The idea of creating an online marketing funnel is to generate business leads from your online activities.

An online marketing funnel is not social media or just a email list.  An online marketing funnel is a comprehensive give and take of information between the brand and their audience.  It helps people self qualify as well as identify themselves.

It's not just social networking.  It's not just search engine optimization or marketing.  It's not just email marketing.  It's not just a website or blog.  It's a process of using all these elements to help people identify and engage themselves with your brand and becoming potential customers.

It sounds simple but it takes a lot of work to implement and maintain.  Ask any top salesperson if maintaining their sales funnel doesn't require constant work to maintain and grow so they'll have purchases on a regular basis.

Any top salesperson will tell you that it requires flexibility and various approaches for various prospects.  The qualifying questions may be very similiar but helping people move through the sales process takes a wide variety of conversations, information sharing sessions and deeper understanding of the potential customer.

If you do the same online with your social, email and search marketing, you'll find it quite similar to what the salesperson does to maintain and groom their funnel.  It takes time to do and nurture.

Be strategic.  Converse with your audience to engage them.  Qualify with action and soon, you'll have all sorts of online leads.