You’ve got a great product. People have even told you it’s amazing, but you’re frustrated because every time you run an ad campaign all you seem to hear is… crickets. No clicks, no leads, just silence. It’s a frustrating place to be, and it often leads businesses to one conclusion: cold audiences don’t work.
But that assumption is where many brands go wrong. While most businesses think cold audiences are a waste of ad spend, it’s important to remember that every loyal customer started out as a stranger.
We’re diving into what a cold audience is? Why it matters and how to overcome the struggle.
What is a Cold Audience?
Your cold audience is made up of people who have never heard of your brand, never visited your website, and never engaged with your content. In marketing terms, these are people who fit your target audience, but you have absolutely no relationship with them yet.
A simple real-world example: You’re scrolling through Instagram and suddenly an ad for an energy drink you’ve never heard of appears. As a potential customer you may scroll past because:
- You don’t need an energy drink right now
- You don’t trust them yet
- You aren’t emotionally invested yet
- You aren’t looking to switch brands
That’s essentially what someone in a cold audience may think.
Understanding Your Cold Audience
Your cold audience is like someone you’ve met on a first date. You’re not going to propose immediately just because they tick all the boxes. Instead, you take the time to get to know them, build trust, and show your personality. Marketing to a cold audience works the same way.
Here’s the thing: most people seeing your ads are simply scrolling and not fully paying attention. When they see your ad, they may not be convinced that your product can deliver the results they want. In fact, they might not even realise they have a problem yet.
Cold audiences exist at different stages of awareness, which typically look like this:
Unaware: They don’t realise they have a problem.
Problem-aware: They know there’s an issue but don’t know how to solve it.
Solution-aware: They’re actively exploring possible solutions.
Product-aware: They’re comparing specific brands and options.
Your job is to capture their attention with messaging that meets them exactly where they are. When your content aligns with their level of awareness, you move from being ignored to being considered.
According to our Social Manager, Marlena: “The brands that win on social aren’t the ones shouting the loudest. They’re the ones who understand that awareness, consideration, and conversion require different conversations.”
The Biggest Mistake Businesses Make with Cold Audiences
One of the biggest misconceptions businesses have about cold audiences is that it’s a waste of budget. Who wants clicks without conversions? The truth is, every loyal customer started out as a cold audience member. Businesses need to shift their mindset from Why aren’t they buying?’ to ‘Have we earned their attention yet?’, and they’ll certainly see a dramatic improvement in their ad’s performance, says Marlena. Ultimately, the difference between success and wasted ad spend comes down to how you approach them.
Here are the most common mistakes businesses make when trying to engage cold audiences:
Trying To Sell Too Soon
A big mistake businesses make is expecting a cold audience to buy your products immediately. You know those pushy salesmen who keep calling to sell you life insurance? Well, trying to get them to buy your product or service when they’re not “warmed up” yet can kind of feel like that for them. They don’t trust you yet, so your job is to build that trust.
Ignoring Awareness Levels
Treating all cold leads the same can cost you conversions. We’ve spoken about this before, but some customers don’t even know they have a problem yet, while others know the problem but haven’t explored solutions. If your messaging jumps straight to “Buy Now” without educating, guiding or building that all-important trust, it just won’t resonate. When brands ignore this, their messaging may feel misaligned or just not for the customer in question, giving them even more reason to click away.
Not Providing Value First
Think of your audience as someone you’re meeting for the first time. Remember, we’re not jumping straight into a proposal. We’re taking things slow, getting to know them first. What do they like? What don’t they like? Jumping straight into a hard sell is the digital equivalent of asking for a lifelong commitment before you’ve even introduced yourself.
A great way to get over this hurdle is to offer value. Helpful tips, insights, free resources, or valuable content that shows you understand their needs. When you give first, you build trust, demonstrate authority, and create a strong foundation for a winning relationship.
Skipping Social Proof
It’s easy to tell people how amazing you are, but when other people say the same thing, a cold audience is far more likely to believe it. That’s why testimonials, reviews, case studies, and real client results are so powerful. Social proof helps show your credibility without having to brag, making it easier for your cold audience to trust and engage with your business.
Warming up Your Audience
If you’re wanting to run ads with a cold audience as your target, the best thing to do is create ad campaigns around research findings, surveys and guides. Basically, any content that demonstrates a solution to your audience’s problem can help warm up cold prospects. If you’re looking to tailor your content to different awareness stages, here are some suggestions:
Unaware Audience: Start with education content or relatable pain points. Blogs are great here.
Problem-aware: Show solutions or tips without pushing your product yet. Again, blogs are another great suggestion, and also helps build authority with Google as you’re providing value to your potential audience.
Solution-aware: Highlight approaches and tools, including your product or services… subtly.
Product-aware: Now you can feature case studies, demos, or free trials.
When it comes to your ad campaigns, it’s always a good idea to identify the stage of awareness your cold audience is in. This will then help you determine what to promote (guides, checklists, how-to-videos, etc.). The objective is to drive engagement, not direct sales. Call-to-actions like “Download our free guide” or “Watch our quick tutorial” are a good way to move cold prospects toward consideration without pressuring them.
Converting your cold audience into a warm audience is essential to ensuring your business generates leads. However, without the right understanding, many businesses can find themselves struggling.
Marlena has one final thing to say about cold audiences that may help businesses:
“ In my experience, performance improves when brands stop viewing cold traffic as a gamble and start viewing it as pipeline development. Awareness today creates demand tomorrow.”
If you’re still confused between cold audiences and warm, brand awareness and retargeting ads, speak to SOMS Digital – we’re here to help you create a successful digital marketing strategy.
