18 Tools for Building Marketing Funnels and Why Marketers Love Them

Navigating the world of marketing funnels can feel like steering a ship through uncharted waters, with each wave holding the promise of newfound territories. As you listen to insights from a CEO and a co-founder, you’ll uncover the keys to mastering these seas. Beginning with streamlined funnels using ClickFunnels and culminating with personalized funnels employing SharpSpring, here are eighteen valuable insights to explore. 

Want to get quoted in MarketerInterview.com content just like this? Apply to become a contributor today!

Use ClickFunnels for Streamlined Funnels

I primarily use ClickFunnels for building marketing funnels. It’s an all-in-one solution that streamlines the process of creating sales funnels without needing advanced technical skills.

Here is an example of how I used ClickFunnels for our platform that teaches entrepreneurs how to hire and manage virtual assistants.

• Lead Magnet Landing Page: I used ClickFunnels to create a simple landing page offering a free “VA Hiring Cheat Sheet.” The goal was to capture leads by providing high-value content. The page had a clear headline, bullet points on what they’d get, and an email capture form.

• Thank You Page: Once users submitted their email, they were directed to a “Thank You” page with a video explaining more about our service and a one-time offer (OTO) for a discounted membership. This was a simple upsell strategy right after acquiring the lead.

• Email Sequence: After collecting their email, we connected ClickFunnels to ActiveCampaign, which triggered an email sequence. This nurtured the leads by delivering more value, testimonials, and insights into the benefits of joining.

• Sales Page: Within a few emails, we directed leads to a ClickFunnels sales page for our membership program. The sales page highlighted the core benefits, included customer testimonials, and had a clear call-to-action for purchasing the program.

ClickFunnels made it easy to manage the whole process—from lead capture to sales—with very little tech setup.

Connor Gillivan, Entrepreneur, Owner & CMO, AccountsBalance

Visualize Funnels With Funnelytics

I’ve recently started using Funnelytics to build marketing funnels. It’s not a classical funnel builder, but a very clever tool that combines visualization and analytics by enabling you to visualize entire marketing funnels on a virtual canvas. This is great for visual learners and teams that benefit from seeing strategies laid out visually rather than just looking at spreadsheets and reports all day. The fact that it tracks how traffic flows down the funnel in real-time, and you can visually see how and where people drop off or convert, makes it a very useful tool.

It allows us to see, in a tangible way, not just what we’re doing in our marketing funnel, but whether it’s working the way we want it to work. The analytics part of Funnelytics is more than just a dashboard showing numbers; it provides insights about your user behavior, your conversion paths, and more. This allows you to focus your attention on the part of your funnel that needs the most optimization, all based on actual, reliable data. 

This tool changed everything for me. I could go into my account, make quick decisions, and tweak things on the fly to improve our conversion rates dramatically. Suddenly, I could look at a 20-step funnel and see where it was breaking, so I could fix it to start converting more customers. Funnelytics has allowed me to hone in on the specific parts of our campaign that are costing us the most money, and find ways to get better results at a lower cost. It’s the most important tool in my arsenal, and I use it every day.

Craig Focht, Co-founder & CEO, All Pro Door Repair

Combine ClickFunnels and HubSpot

For building marketing funnels, I primarily use a mix of ClickFunnels for its simplicity and HubSpot for more integrated, data-driven workflows. ClickFunnels is fantastic when you need a quick, no-code solution to get landing pages and sales funnels live. It’s intuitive, and its drag-and-drop builder allows you to test ideas fast.

For more complex funnels that involve nurturing leads, automating touchpoints, and tracking user behavior across platforms, HubSpot is my go-to. I’ve found it particularly powerful for B2B clients where managing the entire customer journey—from lead generation to closing deals—requires deeper CRM integration. For example, one client saw a 35% increase in lead-to-customer conversion by automating their follow-up process through HubSpot.

When email plays a critical role, especially in e-commerce, I integrate Klaviyo because of its segmentation and automation features. By sending highly personalized emails based on user actions, I’ve helped brands increase repeat purchases and drive revenue growth. My key takeaway is to choose your tools based on the complexity of the funnel and the end goals, ensuring everything is trackable so you can optimize performance over time.

Tom Edwards, Founder, Bit Quirky Consulting

Explore AI-Powered Funnels

We are exploring the use of artificial intelligence through tools like Adobe Sensei to revolutionize how we build marketing funnels. Adobe Sensei uses AI and machine learning to automate and enhance many tasks that were previously manual and time-consuming, such as audience segmentation and personalized content creation. 

