The Market Your Message Show
The Market Your Message Show
Ch. 15: How to Set Up Your Automated Prospect Funnel
Chapter 15. Set Up Your Automated Prospect Funnel
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In this episode of the Market Your Message show, Jonathan Milligan, author of the 'Your Message Matters' series, continues with his book 'Launch Your Platform.' He shares valuable insights on setting up an automated prospect funnel to grow your personal brand. Jonathan illustrates the strategy with the story of how Ray Kroc expanded McDonald's. He then dives into practical steps listeners can follow: creating a lead magnet, setting up an automated welcome email, and crafting follow-up sequences. Learn how to turn cold traffic into loyal followers and scale your business effectively.
Introduction
Day 15. Set up your automated prospect funnel
Creating Your First Lead Magnet
Setting Up Your Automated Welcome Email
Creating Your Automated Follow-Up Sequence
Day 15 Exercise
Day 15 Key Takeaways
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Hello and welcome to the Market Your Message show. I'm your host, Jonathan Milligan, an author of the Your Message Matters book series. We are currently going through book number two in the series called Launch Your Platform, a 21 day launch plan to build your personal brand and share your story online as a writer, coach or speaker. And as a special thanks to you, my podcast listeners, I'm releasing the audio book. One chapter at a time. If you'd like to grab any of the books in the series, just go to platformgrowthbooks. com. Okay. Let's jump in to today's reading.
Chapter 15. Day 15. Set up your automated prospect funnel. Two brothers ran a humble but efficient burger and milkshake restaurant in the 1950s in San Bernardino, California. Customers loved the convenient walk up windows and hearty affordable meals served in a few minutes. Yet despite its popularity with locals, expanding reach seemed unlikely for this small standalone restaurant. Enter Ray Kroc, a hardworking salesman who saw much bigger potential. He became fascinated by the restaurant's smooth product flow. So he convinced the founders to franchise the concept. He then developed rigorous operating standards, ensuring perfectly consistent customer experiences. Disciplined systems enable automated cooking and purchasing. This allowed regular employees to deliver the quality people expected. The same insight applies to digital sales. You need simple automated systems to create freedom in your personal brand business. The right automated relationship building sequences let ordinary experts scale their businesses. This is like how Kroc turned a local walk up eatery into a global empire known as McDonald's. This strategy shows how to turn strangers into enthusiastic clients. It does this through personalized messaging that That works for you 24 seven master the skill once, then profit from inbound interest for years, hands free use technology to focus on your genius zone while nurturing followers into your perfect customers. Day 15, set up your automated prospect funnel. So you just created your author website or set up an online coaching business. Awesome. But now what? You see your elegant homepage and neat social media profiles. You are eager to get started, but your excitement fades as a little nervousness sets in. How do you actually start attracting your ideal prospects? Most hopeful entrepreneurs drop links to their new online homes through social channels. Click here to download my free book. Go to my site and sign up for a newsletter. Check out my life changing coaching services. This spray and pray approach is understandable. You worked hard on that website and want to get some clicks, but randomly posting links typically leads nowhere. The problem is randomly sharing your links fails to build real relationships. Sure. Aunt Martha and your college roommate, Dan might click over and encourage you, but visitors will come and go without a way to follow up or nurture possible leads. No one knows or trusts this random online expert telling them to opt in or buy something. You remain alone on your island, hoping a plane of prospects flies over and lands somehow. Yet many solopreneurs still avoid using opt in forms, email lists, or anything that seems too We just want people to show up and buy stuff naturally, right? But building real influence means carefully bringing strangers closer. It's an intentional process over time. There are no shortcuts. But what should that process actually look like? The best way to get started is to implement the following three steps. Step 1. Create your first lead magnet. It all starts with capturing attention. The irresistible lead magnet offers a way for visitors to become subscribers. This free PDF checklist, audio training, or other giveaway acts as the cornerstone for building your automated funnel. But what makes for good lead magnet ideas exactly? First, remember the goal is to acquire email addresses from qualified leads. Your perfect reader stumbles upon your homepage or social media. They wonder who you are and if you can actually help them. Then this attractive action step pops out, allowing an easy, Risk free gateway into your world. Simplicity wins. Focus first on furthering the relationship, not getting a sale. Because again, that eventual conversion can only happen after building familiarity and trust over time. This freebie is merely the hook to begin meaningful follow up communication. Now crafting the right irresistible hook requires knowing your fish in this analogy. Attempting mass appeal almost always backfires for solopreneurs. Instead, define one ultra specific reader avatar and create messages solely for this niche. Use the avatar's age, gender, income level, frustrations, and goals to help you come up with a great lead magnet. For example, Ruth is a 42 year old suburban mom earning 60, 000 a year with two kids. After chaotic days, she dreams of getting fit again, but lacks money and energy. Offer a lead