images on your sales page; however, the very first one should be focused on grabbing attention
• Video – You can use a video instead of an image. In the video, cover the…
  • Who – Who are you and who is your course for?
  • What – What do you have to offer?
  • Why – Why should someone want what you’re offering? Scarcity!
  • How – How to get what you’re offering?
• Lead Copy – Brief paragraph that pulls the individual into the rest of your sales page
• Trust Signals – Social proof, testimonials, “as seen on”, etc.
• Longer Copy – What you’re actually selling. Features, benefits, description of offer (what they get, bonuses, payment options, etc.), etc.
  • For courses, I breakdown all of the individual lessons and share their benefits
• Call To Action (CTA) – How to get it

Here's what my typical Course Sales Page looks like:

4) Order Form Page

The Order Form Page is where the individual enters their payment information, selects their payment option (if there are any), and actually buys your course!

Here's my typical Order Form Page:

I believe the elements on it are pretty self-explanatory. I'll cover the key ones briefly…

• Re-confirm they're about to purchase the correct product
• Highlight your guarantee
• Include more social proof
• Request their payment information
  • Note: Even though you don't need their physical address because they're buying a digital product and you're not shipping them anything… I still recommend asking for that information because it reduces fraud.

5) OTO Page

The One-Time-Offer (OTO) page is the page immediately after the order form page.

This page presents another offer to your customer in the form of a 1-click upsell. (by clicking “Yes, I Want It!”, the customer can upgrade their order with the offer on the OTO page)

This offer should complement the course they just purchased from you. Some good options are:

• Coaching/Support – 1-on-1 call, group coaching, etc. / one-time or recurring
• Something Extra – Another plan, calculator, tool, etc. that will help the individual achieve their goal
• Another Course – Another course you have that your customer might also be interested in

Here's what my typical OTO page looks like…

It looks quite similar to the “Welcome and Presell” page, right?! Why? That page structure works!

To breakdown some of the elements on this page:

• The page starts with a notification to let people know they've purchased the course; however, their order is incomplete and they have a chance to upgrade their order.
• Then, there's a headline and sub-headline, just like all the other pages. Same concept here.
• The video should be short, about 2 minutes or less. People are wanting to get into the course and aren't very patient on this page so don't overwhelm them with too much information. The general flow of the video is:
  • Congrats on buying the course, it will help you with X, Y, and Z!
  • Now, if you want to take it to the next level, you'll want to also grab [OTO] as it will do A, B, and C!
  • I normally charge $197 for it, but on this page only, it's $97! That's 50% off!
  • Click the button below to add it to your order!
• Include a few simple bullets that highlight the details outlined in the video.
• Have a big, giant, 1-click upsell button and a “No” Link.

6) Order Confirmation

The Order Confirmation Page is the final page your customer lands on after purchasing your course and hopefully your OTO.

It simply confirms their order, gives a summary, tells them how to access their purchase and support, and possibly contains links to other offers you sell (Offer Wall).

Here's my typical Order Confirmation Page…

7) Membership Pages

The funnel also includes the Membership Pages.

The first is the Membership Access page. It lets people login and/or create an account…

Then, the second page is the Membership Area.

This is where you have your course.

8) Lead Magnet Delivery Automation

The first automation in your funnel is the “Lead Magnet Delivery” automation.

This is a simple automation that delivers the lead magnet you're offering on your squeeze page.

There are 3 primary elements of this email:

1. A link to the promised resource
2. A reminder of why they requested the resource and some reasons to go check it out right now
3. A subtle Call-To-Action (CTA) for your course

Here's what my typical “Lead Magnet Delivery” email looks like…

9) Video Delivery Pages & Emails

After delivering the Lead Magnet, you should wait a day before beginning to drip high quality content to your lead.

What is “high quality content”?

My recommendation is a video training series and/or other resources that prove you know what you're talking about while simultaneously getting people to know, like, and trust you. All the while, subtly promoting your course.

If you're familiar Gary Vaynerchuk's, “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” concept… this is what you're doing here.

The Video/Resource Content

Here are a few ideas for the video/resource content you can send to people:

• First few videos of your course. Think of it like a “free trial”.
• Use select videos from your course. If you have certain videos that can stand on their own and provide really valuable insight, you can use them as your content.
• New videos that teach the overarching strategy/theme. For instance, create new videos that teach the “what” of each section of your course – ie. for a course about creating courses, one video could be about course planning, one on course creation, one about the funnel, one about marketing automation, and so on. Basically, teaching people the concept of your course, while not telling people “how” to actually do it. (they need to buy the course to get the “how”!)

The Video Pages

While you can host your videos on public sites like YouTube and Vimeo, I would not recommend sending people to either of those sites to actually watch your videos.

