B2B demand generation is a term to describe a host of marketing strategies that aim to drive awareness and interest in a product or service. The name may seem self-explanatory, but demand generation does a lot more than simply create demand for whatever a company offers. A far-reaching strategy intended to marry the goals of marketing and sales, B2B demand generation aims to produce a reliable pipeline of high-quality leads.
Did you catch that key concept? The marriage of sales and marketing goals. Demand generation, like account-based marketing, is most successful when sales and marketing are on the same page. Collaborative alignment will ensure that sales has what it needs to close deals and marketing is able to prove their contribution to revenue. A solid B2B demand generation strategy can help create these bonds while generating more business.
How? We’re answering this and other common questions about how to implement this B2B marketing strategy for the best results.
How Does B2B Demand Generation Work?
Using a multi-faceted approach, demand generation builds awareness and authority to ultimately drive leads. Keep in mind, demand generation is a long game–you’re not likely to see the fruits of your labor overnight. However, these strategies are also sustainable, creating efficiencies over time so you’re only capturing the leads you want, instead of lower quality leads that are unlikely to convert.
Know Your Audience
For your demand generation strategy to work effectively, you first need to understand who your audience is and how to best speak to them. Who are your prospects and what do they do? What do your best customers have in common? What are their pain points and how can you help solve them? Keeping these questions in mind as you develop your strategy and content will help you center your decisions around what your customer needs at every stage of the funnel. Remember, sales and marketing should agree on these target personas, and each team should know them like the backs of their hands.
Put the Demand in Demand Generation
At the awareness stage of your B2B demand generation campaign, your team will want to strategize how best to reach your audience at the top of the funnel. Quality content that targets specific audiences’ pain points can help you become their go-to resource in the industry (more on that soon).
This is where knowing your audience comes in handy. Some companies are afraid of casting too small a net, but the best fishermen know exactly which bait to use to hook a prize fish. Create content for your most reliable segments of prospects, and get your sales team in on the conversation. Marketing may know how to write a killer piece of content, but your sales team has great insights into what exactly your ideal client is looking for.
Your marketing team may also include public relations and event marketing at the awareness stage to get your business in front of the right buyers. Figuring out where your target accounts spend their time online and which conventions they frequent will require a little research that pays off in a big way.
Build Authority Over Time
One of the primary goals of demand generation is to position your business as an authority in your industry. You want to build credibility by showing potential customers your company is the best in the biz–and you can prove it. Starting with content for the top of the funnel and producing pieces for every stage of the buyer’s journey, you can help educate your audience and provide solutions to their pain points.
However, you’ll want to refrain from being too “salesy” in your content. Much of this content will be focused on education, and lead nurturing will come later.
Leverage Account-Based Marketing
Demand generation and account-based marketing are a match made in B2B marketing heaven. And sure, we may be a little biased, but only because we’ve known for years how well it works. Account-based marketing is all about centering your efforts on your target accounts and tailoring your strategies to meet their needs. Demand generation can be an influential component of your overall account-based marketing strategy and the perfect way to generate interest in your offerings.
Demand Generation Strategies You Need to Know
Content Marketing
Content goes way beyond blogs and guest posts. A quality content B2B marketing strategy is multi-faceted, with targeted pieces that enable your business to build a reputation as an authority on a specific subject. This may include infographics, whitepapers, and other informative pieces of content that put education first and feature subtle calls-to-action that nudge the reader to act, instead of pushing them.
Sales Enablement
Since B2B demand generation requires the sales and marketing teams to act as a cohesive unit, sales enablement should be a key part of your strategy. Case studies, slide decks, and lead scoring can help you create a better end-to-end experience for potential customers.
Nurture Leads
B2B marketing is challenged with a long sales cycle, and you likely need a lot of touch points before reeling in a new customer. A solid lead nurturing strategy that includes effective campaigns like email marketing and paid advertising can help you move the right leads down the funnel.
Is Demand Generation an Effective B2B Marketing Strategy?
In a word... yes. Before your target audience becomes customers, they need to know you exist and how your offerings impact their business. Demand generation can help you build a reputation in the industry and create interest in your products or services while attracting the right kind of buyers. Sounds like a sweet deal to us.
Want to supercharge your B2B marketing with Demand Generation? Contact us to get started now.