You must have a growth plan for your business including some online channels to generate demand for your product or service. But how do you ensure that the demand generation channels that you have chosen will yield the desired outcomes?
Demand generation is a strategic approach to creating and nurturing interest in your brand with a motive to drive leads, and ultimately, revenue. To ensure the right demand generation strategy for your business, you must rely on channels that can help you increase your visibility and contribute to creating awareness among your potential customers.
This comprehensive guide offers critical insights on demand generation and which channels to target for next-level brand building, customer acquisition, and retention.
The difference between demand generation & lead generation
For most entrepreneurs, both terms may sound similar ultimately leading to customer acquisition and retention. Despite sounding similar, both demand generation and lead generation vary in concepts and approaches when it comes to marketing. Knowing the difference between them will help you prepare the right marketing strategy that drives results with the resources available to your business.
Demand generation is the process of creating awareness, interest, and desire for a product or service among a target audience. It’s about building a market for your offering by creating a sense of need or want among potential customers. It typically involves:
- Brand awareness campaigns
- Content marketing (blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc.)
- Social media marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Event marketing
- Public relations
Lead generation, on the other hand, is the process of identifying and capturing the contact information of potential customers who are interested in your product or service. It’s about qualifying and quantifying the interest of potential customers to determine their likelihood of becoming a paying customer. Lead generation typically involves:
- Landing pages and forms
- Email marketing campaigns
- Paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.)
- Referral marketing
- Webinars and online events
- Sales outreach
Now that you are clear with both concepts, you can strategize your marketing campaigns more precisely leading to driving the desired outcomes for your business.
Let’s move to discuss the best suitable demand generation channels that can be leveraged to gain maximum traction for your business.
Top 7 demand-generation channels you must approach
1. Content marketing
Content Marketing continues to dominate the B2B space. It has further grown in importance and will become even stronger as companies compete for attention in a content-rich digital environment. An informative and quality content not only demonstrates a company’s expertise but also addresses audience pain points, making it invaluable throughout the buyer’s journey.
By creating relevant and targeted content, you can capture the attention of potential customers and encourage them to take action. It is also a reliable source to nurture leads by providing them with valuable information and insights that help them make informed purchasing decisions.
2. Account-based Marketing (ABM)
Account-based marketing is a precisely focused strategy that hones in on high-value accounts through personalized campaigns. Organizations across the globe are integrating advanced data analytics and Artificial Intelligence to improve their ABM efforts, ensuring that every interaction with a target account is tailored and effective.
The best part of this demand generation marketing channel is that you can reduce waste and increase the effectiveness of your marketing spend. ABM ensures that marketing and sales teams are aligned, working together to target the same accounts and decision-makers. Moreover, ABM relies on data and analytics to inform your marketing strategy, enabling you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your efforts.
3. Social media marketing
The impact of social media in B2B marketing cannot be overstated. LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms are dynamic spaces where companies can connect with their audiences, share valuable content, and create thought leadership in their industry. To ensure that your demand generation yields the desired results, you must focus on strategic and targeted social media campaigns tailored to specific platforms and audiences.
Social media platforms have a massive user base that sets the platform for increased brand visibility by reaching the maximum audience. These platforms also offer advanced targeting options enabling businesses to target specific demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. This ensures that your ads are seen by the right people.
4. Email marketing
Most entrepreneurs consider email marketing as a dead element in marketing. No, it’s not the truth. Email marketing is still going strong and it still yields results. You must know how to leverage it efficiently and effectively. It works best when its personalization capabilities are combined with targeted campaigns. It is still the best tool to deliver relevant content and guide prospects through the complexities of the sales funnel.
Moreover, its cost-effectiveness is something that makes it a preferred choice for not only startups but also for well-established organizations looking forward to generating more leads through their marketing campaigns. Using personalized emails, you can easily nurture leads through the sales funnel and provide valuable content and insights to educate and engage potential customers.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The rules of the SEO game are constantly evolving, making it an exciting but challenging channel for B2B marketers. You must optimize your website on SEO grounds to ensure that it is easily found when potential customers are actively searching for their products or services.