By leveraging these capabilities, we can create highly-dynamic funnels that adapt in real time to changes in user behavior and market conditions, ensuring our strategies are always aligned with the latest trends and customer needs. This approach not only saves time but also significantly increases the precision and effectiveness of our marketing efforts.

Jason Hennessey, CEO, Hennessey Digital

Treat Your Funnel Like an Assembly Line

Instead of relying on just one tool, I actually treat my marketing funnel like an assembly line. I mix and match tools based on what works best for each stage.

For example, I use Instantly for cold outreach because it’s fast and scalable. Then, I bring leads into ActiveCampaign for nurturing and automation since it’s more flexible. For landing pages, I stick with GoHighLevel because it’s easy to tweak on the fly without coding, and for analytics, I’ll pull data into Google Sheets using Zapier so I can analyze everything in one place.

By not locking myself into a single platform, I get way more control over the process, and I can swap tools in and out as needed.

It’s like having a custom toolkit that adapts to the job at hand.

Austin Benton, Marketing Consultant, Gotham Artists

Create Interactive Funnels With Heyflow

I’ve found Heyflow to be an effective tool for building marketing funnels. It’s a no-code platform that allows you to create interactive and engaging funnels without needing any coding expertise. Heyflow offers a range of templates and customization options, enabling you to design personalized experiences that guide visitors through your sales process and increase conversion rates.

Its user-friendly interface and seamless integration capabilities make it a valuable addition to any marketing strategy. Utilizing Heyflow has significantly enhanced our lead-generation efforts and improved customer engagement, contributing to overall business growth.

Robert Roth, CEO, Quote For Solar Group

Manage Funnels With HubSpot’s Marketing Hub

I rely on HubSpot’s Marketing Hub to build and manage marketing funnels. This all-in-one platform offers a robust set of tools for creating landing pages, email campaigns, and lead-nurturing workflows. HubSpot’s strength lies in its comprehensive approach, integrating customer relationship management (CRM) with marketing automation. This integration allows for highly personalized and data-driven funnel strategies that can adapt to customer behaviors and preferences in real time.

Matt Earle, President, Reputation.ca

Build Funnels With Systeme.io

For building marketing funnels, I primarily use Systeme.io. It offers an all-in-one solution that simplifies the entire process, from funnel creation to email marketing and even course management. The user-friendly interface allows me to quickly set-up funnels using proven templates, which saves a lot of time. I appreciate its affordability, especially with the free plan for beginners. 

Another tool I find useful is ClickFunnels, known for its robust features and ease of use, although it comes at a higher price-point. Both tools help me effectively visualize and optimize the customer journey, ensuring I can convert leads into loyal customers efficiently.

Kartik Ahuja, Digital Marketer, kartikahuja.com

Utilize Leadpages for Simple Funnels

We’ve had great success using Leadpages for our marketing funnels. Its simplicity aligns perfectly with our philosophy of selling complex SEO services as easily as products on Amazon. The platform’s conversion-optimized templates have helped us showcase our services effectively, contributing to our impressive growth over the past decade.

Joe Davies, CEO, FATJOE

Create Sophisticated Funnels With Salesforce

We’ve been successful with Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Its robust features allow us to create sophisticated, multi-channel funnels that really resonate with our diverse customer base. The AI-powered analytics have been crucial in optimizing our campaigns, resulting in a 25% boost in conversion rates. I particularly appreciate its scalability—it’s grown right alongside our company over the past five years.

Andrew Dunn, Vice President of Marketing, Zentro Internet

Build Effective Funnels With ConvertKit

We’ve thoroughly tested various customer relationship management (CRM) systems for creating effective marketing funnels, and ConvertKit has proven to be the top performer for our specific needs. Its powerful automation features stand out, allowing us to create complex email sequences and subscriber journeys with ease. Compared to other CRMs we’ve used, ConvertKit’s interface is remarkably intuitive, cutting down on the learning curve and allowing our team to focus on strategy rather than grappling with technical hurdles.

One aspect of ConvertKit that we particularly value is its robust subscriber segmentation and sequencing capabilities. These features enable us to deliver highly targeted content to different audience segments, significantly boosting our engagement rates. 

Additionally, ConvertKit offers seamless integrations with many other marketing tools we use, streamlining our overall workflow. This combination of powerful features, ease of use, and flexibility makes ConvertKit an invaluable asset in our marketing toolkit, helping us to build and manage funnels that effectively nurture leads and drive conversions.

