If your marketing strategy is all about conversions, you might be leaving a huge chunk of potential customers untapped.
While direct response ads (like lead gen or sales-focused campaigns geared towards the bottom of the funnel) are great for capturing demand, they rely on people already knowing who you are. But what about those who don’t?
That’s where awareness ads come in.
The Awareness Stage: Why It Matters
At the top of the marketing funnel, we introduce our brand to potential customers.
The goal? Reach as many people as possible and start building brand awareness.
Why? Because increased brand awareness leads to trust, and trust is what ultimately drives purchases.
Measuring Success at the Top of the Funnel
Unlike conversion-focused campaigns, success at this stage isn’t measured by sales. After all, most people won’t buy something they’ve never heard of.
Instead, we track:
- Impressions – The number of times an ad or another piece of content (like a social media post) is displayed or viewed.
- Reach – How many unique people are seeing that content.
- Frequency – How often the same person is seeing that content.
- Brand Mentions – How often the brand is being mentioned in the media or on social platforms.
These metrics indicate how well your brand is being introduced and how much visibility it’s gaining.
Examples of Top-of-Funnel Content
At this stage, content should focus on visibility and engagement, not conversions. Let’s suppose your product is a high-end specialty camera.
Some examples include:
- Social Media & Influencers – Organic posts, influencer partnerships, and boosted content.
- Awareness-Level Digital Ads – Video, display, and banner ads.
- Television & Cinema Commercials – Traditional but effective mass reach.
- Print Ads – Newspaper and magazine placements.
- Outdoor Ads – Billboards, transit ads, and other high-visibility placements.
- Sponsorships – Event sponsorships like trade shows and sports events.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are particularly effective for brand awareness.
They offer visually appealing content formats and powerful targeting options that help you reach your ideal audience and engage with them in an authentic way – all while they’re scrolling through their feed.
A Word About Budgets
A common recommendation is to allocate 50-60% of your ad budget to Top of Funnel (awareness) and Middle of Funnel (consideration) tactics, leaving 40% for conversion-level campaigns.
Yes, that means more than half your budget should go toward building brand awareness and trust.
Why? Because it:
-
Invests in long-term growth – Brand recognition pays off over time.
-
Leads to higher lifetime values and repeat business – Customers who trust your brand will come back.
-
Is cost-effective – Conversion-level ads tend to be more expensive.
-
Builds your audience – Reaching a broad audience ensures future leads.
-
Supports lead generation – A familiar brand is easier to convert later on.
The Takeaway
If you’re only focusing on conversions, you’re missing a key part of the equation. Awareness ads lay the foundation for future success, ensuring that when people are ready to buy, they already know and trust your brand.
So, if you’re not running awareness ads yet—it’s time to start.
About the Author:
Lauren Spagnoletti is co-Founder and Marketing Strategist of the boutique marketing agency Little Men Roaring, LLC that she co-owns with her husband in Charlotte, NC.
In addition to leading accounts at an ad agency, she has led marketing efforts for startups, major universities, family-owned businesses, international clientele, and everything in between. You can access Lauren’s Marketing Momentum Bootcamp for Business Owners here to level up your own marketing.
For more information or to contact Lauren, you can reach her at Lauren@littlemenroaring.com
About the Publisher:
Jeff Hamm is the creator and producer of The Best of LKN. He’s a licensed real estate broker and digital marketing professional who helps real estate agents nationwide generate high quality leads.
When he isn’t working, you can usually find Jeff boating, running & cycling local greenways, and taking walks with his dogs Sam and Maisy.
Jeff Hamm
Allen Tate Realtors®
Lake Norman
www.LKNreal.com