Instead, create unique pages for each video and embed the video on those pages.

Here's my typical video page:

Say what?!?! That page looks just like the Welcome and Presell and OTO pages!!!

Yes. Yes it does.

Again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Obviously, on this page you have the topic of your video as the headline/subheadline, the video will be your training video, the bullets will outline what they're going to learn in the video, and the big CTA button will take them to your course's sales page. Simple.

The Video Delivery Emails

To get people to watch your training videos, you'll primarily use email marketing. (you could also get fancy with retargeting, but that's beyond the scope of this article)

Here's my typical email:

It's a pretty simple and self-explanatory email; I'll just outline it really quickly…

• Include a screenshot of the video with a super-imposed “play” button on it. When the person clicks on the image that looks like a video, they'll be taken to your video page where they can watch it.
• Include a short description of the video with a few bullets outlining what they'll learn. Recommend having a text link somewhere in the written description.
• Include a button with a link to the video page.

The Order Confirmation Email

The Order Confirmation Email is sent to your customers.

It contains information on how to access their purchase:

The content of the emails is self-explanatory; however, it should be dynamic and only present access information to the products/services the customer purchased.

3) Send Traffic

After creating your course and building a sales funnel to sell it, it's time to find some people to buy it… it's time for some traffic!

Of course, there are many ways to send traffic, but in this section we're going to focus on Facebook traffic because it works very well for selling digital courses.

If you refer back to the funnel diagram above, you see there's really only two places we're going to send traffic for this particular funnel. (of course, you can get more advanced with it, but let's get the basics down first!)

You should spend 90-95% of your budget, sending traffic to your Squeeze Page… you need to get people on your lists! Note, there are two lists here, your email list and your retargeting list. This way, even if they don't opt-in for your Lead Magnet, you still know they're interested in your particular topic. Once they're on your retargeting list, you can recommend other Lead Magnets they may be interested in (if you have them) or go straight into promoting the course.

The remaining 5-10% of your budget will be spent on your retargeted traffic – people that have engaged with you already. You want to direct this traffic directly to your course's sales page.

That's the core of the ad strategy for this funnel. It's pretty simple, but works amazingly well when you have a Lead Magnet and course people actually want!

Ad Copy 101

No matter whether you're sending traffic to your Squeeze Page or Sales Page, the basic ad copy strategy remains the same.

This video gives ya the basic ad copy strategy to apply to your ads:

4) Scaling Your Business

Congrats on launching your course! That's a big accomplishment and more than most people will ever do!

Now that you're armed with one course, it's time to think about scaling your efforts.

There are two ways to scale…

• Out – Create more courses that complement the course you just created. For example, I have a course on creating courses. In that course, I briefly cover ClickFunnels, ActiveCampaign, and Facebook Ads. What I can do now is create more detailed courses on those various tools, so if people want to learn more… they can!
• Up – Create more expensive courses/resources to sell. Offer done-for-you services or other, complementary services. Offer coaching/consulting. Create a Mastermind group.
• Up & Out – Create more complementary courses AND offer more products/services that are more expensive, but provide more value to your customers.

Everything in this section should be pretty obvious, but I wanted to make sure you realized creating one “affordable” course probably isn't going to be enough to change your whole life. However, by scaling your efforts out and/or up, the sky is the limit on how much money you can make!

Build A Course & Funnel

I hope you learned a lot from this post.

I really tried to lay out the entire plan for creating and selling “Affordable” courses.

Having said that, if you would like to learn all the nitty-gritty technical details and to get a copy of the Course Creator's Sales Funnel…

I have a course for you!

Click here to learn more about the course!

You have a product or service you want to sell…

So, you setup a website or sales funnel to try and buy it, but…

No one is buying it!

It sucks. But, I believe everyone who has ever tried to sell something has run into this problem… so, you're not alone.

This post serves as a guide to help you troubleshoot your problems so you can start to generate sales!

3 Thing To Look At / Think About

There are many reasons why people do and don't buy things; however, most (if not all) can be handled by focusing on 3 key areas:

1. Introduction – How a prospect is introduced to your product/service
2. Framing – The benefit/result your product/service provides
3. Offer – Your product/service wrapped up in a nice, pretty box

These 3 key areas should be thought about in order AND all at once. Let me explain…

The Introduction is important because you need make a good first impression; however, depending on your Offer, your Introduction may change to better suit what you're going to try to sell the individual.

The point is, each area is critical and you need to focus on all 3 individually, but you must think about them holistically (big picture) as well. If you don't, your results won't be as good as they can be!

