Your Strategy

The Sales Funnel

The sales funnel is a visual way to understand the journey your customers take, from first discovering your business to eventually making a purchase. Imagine it like a funnel shape: at the top, many people might learn about your business, but fewer move down to become actual buyers.

Optimizing your entire sales funnel, you're able to increase the number of people who move smoothly from interested browsers to loyal, paying customers.

It helps ensure every part of your business—from your website to your follow-up emails—is designed to guide people toward buying. The clearer this pathway, the easier it is to boost your sales and grow your business.

The marketing plan below includes dozens of marketing ideas and tactics to optimize your entire sales funnel.

Your Target Personas

A target persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer, created by researching and understanding the behaviors, needs, and preferences of people most likely to buy your products or services.

Think of it as drawing a detailed portrait of your best customer, including details like their age, interests, job, daily habits, and the challenges they face.

By visualizing this customer, you're better able to understand what motivates them, how to communicate effectively, and how to reach them through your marketing efforts.

Rather than trying to appeal to everyone—which can lead to wasted resources and ineffective marketing—you can specifically tailor your messages to resonate deeply with the people most likely to become loyal customers.

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Your Target Persona #1: Weddings Wendy

Age: 28 | Education: Bachelor's in Hospitality Management | Occupation: Wedding Planner at a boutique agency

"I struggle to find reliable photographers who understand my vision and can work within the tight schedules of my weddings."

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Visible Goals

These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.

Create unforgettable wedding experiences for clients

Stay within budget while hiring vendors

Find photographers who can capture every detail

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True Goals

These are the real things they want to achieve.

"I want to impress my clients and earn their trust for referrals"

"Success means I can grow my own wedding planning business"

"I need to balance work and personal life for better well-being"

🙅‍♂️

Purchasing Objections

These are your target persona's doubts about your product.

"I'm concerned about the quality of service after reading mixed reviews online"

"The fixed pricing feels steep, especially if I'm unsure of the outcome"

"What if the photographer doesn’t deliver good images on time?"

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Answer to Objections

These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.

Our portfolio showcases consistent high-quality work and positive client testimonials

Packages are customizable so we can tailor the services to fit different needs and budgets

We guarantee timely delivery and offer a satisfaction-friendly policy for peace of mind

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Transformation

In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.

"Now I feel confident knowing that I can rely on a dedicated photography team. With stunning images, my clients are overjoyed, leading to more referrals and an expanding business. I also have more time to focus on my personal health and family."

How to use this information: You should think about your target persona every time you're working on any marketing campaign. Your landing pages, blog posts, social posts, ads, videos, email copy, new products, should all be targeted at your target persona.

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Your Target Persona #2: Portrait Patty

Age: 35 | Education: Master's in Organizational Psychology | Occupation: HR Manager at a tech company

"It's tough to find a photographer who understands my vision for candid family moments and can accommodate our hectic schedules."

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Visible Goals

These are the goals your target persona would tell you about.

Update family portraits for the holiday season

Find a photographer who captures natural moments

Coordinate schedules to get everyone on board

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True Goals

These are the real things they want to achieve.

"I want to create lasting memories that reflect our family's growth"

"Having these photos will enhance my family's home atmosphere"

"I seek a stress-free experience that aligns with our busy lives"

🙅‍♂️

Purchasing Objections

These are your target persona's doubts about your product.

"I'm worried about how the final photos will turn out"

"Photography services seem pricey for a one-time session"

"What if the photographer isn't great with kids?"

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Answer to Objections

These are your product's answers to your target persona's doubts.

We offer a satisfaction guarantee, ensuring you're happy with the outcome

Our pricing reflects the quality and customization we provide, making it worth the investment

Our experienced photographers are skilled in engaging children for authentic moments

✨

Transformation

In your target persona's own words, here's how your product has improved their life.

"After choosing this photography service, my family portraits turned out beautifully. We now have images that truly depict our bond, and the joy it brought us reminded me of the importance of capturing our lives together despite our busy schedules."

Top of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Top of the Funnel: Awareness

At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona isn't aware of your product and isn't even necessarily looking for a product. They just know they have a problem. Your objective at the top of the funnel is for them to be aware of your business by providing value (without trying to get them to buy right away.)