Ryan Doser, Contributing Tech Author, TROYPOINT

Build Funnels With Kajabi

I rely on Kajabi for building comprehensive marketing funnels that align with our leadership development programs. Its robust features allow me to create personalized journeys for clients, integrating assessments like Myers-Briggs and DISC seamlessly. The platform’s analytics help me refine our approach, resulting in a 25% increase in client engagement. I’ve found it particularly effective for nurturing relationships with women in leadership roles, a key focus area for our consulting services.

Barbara McMahan, CEO, Atticus Consulting LLC

Build Engaging Funnels With Kartra

For my gaming and tech clients, I’ve had great success using Kartra to build engaging marketing funnels. Its versatile templates allow me to incorporate gamification elements that resonate with Minecraft players and boost community interaction. The platform’s A/B testing capabilities have been instrumental in optimizing conversion rates, leading to a 40% increase in player engagement for one client. Plus, Kartra’s integration with popular gaming platforms makes it easy to track and analyze player behavior throughout the funnel.

Jas Bola, Product Marketing, Minecraft Menu

Build Funnels With White-Labeled Go HighLevel

I use GoHighLevel under a white label—I can build my own funnels and edit them easily. There is flexibility in the system, and you can use your own domain, which is pretty cool.

Brad Shipway, Real Estate Sales Agent, Brad Shipway Property

Combine Klaviyo and Gorgias

A top-tier tech stack combines Klaviyo for advanced triggers and segmentation with Gorgias for seamless reply management. What I find to be most impressive is leveraging Gorgias alerts to notify your team when it’s time to engage with customers at specific stages of their journey. This essentially provides full visibility into the funnel and then empowers your team to intervene at the right time to drive conversions. Stages can be defined through tagging at the e-commerce level, like Shopify, or in Klaviyo, and those tags get passed through the ecosystem into Gorgias via the customer profile.

Brayden Beavis, Founder, Your Salon Support

Combine GoHighLevel, Typeform, and Calendly

Our ad campaigns rely heavily on a mix of tools. One-size-fits-all tools are a myth, as the goal is conversions, and it’s worth it to pay more for something that’ll make you more off your marketing. The one we use the most is GoHighLevel for our book-a-call ad funnels. This lets us use landing pages, a CRM to nurture clients, and a way for sales and marketing to work together. 

However, we do use Typeform to qualify people who want to book and send them the proper information based on their awareness level. We also use Calendly as it doubles the book rates vs. other tools’ calendars.

Keigan Carthy, Founder, Vision Management

Utilize GoHighLevel for All Marketing Needs

I personally use GoHighLevel for all my marketing needs, and I highly recommend it. The main reason is that it provides an all-in-one platform that makes marketing much simpler. Instead of juggling different tools for email marketing, text messaging, landing pages, and customer management, GoHighLevel combines them all into one easy-to-use system. This saves me a lot of time and reduces the hassle of switching between multiple programs. 

The platform is user-friendly and offers customizable templates, so I can quickly create professional marketing materials. It also has automation features that let me set up campaigns to run on their own, freeing me up to focus on other important tasks. Overall, GoHighLevel streamlines my marketing efforts and makes them more effective, which is why I rely on it for everything.

Robert Hampton, SEO Expert, Hampton Consulting

Use SharpSpring for Personalized Funnels

As for marketing funnels specifically for salons and spas, my secret weapon is SharpSpring—a platform that sits outside the “shiny object syndrome” of large companies such as HubSpot or Salesforce. SharpSpring can do a lot. Even more so, it’s what is not in the tool that makes it really potent when it comes to serving the niche market in a way similar to your brick-and-mortar partners. SharpSpring has so much flexibility, especially when you’re dealing with a niche business like my own, a smaller business where you can get away with sustainable growth using a smaller team. SharpSpring enables us to create intensely personalized communication flows.

We use SharpSpring to create an Empathy Map of each stage based on the unique path that a prospective salon or spa client takes to go from awareness to your first visit—all the way to becoming a loyal, raving customer. For example, a targeted email automation sends content relevant to the service that a prospect has shown interest in—whether that’s a new haircut, massage, or skincare routine. 

Rather than sending them your standard spa marketing campaigns, the prospect will receive articles, tips, and special offers that help them to book their first appointment. This significantly increases the chance of converting your prospect into an appointment. It also builds a more dedicated customer with loyalty that surpasses that of the hairdresser.

Alexander Henschel, Digital Marketing Manager, Boulevard

Want to get quoted in MarketerInterview.com content just like this? Apply to become a contributor today!