1) Introduction

The Introduction is where you think about the Customer Journey:

Where, on their journey, are they when they come across your product/service? (Note: from now on, instead of typing “product/service” each time, I'm just going to say “widget”, but I mean both products and services).

• Are they aware they have a problem?
• Are they aware there's a solution out there?
• Are they aware of your widget?
• Are they looking for widgets to buy?
• Are they considering your widget?

Where they are in their journey will impact how you Introduce your widget.

If the individual has no idea they have a problem, then you can't scream, “Buy my widget!” at them – it's not going to work.

Conversely, if the individual is actively comparing widgets, screaming “Buy my widget at a discount!” might do the trick.

Also, you really need to consider your widget and align it with the Customer Journey. For example, if you sell a $10k coaching package, or even a $1,000 coaching, package for that matter – your prospect is going to need to know, like, and trust you before they hire you as a coach. Maybe they're aware they need coaching and they're aware of what you have to offer; however, they're trying to decide between you and two other coaching (Evaluation). What could you do, at this level of the Customer Journey, to move them onto the next level? Maybe a complimentary coaching call?

The point is, you may need to create other “widgets” to “sell” first, so they continue to move down the Customer Journey funnel with you and buy your “final” widget.

For example:

• Content – blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc. that generate awareness and position you and your business as an authority
• Lead Magnets – freebies in exchange for contact information. Usually PDFs, videos, coupons, etc.
• Consultation – hop on a quick call to see if you'll be a good fit for each other
• Cheap(er) Widget – a more affordable widget before purchasing more expensive widgets

To quickly summarize the Introduction section, you need to think about where your potential customer is in their Customer Journey and where your widget fits in. Then, you may need to backwards plan how to move the person through the Customer Journey by “selling” other “widgets” prior to them buying your “final” widget.

2) Framing

As previously mentioned, people buy and don't buy things for all types of reasons…

Some reasons are logical, while others are based on emotion.

Logical

Logical reasons are often results driven and “make sense”.

• Results – I want X. Product Y will help me get X.
  • I want a hole in my wall. A drill will help me make a hole in my wall.
  • I want to get better at Facebook Ads. Nathan's Facebook Ads course will help me do that.
• Makes Sense – There are “good” reasons to buy Product Y.
  • Cheaper
  • Faster
  • Stronger
  • Higher Quality
  • High Value

Emotional

They say, most purchases are driven by emotions first, then backed by logical reasoning, so it's important to consider people's emotions as you frame your widget.

For example, you probably don't need to drive a Ferrari to pick up lunch from Chipotle… but, people do. Why?

• Cool
• Fun
• Fast
• Makes Me Feel Like I “Made It”
• Make People Envy Me

Your objective now is to identify all of the Logical (results & makes sense) and Emotional reasons an individual would buy your widget. You then address each reason as you promote your widget!

3) Offer

The third step is to convert your widget into an offer.

A product or service is NOT an offer… and offers are what people buy.

So, what is an offer?

An offer is your product or service + everything else that comes with it…

• Guarantee
• Payment Option(s)
• Scarcity
• Other Benefits
• Bonuses (HUGE!)

By “offeratizing” your widget, you're able to dramatically increase it's perceived value (make people think it's worth more), which will make selling it much easier!

Guarantees

Your widget should come with a guarantee of some sort. Whether it's a simple money back guarantee, a double your money back guarantee, lifetime guarantee, a guarantee your widget will save X amount of time, etc….

The point is, you should have a guarantee of some sort for your widget.

Payment Option(s)

If your widget is big and expensive, you probably want to offer payment plan options to make paying for it more reasonable.

Alternatively, if you have a cheaper product, but people might want to buy multiple quantities; you could incentivize the purchase of greater quantities by offering price breaks. For example, buy 1 get 1 for 50% off.

Scarcity

Is your offer going away soon? Is the price about to increase? Are you about to stop taking new clients?

If there's a reason someone should act now, make sure you address it!

Other Benefits

Does a percentage of your profits go to help a charity?

What are you doing with the money people are giving you? If you're giving back to the community, make sure you let people know!

Bonuses (HUGE!)

Bonuses are important!!!

There have been many times when people buy a widget simply because they want the bonus that comes with it! I recently purchased a YouTube Ads tool… not because I wanted the tool, but I wanted the course that came with it!

Frank Kern also uses a lot of insane bonuses which often “push” me over the edge!

Bonuses can make or break your offer!