magnet, like how busy moms can finally lose 10 pounds in six weeks to capture her opt in. This hyper focused relevance pulls in qualified contacts. They are actually interested in the solutions you provide. Step two, set up your automated welcome email. Someone just opted in to download your lead magnet. The automation has begun, but don't leave new contacts hanging in awkward virtual silence, wondering what happens next. Remember those crucial first few minutes after an introduction, handshakes, eye contact, and quick rapport building. Treat your new digital subscribers the same way. Send them an immediate personalized welcome email. This simple message serves three important relationship growth functions. One, it keeps your word. You promoted some exclusive incentive content in exchange for an email address. Hold up your end of this value for information bargain right away. Send newcomers straight to that awesome resource, keeping implied promises. Two, it makes them feel special. That lead magnet really resonated with their inner hopes. Let your invitee know you recognize and appreciate their wise decision by welcoming them into your community. A little praise and recognition go a long way, especially early on. Three, it primes next steps. What an opportunity knocking. Now, your warmest followers landed directly inside your email list. Seize this engaged momentum and point them where to go next. Maybe it's booking a call, checking a blog or visiting a certain page. Lead gently towards rising action. Step three, create your automated followup sequence. You hooked interest with the lead magnet and set expectations with an automated welcome message. Traffic and opt ins grow. Now what? The fate of your funnel rests completely upon what happens next in this fragile relationship building phase. Many well intentioned solopreneurs push new contacts too hard for a sale. They do this right after the acquisition. But prospects need time and reason to trust your ability actually to help them. According to marketing data compiled by Dean Jackson, 85 percent of subscribers buy something after 90 days of being on your list. That doesn't mean you shouldn't offer anything for sale in the first 90 days. It means you need to have a long term view of your email list. Focus on value in your automated sequences. So what should a core follow up series contain specifically? Here are some of my personal favorite follow up emails. Day one, the how can I help email? Ask how the lead magnet is working for them. So far offer live support via booking a call or providing contact info for questions. Day three, the my number one tip email. Share your absolute best business or life strategy. Then tie its value to signing up for coaching or a program. Day five, the goodbye. Hello. Email recap, how you met initially introduce yourself again by sharing your personal journey. Talk about all the things your subscriber can say goodbye to once they've reached their goal. Also, tie in all the new exciting things they can say hello to once they reach their goal. Then, tie in how your coaching or course can help them close the gap from where they are to where they want to be. Day seven, the big benefit email. Describe the tangible transformation your services make possible. Frame your features as benefits, solving their pain points, extend an offer to help by way of your coaching or courses. Use these proven templates early. Then keep adding unique value for months and years. Well timed personalized outreach will turn cold prospects into satisfied customers. This outreach combined with free evergreen training content does the trick. Bonus, the private invite email. I have a Swiss army knife email that I use quite frequently. This special email aims to attract new coaching clients from your current email list. I call it the private invite email. The email speaks directly to prospects who know and trust you. You let them know that you are opening up X number of spots in your coaching program starting sometime this month. You let them know the specific goal you have in mind for this opportunity. Examples include writing a book, creating an online course, etc. Then, invite them to reply to the email if they are interested, and you'll send along some more information. This tactful private nudge gauges buyer readiness while reaffirming ongoing helpfulness. It can turn previous list members into new coaching clients. This is thanks to personalization combined with opportunity. Send these one on one private invites regularly. Sprinkle them randomly among other broadcasts. With familiarity and scarcity as leverage, this email consistently yields new coaching leads over time. Day 15 exercise, draft your automated follow up sequence. This exercise will help you start creating good follow up messages. They will help you nurture new contacts into loyal followers. Identify your ideal reader avatar. Focus your efforts on helping a very specific type of customer. Jot down the goals, passions, and struggles they face daily. Write your day one, how can I help email? Ask sincere questions about how your lead magnet resource is working for them so far.
Speaker 16:Provide your contact info and availability for live support too. Compose your day three, my number one tip email. Genuinely share your single best business or life lesson. Relate its usefulness to whatever solution, coaching program or product you provide next at their self directed pace.
Draft of day five, goodbye, hello, email.
Speaker 16:Reintroduce yourself in your own transformational journey. Discuss opportunities to leave pain points behind and embrace exciting progress through your services. Follow this blueprint to turn cold traffic into committed brand advocates. Nurture trust by serving needs long term until buyers are ready. Day 15 key takeaways. Create a high value lead magnet to capture idle prospect contacts. Welcome and deliver promises promptly after opt in. Nurture leads consistently with value, no sales pitches. Embrace automated funnels for scalable client growth.