How to Create an Email Marketing Funnel in 9 Steps?

Have you ever received a promotional email after purchasing a product from the same brand?
It probably left you confused because you just bought that product. The same happens when you sell without knowing your customers. You could have an extensive email list, but if you don’t know where your email marketing subscribers are in the buyer’s journey, you’re bound to send them irrelevant content.
This is where an email marketing funnel helps you send emails without bothering or boring people. It involves sending a series of emails to create awareness, generate interest, and ultimately — make money. In essence, it moves your ideal audience from one stage to another, turning them from a curious crowd into paying customers.
Although it sounds simple, many factors influence email funneling. To help you navigate the process, we’ll go over the core elements: how to design an email marketing sales funnel, the benefits, recommendations for creating email marketing funnels, and how to select the most funnel-friendly ESP.
What is an Email Funnel?
An email marketing funnel is a strategy that helps identify and connect with your potential buyers. The purchasing funnel is a visual representation of the email marketing customer journey.
It’s a sequence of email messages sent to subscribers with the goal of converting them into customers. It guides your leads through a specific path, narrowing down the most interested audience that will eventually enter your buyer’s pool.
To start, you need an active email list filled with subscribers who consented to receive your emails. You could theoretically buy email lists, but those would merely be numbers.
At Campaign Refinery, we believe clean and verified email lists are the only way to go. For this reason, we added the automatic list-cleaning feature to our software. This particular feature has enabled our clients to achieve email deliverability rates so high as they’ve never seen before.

What is a Sales Funnel Email Sequence?
Sales funnel emails, or the email sequence for sales funnels, are a series of emails designed to lead the user through the different stages of the funnel. You will plan out a sequence to welcome new subscribers, engage them with compelling email content, and address potential concerns or objections.
Email Marketing Funnel Examples
Below are examples of various funnel emails and how they can be structured to guide potential funnel customers from awareness to purchase.
1. Brand Awareness Stage
Goal: To attract new subscribers and introduce them to your brand.
Email Type: Welcome Email

This stage is about introducing your brand and product to people who may be unaware of its existence. Welcome emails are the most common type of marketing funnel example and determine the success of your email marketing campaign. Indeed, an average of 86% of the welcome emails are clicked and opened.
To warm up your leads, send emails that:
- Has a friendly and conversational tone;
- Addresses customer pain points at the start;
- Backs claims with facts;
- Lists flagship products in the beginning alongside other products;
- Has a simple CTA;
- Provides social links;
- Provides a one-click unsubscribe option.
While you’re doing this, it’s equally important to pay attention to how many subscribers open your emails. A good way to increase email open rates is to motivate them to reply to your emails by offering a special discount or early access to your product.
2. Interest Stage
Goal: To nurture the relationship by providing value.
Email type: Educational or storytelling email.

Once people are familiar with your brand, it’s time to tell them how your product can solve problems. Send in-depth information about how your product differs from the competitors’. Emails that talk about customer pain points perform better than the ones with generic body copy.
For example: Missing your better hair days? Our argan-oil-infused hair mask improves itchy scalp, dry hair, and split ends. Just in time for summer! Use code ‘summer’ at checkout to get 15%.
3. Consideration Stage
Goal: Build trust and encourage users to explore other products or services.
Email type: Product highlight or testimonial email

In this phase, people are convinced that your product can help them. They’re probably testing out multiple options. Send emails with comparison guides, special features, or case studies. The content must demonstrate your value and expertise. Make sure to add a CTA (call-to-action) urging people to learn more about your product or service.
4. Action Stage
Goal: To convert the lead into a paying customer.
Email Type: Sales or limited-time offer email.

The email marketing conversion funnel is the final stage in which you ask people to take a specific action. Whether subscribing to your email marketing newsletter or buying a product, you must point them toward the intended action. Although it may seem obvious, not everyone will take the desired action. The goal is to use compelling email copywriting that encourages people to click on the CTA button. Pay close attention to content quality since the email deliverability rate will depend on it.
For example, a business wants to send customers personalized emails at different stages
of the marketing funnel. Which of the following is an example of an email
they would send during the conversion stage?
It can be a limited-time offer value, case studies, exclusive benefits, or loyalty incentives.
5. Loyalty Stage
Goal: To keep customers engaged and encourage repeat business.
Email Type: Loyalty program emails or follow ups.