Here are a couple ways to add bonuses to your offer:

• Create multiple formats.
  • Ex. If you're selling a book, make sure you have a digital version, audio version, video version, abridged version, etc.
  • Ex. If you're selling videos, include a written version and/or checklists and other handouts to improve your offer
• Include additional widgets that enhance your original widget.
  • Ex. Other resources and courses if you're selling software, training, coaching, or even physical products. By adding digital products to physical product offers, you can dramatically increase your offer's perceived value with very little effort!
    • Ex. If you're selling a first aid kit, you could also include an ebook of 51 life saving skills.
      • Pro tip: Create multiple formats of your bonuses (ie. a video version) to really increase the perceived value!
  • Ex. Batteries if you're selling something electronic.
  • Ex. Free coaching session(s) with purchase of high-end training.
  • Ex. Free or expedited shipping if you purchase $X amount of product or within Y amount of time.

Coming up with bonuses shouldn't be too difficult either… simply think about the problems your widget creates!

For example:

• If you sell a training on one topic, it's going to open the door to dozens of other topics. For instance, I sell a course on ClickFunnels. It's a great course that teaches people everything they need to know about building sales funnels… but, then my student needs traffic (problem!). So, I have a training course on traffic, which opens more doors to more topics, and so on.
• If you sell a flashlight, what problems will it create for people? Batteries, light bulbs, insurance/warranty if it breaks, etc.

No matter what you sell, it's going to create more “problems” for people and you can use these “problems” to help you generate ideas for bonuses and additional offers!

Putting It All Together

After analyzing your Introduction, Framing, and Offer, you want to incorporate your discoveries with ALL of your marketing efforts…

• Your ads will target and speak to people based on where they are in their journey.
• You may bring people to different “widgets” first to help move them through their journey OR you may take people directly to your offer.
• Your widget's sales page and follow up will hit on the logical and emotional reasons people want your widget.
• Your sales page will outline your entire offer and all its bells and whistles.

As you can tell, the information uncovered by going through these three steps will be used throughout your entire marketing effort…

By doing a good job and really evaluating everything, it will surely help you sell your stuff!

NOTICE: I've come to realize most people are just here to checkout the $632 in bonuses they'll receive when they signup for ClickFunnels through my link… so, click here to see what ya get!

What Is ClickFunnels?

If you ask 10 different people what a “sales funnel” is, you'll get 10 different answers.

For our purposes, a sales funnel is a series of web pages, engagements (emails, text messages, ringless voicemails, etc.), and advertisements that convince an individual to buy something from your business.

There are many sales funnel models and the one you choose will depend on what you're trying to sell and who you're trying to sell it to.

For example, if you're trying to sell a $10 flashlight, your sales funnel would probably look like this…

Compared to a $1,997 digital course…

Compared to a $10,000 service…

The point of ClickFunnels is to provide an all-in-one solution to help you build these various sales funnels.

Also, here's the official “what is ClickFunnels” video if you'd like to watch it:

The BIG ClickFunnels Lie

ClickFunnels gets positioned as something “magical” that's just going to make you tons of cash…

This is NOT true.

ClickFunnels isn't going to make you any money.

It's a tool. That's it.

A hammer is also a tool and you probably don't expect it to “magically” start building stuff for you, right?

Don't expect ClickFunnels to be the magic pill.

You still need the business fundamentals. You still need to have a great offer and you need to get that offer in front of the right audience.

Now, ClickFunnels can certainly make doing that much easier; however, it's not going to do it for you.

Clear?

#1 Question: Is ClickFunnels Easy To Use?

“Ease” is relative.

Is it easier than hand coding everything? Yes.

Will you have a fully functional funnel up and running in 10 minutes? No, not even if you're a seasoned pro.

Will you have a fully functional funnel up and running in 1 day? No, not if you're new to the platform.

Will you have a fully functional funnel up and running in 7 days? Maybe.

How about 14 days? Yes, probably! (hence, the 14 day free trial)

There is a steep learning curve with ClickFunnels and it's going to take 7-14 days to become comfortable with it.

You need to ask yourself… Am I willing to spend 7-14 days to master a tool that can potentially provide a massive upside to my business?

Of course, once you master the tool, you'll be able to build full funnels within a day and the world will be your oyster; however, the first 2 weeks will be rough.

Pros and Cons of ClickFunnels

In no particular order, here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of ClickFunnels…

