Conversions should be the end goal, not the starting point. Brands need to have meaningful conversations with the right audiences long before they’re ready to buy. Upper-funnel marketing sets the stage for success by getting your brand on the radar, showing your value, and nurturing relationships – and Creator collabs can help.

See the value of upper-funnel marketing to reach new audiences and spark engagement. LTK offers actionable tactics your brand can start using today to drive early-stage impact and set the stage for lasting growth.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• Understanding the basics of upper funnel marketing
• Leveraging Creators to grow consumer relationships
• Metrics to measure brand awareness
• Using LTK’s all-in-one Creator marketing tools

What Is “Upper-Funnel” Marketing? 

Upper-funnel marketing – or awareness marketing – is the first stage of the customer journey; it’s focused on increasing brand recognition, recall, and trust among potential customers. This approach builds familiarity and fosters engagement, helping to make sure your brand is top of mind when consumers are ready to continue on the buyer's journey. 

Upper-funnel marketing is designed to be entertaining and engaging, incorporating contextual content that shapes your brand’s identity and builds emotional connections to immerse audiences in your world. Building the relationship this way sets the stage for deeper engagement as potential customers move into the consideration and decision stages of the funnel.

Upper-funnel marketing content humanizes your brand, often including higher-level messaging to drive reach and impressions. It allows you and your audience to have fun together through “day in the life” and “let me teach you” videos, behind-the-scenes looks, and DIY tutorials that make them part of your brand story.

Importance of upper-funnel marketing 

Many audiences don’t want to be “sold to,” instead preferring a softer storytelling approach. Upper-funnel marketing is important because it engages audiences without hard selling to build the connections they crave, using high-level messaging and authentic stories that deepen customer relationships.

Awareness Marketing Tactics

Awareness marketing includes many of the tactics brands use across the entire funnel. Design your approach so they work together seamlessly.

• Content marketing: Educate and entertain with relevant content that resonates with your audience.
• Social media: Meet potential customers where they spend their time to increase brand visibility.
• SEO: Optimize content with relevant keywords and readability to enhance search engine visibility.
• Paid advertising: Activate digital ads across search, display, and social to reach broader audiences.
• Creator Marketing: Partner with Creators to amplify your brand through trusted, relatable voices.

Creator Marketing has gained significant traction and brand budget dollars in recent years – for good reason. Explore how to strategically use Creator Marketing to drive awareness and growth. 

Why Creator Marketing works

Millennials and Gen Zers have the greatest spending power. Creator Marketing is effective because these shoppers trust Creators over traditional advertising and respond to its storytelling approach.

• Builds trust and connection: Authentic content deepens relationships and builds lasting trust beyond product promotion.
• Drives engagement: Relatable, entertaining content maintains audience engagement and encourages repeat interaction.
• Amplifies reach: Platforms such as LTK help ensure your content reliably reaches your community.
• Boosts conversions: Personal connections drive higher conversion rates – especially with video content.
• Supports brand partnerships: Brands prioritize creators who deliver full-funnel lifestyle content with strong reach and ROI.

Given these benefits, Creator recommendations hold more weight. The LTK Shopper Study 2025 supports this, revealing that 84 percent of LTK shoppers trust brands more when Creators demonstrate and review products on their websites. Use Creator Marketing at the awareness stage to help consumers get to know your brand and attract audiences whose values match your own.

Integrating Creators into Awareness Marketing

Awareness marketing includes everything from brand logos to billboards to event sponsorships, but Creators are becoming more involved. Tap into new audiences through strategic partnerships. 

Plan strategically

Most brands are increasing their budgets for Creator Marketing and connected TV (CTV) to scale their reach. But not just any Creator will do to accomplish your goals. Take a thoughtful approach and choose partners whose values align with your brand to authentically engage audiences. 

Focus on connection, not selling

The narrative has switched from “always be selling” to “always be connecting.” Use your upper-funnel marketing to create relatable lifestyle content and build emotional bonds with the audience. 

Always-on influencer campaigns keep brands top of mind. Capitalize on trends or seasonality by leaning into Creator partnerships for promotions during holidays, big shopping moments, or product launches. Consider integrating any of several forms of content into the mix to highlight products and recommendations, such as:

• Boosted social posts
• Paid ads
• CTV
• Short-form social video
• UGC

How Do You Measure Upper-Funnel Marketing? 

Social shares, video views – are you capturing attention and generating interest with your Creator collabs? Isolating data-driven engagement metrics helps you measure upper-funnel marketing.

Track appropriate metrics

A substantial 58 percent of brands say Creators drive awareness, as revealed by using metrics that center on visibility. Measure your upper-funnel marketing by focusing on KPIs such as impressions, reach, and brand mentions. Key industries overwhelmingly see their efforts pay off; 51 percent of fashion brands and 45 percent of beauty brands improve brand perception from Creator collabs. 

Power Your Upper-Funnel Marketing with LTK

Upper-funnel marketing is all about creating an emotional connection by showcasing the lifestyle and personality of a brand – not just product features. LTK is the premier Creator platform, connecting brands with 350K+ top influencers and 40 million highly engaged users. Backed by 14 years of proprietary data across shopper, Creator, and brand activity, LTK lays the foundation for discovery and growth through proven tactics that help you connect with your target audience. 

Improve your brand awareness and support your entire funnel with LTK. Get in touch to begin with your upper-funnel marketing and integrate Creators throughout the entire buyer's journey.