Question

Topic: Strategy

Sales Funnel - Dating Profile Writing Service

Posted by nilskauwertz on 9/12/2013 at 2:43 PM ET 635 Points
I have a website called DatingBullet.com. It started out as a dating advice magazine style site, but I now want to monetize it. So I have launching an Online Dating Profile Writing Service on the site, and just completely redesigned it.

My goal is to make my first sale! Therefore my question:

How do I design a good basis sales funnel for my offer? (or improve my current one) & What traffic do I best send there.
————————-
BACKGROUND:

CURRENT TRAFFIC:
Currently I have about 200 visitors a day (not a lot) through SEO and 80% of them land on this article: https://datingbullet.com/online-dating/tips/online-dating-profile-tips-for-...
Bounce Rate for the site is 85% average time on the site 1 minute.

CURRENT SALES FUNNEL:
I am currently trying to build a list and market via email. There are 2 main offers I have:

1.) A free ebook (SQUEEZE PAGE: https://free.datingbullet.com/ - I once send direct traffic there via banner ads on the free online dating site pof.com, and it converted at 6.5%) The ebook has 93 pages and I really put a lot of effort into it’s content. Maybe it’s even a bit too much for a give-away. It contains ads for the profile writing service & I market with email afterwards - so far no sales.

2a) Free online dating message coaching for one message (Pop-Up, Sidebar Signup Form, Below Post Signup Form) They all do NOT convert.
b) Before that I was offering my ebook in these signup forms and was converting at about 0.3%

After somebody signsup, I drop them onto a landing page (still resembles my old page design): https://pro.datingbullet.com

Alternatively I have just designed a new landing page: https://datingbullet.com

Also, I have an autoresponder setup in Aweber.
——————————————
Here are 2 competitors:
https://www.virtualdatingassistants.com/profile-writing-help-service/
<<< Get’s a lot of press
https://www.datingprofilewriters.com/

Compared Weaknesses of my offer:
a.) I do not have great credibility as an expert from sources like magazines or TV shows
b.) I am not based in the US. Competitors offer a phone consultation with their offer – I am looking for a partner in the US to maybe be able to do that, too.

I know I have little traffic at the moment to judge conversion. I am willing to send traffic to maybe a squeeze page with banner ads ect.

But honestly, I am a bit hesitant with the current setup. I don’t want to just be wasting my money.

Thanks for your help!

To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Moriarty on 9/12/2013 at 3:14 PM Accepted
    I'll take a good look later - it's dinner time here in NL. Apols if this is abrupt.

    A sales funnel is a matter of DISQUALIFYING the traffic. You need leads, not traffic. So far you have traffic, not leads. BTW I would say a sign-up of 6.5% was very good. You'll have a nice stack of emails by now ... that's nice work!

    Your funnel should pose five questions:

    1) Do they have the money?
    2) Do they have an urgent problem?
    3) Do they like what you do (or can do for them)?
    4) Do they have the ability to say YES?
    5) Does what you sell fit in with their plans.

    Work out who the people are that get past all five gates and scale everything back. That is, work out who they are, what they like. If you're in the US, Facebook has rolled out their new algorithm - grrr! I'm in Europe ... and targeting them through Facebook will be amazing. In fact you can tip in your email list to see what comes out the other end ... sure it costs, just make sure your returns outdo the cost.

    You can also try Perry Marshall's https://isfb4me.com to see how well you score. You get a free chapter from his book too.

    Now I'm hungry, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be back later.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/12/2013 at 3:16 PM Accepted
    Are you getting any signups for the ebook? If not, your copy's not convincing enough to get someone's contact info.

    Can you work with a few new clients (for free or deeply discounted) to build your credibility (they'll write you testimonials, and provide the data to show that what you're selling works)? I see you have some testimonials on your site, but they're not clearly highlighted on your landing pages.

    Can you offer a contest for "dating client most needing help"? Have people submit a paragraph explaining why you should pick them. Narrow down the choices, and perhaps let the public choose the "winner".

    If you're not in the US, and you presume your clientele is, then you have an additional credibility issue: how can you prove that you have the pulse on what women in the US are looking for?
  • Posted by nilskauwertz on 9/13/2013 at 2:03 AM Author
    Hi Moriarty,

    Thanks so much for your answer. I totally understand what you are saying about disqualifying the traffic in order to get leads. Also, I get the difference between leads and just traffic, what I am getting now.

    The question then for me is: how do I get leads, and not traffic in my funnel? I have tried before by sending people directly to my "massive value" ebook signup page. This page converted at about 6.5% with very targeted traffic through banner ads on an online dating site (I sell an online dating profile writing service). But then again, I paid $0.40 for every banner click, so $40 per 100 clicks >>>
    $40 / 6.5 Leads per 100 clicks = $6.15 per lead. I only did that for 60 leads, but was not able to convert any of these 60. It already cost me $360 for that experiment.

    Was I on the right track? Were my landing pages, email marketing ect. not good enough?

