3 Simple Funnels I’d Recommend for Online Service Businesses in 2027 (And How to Choose Yours)
I have a bit of an uncool admission to make – I’m a BIG fan of funnels.
In fact, I think having a customer journey that helps your dream clients move from discovering your business to actually buying from you is one of the most important things you should prioritise in your business.
But I’ve noticed that when it comes to marketing funnels, most business owners tend to fall into one of two camps.
Camp number one: The word funnel makes you immediately clench your butthole because all you can think about are those bro marketers with their ridiculously complicated funnels, endless automations and 25-step systems that apparently need to be in place before you can make a single sale.
And quite frankly, you’d rather fight a Hungarian Horntail than attempt to build one of those yourself.
Or camp number two: You KNOW you need a funnel because right now there’s a gaping hole in your customer journey.
You’ve sacrificed your soul to the Instagram gods, spent hours creating content to attract your dream clients – but after that, you’re relying on Instagram to keep showing them your content and hoping they’ll eventually decide to buy from you.
Well, quite frankly, that plan sounds terrible to me because you’re leaving your ability to turn potential clients into paying clients at the mercy of the Instagram overlords.
Especially when you’ve already put so much time, energy and effort into getting those people into your world.
And whichever camp you fall into, I want you to know…
You don’t need a ridiculously complicated funnel or a million different automations to make more sales.
You need a customer journey that makes sense for your business, your offer and how your dream clients actually make buying decisions.
So in today’s episode of the How I Do Content Podcast, I’m sharing three simple marketing funnels I’d recommend for online service businesses in 2027, which businesses they’re best suited to and how to decide which one makes the most sense for you.
So let’s get into it.
The Best Marketing Funnel for Your Business Depends on YOUR Business
Before we get into the examples, there’s something I want you to keep in mind.
The best funnel for your business isn’t necessarily the one you’ve seen another business owner making a shitload of money from.
Because someone considering a $500 service is likely to have a very different decision-making process from someone investing $10,000 in a six-month consulting package.
And this is where I think a lot of business owners go wrong.
They focus on choosing lead magnets, landing pages and email automations before they’ve considered what their dream clients actually need to move from interested to ready to buy.
So let’s look at three simple marketing funnels, who I’d recommend them for and how they could work in practice.
Marketing Funnel #1: The Lead Magnet → Nurture → Offer Funnel
The first funnel is probably one you’re already familiar with.
Someone discovers your business, downloads your lead magnet, joins your email list and receives a series of emails that help them move towards buying your offer.
And this is a funnel I particularly like for service providers who can attract potential clients through a specific problem or opportunity that’s closely connected to what they’re selling.
But there’s one thing I’d be really intentional about.
Your lead magnet needs to attract people who are likely to buy your offer, rather than people who are simply interested in getting something for free.
Because getting hundreds of downloads might look fantastic on your marketing report, but if those people aren’t a good fit for your paid offer, they’re not necessarily helping you make more sales.
For example, let’s say you’re a brand designer who works with established business owners who’ve outgrown their DIY branding.
You could create a lead magnet teaching people how to choose their brand fonts and colours in Canva, but that’s more likely to attract people who want to keep doing their branding themselves.
Instead, I’d create something like “Has Your Business Outgrown Its Branding? 7 Signs It’s Time for a Refresh.”
Now you’re speaking to business owners who are much more likely to need your services.
And from there, your nurture emails could help them understand how their current branding might be affecting their business, share a client case study demonstrating the value of a professional rebrand and address the questions they might have before investing.
Then you can introduce your branding package as the logical next step.
See how each part of that funnel is helping someone move closer to buying your offer?
You’re attracting people with a problem you can solve and using your nurture to build desire, demand and differentiation around your offer.
Marketing Funnel #2: The Masterclass → Nurture → Offer Funnel
The second funnel I’d recommend is a masterclass funnel.
And this is one I particularly like for coaches, consultants and service providers whose dream clients need more education or a shift in how they understand the problem they’re trying to solve.
Because sometimes your potential clients know they have a problem, but they don’t necessarily understand what’s causing it or what they need to do differently.
And a masterclass gives you an opportunity to help them make that connection while demonstrating your expertise.
For example, let’s say you’re a business strategist who works with established business owners who want to increase their revenue without increasing their workload.
You could run a masterclass on “5 Ways to Grow Your Business in 2027.”
But if your dream clients already know how to make money and their actual challenge is that every attempt to grow their business creates more work, another list of revenue-generating ideas probably isn’t going to get them particularly excited.
Instead, I’d consider a masterclass on “Why Growing Your Revenue Isn’t Giving You More Freedom (And What to Do About It).”
Now you’re speaking directly to the problem they’re experiencing and helping them understand what might need to change to get the outcome they actually want.
And from there, your nurture emails could share client results, address common objections and demonstrate how your approach helps business owners grow more sustainably.
Then you’d introduce your consulting package or group program as the next step.
The key with this funnel is that your masterclass needs to do more than teach people something useful.
It needs to help them understand why solving their problem matters and how working with you could help them achieve the result they’re looking for.