New visitors to website

Total views on social media posts

New email subscribers

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Content Marketing

Content marketing is all about creating the assets you'll promote and optimize on through the different marketing channels (SEO, social media, email marketing, and ads.) At the top of the funnel, you're creating your mass-market content, aimed to attract as many people as possible.

Content ideas:

Blog post: 'Top 10 Wedding Photography Trends for 2024'

Video series: 'Behind the Scenes of Our Photoshoots'

Infographic: 'The Ultimate Wedding Photography Checklist'

Podcast episode: 'The Importance of Candid Moments in Family Photos'

Live Q&A: 'How to Choose the Right Photographer for Your Big Day'

Seasonal Email Campaign: 'Capturing Holiday Memories: Why You Need a Family Shoot'

What to measure:

Page views on blog posts

Engagement rates on videos

Shares of infographics

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SEO

With SEO, you can get your content to rank on the top of search engines for the keywords that your marketing persona is typing into Google. At the top of the funnel, the keywords you'll target will likely have a higher search volume and will be harder to rank for.

Keyword ideas:

wedding photography trends 2024

how to choose a wedding photographer

benefits of candid family photography

photography checklist for weddings

family photography tips

behind the scenes wedding shoots

affordable wedding photographers

what to expect from a family photo session

booking a photographer for your wedding

best family portrait ideas

What to measure:

Organic traffic

Keyword rankings

Backlinks generated

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Paid Advertising

When it comes to ads, targeting is probably the most important predictor of a winning campaign (closely followed by ad creatives.) At the top of the funnel, you'll be looking for brand new audiences who have never heard about your company — these are called "Prospecting" campaigns.

Target audience ideas:

[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Women aged 25-35 interested in wedding planning and photography.

[Prospecting] Instagram Ads: Engaged followers of wedding-related accounts and influencers.

[Remarketing] Google Ads: Previous visitors to the wedding photography page on the website.

[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Target those searching for wedding planning tutorials and photography tips.

[Remarketing] Facebook/Meta Ads: Visitors who watched videos about family photography.

What to measure:

CPC (Cost per Click)

Ad reach

Impressions

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Social Media

The hardest part about doing social media as a brand/business, is that you should look to not behave like just another business on social media. Your social media content should be native to each channel in tone, format, and style. Because of its mass usage, social media is perfect for top of the funnel content.

Social media campaign ideas:

Instagram Story series featuring client testimonials and behind-the-scenes content.

Facebook Live session discussing the importance of great wedding photos.

Prepare a monthly hashtag campaign encouraging users to share their favorite family moments.

Create polls on social media asking followers what they look for in a photographer.

Monitor social media for mentions of events or topics relevant to family and wedding photography.

What to measure:

Engagement rate

Follower growth

Post reach

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Marketing Experiments

For whatever campaign you launch, there will always be room for improvement. It's a good idea to pick a few experiments ideas and launch split tests designed to improve your most important metrics.

Experiment ideas:

A/B test different headlines for blog posts.

Experiment with varying images on landing pages to see which drives more sign-ups.

Test different formats (video vs. blogs) for content pieces to identify what resonates better.

Evaluate the effectiveness of different calls to action on social media posts.

Analyze the performance of seasonal campaigns against standard content.

What to measure:

Click-through rate

Conversion rate of leads

Bounce rate

Middle of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Middle of the Funnel: Consideration

At this stage of the funnel, your marketing persona is aware of your product but isn't ready to purchase. They are still doing research and comparing your solution against competitors. This is the time to build trust by giving them more information and provide answers to questions they might have. Your main objective at the middle of the funnel is to turn a stranger into a lead.

Return visitors to website

Number of leads generated

Email open rates

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Content Marketing

The content you'll create for the middle of the funnel is typically called a "lead magnet." This is usually a free (or very cheap) piece of content that you'll offer to your marketing persona in exchange for their contact information (e.g. email address or phone number.)

Content ideas:

Webinar: 'Planning the Perfect Wedding: Photography Essentials' aimed at wedding planners like Weddings Wendy.

E-book: 'Family Photography Tips for Capturing Natural Moments' targeted at Portrait Patty.

Case study: 'Before and After: The Impact of Professional Photography on Weddings' showcasing success stories.

Blog post: 'Understanding Photography Packages: What to Expect for Your Investment' addressing common concerns.

