[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/how-to-generate-leads-from-cold-traffic\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/how-to-generate-leads-from-cold-traffic\/","headline":"How To Generate Leads from Cold Traffic","name":"How To Generate Leads from Cold Traffic","description":"\ufeff What is Cold Traffic? Digital marketers everywhere are constantly looking for more traffic on their site in the hopes that some of the people who stop and hang out will get to the point of purchasing the good or service that you have to offer. The journey from initial awareness to the decision to … Continue reading How To Generate Leads from Cold Traffic<\/span><\/a>","datePublished":"2018-05-08","dateModified":"2026-04-16","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/author\/jana-legaspi\/#Person","name":"Jana Legaspi","url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/author\/jana-legaspi\/","identifier":8,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba3039ce7c5eedb92f315518b69aea1d90d5c2076ce893d078c6f29cf6ddd032?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba3039ce7c5eedb92f315518b69aea1d90d5c2076ce893d078c6f29cf6ddd032?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AOK Marketing","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AOK-Marketing-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AOK-Marketing-Logo.png","width":126,"height":53}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog_Posts_Template_ColdTraffic_Audience.png","url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Blog_Posts_Template_ColdTraffic_Audience.png","height":560,"width":780},"url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/how-to-generate-leads-from-cold-traffic\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo","name":"How To Generate Leads From Cold Traffic - AOK Marketing GAME Theory","description":"At the cold traffic phase of the customer journey, you must assume that people are completely unfamiliar with your product -- they\u2019re brand new, so how do you want to make your first impression?","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S8IhehXTjAo\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S8IhehXTjAo\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S8IhehXTjAo\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S8IhehXTjAo\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S8IhehXTjAo\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2018-04-30T16:39:42+00:00","duration":"PT6M1S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S8IhehXTjAo","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCK7XUreKa2fGjVlSmXLQW6g#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCK7XUreKa2fGjVlSmXLQW6g","name":"AOK Marketing","description":"Welcome to AOK Marketing \u2014 your go-to source for real strategies that drive real results.\n\nFrom SEO tips and paid ads breakdowns to growth hacks and marketing insights, we\u2019re here to help you grow smarter, faster. Whether you're a startup, scale-up, or marketing pro, you\u2019ll find actionable content to level up your brand.\n\nSubscribe and start turning clicks into customers.\n","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/831hew-_yVmLwRFRMDnfD3a7xpJVKxozkOeRp2ENQdwiR_kjFbEDnq8s1A28qRkOrgNNw4d4ymA=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":175}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S8IhehXTjAo#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":5}]},"commentCount":"2","about":["Lead Generation"],"wordCount":1503,"keywords":["generate leads"],"articleBody":"\ufeffWhat is Cold Traffic?Digital marketers everywhere are constantly looking for more traffic on their site in the hopes that some of the people who stop and hang out will get to the point of purchasing the good or service that you have to offer.The journey from initial awareness to the decision to buy (and return) is called the sales funnel. The sales funnel represents the customer\u2019s journey, and our goal is to try to meet them where they\u2019re at during any given point in the journey and convince them to take the next step.When we look at our sales funnel, we need to bear in mind where our traffic is coming from. We must understand which part of the journey to find our customers, which ones are ready to buy, and what keeps them coming back.In pre-internet days, customers would be more likely to make purchasing decisions based on factors like need and location; however today we need to take a much closer look at where our digital traffic is coming from in order to succeed in the digital world. Social media and websites, along with other digital marketing tools like digital ads and email marketing, will form the basis of your customer flow.They\u2019re not going to all be at the same place in the decision-making process, and no two visitors will be the same.So, how do we understand this? \u00a0We must have an understanding (or at least a very good guess) of their state of mind at every step. The AOK Game Theory Matrix describes this journey in four stages: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Cold: Contact \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Warm: Consider \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hot: Convert \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Converted: Care \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0  Your job as a marketer is to try to figure out what\u2019s making them \u201cclick\u201d (literally and figuratively) at each stage of the journey from cold to converted and target campaigns accordingly.So What Exactly is Cold Traffic?At the cold traffic phase of the journey, you must assume that people are completely unfamiliar with your product — they\u2019re brand new, so how do you want to make your first impression? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We can equate this step to coming into a city that we\u2019ve never been to and looking for food. You don\u2019t know which restaurants are there; you\u2019re just looking for \u201ca place to eat.