You’ve finally turned your subscribers into customers. But the customer funnel doesn’t end there. After they’ve made a purchase, it’s important to maintain their loyalty to your business. Send them product usage tips, exclusive offers, and new products to keep them in the loop.
According to a study, a 5% customer retention improves profits by more than 25%. That means satisfying your current customers pays more than gaining new ones.
You could send retention emails about:
- A better usage for your product,
- New products or industry news,
- Offer loyalty programs and rewards.
6. Advocacy Stage
Goal: To turn happy customers into brand advocates
Email type: Referral or review request email

Nothing gives more than selling products through word of mouth. Turn your loyal customers into brand advocates by sending loyalty program emails, referring friends, or rewarding them for reviews.
At Campaign Refinery, we wanted our clients to experience the power of incentives. So, we created the engagement rewards system that allows subscribers to earn points for every email they open and click on.
Our customers reported an increase in open rates of 30% to 600% after using the engagement rewards feature!
In addition, we integrate with 1000+ marketing tools, including ClickFunnels to help you operate your email funnels from a single place.
Wish to learn more about ClickFunnels? Checkout our resource section below:
- Integrate ClickFunnels With Campaign Refinery
- ClickFunnels vs ConvertKit — A Side-by-Side Comparison for Savvy Entrepreneurs
- 14 Powerful ClickFunnels Alternatives for Online Entrepreneurs in 2024
- ClickFunnels Review 2024: In-Depth Analysis of Features and User Ratings
- ClickFunnels vs GoHighLevel — Features Analysis
Other Marketing Funnel Examples
In this section, we’ll review examples of different funnel campaign types, such as newsletter funnels and post-purchase funnels.
Email Funnel for Ads
A high roi email funnel for ads is a similar marketing funnel technique, which guides users from awareness to conversion, typically while complementing other advertising efforts.
For example, if a user clicks on an ad or signs up for a lead magnet, you’ll send them a welcome email and follow the same process as the email funnel.

Newsletter Funnel
A newsletter funnel leads customers to the desired action through a series of email marketing newsletters. You’ll typically keep the audience engaged through consistently timed newsletters, from welcome emails to email digests or countdown emails.

Product Launch Email Sales Funnel
The product launch email sales funnel is structured to the email marketing customer journey to promote and sell a new product. The pre-launch phase is used to build anticipation, the launch phase introduces the product, and post-launch phase aims to retain customers.

Follow up Funnels
Follow up funnel is a system that automatically sends messages to leads and customers after a specific action, such as clicking on a CTA or making a purchase.
The aim is to nurture leads and help them through the process should they find difficulties.

