The Awareness Stage: 8 Proven Ideas To Get Your High-End Products Noticed

You've spent decades perfecting your craft, curating a selection of high-quality, life-changing products in your store. 

Your local customers love you. 

But now, you're ready to take your business online and reach a wider audience.

There's just one problem: The internet is vast, and your potential customers can't stumble upon your online store like they might your physical one. In the digital world, you're invisible.

How do you go from being the best-kept secret in your town to a recognized name in the online marketplace?

That's where tackling the "awareness stage" comes in —the crucial first step in the buying cycle where potential customers discover your brand and products. 

The content strategy you create for the awareness stage is your digital storefront - the online equivalent of your expertly arranged window displays and warm, welcoming atmosphere. 

It's how you make that vital first impression in the virtual world.

In this article, we show you how to create content that gets your high-end products noticed and builds the same trust and rapport online that you've mastered in person. 

We translate your years of brick-and-mortar expertise into digital success, starting with that critical awareness stage.

Ready to make your online presence as impressive as your physical store? Let's get started.

1. Know Your Audience (Really Know Them)

Who is your customer? Who is likely to pay the big bucks for your high-ticket product? 

Are they busy executives who need a luxury watch to seal the deal? Eco-conscious people dreaming of having their greenhouse garden? Whoever they are, you need to get inside their heads.

Action step: Create detailed buyer personas: 

  • Give them names, backstories, hopes, dreams, and fears. 
  • What keeps them up at night? What makes them tick? 
  • Get so detailed that you could pick them out of a lineup.

2. Solve Problems They Didn't Even Know They Had

Here's a secret: People don't wake up thinking, "Gee, I need a $5000 espresso machine today." 

But they wake up thinking, "Why can't I ever get a decent cup of coffee at home?"

Your content needs to bridge that gap. Show them the problem, then swoop in with your solution.

Action step: Create high-quality content. 

  • Come up with a series of blog posts or videos that highlight common pain points. 
  • For our coffee example: "5 Reasons Your Home Brew Tastes Like Swamp Water (And How to Fix It)"

3. Educate, Don't Sell Yet

Remember, at this stage, you're not trying to sell - you're trying to help. Be the friendly neighborhood expert, not the pushy salesperson.

Action step: Develop an educational series of webinars, ebooks, podcasts - pick your favorite! 

For our greenhouse store, for example, they could develop a resource called "The Homeowner's Guide to Sustainable Gardening: 101 Ways to Save the Planet (and Your Health)."

4. Show, Don't (Just) Tell

You're selling high-ticket items that are likely of better quality and are impressive. Show them off! 

Make it about the lifestyle, not just the product.

Action step: Create a stunning visual content series. 

Let’s imagine you’re selling luxury watches. Create visual materials around "A Day in the Life of a CEO?

You can feature your timepieces in action on Instagram Stories, YouTube videos, and Pinterest boards - go wild!

5. Leverage User-Generated Content 

Nothing says "legit" like real people using and loving your products. And let's face it: trust is money in high-ticket commerce. 

Your potential customers want to see that others have taken the plunge and love life on the other side.

Action step: Launch a hashtag campaign encouraging customers to share their experiences. 

  • Imagine you sell luxury car accessories like caliper covers. You can create an Instagram campaign for "#MyDreamRide" featuring happy customers with their new wheels.
  • Create an email campaign with a small incentive to collect customer stories you can share on your website. 

6. Go Behind the Scenes (Everybody Loves a Sneak Peek)

People love feeling like they're part of something exclusive. Give them a backstage pass to your world. This is especially powerful for high-ticket items where craftsmanship and quality are key selling points.

By pulling back the curtain, you're not just showing a product – you're revealing the passion, expertise, and attention to detail that justify the premium price tag.

Action step: Create a "How It's Made" series. 

If you own a luxury bedding brand

  • Film a "From Field to Fabric" series showcasing the journey of your Egyptian cotton from harvest to the final, buttery-soft sheets. 
  • Include interviews with textile experts explaining why your process results in superior comfort.

7. Don't Forget the Fun Factor

Just because you're selling high-ticket items doesn't mean you must always be all serious. Inject some personality into your content!

Action step: Create a fun, shareable piece of content. 

For example, a store selling backyard custom fire pits can create "The Campfire Stories Your Fire Pit Would Tell (If It Could Talk)." 

This would be a humorous series of short videos or social media posts imagining the wild tales your fire pit might share about family gatherings, romantic evenings, and more disasters. 

8. Be Everywhere (Or at Least Where Your Customers Are)

Different strokes for different folks. Some of your potential customers might be Instagram addicts, while others prefer long-form articles on LinkedIn.

Action step: Conduct a social media audit to find out where your audience hangs out

Then, tailor your content for each platform. Remember, one size doesn't fit all!

For high-end hydroponic systems: 

  • Create eye-catching time-lapse videos of plants growing for Instagram and TikTok. 
  • Write in-depth articles about sustainable farming and ROI for commercial growers on LinkedIn. 
  • Develop a YouTube series called "Save the World from Your Balcony," highlighting how eco-conscious your hydroponic systems are. 
  • Pin infographics comparing traditional farming yields to hydroponic yields on Pinterest. 

The goal? To be the go-to source for hydroponic info, no matter where your potential customers are scrolling!

Your Content Strategy's Mic Drop Moment

There you have it! Your roadmap to creating a content strategy that'll make your high-ticket shoppers sit up and take notice. 

Remember, in the awareness stage, you're not just selling a product - you're selling a vision, a lifestyle, a solution to a problem they might not even know they have.

So go and create! Dazzle them with your expertise and delight them with your creativity; before you know it, they'll move to the consideration stage.

And hey, if all else fails, you can always try bribing them with cookies. (Just kidding! Or am I?)

Why Shop Innovator?

At Shop Innovator, we help merchants who sell high-ticket items on Shopify with: 

  • Clear roadmap to ecommerce success
  • UX-optimized website that converts
  • Proven marketing strategies to build lasting sales momentum

Want us to audit your ecommerce website? Book a Free Audit

About the author: Dorit Palvanov

Co-founder of SI and our project manager (a.k.a manager of getting sh**t done!). She joined our team in 2020 and is on a mission to support busy business owners to run a more sustainable business while enjoying a fulfilling personal life. Dorit loves to write about: Sustainable business, Project Management, Content & Email...
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