Have you ever wondered what makes a potential customer finally decide to buy a product from your website? It's not just about attracting them; it's about guiding them through a well-planned marketing funnel.
This process is especially important when selling education programs through our tool, EdCommerce.
🗂️ In this article...
🔹 Top of the funnel (TOF) - Awareness
🔹 Middle of the funnel (MOF) - Consideration
🔹 Bottom of the funnel (BOF) - Conversion
The marketing or e-commerce funnel is a series of carefully planned stages that guide potential students through different phases, making them more likely to buy, and to buy from you rather than your competitors.
Every funnel begins with a large group of potential students who might be interested in your education programs, but aren't fully engaged yet.
As they move down the funnel, this group gets smaller until you're left with a group of hot leads who are ready to become customers.
Your job as an education agency or educator is to not only attract new leads to your funnel, but also to guide them from the top to the bottom.
Ultimately, your goal is to convert potential customers into real ones.
This can be achieved by using different tools and strategies at each stage to keep them interested and moving forward 🔽
At this first stage, your goal is to let people know that you exist, and be clear about your offerings to catch their interest.
To create awareness, you can use strategies like viral social media content, eye-catching ads, search engine marketing, influencer partnerships, or anything else that'll help attract more traffic to your website.
💡Go back to this article where we explore all these 'Top of the Funnel' tactics in detail.
EdCommerce is a transactional tool and it is not designed to provide assistance at this initial phase, but it becomes vital for retaining all the leads generated through these early efforts.
At this point, potential students know you and are starting to think about studying abroad. It's time to engage them, and convince them that you are the right choice!
You should create educational content that answers the questions they're likely asking themselves, such as "Is this the right destination for me?", “Is this the right agency / school”? or "What kind of program should I study?"
By simplifying information and making it easy for students to find what they need, you can encourage them to explore more of your offerings and get in touch with you.
Pro Tip! Add related products from your EdCommerce to your content.
For example, if you create a blog post about “Why studying in Canada is a great idea” you can add links to your top 3 programs in Canada (from your EdCommerce) at the end.
This strategy of adding related content can help guide students through the funnel.
Another ‘must have’ for this stage is having all your programs (with detailed information) on your website, you can easily do this by simply adding an EdCommerce site.
Remember students don't want to spend hours and hours browsing your website, adding this kind of information will make it easy for them to find what they are looking for.
Ask for reviews from satisfied customers, gather testimonials, create success stories, and be transparent about your team and your company.
By showcasing positive experiences and feedback from existing customers, you can establish trust and credibility, which will nurture your leads and move them closer to conversion.
Pro Tip! Video is the best format for this kind of content.
Customers in this stage are very close to making a purchase. However, they may still have some doubts or objections, they just need that extra push that will make them buy. EdCommerce is your best ally at this stage.
With EdCommerce, you can suggest programs tailored to your students' interests.
These suggestions come from what your students look at online, or what you learn from talking to them.
Let's say a student has been looking at studying in Australia. They've checked out your Australia-related programs five times this last week. It's probably a good idea to send them an email linking some of your top programs in Australia, using what you have on EdCommerce.
Maybe something like "5 Top-Choice Programs for Students in Sydney". This can make them feel like you really understand what they want. Plus, it might even get them to sign up for the program.
Offering time-limited discounts can be a powerful tool to prompt quick decisions from students. With EdCommerce, you can set up a site featuring all the programs with current promotions.
By sharing these deals with your students, you create a sense of urgency that can motivate them to make a purchase.
Suggesting related or complementary products to students during the checkout process can increase the average order value.
For example, with EdCommerce you can include your accommodation and add different insurance options like health, travel, cancellation…
In conclusion, understanding the e-commerce funnel is crucial for planning your marketing strategy and reaching potential customers effectively.
By recognizing the different stages of the funnel and the needs of your customers at each stage, you can create targeted campaigns and content to guide them towards purchasing your education programs through EdCommerce, and get the most out of this powerful tool!