Creating a Dynamic Marketing Funnel with Convert Pro Plugin (even if you are confused by funnels!)

You have all heard the term, “funnel,” right?  There are so many buzzwords and branding out there that surrounds the concept of funnels, including #marketingFunnels, the brand #ClickFunnels, #salesFunnels, #LeadGeneration, and more.  We could almost have a game to see who could come up with the most buzzwords that are related to funnels and all of us would be winners!

Great, we know how to play word games, but what does all of this mean to us and why should we care?

Marketing Funnel – What Is It?

The funnel is not a new concept.  Neither is lead generating or emailed newsletters.  Basically, we are specifically referencing terms and concepts within the internet marketing world and more generally, the marketing world.

The idea of a funnel is just like it sounds.  Or, better yet, it is just like it looks.  We are funneling people where we want them to go.  Also, as a part of that funnel, we don’t want to lose them.  So, for example, maybe we cannot convince our clients to pay $1 million dollars for an afternoon of our coaching service (then, again, maybe we can), but if that client is willing to pay some money, we don’t want to lose them entirely, do we?

A funnel can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, whether it is a case of keeping a lead (potential client) within the funnel or trying to guide them to a specific objective. You can visit BestLandingPages.Software for more details.

Why Should I Care About a Marketing Funnel?

The reason that you should care about a marketing funnel is that likely you want to make money.  If you don’t want to make some bucks online, you are likely doing something other than reading this article.  See, even if you have a day job, a couple of extra bucks to go on vacation or buy your favorite game or entertainment device is a fun thing to have.  At the very least, it may be interesting to take note and understand funnels and specifically marketing funnels.

So, in an effort to keep this simple, let’s break down our audience into two general groups.  Again, the key phrase here is “simplified.”  This is not an exhaustive list, but just a point of illustrating our interest level, to demonstrate that funnels are likely of interest, on some level, to the far majority of people online. One group are those of you who already know about funnels, at whatever level that is (newbie to pro). The other group is comprised of those of you who do not know about funnels or do not have a need for them. Really, it doesn’t matter which group you belong to because if it is something that interests you, you will likely continue to read about funnels and how they can help you.

How Do I Get There From Here?

So, for starters, you would want to ask yourself if you want a funnel. Pretty much, if you are into marketing, or doing any sort of business online, you likely want to answer “yes” to that question. In other words, if you are attempting to make some sort of income from online endeavors, even if it is only to complement the current offline job that you have, you pretty much need some sort of marketing efforts. And, funneling your leads into a position to become customers, is a basic component of online marketing (a.k.a. internet marketing).

Check out this article to learn more about funnels and how they relate to online marketing: How Marketing Funnels Work from the Kissmetrics.com blog.

Introducing Convert Pro Lead Generating WordPress Plugin

Now, if/when you implement a marketing funnel (a.k.a. funnel), you will want some sort of method of converting the site visitors into customers. That method or process can vary. Possibly, you have hired an agency to do it for you. Maybe you have signed up for a program that does most of the strategizing for you and you fill in the blanks. Or, maybe you are a do-it-yourself (DIY) type person and pulling all of the components together yourself and planning your own funnel. You are the type of person who likes to spend your money wisely and manage all aspects of your conversion process. If you are a DIY person, you will definitely want to look at what type of software or application will assist you on your site. If you are using WordPress, that may be a WordPress plugin. So, let’s start there and specifically look at a plugin that I just recently found, called Convert Pro. This plugin will take care of the aspect of converting those site visitors into members of one or more of your email lists (part of your funnel).

Don’t worry if the concept of marketing funnels are confusing at first. Give it time and it will make more sense.

WordPress Installation with Uploaded Convert Pro Plugin

WP Installation Step 1:  After downloading the Convert Pro plugin, visit the plugins section of your WordPress Installation to “add plugin” and use the “Upload Plugin” option.

WP Installation Step 2:  Initiate the process of finding where it is that you downloaded the Convert Pro plugin file (likely your “Downloads” folder) and select it. Or, re-download the file if you need to do so (but remember to clean up after yourself, for the sake of space on your computer). You know how to do all this stuff already, eh?

WP Installation Step 3:  Select the Convert Pro plugin zip file. It should be called convertpro.zip (or something similar) as shown in the below image.

WP Installation Step 4:  Click “Activate Plugin” when given the opportunity. This is different from an activation that we will mention in the below Step 6. I know…It sounds confusing, but it will make sense in a moment.

