Strategy Alignment — 5-Stage Funnel × SOPs
Funnel mapping, paid ad strategy, 72-hour retargeting sequence, 16 buying reasons, gap concepts, and key principles
April 2026
Funnel Alignment
▼Stage 1 — Venus Fly Trap (VFT)
Clean. 3 scripts follow SOP 14 perfectly. No CTA, pure value. No changes needed.
Stage 2 — Direct Response (DR)
SOP 31 compliant. 17 DR scripts covering 10+ unique buying reasons. Agency-attack framing has been replaced with “spending before you’re ready” positioning across DR-02, DR-04, and DR-12. Hawk OS (DR-18) is the strongest new angle. Creative diversity is now SOP 31 compliant.
Stage 3 — Apply
Strong. Landing page and confirmation page are strong. No SOP conflicts.
Stage 4 — Hammer Them
RT scripts are all clean. Need pillar tagging for sequencing. See recommended 72-hour sequence below.
Stage 5 — Attend
Email nurture sequence handles this. See emails page for review.
72-Hour Retargeting Sequence
▼Recommended sequencing for Stage 4 (Hammer Them). Each script mapped to a pillar with intentional emotional pacing.
| Hour | Script | Pillar | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 | RT-06 (Keynote) | Expectations | Open with authority |
| 6–12 | RT-08 (Awards) | Expectations | Stack credibility |
| 12–18 | RT-01 (Industry?) | Objections | Address #1 concern |
| 18–24 | RT-05 (Shiels) | 2nd Layer | Data proof |
| 24–30 | RT-02 (Not Tech?) | Objections | Lower barrier |
| 36–42 | RT-09 (Brand Clients) | 2nd Layer | Enterprise proof |
| 42–48 | RT-04 (Results Timeline) | Expectations | Set honest expectations |
| 48–54 | RT-11 (Mum’s Home) | Expectations | Emotional peak |
| 54–60 | RT-12 (120 People) | 2nd Layer | Team legitimacy |
| 60–66 | RT-03 (Behind Scenes) | Expectations | FOMO |
| 66–72 | RT-13 (Closer) | Objections | Decision trigger |
Paid Ad Strategy Summary
▼Budget Allocation
| Tier | Monthly | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $3,000–$5,000 | Testing creative, building pools, 1 workshop/quarter |
| Growth | $5,000–$10,000 | Consistent pipeline, 1 workshop/month |
| Scale | $10,000–$25,000 | Multiple workshops/month, AU + international |
Stage Split
| Stage | % of Budget | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 (Warm) | 25% | Build 75%+ viewer pools |
| Stage 2 (Hot) | 40% | Drive LP visits + applications |
| Stage 3 (Apply) | 15% | Landing page + form |
| Stage 4 (Convert) | 10% | 72-hour retargeting blitz |
| Flywheel | 10% | Hawk Academy free course retarget |
Key Benchmarks (AUD, Meta)
| Metric | Target | Red Flag |
|---|---|---|
| CPM (Stage 1, cold) | $12–$20 | >$40 |
| Cost per ThruPlay | $0.05–$0.12 | >$0.30 |
| CPC to landing page | $1.50–$3.00 | >$7.00 |
| Cost per application | $50–$100 | >$300 |
| Cost per attendee | $150–$300 | >$600 |
Unit Economics
Revenue per seat: $3,500. At 30 seats, $300 blended CPA = ~$12,000 total spend. Revenue: $105,000. ROAS: 8.75x.
Platform Split
| Tier | Meta | YouTube | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 85% | 10% | 0% | 5% |
| Growth | 75% | 15% | 5% | 5% |
| Scale | 65% | 15% | 12% | 8% |
Creative Refresh Cadence
Need 15–20 new creatives/month. Harry batch-films 2 sessions/month (2–3 hrs each) = 8–12 raw takes. Mixed hooks/bodies/CTAs yield 15–20 final creatives per shoot.