Pros

• It does A LOT. You can build pages, funnels (1-click upsell/downsell), membership sites, automations, affiliate portals, and more. It's a very powerful tool.
• Intuitive page builder. You can become a “master” of the page builder in about 30 minutes. Once you understand Sections, Rows, Columns, and Elements – you'll be able to design beautiful pages in no time!
• Hundreds of pre-built templates & funnels. Create professional looking pages in minutes!
• No Coding. You don't have to be technically savvy to master ClickFunnels, ie. you don't need a background in code and web development to build amazing sales funnels. All you need to do is spend the 7-14 days learning the system.
• Shared/Import Funnels. You can share funnels with friends and clients. Alternatively, you can import other people's funnels into your account which can save you a tremendous amount of time! (note, if you join CF through my link, you're going to get access to 11 shared funnels!)
• Split Tests. It's very easy to split test your pages. Basically, click a button, make your changes, and click save.
• Has a lot of integrations. ClickFunnels makes it easy to integrate with autoresponder tools like ActiveCampaign, Aweber, Constant Contact, Drip, etc. As well as other tools like GoToWebinar, Kajabi, PushCrew, Twilio, ShipStation, Sly Broadcast, and more!
• Has several payment gateways. ClickFunnels integrates with Stripe, PayPal, BlueSnap, ClickBank, JVZoo, NMI, and more! No matter where you're located, there will be a way to integrate ClickFunnels with a payment gateway.
• Zapier Integration. ClickFunnels integrates both-ways with Zapier, ie. you can push info from ClickFunnels to another platform or from another platform directly into ClickFunnels! Therefore, the total number of integrations is 900+!
• Evergreen Webinar Funnels. You're able to host evergeen webinars inside of ClickFunnels which can easily save you $400/year.
• Desktop & Mobile Modes. The page builder allows you to build desktop and mobile versions so you're confident your funnel looks great no matter the device.
• Massive network of users. I believe ClickFunnels has over 60,000 users.  They have a massive Facebook group and 3rd party businesses dedicated to supporting the tool.
• Incredibly passionate founders. Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson are tremendously passionate about marketing and building/programming tools. They're not in it just to make money, they're in it because they love it.

Cons

• It does a lot. Since it does so much, it can be very overwhelming and takes 7-14 days to actually learn how to use it.
• Some basic integrations. Some of their integrations are so basic, they do more harm than good. For instance, the Shopify integration is completely pointless because it doesn't combine all products into one order and it doesn't handle quantities.
• Doesn't easily support variants. If you offer products with several variants, think clothing with different colors and sizes, ClickFunnels does not support this well. You'll have to “hack” things together with a 3rd party tool called CF Pro Tools to make it work.
• Sometimes buggy. Being that it's a massive tool with a lot of moving parts, you can expect some bugs every now and again. It is what it is.
• 3mb limit on file storage. If you have large files you're trying to deliver to your customers, you're going to have to store them elsewhere as ClickFunnels only lets you upload files that are 3mb or less.
• No undo button. There's been at least 10 time when I've unintentionally deleted an entire section of my page. An undo button would prevent a lot of headaches!

Neutral

• Decent support. Support typically replies in about 4-12 hours and they're usually quit helpful. However, I have had instances where there's a bug/glitch and it does not get fixed… ever.
• It's “expensive”. The basic package, which only includes the page/funnel builder and 20 funnels, costs $97/mo. If you want to take advantage of Actionetics (marketing automation), Backpack (affiliate platform), and more funnels, you'll need the $297/mo package. Of course, the word “expensive” is relative. In theory, you should be using ClickFunnels to save you money (they host most everything, so you can ditch other services) and/or to help you make more money (funnels)… so, it should more than pay for itself. It's up to you to ensure ClickFunnels is an asset instead of a liability.

ClickFunnels Tour

Will ClickFunnels Work For My Business?

After everything you've read and seen above, you may still be wondering if ClickFunnels will actually work for your business…

Fortunately, ClickFunnels has put together a bunch of industry specific case studies that show you how different businesses are using ClickFunnels to find massive success…

• Agency/Freelancer
• Info Products
• Ecommerce
• Affiliate Marketing
• Blogger
• Coaching/Consulting
• Network Marketing
• Local Business
• B2B
• Non Profit

If you have a few minutes, I recommend checking them out!

Do I Recommend ClickFunnels?

I believe that ClickFunnels is THE BEST sales funnel building tool on the market today!

If you're wanting to build sales funnels for your business, then I HIGHLY recommend it… assuming you understand it's just a tool and it's going to take 7-14 days to master.

Finally, right now I'm offering $632 in bonuses when you join ClickFunnels via my link! 

Real quick – you're going to get…

• The Ultimate ClickFunnels Training Course + 7 Premium Funnels ($197 value)
• The AliExpress Sales Funnel Course ($97 value)
• The Shopify Sales Funnel Course ($97 value)
• The Get Clients Now Funnel & Training Course ($97 value)
• The 2-Step Lead Gen Funnel Course ($97 value)
• 28 Fill-In-The-Blank Email Templates ($47 value)
• Premium Support – Ask questions on the lessons or in the Private Facebook Group

To claim the bonuses:

1. Register for ClickFunnels by clicking here. (either plan is fine)
2. Forward your welcome email to support@crazyeyemarketing.com and let us know you want all of the bonuses!
3. We'll verify your order in the system and grant you access to everything within 24 hours!