Checklist: 'Questions to Ask Your Photographer Before Booking' to assist with decision-making.

Email series: 'Spotlight on Photography Styles for Families and Weddings' featuring different styles.

What to measure:

Webinar registration rates

E-book downloads

Engagement metrics on case studies

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SEO

At the middle of the funnel, your marketing persona is likely specifically searching for information about the solutions to their problem (without looking into any specific product, yet.) These keywords are considered to have "higher intent" (aka, more valuable) than the ones at the top of the funnel, but they will have smaller search volumes.

Keyword ideas:

wedding photography essentials

tips for family photos

questions to ask wedding photographers

impact of photography on wedding memories

photography packages explained

how to choose a photographer for your wedding

natural moments in family photography

Wedding photography case study

family photography style ideas

candid family photography tips

What to measure:

Number of organic leads

Conversion rate from blog readers

Keyword ranking improvements

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Paid Advertising

At the middle of the funnel, your paid advertising campaigns will zoom into people who are already aware of your brand somehow, but haven't yet become leads. "Remarketing" campaigns are great for this (although, you might also sometimes experiment with prospecting campaigns that try to convert strangers to leads right away.)

Target audience ideas:

[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Women aged 28-35 who follow wedding planning pages.

[Prospecting] Google Ads: Searches for 'best wedding photographers' targeting Weddings Wendy.

[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Users who engaged with previous content related to family photography.

[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Views of videos regarding family and wedding planning.

[Remarketing] Google Ads: Targeting past visitors who downloaded e-books or attended webinars.

What to measure:

Cost per lead

Lead conversion rate

Click-through rate from ads

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Social Media

The social media campaigns at this stage of the funnel are designed to get your marketing persona off of the social media channel and into your own platform (e.g. your website), where you can actually capture their contact information.

Social media campaign ideas:

Instagram Stories featuring Q&A with happy clients discussing their photography experience.

Create a Facebook group for potential clients to share ideas and questions regarding weddings.

Curate user-generated content where families share their candid moments captured by the service.

Regularly host polls on social media for audience preferences in different photography styles.

Share behind-the-scenes videos of weddings and family shoots to showcase engagement and skills.

What to measure:

Engagement on posts

Growth of Facebook group members

Shares of user-generated content

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Email Marketing

Email marketing is an often overlooked channel that's critical for the middle of the funnel. Email is a very effective way to reach your marketing persona directly. The most common mistake businesses make is underutilizing email in their marketing (you should think beyond just email newsletters.)

Email marketing campaign ideas:

Follow-up email sequence for webinar attendees with additional resources and FAQs.

Personalized email offers highlighting customizable photography packages.

Newsletter focusing on success stories of past clients showcasing beautiful weddings.

Email series featuring tips on preparing for photography sessions at weddings and family gatherings.

Survey emails asking past clients for feedback on their photography experience to tailor services.

What to measure:

Email open rates

Click-through rates on resources

Engagement metrics on follow-up emails

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Marketing Experiments

For this stage of the funnel, your experiments will be designed to maximize the number of leads you get from your campaigns.

Experiment ideas:

Test different landing page designs for the webinar registration to improve conversions.

Run A/B tests on subject lines for email campaigns targeting leads.

Experiment with varying call-to-action statements in blog posts to see what drives leads best.

Conduct usability tests on ebook download processes to enhance user experience.

Analyze the checkout process effectiveness by A/B testing steps in the booking flow.

What to measure:

Conversion rates on landing pages

Email click-through rates

Booking form completion rates

Bottom of the Funnel

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Your Goal at the Bottom of the Funnel: Purchase

At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona already knows your product and is ready to make a purchase decision. They already have all the information they need. Your objective at this stage is to address purchasing objections and convince them to take that last step and become a paying customer.

Conversion rate of leads to customers

Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Average order value (AOV)

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Content Marketing

The content you'll create for the bottom of the funnel is purposely design to get your marketing persona to purchase. You don't have to be afraid to be sales-y or about talking about your product directly.

Content ideas:

Video testimonials from past clients showcasing their stunning wedding and family portraits to build trust with potential clients.

Blog post: 'Five Reasons to Choose Us for Your Wedding Photography' directly addressing common purchasing objections.

Case study highlighting a successful wedding project, including client quotes and before/after images to demonstrate service quality.

