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What is Tripwire Funnel
Tripwire funnel is a marketing strategy, sales funnel that aims to lure your customers with initial low-cost offers and push them for higher ones. Also, strengthen your relationship with your clients and make them return to you every time. The funnel follows a very simple pattern that you can easily modify.
A tripwire funnel consists of three parts.
It starts with offering a low-priced offer to your potential customers to turn them into your customers. The offer value remains between $5.00-$99.00 (depending on the product/service). Most of the offers, in general, are below $10 at this stage.
This low-ticket profile is often offered to your new customers to bring them into your circle. The offer is often put on the page by comparing it with the previous price value. For example, if you offer something for $9.99, mention the offer’s actual price as well (ex. $49.99).
When your customer sees the offer, they get tempted to move ahead to make a purchase. When they go to your purchase page, they will see your higher bid. Not everyone will buy it or will buy it. But, if your lower ticket can attract them, you can still get their email.
If they make the purchase, you can offer them a one-time offer. This offer is generally one of your more expensive products. You can add a time clock or something on the page that can trigger their FOMO.
If they make the purchase, you can direct them to the confirmation page and greet them warmly. If they turn down the offer, you still have got their email address and keep good relations. They can be a valuable customer ahead in your business.
So, how does it help?
You should remember that the tripwire funnel is not something you use for selling products. Instead, it can be a long way to create a trusted client base. If your initial offer can make an impact on potential buyers and turn them into customers, you can have them for a longer time.
When they make the initial purchase, you get their email addresses. So, even though they don’t make any one-time middle or high ticket offers, you still get their contacts. Thus you can later contact them for sales and promotions, product launches, etc.


How to Build A Tripwire Funnel
A tripwire funnel is a simple yet powerful marketing strategy. Using the funnel for your business can actually make some difference in your client base. Thus, it will boost your business landscapes, leaving you with a wider audience and target zone. So, here I have discussed how to build a tripwire sales funnel for your business.
1. Research Your Product
Tripwire funnel starts with creating a low-ticket offer. It is the foremost part that attracts your audiences. So, while making the offer, you must take certain things under consideration:
- What product are you offering
- Quality of the product
- Design of the template
While creating a low-ticket offer, you must make an offer that creates some impact on the viewer. Or else, he/she won’t be interested in your offer at all. It requires a little market research to study your audiences and how they can get some help from your initial bid.
For example, if you offer something related to web designing, you can offer them an online course for 1 week. Now, the offer should be a regular offer which is basically highly-priced. For example, if your general price is $59.00, offer it for $9.99. Don’t forget to show the difference.
Next comes the quality of the product. Just because you are offering this at a low price doesn’t mean that it has to be cheap. Instead, I would always recommend something high on the bid. In most cases, your initial offer is the first-ever product some customers will try. So, it has something to do with reputation.
Lastly comes the designing part. One thing we all know is how much designing is essential in the marketing field. The color and pattern that you use have a significant impact on your customers. A nicely designed template can attract the customer to read what’s written. So, be careful when you create the template. It should have the approach.
2. Keep in Touch with Your Customers via Email
When your customers make a purchase, your job does not end there. Instead, it actually starts from here. Remember, the tripwire sales funnel is just a way to bring customers to your door. The rest has to be done by you only. So, what happens after their initial purchase from you?
You get their email IDs when they buy something from you. It is your golden chance to strengthen your relationships with your customers. Once you have their emails, you can send them sale offers. You can also keep them updated on your new product launches or price drops.
We all know how valuable email marketing is to bring a good ROI. You can promote your seasonal sales via email and keep your audiences intact. Furthermore, you can invite them to come and like your social media pages or follow your profiles there.
But while doing so, make sure you stay on the tripwire line, meaning don’t convert them to something else. For example, if your customer has bought a web designing course from you, don’t convert on an offer related to something else (e.g. dog training course). It can lower their interest, and they may even stop checking your emails in the future.
3. Where to Place the Offer
To sell your products, you have to make them well visible to potential buyers. Exposure plays a great role here. If your buyers don’t get to see where the offer is, they will likely avoid and leave your page without generating any result. So, you should always put the offers somewhere more visible.
I would recommend placing the products on your navigation bar. You can also use a popup that will make sure your customers see it. Now, if you want my opinion on this, I would recommend using a Thrive leads plugin to do a job because it has all options possible for WordPress-based websites.
While creating the offer, make sure you point out all the key features of the product carefully. When people are going to purchase it, they will more likely do it from here. Adding the key features will only enhance the chances while making it more irresistible.
You can add a timer on the page to put your audience in FOMO. The timer will make them feel as if they are going to miss something. But make sure that the offered product is worth the money. Because if your customers are unhappy with your purchase, they won’t come back again.
4. Use Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is often a great option that generates email leads. It can work great with your tripwire funnel. Since the tripwire funnel works both as a selling point and lead gathering, a lead magnet can make it more vivid. You have to put an offer for a lead magnet that can attract prospects to receive your emails.
Then you can push your offers via those emails and get them to know these. It is a great way to bring more prospects to your list. Here is a small example of how you can do it.
Suppose you offer some web designing courses. So, you can use the list of offered courses, some tips, and tricks via a 10-page ebook. It can be your lead magnet. People can opt for the service and register their email to get the ebook delivered.
Next, you can offer them a “lite” service as a tripwire offer for a minimal price. Now when they make a purchase, they’ll get to see the “full package” at the end. If they want, they can avail it as well.
You can use these lead magnets in two ways. Firstly you can put it on your website from where people can get it via search. Or, you can use Facebook ads or Google advertising to get more eyeballs.