As you may, or may not know… I have courses on both ClickFunnels and Kartra, plus I use both platforms across an array of businesses… so, I'm intimately familiar with both.

Which is why, on a nearly daily basis, I'm asked, “Should I use ClickFunnels or Kartra?”

It's an important question.

It's like asking, “Where should I live?”

You don't want to mess this up because it can impact your livelihood!

This post will give you my perspective on the two tools and which one is better.

Disclaimer

Let me clear the air real quick, while I'm an affiliate for both tools, I am not an employee nor do I have any undisclosed reason to choose one tool over the other.

I believe in using the least amount of tools possible in order to multiply your business with marketing automation.

Basically, I don't personally care what tool you decide to use. It makes zero difference to me and my life….

Which is why, this comparison will be truly unbiased.

I am tool agnostic.

Let's get into it.

ClickFunnels vs. Kartra

Bottom line up front:

• Both tools are very good. Compare either tool to any other way to build a funnel, and these tools make life sooo much easier.
• Both tools have their own quirks. Neither is perfect.
• Both tools have a fairly steep learning curve. Expect to spend a couple weeks mastering the tool before you have a functional funnel.

Differences

I'm not going to include a full breakdown of all the features as you can go to the different products' sales pages and see what they have, but I will try and point out all of the differences.

There's no real organization here because what's important to one person might not be important to another:

• Kartra is all-inclusive from the start. You get funnels, marketing automation, an affiliate platform, etc. with even the most basic plan ($89/mo). With ClickFunnels, you need their more expensive plan if you want all of the features ($297/mo).
• ClickFunnels integrates with other autoresponders. You can integrate with ActiveCampaign, MailChimp, Aweber, Infusionsoft, etc. without using Zapier. With Kartra, you're “stuck” using their automation software or making connections with Zapier.
• ClickFunnels lets you run multiple businesses out of one account. If you have a bunch of different domains and business ideas, ClickFunnels will support you. Kartra, on the other hand, only wants one business per account.
• Kartra's page builder has pre-built sections. Instead of selecting whole page templates (which Kartra also offers), Kartra's page builder comes stacked with dozens, if not hundreds of pre-built sections that you can drag and drop onto  your page. This can help you create beautiful, custom pages in minutes.
• Kartra offers “dynamic” OTOs. You can take people to different pages/offers based off their purchases whereas with ClickFunnels, they will see all of your OTOs no matter what they previously purchased.
• Kartra offers Behavioral Marketing. You can show different elements to different people based on previous actions, ie. purchases. ClickFunnels doesn't offer anything like this.
• Kartra hosts your videos and files. You get a certain amount of bandwidth with each plan, and if you go over that amount, you will pay for it. It looks to be about $0.19 per gig compared to Amazon S3, which starts at $0.09 per gig. So, it is kind of expensive, but nice to have everything in one place. With ClickFunnels, you'll need to host your videos and files elsewhere.
• ClickFunnels offers evergreen webinar functionality. While it's not “the best” evergreen webinar technology, it's often “good enough” especially if you already have ClickFunnels and you want to run an evergreen webinar. Kartra does not have evergreen webinar functionality.
• ClickFunnels has been around longer. They've been around since 2014 and have developed an extensive support network. There's a massive Facebook group and even entire companies that support ClickFunnels. Kartra is very new and lacks a lot of this 3rd party support.
• Kartra has a help desk feature. No need to integrate with Zendesk or anything like that, Kartra has you covered. ClickFunnels doesn't offer anything like this.
• Kartra's timers are better. If you like running evergreen promotions, Kartra's timer system is much better since it's connected to people's account and can be tracked more closely. ClickFunnels' timers are only tracked with cookies.

While it's not necessarily an all-inclusive list, those are some of the big differences between the two platforms.

Which Tool Is Right For Me?

The million dollar question, “Which tool is right for me?”

Again, both tools are very good. I'm a fan of both and have successful funnels running on both platforms, so there's no definitive answer here… instead, it depends on what YOU need/want to do.

There are only a few instances I would recommend one tool over the other:

• Ecommerce: ClickFunnels
  • It offers more flexibility around your products and variations, especially when using CF Pro Tools.
  • It natively integrates with ShipStation.
  • There are 3rd party integrations like AppTrends and Orderlytics which integrate with Shopify and even AliExpress.
• Lead Gen: ClickFunnels
  • You can have multiple domains in your account which you need when you're generating leads for different businesses.
  • It integrates with 3rd party autoresponder tools more easily than Kartra.
• Evergreen Webinars: ClickFunnels
  • While it's not the best evergreen webinar platform available, it's often good enough and Kartra doesn't have this function.

