Lead Awareness Generation Tips: Authentic Marketing That Works
July, 2025 | demand generation, authentic marketing, brand awareness, lead nurturing, relationship building, startup growth
What’s the hardest part of building a business?
Ask any entrepreneur, and you’ll hear it:
“We need more people to know we exist… and more interested in buying.”
You're not alone if you’ve said this too. And you're definitely not alone if you've tried:
Posting on LinkedIn or Facebook
Going door-to-door
Sending newsletters
Joining networking events
Even running ads
But here’s the truth bomb 💥:
Posting on social media doesn’t grow brand awareness.
It just reminds people who already know you.
If you want growth, you need new people discovering your business.
You need demand generation, not just lead capture.
TL;DR
Spending 75% of your time growing awareness
Building real relationships before any ask
Doing the demand-gen activities you enjoy
And serving before selling
Let’s be real:
One of the hardest parts of building a business isn’t finding your purpose. It’s finding people.
People who first know you exist…(it’s the biggest part of the game),
then those who are actually interested, engaged, and excited to buy from you.
And if you’re anything like most founders I know, you’ve probably said something like:
“We need more people aware that we even exist.”
Or:
“I don’t want to feel like I’m constantly selling.”
You’re not alone. In fact, even during a live session, here’s what we heard from the audience:
"Consistency is hard."
"How do I turn a first click into a meeting?"
"I hate sounding salesy."
Big companies solve this by spending millions on ads.
But what about the rest of us?
Let’s break it down—authentically, sustainably, and with impact in mind.
From Leads to Demand: A Mindset Shift
Instead of chasing cold leads, let’s reframe it:
What if people wanted to buy from you?
That’s the difference between lead generation and demand generation.
Demand is when people “want” to buy.
Lead generation is when you're trying to “get” people to buy.
You don’t need to get someone to buy. You need to serve them until they’re ready.
At its core, business growth isn’t just a revenue goal.
It’s an impact multiplier.
If your work truly helps people, then reaching more people = doing more good.
But the trap?
We think of “lead generation” as something aggressive. Pushy. Sleazy.
What if we shifted the focus from “getting leads”…
To serving relationships that naturally convert?
That’s what authentic marketing is all about.
At Cornell Tech, our GTM class kicked off with a powerful message:
"Don’t sell sand in the desert."
Translation? Even the best GTM plan can’t fix a product nobody actually needs.
What’s Authentic Demand Generation?
It’s not about “funneling” people.
It’s about meeting them where they are.
It’s about serving before selling.
It’s about relationships before results.
Relationship Over Funnels: The Friend → Fanatic Path
Most old-school funnels are about “getting” someone to buy.
That approach feels icky—and honestly, it's less effective today.
Authentic marketing? It builds a relationship first.
Selling isn’t hard when people are already interested.
But you can’t skip the steps that build trust.
Below are the 4 phases of generating demand, so people WANT to buy it.
Here’s how it looks:
Friend (awareness):
Meet at an event, see your name on a feed, hear about you from a friend.
Follower (interest):
Maybe they listen to your podcast, open your newsletter, or follow your Instagram.
Fan (desire):
They try you out. Buy once. Dip their toe in.
Fanatic (act):
They love your service, tell their friends, and come back again.
This takes time.
But when it works, selling becomes easy—because you’re not convincing.
You’re just serving those already eager to buy.
Tip: People may not buy, but they’ll refer if they believe in you.
Not Lead Gen. Demand Gen.
And There’s a Big Difference.
Lead generation tries to “get” someone to buy.
Demand generation makes them want to buy.
It flips the script.
We don’t chase buyers.
We build demand by increasing visibility and trust.
That means shifting our strategy to this:
Notice the first phase?
Expanding awareness.
This is where most of us need to spend 70–80% of our time—but often, we skip it.
Master Demands Generation So People WANT To Buy
According to Shift/Co’s, the new business demand strategy includes following:
Stage 1: Expand Awareness – This should take up 70% of your effort.
Stage 2: Interest (Attract More Leads) – 25%
Stage 3: Improve Sales Conversion – just 5%
Stage 4: Repurchases / Share / Refer - if value is high, customers return & refer
📊 B2B Strategy:
Stage 1: 10–100 meets or clicks
Stage 2: 2–5 interested leads (connects, shares, learn more)
Stage 3: 1–2 new clients (attends or purchases)
📈 B2C Strategy:
Stage 1: 100–1000 clicks or exposures
Stage 2: 10–20 “cart” actions
Stage 3: 1–2 new buyers
This 3-phase strategy works for both, but there’s a catch:
Most people skip Phase 1.