Fatigue signals (replace when 2+ hit simultaneously):
- CTR decline >20% from peak over 5–7 days
- CPM increase >30% from launch
- Frequency >2.5 cold, >6 warm
- CPC increase >40% from 3-day avg
Scaling Triggers (all must be true for 7+ days)
- ROAS >4x
- Cost per application <$120
- Cost per attendee <$350
- No active creatives showing fatigue
- Workshop fill rate >80%
Scale vertically: +15–20% daily budget every 5–7 days. Monitor 48hrs.
Dog Food Exercise — The 16 Buying Reasons
▼Per SOP 31: list every unique reason someone would buy, then ensure each has at least one dedicated creative.
| # | Buying Reason | Covered By | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stop burning on paid ads | DR-01, DR-11 | Covered |
| 2 | Understand what good looks like before spending | DR-02, DR-04, DR-12 | Covered |
| 3 | AI Search FOMO / future-proofing | VFT-01, DR-05 | Covered |
| 4 | Hands-on implementation | DR-03 | Covered |
| 5 | AI workflow / tools accessible | DR-04, DR-06 | Covered |
| 6 | Real results / case studies | DR-07, DR-08, RT-05 | Covered |
| 7 | ROI math / payback | DR-10 | Covered |
| 8 | Mission / free education | DR-14, DR-15 | Covered |
| 9 | Ongoing support / accountability | DR-13 | Covered |
| 10 | Workshop experience / atmosphere | DR-09, RT-03 | Covered |
| 11 | Career change / new skill | — | GAP |
| 12 | Hire smarter / evaluate agencies | — | GAP |
| 13 | Networking / 30 business owners | — | GAP |
| 14 | Speed / compress 6 months | DR-16 (NEW) | NEW SCRIPT |
| 15 | Second revenue channel / diversify | Partially DR-01 | NEEDS DR-17 |
| 16 | Agency-built AI workflows (Hawk OS) | DR-18 | Covered |
Gap Script Concepts
▼New scripts to fill gaps #11, #12, #13, and #15 from the Dog Food exercise.
The Highest-Paid Skill Nobody’s Talking About
Hook: “If you can write an email, you can learn SEO. And it pays better than most careers.”
Buying Reason: Career change / new skill
How to Tell If Your SEO Agency Is Actually Working
Hook: “I run an agency with 120 people. Here’s what a good one should show you every month.”
Buying Reason: Hire smarter / evaluate agencies
Note: Pro-agency positioning — validates the agency model while empowering the buyer.
30 Business Owners in One Room for Two Days
Hook: “The connections you make at the workshop might be worth more than the SEO.”
Buying Reason: Networking / 30 business owners
What Happens When Google Ads Gets Too Expensive to Run
Hook: “If 100% of your leads come from paid ads, you don’t have a business. You have a subscription.”
Buying Reason: Second revenue channel / diversify
Note: Different from DR-01 — this is the RISK angle, not the COST angle.
Key Principles (v5)
▼The rules established in this review session. Every script, ad, and landing page must align with these.
1. Enemy
“Spending before you’re ready” — not agencies. Workshop = step before agency, not replacement.
2. Hawk OS
“A version of the same AI system our agency runs on” — built by three people working full-time on AI implementation, building off what 120 SEO specialists do daily.
3. ICP
“Not getting consistent leads from Google or AI Search” (not “zero organic traffic”).
4. Catchphrase
“Stop guessing. Start showing up.”
5. Credibility
45 industry awards. Seven times Best Large SEO Agency, judged by fifty independent reviewers. No Forbes in credibility stacking (Forbes stays in origin story scripts only).
6. AI Team
“Three people working full-time on AI implementation” (not “three AI engineers”).
7. No “Full Service”
No “full service agency” or “we do that too” references anywhere in the campaign.
8. Harry’s Voice
Direct, short punchy sentences, first-person, anti-guru energy. “Explaining to a mate.”