What is 2-Step Tripwire Funnel
People often get confused between a tripwire funnel and a 2-step tripwire funnel. Well, both of them almost have the same job. Yet, there is a simple distinction that makes them different. So, what is the difference between a tripwire sales funnel and a 2-step tripwire funnel?
A tripwire funnel has three main parts. In the first part, you create an original low-ticket offer that attracts prospects. If they find it helpful, they may move ahead and make a purchase- which is the primary intent of the tripwire funnel.
The next part is also well-known to us where they get to see a one-time-only higher ticket offer. This offer is basically one of your best products that you are offering them for a low price. If they like it, they can purchase it, or they get redirected to a confirmation page.
It is where it differs from the 2-step tripwire funnel. Once your customer rejects the higher ticket in this funnel, they get to see a medium value ticket. This offer is less expensive than the higher ticket and higher than the initial one.
Most of the time, under psychological pressure, people purchase the offer. It is a great push to make someone buy something. So, the primary difference between a tripwire funnel and a 2-step tripwire funnel is that there is no down-selling after the higher ticket in the tripwire funnel.


Tripwire Funnel Examples
Free Plus Shipping
As I said, your initial offer has to be smart enough to attract potential audiences. So, free plus shipping is one of the best examples of a tripwire funnel. It can really draw a good bunch of audiences to your platform and opt for your services. So, how does it work?
Free plus shipping is a strategy where you offer some product for $0.00 as long as the customer is willing to pay the shipping charges. Suppose you are selling a customized photo album for $19.99. Now, as long as your customer pays for the shipping charges, you can give them first-order entirely for free.


First Week/Month/Year Discount
This is another effective tripwire funnel technique where you offer your services for a discounted price for a certain period. Suppose you provide digital marketing courses for $99.00/month. Now, you can offer it for only $49.00/month for the first year for first-time customers. It will make them try your product with tremendous intuition.


Bundled Product
Bundled products always work great as a tripwire. In this technique, you offer some bundled products for a much lower price. For example, designcuts.com is a website that provides various resources like fonts, templates, graphics, textures for designers. It really seems a value-for-money offer for them, which makes them buy it.


You might also like: What is a Self-Liquidating Funnel?
Wrapping up
Tripwire funnel has a completely justifiable name for what it does in business. It makes the customer take a small action and then pushes them for larger purchases. With the right funnel design and by placing your offers craftily, you can significantly impact your customers. That said, do look after your email marketing to build up a better relationship with them.