Interactive online gallery featuring recent work to allow potential clients to experience the quality of photography first-hand.

Email sequence offering limited-time promotions or package deals to encourage quick decision-making among leads.

Webinar: 'What to Expect from Your Wedding Photographer', reassuring buyers about the delivery process and outcomes.

What to measure:

Conversion rate from case studies

Engagement on video testimonials

Open rates on promotional emails

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SEO

At the bottom of the funnel, your marketing persona will be searching Google for information about your product (for example: reviews, pricing, features, etc), which is why you'll be optimizing for a lot of "branded" searches — these are searches that include your brand/product name.

Keyword ideas:

wedding photography reviews

best wedding photographers near me

affordable wedding photography packages

top-rated family photographers

wedding photographer timelines

photography pricing options

client testimonials for photographers

wedding photography service guarantees

professional vs amateur photography

customizable photography packages

What to measure:

Conversions from organic search

Keyword rankings for targeted terms

Organic traffic to service pages

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Paid Advertising

At this stage of the funnel, you'll be running conversion campaigns to get purchases. These will be your highest revenue campaigns, where you will be keeping a close eye on your return on ad spend (ROAS.)

Target audience ideas:

[Remarketing] Facebook/Meta Ads: Visitors who spent time on the wedding packages page but didn’t complete the booking.

[Remarketing] Google Ads: Targeting users who searched for 'photographer pricing estimates' after browsing the website.

[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Promote a testimonial video explaining why clients trusted the service, targeting those looking for wedding services.

[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Showcase carousel ads featuring previous works with strong calls to action for booking.

[Prospecting] Facebook/Meta Ads: Women aged 28-40 in the local area interested in wedding planning and photography.

What to measure:

Cost per acquired customer

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

Click-through rate of remarketing ads

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Social Media

The bottom of the funnel campaigns will usually only make up a small minority of your social media content.

Social media campaign ideas:

Use Instagram Stories to showcase behind-the-scenes moments during wedding shoots and client reactions to highlight the experience.

Facebook posts that share short testimonials from previous clients highlighting key benefits they've experienced.

Engage with potential clients through a live Q&A session discussing final questions before making a booking decision.

Create polls asking followers which photography styles they prefer for weddings to showcase versatility while engaging leads.

Monitor social media channels for mentions of client experiences and respond promptly to engage with potential bookings.

What to measure:

Engagement on testimonial posts

Direct messages regarding booking inquiries

Reach of promotional posts

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Email Marketing

Email is perfectly tailored to run bottom of the funnel campaigns. After you've provided value to customers via your other email campaigns, you can run sales and promotional campaigns to get conversions.

Email marketing campaign ideas:

Follow-up email sequences for leads outlining special offers that promote urgency and exclusivity.

Personalized email reminders about pending bookings with benefits reiteration.

Post-purchase thank-you emails offering an upsell for additional photography services like prints or albums.

Feedback request email for clients after their photoshoot to gauge satisfaction and gather testimonials.

Newsletter announcing new photography package launches or seasonal offers tailored to previously engaged clients.

What to measure:

Response rates on follow-up emails

Conversion rates of promotional email campaigns

Customer satisfaction scores from feedback surveys

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Marketing Experiments

Your bottom-of-the-funnel experiments will have the objective of maximizing your profits. That could be by getting more first-time customers or increasing the amount of money you get from each customer on their first purchase.

Experiment ideas:

A/B test email subject lines to maximize open rates for promotional sequences.

Split test landing pages for service packages to see which formats convert better.

Experiment with different calls-to-action on blog posts to improve engagement from leads.

Analyze site speed and checkout flow for improvements in the booking process.

Run a survey with clients post-service to identify areas for enhancement within the booking experience.

What to measure:

Booking form completion rates

Conversion rates on A/B tested landing pages

Customer feedback scores

Retention

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Your Goal at the Retention Stage: Increase Lifetime Value

In the retention stage, your marketing persona is already a customer of your product. Your objective is to increase the value you can extract from them directly by generating repeat purchases, upsells, or reducing churn; or indirectly by improving brand image or promoting referrals.

Customer lifetime value (CLV)

Churn rate

Number of repeat bookings

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Content Marketing

The objective of the content you'll create at the retention stage is to keep your existing customers happy by providing ongoing value (even after purchasing.)