WP Installation Step 5:  Verify Installation by scrolling down your WordPress plugin list to verify that the Convert Pro plugin was installed and activated. Note: You will see the text that is shown in “Step Six” at the top of your WordPress plugins page and we will get to that in a moment. For now, you are verifying that the plugin was properly installed and activated as far as WordPress is concerned.

WP Installation Step 6:  Scroll back to the top of your WordPress plugins page and click on “activate” in the message at the top of your plugins screen (see below image). If you haven’t refreshed that page or done anything else, you may see “plugin activated” (as shown in the image, below) right below the message you are looking for, that says “Please activate your copy…” This is explained in more detail in Step Seven. You are not required to know the reasoning, but it is explained in more detail for those of you who are curious or confused but the multiple uses of the word, “activate.”

WP Installation Step 7:  Enter the License Key and click the “Activate License” button to truly activate the “Pro” version. In many plugins, this is a two-step process of activating the plugin (a WordPress step) and then entering the license key (a plugin-specific step). In this case, the word, “activate” is used multiple times, so it can sound confusing. However, it is the same as many other pro plugins. The first “activate” is the WordPress activation of the plugin, allowing us to access it in our WordPress admin dashboard and the second “activate” is a message from the plugin developers, allowing us to go to the spot in the plugin dashboard, to enter the license key for the pro version. Make sense?

BTW – It is possible that the “activate” link (for the license) will take you directly to the license textbox in the plugin settings. It is also possible that it will just take you to the (top of ) the plugin settings page in your WordPress dashboard. We went through this exact process twice and had the plugin settings page respond differently, likely because of two different browsers and the way the page loaded. So, If you don’t see the license textbox, scroll down a little further to find it.

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Finished! … Sort of Finished …

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Sandbox Method

A sandbox is what we call a mode that we can do testing, as developers or programmers.  The sandbox allows us to test things, in the same way that a real sandbox allows us to get our hands dirty and play with the tools that allow us to build those sand sculptures (ok, an ocean helps with that…).  Do it in a sandbox means that it is not connected to what is called a production server and not affecting anything that could be detrimental to our business.  It allows us the perfect opportunity to test, in this case, what the Convert Pro plugin does.

Sandbox Step 1:  Visit their site at http://www.convertplug.com/pro  Click on “Take a Test Drive.”

Sandbox Step 2:  Click the button to let the nice cartoon guy create a test site for you.

Sandbox Step 3:  You have a WordPress site that looks like a real WordPress site! That is because technically it is a real WordPress site but it simply isn’t your blog. Instead, it is the “sandbox” where you can see what this plugin does. Don’t you wish all plugins had this option? That is what sets Convert Pro (and BrainStormForce) apart from others.

Sandbox Step 4:  Proceed with Your Test Drive. Remember, don’t let all of the WordPress stuff confuse you. You are not here to set up another WordPress site (though you may use some features for your testing in the same way that you would use sandbox tools/toys with a real sandbox). Instead, you are here to test Convert Pro, so go ahead and click on “Convert Pro” at the left-hand side of your screen and let’s start testing.

What Makes Convert Pro So Special?

Yes, it is true that there are many WordPress plugins that perform this step in your marketing funnel. And, I have tried quite a few of them.

What makes Convert Pro so special? One thing that I like is that you can use as much or as little of the plugin as you want? I know. That sounds odd. What I mean is that there is nothing that says that you have to x,y,z in the process. But, if you are someone who wants to have ultimate control, you can manage different aspects of the plugin. In other words, you can get a bit more detailed if you like.

Also, this plugin seems to have a good support system. That is very important, especially if/when you need help.

But, the most special aspect? Maybe this sounds odd, but I really like that there is a sandbox version of this plugin! Yes, I have seen trial versions of some plugins, but then many times it is one of those cases where you have to give your credit card and then you forget and you end up paying for something you forgot to fully implement because you were thinking it was a trial.

Not the case with Convert Pro! In this case, you actually get to sign up for that sandbox method and feel like you are in the driver’s seat! You get to try the plugin enough to determine whether you want to move forward or not.

Now What?

What is the next step? I would say that if you haven’t tried it yet, scroll up in this article and follow the steps to go try out Convert Pro for yourself. Then, you can make that decision of whether or not this plugin will help you move future customers and clients through your online marketing funnel system, resulting in cash in your bank account. What do you think?