Messages

Develop a comprehensive messaging strategy that guides prospects through each stage of the customer journey, from initial awareness to expansion, using the right message at the right time.

1. Goal - Crafting messages for every stage

Where You're Building From

In the Landing Pages lesson, you created the copy and structure for all your landing pages – your lead magnet page and your sales pages (low-tier, mid-tier, and potentially high-tier). Now you need the messages that drive people to those pages and guide them through your funnel.

What You're Deciding Here

This lesson helps you create the email sequences and messages that power your funnel at four critical stages:

1. ToFu (Top of Funnel - Awareness): Welcome sequences after someone opts in for your lead magnet
2. MoFu (Middle of Funnel - Consideration): Nurture sequences that build trust and move people toward purchase
3. BoFu (Bottom of Funnel - Conversion): Conversion sequences for demos, trials, and purchases
4. GroFu (Growth Funnel - Expansion): Onboarding, upsell, and referral sequences for existing customers

What Should You Create First?

Your message creation order should follow your funnel priorities:

Start with ToFu (Everyone Needs This)
Begin with your lead magnet delivery and welcome sequence. This is the first touchpoint after someone joins your list – it sets the tone for everything that follows. Get this right first.

Next: BoFu (For Active Selling)
If you're actively selling, create your conversion sequences next – purchase thank you emails, onboarding messages, and follow-ups after demos or trials. These directly impact revenue.

Then: MoFu (For Nurturing)
Once you have ToFu and BoFu working, add your nurture sequences. These keep leads warm between awareness and conversion, promoting additional lead magnets, sharing case studies, and moving people toward demos.

Finally: GroFu (For Growth)
Once customers are converting consistently, build your expansion sequences – customer onboarding, upsell campaigns, and referral requests. These maximize customer lifetime value.

Choosing Your Email Marketing Tool

You'll need an email marketing platform to send these sequences:

• For beginners: ConvertKit, Mailchimp, or Brevo (simple, affordable, good automation)
• For growing businesses: ActiveCampaign or HubSpot (advanced automation, CRM integration)
• For developers: Resend (API-first, integrate with your app)

Outcome: You have a clear plan for which message sequences to create first and which email tool to use.

2. ToFu - Messages for Awareness

Top of Funnel: Creating First Impressions

At the awareness stage, prospects are just discovering your brand. They've opted in for a lead magnet, attended a webinar, or downloaded a resource. Your messaging here sets the tone for the entire relationship.

Immediate Value Delivery

The first message after an opt-in is critical. Deliver the promised value immediately – no delays, no extra hoops to jump through. If they signed up for an ebook, the download link should be in their inbox within seconds.

The Success Landing Page Strategy

After delivering the lead magnet, redirect users to a success page that:

• Confirms they'll receive what they requested
• Suggests the next logical step (follow on social media, join a community, book a call)
• Sets expectations for what's coming next

Follow-Up Email Sequence

Over the next few days to weeks, send a series of trust-building emails:

• Email 1 (Immediate): Deliver the lead magnet with clear instructions
• Email 2 (Day 1-2): Check if they found it valuable, offer to answer questions
• Email 3 (Day 3-5): Share related content that builds on the lead magnet topic
• Email 4 (Day 7): Introduce your next tier offering (soft sell)
• Email 5+ (Weekly): Continue providing value while warming them to your offers

Key Principles for ToFu Messages:

• Focus on education, not selling
• Build trust through consistent value
• Set clear expectations for the relationship
• Be personal and conversational
• Guide them toward the next small commitment

Outcome: You have a complete 5-email welcome sequence ready to implement in your email marketing tool.

3. MoFu - Messages for Consideration

Middle of Funnel: Nurturing Consideration

At this stage, prospects know who you are and what you offer. They're considering whether your solution is right for them. Your messaging shifts from pure education to demonstrating value and relevance.

Promoting Your Best Lead Magnets

If someone has consumed one lead magnet, introduce them to your next-best resource. This multi-touch approach helps prospects self-select into deeper engagement. The more value they receive, the more trust builds.

The Balance of Give and Ask

A core principle for MoFu messaging is "give, give, give, ask." For every sales-focused message, provide 2-3 purely valuable pieces of content. This maintains goodwill while still moving prospects toward a purchase decision.

Email Strategies for Engagement:

• Content Variety: Mix email lengths and styles – sometimes a short tip, sometimes a detailed case study
• Story-Driven: Share customer success stories that resonate with their situation
• Problem-Solving: Address specific challenges your prospects face
• Social Proof: Include testimonials, results, and evidence of your expertise
• Demo Invitations: Focus messaging on getting prospects to book an exploratory call or demo

Personalization at Scale

Use your CRM to segment based on:

• Which lead magnets they've downloaded
• What content they've engaged with
• Their industry or role (if known)
• Their stage in the buying journey

This allows you to send more targeted, relevant messages even as your list grows.

Outcome: You have a complete MoFu nurture sequence that builds trust and moves leads toward conversion.

4. BoFu - Messages for Conversion

Bottom of Funnel: Facilitating Decision-Making

At this stage, prospects are seriously considering a purchase. They may have booked a demo, asked detailed questions, or spent significant time on your pricing page. Your messaging here should remove friction and facilitate the decision.

