Stop Trying to Sell Before Anyone Knows Who You Are

Jumping straight into ads when no one’s heard of you is a fast track to disappointment.

Think of it like throwing a party but forgetting to send invitations. You’ve put in effort, but the room is still empty.

The truth is, people don’t buy from strangers. They buy from people and brands they know, like, and trust.

Yet many smart founders skip the essential first step. Becoming known by the right people.

It’s not that ads don’t work, they do, but only when they’re aimed at an audience that already sees value in what you offer.

Why You’re Not Ready for Ads (Yet)

There are two sides to the marketing journey:

1. Your future customer’s path – They notice you, get curious, learn more, weigh up their options, and eventually decide.
2. Your path – You’re working to earn a place in their consideration set by showing up, delivering value, and staying relevant.

Without awareness, your ads have to work far harder and cost far more to get results.

In some cases, they just won’t work at all.

Build Awareness Before You Sell

Building awareness is about creating the conditions for trust. That starts with showing up where your audience is and speaking to what matters to them.

Awareness isn’t just a numbers game, it’s about building the right kind of recognition.

Before you pour money into campaigns, focus on showing up where your audience already spends time. Share helpful insights, tell stories, and create content that solves problems they actually have. Use a mix of platforms. LinkedIn, podcasts, industry newsletters, and even webinars, to meet your audience where they already are.

Instead of thinking “How can I get sales today?” start with “How can I be genuinely useful to my ideal customer?”

That’s the mindset shift that turns cold leads into warm conversations.

The Awareness Ladder

Think of building awareness like climbing a ladder:

• Step 1: Visibility – Your audience starts to recognize your name or brand.
• Step 2: Familiarity – They understand what you do and why you do it.
• Step 3: Credibility – They see you as an authority and trust your insights.
• Step 4: Advocacy – They recommend you to others without being asked.

You can’t skip from Step 1 to Step 4. Ads can accelerate movement up the ladder, but only if the first steps are already in place.

What to Do Next

Here’s a better sequence:

1. Be visible – Post regularly on LinkedIn, guest on podcasts, or share short videos offering practical tips. The goal is to appear in your audience’s world often enough to be remembered.
2. Be valuable – Publish case studies, how-to guides, and behind-the-scenes content that answers questions your ideal client is asking.
3. Be consistent – Marketing works when it compounds. Show up week after week so your audience starts to expect—and look forward to—hearing from you.
4. Be relational – Reply to comments, send personal follow-ups, and engage in conversations that aren’t purely transactional.

Examples in Action

Imagine a consulting firm that spends $10,000 on ads right out of the gate. Their targeting is sharp, but no one recognizes their name. Click-through rates are low, cost per lead is high, and very few prospects convert.

Now imagine the same firm spends three months building visibility first. Guest articles, LinkedIn posts, podcast appearances, and speaking at an industry event. When they launch ads, prospects have already seen them in multiple trusted spaces. Conversion rates climb, and the cost per lead drops.

The difference isn’t the ad platform, it’s the foundation built beforehand.

The Payoff of Patience

When you do this right, you stop feeling like you’re pushing your offers on strangers and start feeling like you’re inviting friends into something they already want. Your sales process becomes smoother, your close rate improves, and your marketing spend stretches further.

More importantly, you build a brand that’s not dependent on constant ad spend. The recognition and trust you earn through awareness will continue paying dividends long after the campaigns end.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Going straight for the sale – Resist the temptation to skip awareness.
• Focusing only on paid channels – Mix in organic content and earned media.
• Being inconsistent – Sporadic marketing makes it hard to build familiarity.
• Talking only about yourself – Shift the focus to your audience’s problems and goals.

A Mindset Shift for Founders

Awareness-building isn’t busywork, it’s the work.

Every meaningful brand invests in it, whether through PR, content marketing, events, or community building. It’s what makes every other marketing effort more effective.

Your job is to show up consistently, share generously, and make it easy for your ideal audience to get to know you before you ask them to buy.

If you’re ready to shift from cold selling to meaningful connection, start building awareness today. And if you want help mapping out exactly what that could look like for your business, we’d love to chat.

Jason Bagley Founder, Growth Experts

I'm a business builder, the founder of Growth Experts, sometimes public speaker, and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Mostly though, I’m just a dad to Eva & Cruz and a husband to Karina.