If the above scenarios aren't relevant, it may come down to budget. Kartra's all-inclusive starter plan is only $89/mo, which is cheaper than ClickFunnels' starter plan which doesn't include marketing automation or an affiliate platform. If your budget is tight Kartra may be the better option for you.

Finally, beyond the reasons above, it really comes down to personal preference. Both tools offer trials. ClickFunnels' trial is free and Kartra's is only $1. Try both and see which feels better to you!

What Is Your Situation?

I know I did not cover every single situation or all the differences between the two platforms. If you have any specific questions for your particular needs, please post them in the comments below!

As advertising on Facebook gets more expensive due to increased competition…

We simply can't send cold traffic directly to offers anymore…

We need to adapt and become more proficient in acquiring new leads and customers…

We need to take advantage of the tools Facebook gives us to get ahead of our competition and lower our costs!

Introducing…

The “Triple Threat” Facebook Ad Campaign Strategy

This Facebook Ad Campaign Strategy consists of 3 core campaigns:

• Acquisition
• Direct
• Retargeting

Acquisition Campaign

The main goal of the Acquisition Campaign is to convert cold traffic into warm traffic. (ie. grow your Custom Audiences [retargeting audiences])

This is accomplished by producing great pieces of content that connects with your prospects and helps them establish rapport with your business.

You want the prospect to know, like, and trust you at this stage.

Here are a couple Acquisition Ad examples…

This first one is a video. Videos work great as acquisition ads because you can build Custom Audiences (used for retargeting later) based upon how much of a video an individual watches. For example, 3 seconds, 10 seconds, 25%, 50%, etc.

It's typically a lot easier to get someone to watch 10 seconds to 25% of a video on Facebook than it is to get them to click away from Facebook to visit your site. Thus, you're able to grow your Custom Audiences for pennies on the dollar!

The second ad is an image ad that links to a high quality blog post…

Those are examples of Acquisition Ads.

As you can see, they're pure content and goodwill. Nothing for sale (at least not directly) in either of them!

Direct Campaign

There are two goals for the Direct Campaigns:

1. Convert cold traffic directly into a lead or customer. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't… but, it's usually worth giving it a shot.
2. Convert cold traffic into warm traffic. Introduce your business and what you have to offer.

Here are a couple Direct Ad examples…

This first one is a “direct to offer” ad where I'm trying to convince cold traffic to claim a “free” dog training clicker.

The tactic behind this ad is to make the offer soooo good, it's impossible to refuse. Basically, I'm looking for impulse buys…

The second Direct Ad brings people to an opt-in page where they can request my Lead Magnet: 100 Dog Training Tips.

The purpose is to convert cold traffic into leads that I can follow up later with email and retargeting.

Those are a couple Direct Ad examples.

As you can see, they bring people directly from Facebook to an offer… whether it's for a product or a just a lead magnet.

Retargeting Campaign

The main goal of the Retargeting Campaign is to take your warm traffic and convert them into leads, customers, and repeat buyers.

By this time, you will have warm audiences either from people engaging with your Acquisition or Direct Ads…

They know about your business and what you offer…

It's now time to promote offers to convert individuals into leads, customers, and repeat buyers!

Here's an example Retargeting Ad…

Since Retargeting Ads are used on warm audiences, you can make “bigger” offers. Basically, you don't have to try and sell some cheap product in order to attract impulse buyers.

Often, you'll lose money on the Direct Ads, but make up for it 10 fold during the retargeting phase!

How To Execute The Triple Threat Strategy

We've uncovered the Triple Threat Strategy and the 3 core campaigns…

But, how do you actually execute it?

How do you know when an ad is working? How do you know when it's not?

Don't worry, I have a flowchart to answer all of these questions and more!

Yup, she's a doozy!

Now, I'm not going to explain this whole thing right now since it would take hours…

And, in fact… I break it down with step-by-step video instruction in my new course…

How To Increase Leads & Sales On Facebook With The Triple Threat Strategy

You've heard of affiliate marketing…

Maybe you've dabbled with it…

But, success has likely alluded you…

Which is why you're researching other ways to “do” affiliate marketing…

This post outlines how I do it successfully.

By the way, I have a 100% FREE Affiliate Marketing Course you can join by Clicking Here!

The Affiliate Marketing Funnel

This is it, the successful affiliate marketing strategy I follow…

Traffic

It doesn't really matter where your traffic comes from… assuming you're advertising where your audience actually hangs out.

For simplicity's sake, most people can find a portion of their audience on Facebook, so that's a good place to start.