Content ideas:

Monthly newsletter featuring recent client success stories and new service offerings tailored to past clients like Weddings Wendy and Portrait Patty.

Blog post: 'How to Utilize Your Wedding Photos: Creative Ideas for Displaying Memories' that gives advice on using purchased images in home decor.

Behind-the-scenes video of the editing process, showing how high-quality photos are created to remind clients of the value in their purchase.

Client spotlight series showcasing how previous clients utilized their photography for future family milestones.

Facebook Live Q&A session where past clients discuss their experiences and answer questions from potential clients looking to book.

What to measure:

Open rates on newsletters

Engagement rate on client stories

Returns on blog shares

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SEO

At the bottom of the funnel, you'll want to make sure your marketing persona can find all the information she needs to get the most of your product (e.g. knowledge base articles), or to solve any problems that may arise (e.g. support/contact page.)

Keyword ideas:

how to display wedding photos creatively

using wedding photography in home decor

client experiences with wedding photographers

retaining memories through photography

importance of family portraits

photography for special family milestones

customization options for wedding photo packages

upcoming photography trends

answers to common photography questions

testimonials from happy clients

What to measure:

Return visitors to website

Engagement metrics on retention content

Keyword rankings for retained content

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Paid Advertising

At this stage of the funnel, you might choose to be run campaigns promoting of new features, upgrades, or promotions.

Target audience ideas:

[Remarketing] Facebook/Meta Ads: Previous clients who have not booked again within the last year with offers for loyalty discounts.

[Remarketing] Google Ads: Visitors who engaged with client spotlight pages but did not complete another booking.

[Remarketing] Instagram Ads: Showcase testimonials from previous clients emphasizing the emotional value of photography.

[Prospecting] YouTube Ads: Target families looking for photography services with clips highlighting successful projects and special offers.

[Remarketing] Facebook/Meta Ads: Visitors engaging with blogs about displaying photos at home with clear calls to action for custom packages.

What to measure:

CTR on retargeting ads

Conversion rates from remarketing

Engagement rates on video testimonials

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Social Media

Retention campaigns on social media revolve around building a sense of community with your existing customers. You'll do a lot of monitoring of brand mentions on social media.

Social media campaign ideas:

Utilize Instagram to create stories featuring snippets from past clients talking about their photoshoot experience and reveal.

Run a campaign encouraging clients to share how they utilized their photographs on social media using a specific hashtag.

Host contests for past clients to submit photos of their prints or albums, fostering community and user-generated content.

Regularly engage with followers by sharing tips on keeping printed albums or framed photos in pristine condition.

Track social media mentions of the brand and promptly respond to build a supportive community around the photography service.

What to measure:

User-generated content shares

Engagement on client stories

Mentions of the brand on social media

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Email Marketing

Retention email campaigns will be a mix of educational emails (onboarding, activation, etc), transactional emails (reports, receipts, reminders, etc), and promotional emails (upgrades, upsells, etc.)

Email marketing campaign ideas:

Post-shoot follow-up email thanking clients and asking for feedback while recommending additional services like family sessions.

Exclusive 'Thank You' discount email for repeat clients who book another session within a specified timeframe.

Seasonal promotional email offering past clients an opportunity to update their family portraits or capture current life events.

Announce special events or workshops for past clients focusing on photography skills, enhancing engagement.

Feedback request email that includes surveys aiming to improve service and deepen client relationships.

What to measure:

Response rates on follow-up emails

Redemption rates for exclusive offers

Feedback form completion rates

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Marketing Experiments

Your retention experiments will have the objective of maximizing lifetime value of existing customers.

Experiment ideas:

A/B test various email templates for post-purchase follow-ups to discover which resonates best with clients.

Analyze landing page elements used in retargeting campaigns to identify best converting designs.

Test different types of promotions (discounts vs. free product adds) in email campaigns to see which drives more repeat business.

Check how changes in the copy on thank-you pages affect conversions in repeat bookings.

Gather data on client satisfaction through surveys directly linked from thank you or follow-up emails for actionable insights.

What to measure:

Conversion rates on A/B tested emails

Repeat booking rates post-sales emails

Client feedback scores on retention initiatives

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The Sales Funnel

Your Target Personas

Top of the Funnel

Middle of the Funnel

Bottom of the Funnel

Retention

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