Because you don’t want people finishing your training thinking, “That was great, I’ve got everything I need!”
You want them recognising the value of what you’ve shared AND seeing your offer as a worthwhile next step.
Marketing Funnel #3: The Content → Proof → Enquiry Funnel
The third funnel I’d recommend is one that I think a lot of service providers overlook because it doesn’t necessarily look like a traditional marketing funnel.
And it’s simply using your content to attract the right people, demonstrate your expertise and build enough trust for someone to enquire about working with you.
I particularly like this funnel for high-touch service providers whose clients already know they need help and are looking for the right person to deliver it.
For example, let’s say you’re a systems consultant who works with established online businesses that are losing time and money because their systems aren’t working together properly.
Your dream clients already know they’re spending far too much time on manual processes, losing leads and dealing with messy client onboarding.
And they probably don’t want another free checklist teaching them how to fix their systems themselves.
They want someone who knows what they’re doing to come in and sort it out.
So rather than creating a lead magnet, I’d focus on content that demonstrates your expertise and the results you help your clients achieve.
You could share a case study showing how you helped a client reduce their onboarding time from eight hours to one, explain your approach and direct potential clients towards a service page where they can learn more and book a call.
And throughout that journey, I’d make sure your messaging demonstrates why your approach is different and gives people confidence in your expertise.
But I’d also make sure there’s a really clear and obvious next step for someone who’s interested in working with you.
Because if someone has read your case studies, explored your services and decided you’re exactly who they need, the last thing you want is for them to hunt around your website trying to figure out how to enquire.
Whether that’s booking a discovery call, completing an enquiry form or applying to work with you, make it easy for them to take that next step and understand what happens afterwards.
Because not every potential buyer needs to download a freebie or attend a masterclass before they’re ready to work with you.
Sometimes they already know they need help, and your marketing needs to show them why YOU’RE the person they should hire.
Your Marketing Funnel Needs to Evolve With Your Buyers
Now, something else I want you to remember is that the funnel that works for your business today might need to look different six or twelve months from now.
Because buyer behaviour changes, market conditions change and so do the things that influence someone to buy from you.
For example, when business owners are feeling more cautious about spending money, they might take longer to make a decision or need more proof and reassurance before investing.
Maybe your five-email nurture sequence used to convert brilliantly, but now people are taking longer to buy. Or you’re still getting plenty of enquiries, but fewer are turning into paying clients.
That doesn’t automatically mean you need to scrap your funnel and start again.
But it does mean you need to understand what’s happening before deciding what to change.
And this is where I’d look at your marketing data.
Where are people dropping off? Are they engaging with your emails but not clicking through to your offer? Are they visiting your sales page but not buying?
Because depending on what the data tells you, you might need to adjust your messaging, address new objections or add another touchpoint, like a case study or an additional nurture email.
But I’d want to diagnose the problem before recommending any changes.
Because the goal isn’t to build a funnel once and hope it keeps converting forever. It’s to recognise when your buyers’ behaviour changes and know how to adapt your marketing accordingly.
So Which of These Simple Marketing Funnels Is Right for Your Business?
Now, after hearing those three examples, you might be wondering which funnel I’d actually recommend for your business.
And my answer is going to depend on three things.
First, what are you selling and how do your dream clients make buying decisions?
Because the type of offer you’re selling and what someone needs before they’re ready to invest will influence which touchpoints make the most sense.
Second, what have you already got in place?
You might already have a lead magnet, email list, podcast or case studies that you can build your funnel around, rather than starting from scratch.
And third, what is your marketing data telling you?
Because if you’re already attracting plenty of potential clients but they’re not moving towards your offers, I’d want to understand where they’re getting stuck before recommending you create anything new.
And that’s ultimately what I want you to take away from today’s episode.
You don’t need to copy someone else’s funnel or build something ridiculously complicated. Simple marketing funnels work when you understand how your dream clients buy and create a customer journey that supports that decision.
Map Your Simple Marketing Funnel With Me Inside The Obvious Choice Funnel Bootcamp
And if you want my help figuring out which funnel makes the most sense for your business and mapping it out, I’d love for you to join me inside The Obvious Choice Funnel Bootcamp.
It’s my three-day live bootcamp happening from 17–19 November, where I’ll show you how to use buyer psychology and messaging to create a customer journey that helps turn more of your dream clients into paying clients.
Over the three days, we’ll audit your existing customer journey, map a simple funnel for one of your priority offers and identify the messaging you need to build desire, demand and differentiation around your offer.
You’ll walk away with your own Customer Journey Audit, Funnel Map and prioritised action plan, so you know what to create, what to improve and where to focus your marketing efforts for the biggest return.
And whether you’re starting from scratch or already have marketing assets in place, you’ll know how to make the most of what you’ve got and what needs to happen next.
Tickets start at just $27.
So if you’re ready to make the most of the time and energy you’re already putting into attracting potential clients, come join me inside The Obvious Choice Funnel Bootcamp.
Sign up now at thesocialbolt.com.au/bootcamp
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