Hook vs Offer

There are two elements to consider when creating your ads…

1. Hook: Main benefit, simplified
2. Offer: What you're actually offering (article, lead magnet, product, etc.)

Some examples:

• 4 Hour Work Week; Book
• 1,000 Songs In Your Pocket; iPod
• Big Profits From Small Stocks; Penny Stock Newsletter
• Eat More, Weigh Less; Training Program
• #MAGA; President

Ad Setup

• Text Copy: Short, uncover the hook and lead into the offer with a Call To Action (CTA)
• Image/Video: Typically reflects the Hook
• Headline Copy: Typically reflects the Offer
• Description Copy: Either hits on Hook again, or gives details about the Offer

Want more info on ads?

Click Here to join the FULL Affiliate Marketing Course for FREE!

Squeeze Page & Lead Magnet

I'm sure you already know what a Squeeze Page and Lead Magnet is, so I'm not going to waste time defining them…

Instead, we'll get straight into it.

Here are a few Lead Magnet ideas…

• Make a short PDF: Checklist, Cheat Sheet, Mind Map, Resource List, etc.

Here's how you can make a Lead Magnet in 20 minutes!

• Run a Contest/Drawing: Give away a product YOUR audience will like. It needs to be a specific product that ONLY YOUR audience will like. Don't give away an iPad or an Amazon gift card since everyone wants that and you'll attract people that don't actually care about the products/services you're going to offer them.
  • Side note: I've never had much success on turning Contest/Drawing subscribers into profitable customers. That doesn't mean you can't, just know that while they're “cheap” leads… you tend to get what you pay for.

Want more Squeeze Page & Lead Magnet ideas?

Click Here to join the FULL Affiliate Marketing Course for FREE!

Thank You Page

Most people aren't going to consume your Lead Magnet, even if it is only one page.

This kind of sucks because you want them to consume it as it establishes you and your business in their mind… so, when they see your emails and ads later on, they'll remember who you are.

So, on the Thank You page, you will want to include a video that introduces yourself,  your business, and walks the individual through the Lead Magnet they requested.

It can be a short, 3 minute video all the way to 90+ minutes. Just do what makes sense.

Finally, on this Thank You page, you will want to tell them what to do next…

• Go to this affiliate product
• Checkout this blog post
• Access more training
• etc.

Want more details on creating a successful Thank You Page?

Click Here to join the FULL Affiliate Marketing Course for FREE!

Series #

The Series represents both…

1. Emails
2. Retargeting Ads

You're going to “attack” people from multiple angles!

I recommend following the “Weekly Pushes Framework” for these series. Basically, you spend one week promoting one product, then move onto another affiliate product the next week.

• Step 1: Pick the affiliate product you want to promote for the week
• Step 2: Follow the pattern 3 and 2 for message delivery (ie. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday)
  • Bridge/Email 1: Fun/personal/customer story/testimonial/experience
  • Bridge/Email 2: Promotion of Product
  • Bridges/Emails 3-4: Content on topic of Product
  • Bridge/Email 5: Content or Promotion

Want to learn more about the “Weekly Pushes Framework” and how to incorporate Retargeting Ads?

Click Here to join the FULL Affiliate Marketing Course for FREE!

Bridges

This is how you connect YOUR audience to the affiliate offers you're promoting.

These bridges include the emails and ads you create…

But, they can be more complex than that…

They can also include standalone pages, videos, and even webinars if you REALLY want to promote the heck out of an affiliate offer!

Here's some common bridge type content:

• Reviews
• Training
• Behind the scenes/unboxing
• Stories
• Content
• Incentives

Want more Bridge ideas and to see a few examples?

Click Here to join the FULL Affiliate Marketing Course for FREE!

Affiliate Products

Finding affiliate products to promote is very easy since there are literally millions of products you can sell as an affiliate.

Two ways to find products to sell are:

1) Sell What You Already Use

• Take products you already use and believe your audience will also like.
• Head over to Google and search for that product while including the word “affiliate” in your search.
• See if they have an affiliate program.
• Register for it and begin promoting the product!

2) Browse Affiliate Network Directories

There are a bunch of affiliate networks to choose from. Here are a few of the bigger, more popular ones:

• ClickBank
• JVZoo
• CJ
• ShareASale
• Amazon Associates

Simply head over to one of those directories and browse around until you find something you believe your audience will like.

Side note: I recommend actually buying what you're promoting so you can ensure its quality is up to par… you never want to disappoint your audience!

Join The FREE Affiliate Marketing Funnel Training!

That's the strategy behind the Affiliate Marketing Funnel!

Now, if you want more details and want to learn how to actually build it…

Click Here to join the FULL Affiliate Marketing Course for FREE!