Let that sink in: If you're not spending the bulk of your time on awareness, you’re missing the whole game.
How To Expand Awareness
No funnel hacks. Just real relationships.
If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of marketing, this 3-part system simplifies it:
Where → What → How
It’s not just tactical—it’s about doing what fits your style.
1. Where = Your Channels
This is about reaching people where they’re already paying attention.
Where do your people hang out? (Online? In Slack groups? At live events?)
Where are they “tuned in” and open to hearing from you?
Are they networking in person—or mostly virtually now?
Tip: Survey your current customers or clients. Ask:
“Where do you usually go to find resources like ours?”
That’s where you show up.
2. What = Your Activities
Now that you know where, ask yourself: What will I actually do?
Think about what you’ll enjoy enough to do consistently.
Not everything works for everyone—and that’s okay.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Do you enjoy writing, teaching, talking, or designing?
Here are a few examples of what “What” can look like:
Host virtual workshops or fireside chats
Write blog posts or LinkedIn essays
Create reels or infographics
Comment and engage on other people’s content
Co-host events with aligned businesses
🎯 Pick 2–3 activities that feel energizing—not draining. That’s your repeatable habit.
3. How = Grow Relationships
This is where the magic happens.
It’s not about “nurturing leads.”
It’s about serving your friends before they ever buy.
Focus on their real problems
Invest time in connecting people
Share resources without asking for anything
Collaborate with others in your space
Be the helpful voice they remember when they’re ready
Don’t just chase new buyers.
Be insanely helpful to the ones you already know.
Because when you serve generously—your audience grows organically.
Your Authentic Demand Generation
You don’t have to be everywhere.
Instead, choose 3 activities that match you. Are you more social, or introverted? Do you prefer creating content, or speaking live?
Start with the Priority Channel.
Then try the Partner Channel.
Paid channels? Only if you’ve nailed the others - it’s least effective with least ROI
Here’s how you can find your groove:
Blood, Sweat & Tears Activities
Priority Channel
Priority Channel
Approach Contacts
Free/discounted trials
Flyer Leave-Behinds
Serve Free (the RIGHT) Partners
Trade Services
LinkedIn groups
Live Networking
Partner Discounts
Give - Get’s
Ask for Referrals
Referral Discounts
Ask yourself:
✨ What do I actually enjoy doing?
✨ Where are my people already spending time?
Build from there.
Blog posts
Webinars / Toolkits
Speak for free at events
Offer Free Programs
Online Partners
Event Sponsorship
Relationship Building
Referral Activities
Educational Touchpoint
Speaking Activities
Guest on Show/Podcast
Overcoming Resistance: The #1 Roadblock
Oftentimes, we resist what we know we should do.
Eat healthy? We know. Still skip it.
Workout? Yup. We skip that too.
Demand gen? Same story.
So why don’t we do this regularly?
Because you either build the habit, or you don’t.
The trick? Only do what you love doing.
Instead of forcing yourself to follow some perfect marketing strategy, pick 2–3 activities mentioned above that you actually enjoy.
Here’s how to break resistance:
Pick activities you love. (Seriously. Don’t force what drains you.)
Stop thinking. Start doing. Post imperfectly. Reach out anyway.
Time block like it’s a meeting. Put it on your calendar. Stick to it.
Find an accountability partner. Do your marketing sprints together.
Reward the doing—not the outcomes. Celebrate consistency.
Find. Serve. Repeat. The Simple Habit Behind Sustainable Growth
Find More Friends (Not Just Leads)
At the end of the day, here’s the shift:
You’re not chasing strangers.
You’re building relationships with soon-to-be fans.
So ask yourself daily:
Who do I serve?
What do they need right now?
Where are they hanging out online or offline?
What value can I share before they buy?
Because if you build demand authentically,
Your buyers won’t feel “sold to.”
They’ll feel seen. Helped. Connected.
And that’s when they become your best customers—
The ones who buy, share, and bring their friends too.
Want a tip that changed my approach?
When I focused more on sharing with current clients—giving tools, tips, and support—they naturally referred more people than I ever could’ve found on my own.
That’s the magic of authentic demand generation.
It’s not a funnel.
It’s a ripple.
You’re Not “Getting” Anymore
Let’s stop thinking of marketing as something we do to people.
Instead, it’s something we do for them.
Ask yourself every day:
“Who do I serve, and what do they need before they’re ready to buy?”
That mindset shift changes everything.
And when you consistently share tips and tools—even with current clients—they’ll remember to refer you, because it’s a real relationship.