Four Key Conversion Sequences:

1. Pre-Demo Sequence – Prepare prospects before sales calls (for high-touch sales)
2. Post-Demo Sequence – Follow up after demos to close deals (for high-touch sales)
3. Purchase Thank You – Confirm purchases and start onboarding (for all tiers)
4. Free Trial Sequences – Guide trial users to conversion (for SaaS with trials)

Key Elements for BoFu Messages:

• Remove objections and friction
• Be specific about next steps
• Personalize based on their expressed needs
• Create urgency where appropriate (limited spots, bonuses ending)
• Make it easy to say yes

Build What You Need Right Now

Not every business needs all four sequences. Choose based on your funnel:

• High-touch sales model? Start with Pre-Demo and Post-Demo sequences
• Self-serve SaaS? Start with Purchase Thank You and Free Trial sequences
• Low-touch one-time products? Focus on Purchase Thank You sequences only

Pre-Demo Sequence (For High-Touch Sales)

Before a sales demo or consultation, send materials that help prospects understand what to expect, prepare relevant questions, and get excited about the potential transformation. This preparation makes demos more productive and increases conversion rates.

Outcome: You have a complete pre-demo sequence that prepares prospects for productive sales calls.

Post-Demo Sequence (For High-Touch Sales)

After a demo or consultation, send personalized communication with a concise summary of what was discussed, clear next steps, answers to any questions, and a timeline for decision-making. These follow-ups are critical for closing deals.

Outcome: You have a complete post-demo sequence that moves prospects from interested to committed.

Purchase Thank You Sequences (All Tiers)

When someone purchases, immediately confirm their purchase, set clear expectations for delivery or onboarding, reinforce they made the right decision (reduce buyer's remorse), and provide immediate access or next steps.

Outcome: You have purchase thank you emails for all three product tiers.

Free Trial Sequences (For SaaS)

For SaaS products with free trials, guide users through the trial experience, help them get value quickly, and convert them to paying customers before the trial ends.

Outcome: You have a complete free trial sequence that guides users from signup to paying customer.

5. GroFu - Messages for Expansion

Growth Funnel: Maximizing Customer Value

Your responsibility doesn't stop at the purchase. In fact, post-purchase messaging is where you build lasting customer relationships and unlock expansion revenue through upsells, cross-sells, and referrals.

Four Key Expansion Sequences:

1. Onboarding Sequences – Get customers to success quickly (by tier)
2. Upsell Sequences – Move customers to higher tiers naturally
3. Referral Sequences – Turn happy customers into advocates
4. Retention & Engagement – Keep customers active and prevent churn

Build What You Need Right Now

Not every business needs all four sequences immediately. Choose based on your priority:

• New customers struggling to get value? Start with Onboarding sequences
• High-value customers ready for more? Start with Upsell sequences
• Strong product-market fit? Start with Referral sequences
• High churn or inactive users? Start with Retention & Engagement sequences

Onboarding Sequences (By Tier)

The onboarding process is pivotal. Your messaging should welcome customers personally, clarify their next steps, set expectations for support, and celebrate their decision to invest. Effectively onboarded customers are more likely to succeed, which leads to better retention, testimonials, and referrals.

Outcome: You have complete onboarding sequences for all three product tiers.

Upsell Sequences

Present a clear progression path that celebrates customer progress at their current level and shows what's possible at the next level. Make the transition feel natural and timely, and offer special pricing for existing customers.

Outcome: You have upsell sequences that move customers naturally to higher tiers.

Referral Sequences

Turn satisfied customers into advocates by making referral generation easy with clear referral asks at strategic moments, incentives that benefit both parties, simple sharing mechanisms, and excellent results that make customers want to share.

Outcome: You have referral sequences that turn customers into advocates.

Retention & Engagement Sequences

Maintain regular communication with customers through product updates, educational content, community highlights, exclusive offers, and feedback requests (showing you value their input). Keep customers active and prevent churn.

Outcome: You have retention and engagement sequences that keep customers active and prevent churn.

6. Your Message Templates Library

Creating Your Reusable Message Library

You've created complete message sequences for all four funnel stages (ToFu, MoFu, BoFu, GroFu). Now it's time to extract and organize all those messages into a reusable templates library – a reference that lets you write effective emails in minutes, not hours.

What This Library Includes

Your Message Templates library will extract and organize:

• All message types organized by funnel stage
• Subject line formulas that work
• Email body templates you can quickly adapt
• CTA patterns for different goals
• Send timing and sequence recommendations

Why This Matters

With this templates library, you can:

• Write new emails in minutes by adapting proven templates
• Maintain consistent voice and quality across all messages
• Quickly create sequences for new offers or campaigns
• Give team members clear templates to follow
• Reference best practices for each message type

The Goal: Write Effective Emails in Minutes

Next time you need to send an email or create a sequence:

1. Open your Message Templates library
2. Find the relevant message type (welcome, nurture, conversion, upsell, etc.)
3. Copy the template and adapt for your specific situation
4. Send in minutes with confidence

Outcome: You have a reusable Message Templates library that enables you to write effective emails in minutes.