\u201dThis requires homing in on a problem or need that they have, and then figuring out the best way to make your brand known as something that can meet their need, with the end goal at the hot \/ conversion phase being to exceed their expectations enough that they become a loyal customer. If you were to offer a necessary and basic storefront service in a small town — for instance, a grocery store or a barbershop \u2013 you\u2019d get foot traffic based on the mere fact that people in the town would a) be in close proximity and b) actually \u201cneed\u201d what you have to offer. But today\u2019s consumers are making choices more and more based on a company\u2019s digital presence.How you get your attention will depend on your digital strategy. And whether or not they \u201cneed\u201d a given product is becoming less and less of an issue because they can access more and more goods and services on a non-local basis and at the touch of a button.But, there\u2019s still a basic foundation of advertising to bear in mind: they may not even know that they need a certain product, so it\u2019s up to you to make them think that it\u2019s worthwhile to buy.The First Step: Define the GoalAt this phase, your main goal is to make contact with your customer. They need to see and know your brand \u2013 not just \u201csee\u201d it in passing but also really take notice. In the online world, this might mean that you have something like 3-5 seconds to make an impression. \u00a0\u00a0You have the opportunity to share everything about your product or service, but it must be done strategically to catch their attention. This is a crucial step where buyers first learn about exactly what you have to offer, your reputation in the industry, and where you stand in the digital marketplace.Who is the Audience?With cold traffic, you\u2019re really looking at the broadest possible audience. You need to assess who you can realistically reach \u2013 so this is anyone who can buy from you and would need the service. This will probably be narrowed down to very basic demographics \u2013 for instance, focusing on an age group or a gender, depending on your product.Though you will need to have some sense of your general demographic, there\u2019s no real targeting here \u2013 you can think of it as casting the widest possible net.Cold Traffic is the Widest Possible MarketYour market is really anyone who may potentially buy from you. At this point, you don\u2019t have enough information to start targeting, so you make a loose guess based on some information that you already know.Developing Mindshare at the Cold Traffic PhaseWhen we say mindshare, we are referring to creating awareness about your brand and product. The purpose here is to build brand awareness so that it stands out amongst competitors. An ideal scenario is that your brand would be identified with the product itself. So, instead of saying smartphone you say \u201ciPhone\u201d (Apple) or instead of saying laptop you might say \u201cMacBook.\u201d Band-Aid, Kleenex, and Tupperware are other examples of companies with strong mindshare.Messaging to Build AwarenessYour digital content is going to be key for building brand awareness and it\u2019s important to remember that at this phase of the journey, you want the buyer to discover your brand. They\u2019ll be interacting with you, likely through social media, and they might come across your website in their online shopping journey.You want to focus on driving awareness and acknowledging the interests of buyers so that you can continue to easily engage with each other. What Marketing Platform Should be Used?In this phase, you\u2019re likely going to focus mostly on social media (including video) and display ads or banner ads in order to help possible buyers learn more about what you have to offer and how your business stands in the context of the industry. This is when people will be initially exposed to your brand or business, and therefore you are building brand awareness.You\u2019ll want to ensure that you clearly show your unique value through providing useful content at this phase. Examples of high-value content might be: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sharing \u201chow-to\u201d type blog or demo video on your Facebook page \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ensuring that user testimonials are clear on your landing page \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Guest blogging on a high-traffic site to show authority in your field \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Depending on your product, you want to \u201cshow\u201d not tell — so for instance, a digital marketing company that specializes in creative web design should have a remarkable and unique website for themselves that speaks to their brand \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sharing a story about what makes your brand unique \u00a0Cold Traffic MeasurementDesign key performance indicators (KPIs) for this stage of the journey not around purchases but actions \u2013 so focusing on the number and percent of actions will be crucial. Your KPI choices should reflect how much cold traffic you are acquiring, and then how many have the potential to move to the next phase(s).A few examples of good KPIs to focus on include: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Social media commenting (conversation) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Number of social media shares (amplification) \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Number of \u201clikes\u201d (applause) \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Brand potential awareness \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Percent of visits that are brand new \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Recency and frequencyElevate the Customer ExperienceAt this point, you\u2019ll want to focus on three aspects of the customer experience: inspire, entertain, and inform. Remember, you\u2019re not making a sale at this point, you\u2019re just building awareness and creating a connection.Try to find something to share with them that is relevant to your product but they may not already know \u2013 you can use an informative explainer YouTube video, for instance, focusing not so much on your product, but a need that your product can fulfill. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Your first point of contact is critical because that sets the framework for the rest of the buying process \u2013 if you don\u2019t \u201ccatch\u201d them at this phase, it\u2019s unlikely (though possible) you\u2019ll see them later. This may very well depend on how you differentiate yourself from your competitors. So what you need to think about through each step is the conversation that you are having with the customer: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What are you offering that is of value to them? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How do they value it? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How does it make them feel better about their lives? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What does your brand do for them?Always do your best to put yourself in their shoes and don\u2019t lose sight of the relationship-building aspect of each step. From here, customers are guided to the next step in the matrix; warm traffic."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"How To Generate Leads from Cold Traffic","item":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/how-to-generate-leads-from-cold-traffic\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]