What is a Sales Funnel in Email Marketing?
A sales funnel in email marketing is a strategic process of guiding customers from the top-of-the-funnel to paying customers at the bottom-of-the-funnel.
Much like any marketing funnel, email marketing is segmented into the top of the funnel (TOFU), middle of the funnel (MOFU), and bottom of the funnel (BOFU).
An email funnel works like this:
- TOFU: Create landing pages and forms to get subscribers. The goal is to educate people about your brand and product. The best way is to ask them to sign up for your email funnel list and send them content regularly.
- MOFU: As subscribers get more interested in your brand, send emails about webinars, product uses, and other information that might solve their pain points. Additionally, provide real-world case studies to build authority.
- BOFU: Send promotional emails, product recommendations, and cart abandonment emails to convert them. By this stage, you will know what products can solve concrete problems your prospects face, and you will be able to convert them more easily.
How to Fill the Sales Funnel With Marketing Automation?
Creating an email automation funnel is about choosing the right marketing channels and creating high-quality content. For example, you can use multi-channel marketing with email SEO or paid advertisements to attract clients.
More importantly, use a reliable email marketing tool to help you seamlessly automate sales emails and follow up messages throughout the customer journey. A good ESP follows automation best practices to ensure safe sending practices.
How to Build a Successful Email Marketing Funnel?
The best email funnel has a structured process to guide customers to the end goal, while still maintaining a good brand experience.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a proper email marketing funnel:
- Define your objectives: Identify and narrow your goals. Are you trying for email lead generation, build brand awareness, or increase sales? Simultaneously, set measurable KPIs, such as open rates, to support your goals.
- Create buyer personas: Define demographics and understand customer pain points.
- Introduce a lead magnet: Provide a free resource, such as e-books, whitepapers, or exclusive content in exchange for peoples’ valid email addresses.
- Build your email list: Optimize sign up forms with clear CTAs and minimal fields to reduce friction. Promote your sign up page on websites, landing pages, and social media.
- Design the funnel stages: Outline the series of emails for each funnel stage, starting from welcome emails to referral program emails.
- Ensure compliance: Adhere to email marketing regulations, such as GDPR compliance or CAN-SPAM requirements.
The Difference Between Automated Funnels & Email Sequences
The table outlines the differences between automated funnels and email sequences.
Aspect | Automated Funnels | Email Sequences |
Definition | They are a multi-step process to guide users from awareness to conversions. | They are pre-written emails sent to the audience over intervals. |
Purpose | To automate the entire customer journey. | To nurture leads, deliver information, or promote offers. |
Trigger | They start with a specific action. | It can start with an action or be predefined. |
Goal | To convert prospects into customers. | To nurture relationships, educate the audience, and promote specific products or services. |
Timeframe | They can span months depending on the customer journey. | They are usually short-lived, lasting for a couple of days to weeks. |
B2B Email Marketing Funnel Strategies- 9 Tips to Creating Effective Funnels
With many free online tools, it’s easy to build a landing page and get subscribers. But the real challenge lies in creating a funnel that will convert those subscribers. For this to happen, you need to have a strong email marketing funnel strategy. That means going through a series of predefined steps:
1. Define Your Target Audience
Start with narrowing your audience — segment using demographics, likes, and previous purchase history (if applicable). The best way to do this is through market research — go to social media and look for user reviews and comments. It’ll give you a fair idea about customer pain points. Then, use the acquired data to create a buyer persona and target your marketing efforts accordingly.
2. Create a Customer Journey
Knowing what your customers like is essential for a successful email campaign funnel. Mapping out the touchpoints will give you a clearer picture of — who, what, how, where, and when.
To create a flow and achieve the best results, Campaign Refinery allows you to develop custom rulesets based on the customer profile. That means you can use email personalization for each subscriber based on their actions. It ensures the right follow-up sequence and maintains sender reputation.
3. Create Awareness
Your target audiences may be looking for a product like yours. But if you fail to place your brand in front of them, they’ll choose another business. Creating awareness involves warming them up for future purchases. Use lots of visuals and easy-to-understand content in all types of email campaigns.
4. Capture Leads
Capturing leads refers to collecting email addresses through websites, social media, and advertisements. People are more likely to give their email addresses for something valuable in return. It could be a free e-book, a course, or anything that will solve their challenges.
Use clear opt-in forms or create dedicated landing pages to encourage visitors to submit their information.
Let’s review an example — Campaign Refinery’s Founder (Travis Ketchum) has packed his insights into a bite-sized downloadable format. In this free guide, you’ll learn the strategies to increase open rates and conversions along with managing the technical aspects of email marketing, including email deliverability.
This is a sample of how you can give away something valuable in exchange for someone’s email address. You can get as creative as you’d like, but always be clear and precise.
5. Turn Leads Into Customers
At this stage, it’s time to provide answers to their doubts, fears, or objections. A customer could have questions like —- Is it for my age? Or will it sync with the other products I use?
Address customer pain points through Q&A-style emails. Alternatively, you can use an FAQ section to answer the most basic questions about your product. Based on the lead’s desire and interests, you can segment the list and continue to send relevant emails.
6. Automate Emails
While segmentation helps you sort audiences into categories, email automation helps you send tailored content to each group without having to do it manually. It involves sending email drip campaigns and behavioral emails with the help of an email service provider (ESP) that achieves a higher email deliverability rate.
7. Optimize Timing and Frequency
The best time to send an email is during business hours. Ideally, emails performed better at 10 am and 2 pm. However, make sure not to send too many emails at the same time.