SEO helps you attract targeted traffic to your website enabling people to visit your site who are already interested in what you have to offer. This increases the chances of conversion and reduces the cost of acquiring new customers.
6. Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC advertising offers a quick approach to driving targeted traffic to your website. Google Ads and Bing Ads provide platforms for businesses to bid on keywords relevant to their offers, ensuring visibility in search engines. The challenge is to create attractive ad copy and strategically manage budgets for optimal results.
With PPC, you can also track the performance of your ads in real-time, making it easy to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions. Additionally, PPC campaigns can generate quick results, allowing you to test and refine your campaigns quickly. This is especially important for businesses to adapt to changing market conditions.
7. Webinars and virtual events
The global shift to remote work has brought webinars and virtual events to the forefront of B2B demand. These platforms allow businesses to cross geographic barriers, connect with global audiences, showcase products, and communicate in real-time. In the coming time, there will be an increased focus on creating immersive virtual experiences for participants.
Webinars and virtual events offer a more interactive experience than traditional content marketing. They allow attendees to ask questions, participate in discussions, and engage with the presenter in real time. Most importantly, virtual events can help increase brand awareness by providing a platform for thought leadership and showcasing your company’s expertise.
8. Influencer marketing
Working with influencers is a proven strategic move for B2B brands. Influencer marketing isn’t just about leveraging an influencer’s audience; it’s about creating a true partnership that aligns with the company’s values and goals. This approach builds trust and credibility within the influencer community.
Influencers are often seen as trusted sources by their followers, which can help build credibility for your brand. Moreover, Influencers can create content that is engaging, informative, and entertaining, which can help drive conversions.
How do you choose the right demand generation channel?
You might be wondering how to choose the best channel for your business. Honestly, it all depends on your business and your goals. Before starting your journey, familiarize yourself with the points mentioned below so that you have a clear road map ahead.
1. Know your audience
Understanding your audience is the foundation of a successful demand generation strategy. Conduct in-depth market research, create buyer groups and analyze your audience’s preferences and behaviors. This information is the basis for choosing channels that resonate with potential customers.
2. Align business goals
Postgeneration is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Align your efforts with your overall business goals. Whether you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or promote customer retention, your choice of channels should be a strategic reflection of those goals.
3. Evaluating channel performance
Regularly evaluate each channel’s performance using analytics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Metrics such as conversion rates, click-through rates and engagement levels provide insight into the effectiveness of your campaigns. Determine which channels deliver the best results and allocate resources accordingly.
4. Test and iterate
What works today may not be as effective tomorrow in this growing space. So you should take an experimental approach, trying different channels and strategies. Run A/B tests to understand what works best for your audience, and be prepared to iterate and adjust your strategy based on the insights you get.
5. Consider a multi-channel approach
In many cases, a multi-channel approach works best. Different channels complement each other and create a comprehensive and versatile strategy that maximizes reach and engagement. However, be aware of resource limitations and make sure the channels you choose are appropriate for your business.
Summary
Choosing the best and right channel is important. But the key to success is not only choosing the right B2B channels but also the constant improvement and development of strategies.
If you are not sure which channel to choose or which strategy to use, or need any help with this you can always contact us. Over the years, we have established ourselves as one of the best B2B marketing consultants!
Contact us and let’s discuss your growth together!
FAQs
1. What is the first step in choosing the right demand generation channels?
The first step is to identify your target audience and their pain points. Understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors to determine which channels will resonate with them.
2. How do I choose the right demand generation channels for my business?
Consider your business goals, target audience, and available resources. Evaluate the effectiveness of each channel, considering factors such as cost, reach, engagement, and conversion rates.
3. What are the most effective demand generation channels for B2B businesses?
For B2B businesses, content marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising (such as Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads) are often effective channels. Additionally, account-based marketing, event marketing, and referral marketing can be effective for targeting specific accounts and decision-makers.
4. How do I prioritize my demand generation channels?
Prioritize channels based on their effectiveness, cost, and alignment with your business goals. Focus on the channels that drive the most conversions and revenue.
5. How do I ensure my demand generation channels are aligned with my sales team?
Regularly communicate with your sales team to understand their needs and pain points. Ensure that your demand generation channels are providing high-quality leads that align with their sales strategies and goals.