    Thanks again so much!

  • Posted by nilskauwertz on 9/13/2013 at 2:10 AM Author
    Hi Jay,

    Also to you, thanks so much for helping me out here - I desperately need it!

    When I send banner traffic directly, I get about 6.5%. Just through the signup forms on my website (Pop-Up, Sidebar ect.) I get about 0.3%.

    The idea to have a contest is excellent. Also case studies might help.

    I totally see that credibility issue. I have lived in the US before, but I am not American. So it might be an idea to look for a partner in the States.

    Besides that, maybe some strong social signals on the page could give it more credibility & maybe also work on some PR.
  • Posted by Moriarty on 9/13/2013 at 7:18 AM Accepted
    Hi again.

    Let's start with a quick review of your sites. The first link didn't work for me - sorry. Your free ebook doesn't really tell us anything that wasn't already posted somewhere else ... and on your third link (pro) you ask them in rather modest terms to stand out.

    What you need is to be able to demonstrate what you offer. How are YOU not mr. Average, how do you land your girls? I say this because as a fifty something female, curling at the edges, second hand and losing colour, I'm still a man magnet. I know this because I just get on with them ... and then things happen. Or as in the last case get so far and then don't. That's another story and I'm still cross with him.

    I don't even pretend to be likable - the moderator knows this and has repeatedly warned me of my behavior. Even so I happen to be the most effective 'expert' when it comes to answers being chosen. By any metric you choose. Yet I'm under the spotlight ... because I don't toe the line and I don't wish to be average.

    I wouldn't worry about not being American. I write landing pages in Dutch yet I'm English. When I got help from a Dutchman, I got complaints because they were lifeless. In other words, my character didn't shine through! And to be honest, this is where your landing pages fail: they don't connect. Sure, you'll lose some traffic/funnel fodder(TM) - they won't be leads anyway! The leads will love you for it and believe me, your signups will spike. Speak to them in your own voice, and I mean speak to them, record yourself convincing them and literally transcribe it, mistakes and all.

    That will be your social signal: tell them about the one that got away (I could tell you a few about them - like the extraordinarily dishy guy at Hong Kong airport ... ) - tell 'em about the one you caught but didn't suit you (Bart with the Porsche) - tell them from your real life, set them up as landing pages and see which gets you the most movement. After all, it's what they want, fear, need ... tap into that rather than getting them to cerebralize it all with percentages.

    Sorry if this was a little abrasive! That's just me.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/13/2013 at 8:22 AM Accepted
    It also sounds like you can buy traffic for your signups, but can't convert from free->paid. That would indicate that either your eBook is enough for their needs, or your eBook doesn't give them a strong enough reason to contact you (proof). Since you don't know, follow up with these people. Instead of autoresponders, send personalized emails to people to better understand what they're looking for, their perception of you, and what it would take for them to become clients. Then test, measure, and repeat.

    After you've upped the eBook->sales conversions, and you know your true (to paid) conversion rate, you can better calculate the maximum price to pay for traffic.
  • Posted by nilskauwertz on 9/13/2013 at 9:49 AM Author
    This is great feedback! Thanks so much!

    @Moriarty: "Your free ebook doesn't really tell us anything that wasn't already posted somewhere else"
    <<< With that, do you mean the content of the ebook, or the squeeze page? This is an important point to me, could you be a bit more specific on that? Again, thank you so much!

    It is great advice to bring more personality into it. You are spot on, I have to admit, so far I have rather been trying to hide myself, and I guess that shows. That is why these materials, they do not connect.

    @Jay: "Instead of autoresponders, send personalized emails"
    Excellent point, again about being personal!

    This will help a lot, I realise now that I have to show my personality & alienate some in order to gain others!
  • Posted by Moriarty on 9/13/2013 at 4:58 PM Accepted
    Hi there, in response to the thought on autoresponders - spend some time sending out personal emails in response. See which bring the best quality response and use those as the basis for an autoresponder series. That way you can both learn and apply.

    As to the 'free ebook' I mean the landing page - it was sterile and didn't communicate. However, it's darned hard to communicate with someone you can't see. So get down to those personal emails, set up a chat function on your landing page and get chatting. Discover what they like to hear, what they don't - and most importantly, what 'language' your leads (note: leads, not traffic - make sure you note their progress to becoming a customer!) what 'language' your leads speak, how they like being spoken to. This is knowledge you can apply from the top to the bottom of your sales funnel.

  • Posted by nilskauwertz on 9/14/2013 at 3:39 AM Author
    Hi Moriarty,

    Ok thanks again for the response! My plan is now:

    1.) Gather customer intelligence, learn their needs, problems, language by trying to get close and personal through email, skype, chat ect. (as Jay also suggested.)

    2.) Use this intelligence and create unique marketing materials that actually speak to them & show my personality.

    This was a great experience I have to say & this plan makes perfect sense to me.

    Again so many thanks to you Moriarty, and you Jay!
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Strategy)