8. A/B Test and Refine
Just because you sent an email doesn’t mean your customers will open, click, or buy from you. That’s why it’s important to implement A/B testing best practices and refine them to increase their effectiveness.
9. Use a Premium Service
To stand out in a saturated market, you need the best email marketing tools and services. As experienced email marketers, we know the challenges of driving prospects through funnel email marketing. That’s why we created features and tools such as automatic list cleaning and email gamification.
These features have helped our clients increase their email open rates by more than 6x, bringing them more conversions and revenue.
Benefits of Building Email Funnels
Creating an email marketing funnel is like an attempt to read your prospects’ minds. But with the help of data and a bit of logic, you can understand what each one of your audiences is looking for. And then — tell them exactly what they want to hear.
Look at the table below for an easier understanding of the benefits and how to achieve them.
BENEFITS | HOW TO DO | EXAMPLES |
---|---|---|
Create personalized messages | Include their names, likes, and other details. | Dear Karl, we know you’ve been eyeing the matcha tea set for a while now. We’ve got a deal for you here. |
Map better customer journeys | Keeps them satisfied throughout the buyer’s cycle. | Hey Kiara, we noticed you recently bought the new iPhone 13 Pro. We thought this wireless charging case would help you. |
Optimize and build relevant content | Increases trust and liking for your brand. | Our advanced snail serum is created for people just like you. |
Better conversion rates | Leads to more purchases because they’re happy. | We noticed your cart is empty. What if you could save 15% on your next purchase? Use this code before August 15. |
Easy to measure results | Helps keep them engaged and satisfied. | Thank you for being our valued customer. We have a little something for you – grab your premium tickets here. |
The best part about building a free email funnel is the ability to automate it.
That means you can send mass emails even while you’re holidaying in Spain! Email marketing automation is an effective way to run your business from anywhere and see huge profits.
Why are Email Marketing Tools Important in Funnel Building?
Email marketing tools are necessary to keep your email campaigns running smoothly, thus helping you design and run your marketing funnel from top to bottom.
These marketing tools help you with the following:
- Automation: Imagine having to send an email to every customer after every purchase. It’s virtually impossible to do so manually. Email marketing automation is like a virtual assistant that helps you complete repetitive tasks without your presence.
- List Management: To increase the chances of conversion, you must know your audience’s demographics and behavior. Having a good email list management can help you tailor content according to your prospects’ preferences.
- Analytics & Tracking: An email marketing tool allows you to monitor open rates, click rates, conversion rates, and profits. This way, you can identify gaps and optimize your campaigns. For example, at Campaign Refinery, we recommend senders reduce their engagement to the most active subscribers: people who opened the emails in the last 30 days. This makes it easier to analyze email metrics.
- Compliance & Deliverability: Email deliverability is an important factor in setting up an email marketing funnel. An email marketing tool monitors regulations like GDPR compliance, sender reputation, and domain reputation. To be safe, we made email domain authentication mandatory for all Campaign Refinery users.
If you’re wondering where to start, here is the breakdown of the best email service providers for your business.
Building the Best Email Marketing Funnel via the Best Email Service Provider
Today, there are more than 500 ESPs in the market. Every provider offers unique features and affordable plans. To make your decision-making easier, we looked at the top 6 ESPs and compared their features that can help you drive more traffic through your marketing funnel.
Best Features | Campaign Refinery | Hubspot | MailerLite | MailChimp | Convert Kit | Active Campaign |
Beginner-friendly UI | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Automation Features | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Integration Options | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Automatic List Cleaning | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Engagement Gamification | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Mandatory Domain Authentication | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Customer Credit System | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Unlimited Contacts for all categories | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
This is a gist of the pricing structure of the most used ESPs. It’s best to go through each of them and choose the one that covers all aspects of your marketing campaign funnel needs.
Build Your Email Funnels With Campaign Refinery
The email industry is set to grow to 4.89 billion users by 2027. That makes email marketing an affordable and effective way to reach more customers.
An email marketing funnel is a foolproof way to do this — you can deploy different types of email campaigns, including video sales funnels, to attract, nurture, and engage your audience.
At Campaign Refinery, we offer the highest email deliverability rate on the market, ensuring your emails reach customers’ primary inboxes.
Our easy to use interface and ready-made campaign templates help you streamline your funnel setup with ease. In addition, we integrate with 1000+ marketing tools, including ClickFunnels to help you make smoother marketing transitions.
Create effective email funnels, grow your customer base, and increase email marketing revenue — Apply to become our customer now!
FAQ
Which phase of email marketing does selecting your esp fit into?
Selecting an ESP fits into the strategy and planning phase of email marketing. This is where you’ll choose the tools, features, and capabilities related to your campaigns.
What type of content to share for solar email marketing?
You can share the following type of content for solar email marketing:
- Educational content,
- Offers and incentives,
- Customer success stories,
- Industry news and trends,
- Seasonal themes,
- Interactive and engaging content.
What are the stages of email marketing?
Here are the common stages of email marketing:
- Strategy planning,
- List building,
- Content creation,
- Automation and scheduling,
- Campaign execution,
- Monitoring and analysis,
- Optimization and refinement.
Does ClickFunnels have email marketing?
Yes, ClickFunnels includes email marketing in its platform, but the availability of the marketing features depends on the plan you choose.