You want customers? They won’t come to you themselves – you have to lure them in. And once you do, you have to keep taking care of them, so they don’t leave.
But, you probably already know this. Why would you be here otherwise?
The process of luring your customers, igniting their interest, and then supporting them as they decide to buy from you is what is popularly known as a sales funnel in the marketing world.
Lucrative businesses have powerful sales funnels. They have found what their customers want, and what their pain points are, and then found a way to play on those needs and to convince the prospects that their products or services are the answers to the mentioned needs and troubles.
Once upon a time (okay, in all fairness, it was not that long ago) you had to have particular skills, and lots and lots of time in order to build a funnel for your business. But nowadays, there are plenty of tools which make the whole deal pretty quick, easy and painless.
Of course, just like it happens with every product on the market, once the demand for such tools spiked, many apps appeared trying to satisfy this demand.
And, having too many options is just as problematic as having none. With so many software solutions to choose from, how do you know which one is the best?
Knowing how frustrating it is to make a comparison on your own (we were in your shoes not so long ago), we decided to make it easy for you and break down the specifics of two of the most popular funnel building tools: ClickFunnels and LeadPages.
Although we already made our choice (we use ClickFunnels in our company), we promise to give you an unbiased overview of both tools, so you can understand what they offer, and be able to make an informed decision on what is the best choice for your company’s current needs.
So, let’s start.
ClickFunnels appeared on the market just four years ago, and positioned itself as the game changer in the marketplace.
Clickfunnels is a tool that was created to be both efficient and effective. You can use it to build any type of funnel: from landing pages, to webinars or membership sites (upsells and downsells included) – it’s all at the tip of your fingertips. Here’s what to expect of it:
It integrates with various payment processors, streamlining the payment process.
Another great thing about the tool is that it comes with an inbuilt email marketing software, so you do not need to other email automation software to retain your customers. So, unlike many other tools (including LeadPages), ClickFunnels will not only provide you with the means to capture your leads, but will support you through the whole customer journey, as you nurture your leads and turn them into repeat buyers, increasing their lifetime value.
Of course, all of this would not be worth much if you couldn’t test your funnels, and analyze the results. ClickFunnels allows you to test your pages, and comes with its own analytics software, which you can use to evaluate your results and decide where and how you can optimize your funnel.
Considering everything, you no longer need to find different tools to build your page – you can build and maintain an entire high-converting funnel using just one software. That way, you can stop spending your valuable time switching between applications, and start spending it on more important aspects of your business.
LeadPages is a specialized landing page funnel builder, and it is the top provider at what it does. Its drag-and-drop functionality and simple interface makes it relatively easy to use.
LeadPages will help you set up your landing page and capture your visitors’ contacts via various means, including email collection through text messaging. Where it lacks though, is in the lead nurturing department, as it does not provide an email automation solution.
The tool provides users with the possibility to test and analyze their efforts, to find out exactly what they do right and how they can improve to get better results.
Since the tool is meant to help you with just one part of the funnel, it is integrated with many other tools that complete the package. It makes a distinction between integrated and compatible apps. The integrated apps are officially supported by the software and show up in its drop-down menu, while the compatible ones can work with lead pages but are not officially supported.
Obviously, these two tools do not offer the same things, and they differ in one fundamental thing: their purpose.
Namely, ClickFunnels is an all in one solution that allows you to build entire funnels by using one app.
LeadPages, on the other hand, is a specialized landing page builder that focuses on making it easy to build landing pages that convert and are optimized to capture leads.
However, apart from having some distinct features, they also have a couple of points where they overlap.
Let’s take a closer look.
In other words, ClickFunnels offers EVERYTHING you need to place and sell your product online and to nurture your leads, turning them into high-paying, returning customers with increased lifetime value.
To build ANY type of funnel you have to go through four simple steps:
Okay, so both tools are very powerful, but obviously ClickFunnels is everything lead pages is and much more.
We have to note two things: first, although you can use both tools to set up webinars, ClickFunnels offers advanced webinar funnels, and second, they both have great dashboards, but again, ClickFunnels is a clear winner as it shows more data. Also, the options for customization that LeadPages offers are pretty limited, as is the split testing.
The only area where ClickFunnels lacks when contrasted with LeadPages is the number of pre-built templates and the deployment time which is a little bit slower.
And, let’s not forget the learning curve, which, naturally, can be pretty steep when it comes to ClickFunnels, as it offers a multitude of functionalities.
Okay, so functionality-wise, ClickFunnels is a clear winner. But what about the price?
Leadpages Pricing
At first glance, LeadPages seems to be cheaper, but to draw a conclusion, we also have to take a look at everything these tools offer at a certain price.
The basic LeadPages $25 plan, for example, does not include the split testing feature. So, if you’re serious about what you’re doing and you want to build a high-converting landing page (or a funnel, in general), you have to go for the pro or the advanced plan, which is more expensive.
ClickFunnels, on the other hand, includes not only split testing but much more for the flat monthly price of $97. The only difference between a startup and enterprise plan is the maximum supported number of funnels you can build, the access to premium support and templates, as well as the number unique visitors.
However, even by getting the startup plan, you’ll be getting more functionalities than by buying the LeadPages advanced plan.
Both Leadpages and ClickFunnels offer free 14-day trials of their services.
By now, it must be evident to you that we have been comparing tools that are quite different. Both of them are powerful and widely used, and have their strengths, so ultimately, which one you choose depends on your current needs.
If you just need to collect some leads, then you can go with LeadPages as it has a less steep learning curve. However, in the long run, we find that all-in-one solutions work the best.
Getting used to different tools, and then integrating them so you can get a full product can be truly frustrating. And – time-consuming. And as in the business world time is money, we always prefer complete solutions that allow us to get everything we need and save time on top of it.
Although ClickFunnels might be harder to handle for the less tech-savvy individuals – once you learn to work with it, it will be only a matter of minutes before you build entire multi-level funnels.
But we have to note that LeadPages does not and cannot measure up to ClickFunnels because of one fundamental reason: it was not built with the same purpose in mind.
So, again, decide on your needs, and what you wish to accomplish, and then choose the tool that can provide you with the solution. If lead capturing is all you need, you can opt for the cheaper option. But if you are currently developing and expanding your business, that will not be enough, as you will definitely need room to maneuver.
Disclosure: Kaizen Sigma is an independent ClickFunnels Affiliate, not an employee. Our agency receives referral payments from ClickFunnels. The opinions expressed here are our own and are not official statements of ClickFunnels or its parent company, Etison LLC.
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