B2B Demand generation is changing. Novel formats, channels, and technologies like TikTok and ChatGPT are now driving forces behind buyer interest, opening up new ways for B2B brands to raise awareness about their products.
59% of marketers attribute revenue growth to marketing-generated leads, so demand-generation tactics remain a non-negotiable among marketing teams. However, you need to freshen up your strategy to account for the needs and expectations of buyers in the current digital environment.
Benefits of B2B demand generation
If you still need convincing that B2B demand generation is worth pursuing, here are some of its key benefits:
- Greater brand awareness- Demand gen will make your brand name more recognizable and create positive associations with potential buyers.
- Improved sales lead quality- Leads that come to you through your demand gen efforts will already be interested in your products and will be easier to qualify and convert.
- Faster buyer journeys- Getting your messaging through to leads before they’ve even made a move toward a purchase means you won’t need to spend as much time nurturing them and convincing them to progress further down your sales funnel.
- Higher ROI- By bringing in higher-quality leads and shortening their time in the sales funnel, you’ll see higher returns on your marketing spend.
- Insights into your target audience- Demand gen focuses on learning how to communicate effectively with your customers, giving you actionable insights into their needs, values, and behavior
How does B2B demand generation work?
Demand generation is a strategy that seeks to create new potential customers by increasing brand awareness and interest in the solutions you provide.
At any given time, most of your best prospects aren’t in the market to buy what you’re selling. Instead of ignoring those prospects until they signal purchasing intent, you can target them with demand generation and lay the groundwork for their future customer journey. The goal is to ensure you’ll be the first provider they think of when the time is right.
Effective demand generation requires you to understand who your customers are and what pain points they’re dealing with. By connecting with them through a relevant and personalized marketing approach, you’ll be able to start building a relationship that will streamline the process of nurturing and converting them once they can be qualified as leads.
B2B demand generation KPIs for marketers
For marketers, the risk is always that you’ll sink lots of time and money into efforts that aren’t leading to higher sales. The best way to ensure a successful demand generation campaign is to define, understand, and monitor key demand den metrics. Here are some of the best ones to keep an eye on:
- Qualified lead volume
- Percentage of sales closed
- Conversion rates (measured at every level of the sales funnel)
- Cost per acquisition
- Cost per lead
- Average purchase value
- Customer lifetime value
That said, demand generation can be tricky to evaluate because its entire purpose is to plant seeds of interest that can take a long time to grow. Monitoring B2B social media metrics such as likes, shares, and mentions can help determine whether your efforts are succeeding at spreading awareness, engaging audiences, and eliciting positive sentiments.
Creating an infallible B2B demand generation strategy
1. Provide value with no strings attached
It may seem paradoxical, but you can make leads more inclined to spend their money on your products by giving away valuable content and resources for free. Just look at companies like HubSpot, who freely provide informative articles, engaging webinars, and no-cost versions of their tools. They’re recognized and trusted by digital marketers worldwide and are often the first providers businesses consider when they need a CRM solution.
Free trials, samples, ebooks, and educational videos are just a few examples of the value you can give to build your brand recognition and generate demand for your paid products and services.
2. Build an account-based marketing program
If there’s a business out there that would make a perfect client for your B2B solution, don’t be afraid to make the first move. An account-based marketing approach that connects with them through relevant content delivered over their preferred channels is a highly effective way to generate demand for a solution and establish your brand as the first choice to provide it.
Over three-quarters of marketers find that ABM yields a higher ROI than any other strategy. Still, it requires a deep understanding of the target organization, its needs and pain points, and the individuals who make purchasing decisions. Thorough research and carefully constructed customer personas can help you craft pitch-perfect messaging.
3. Build a social media marketing program
Social media accounts can be a significant marketing asset for any B2B business. Whether using it to raise awareness of your products, share informative content, or provide accessible and hands-on customer service, a smart social media strategy can be critical in generating demand.
You can optimize and leverage your social media presence by engaging in conversations on relevant topics within your communities, offering thought leadership with organic written content, and using social media listening and scheduling tools to find active discussions and maintain a consistent level of engagement. Ensure you keep updated with the latest B2B social media trends to keep your social content fresh and relevant.
4. Let your employees do the talking
Some of the best demand-generating outreach happens outside official corporate channels. Employees who believe in their company and its solutions can be exceptionally effective brand ambassadors, so give your teams the resources and go-ahead to share positive content on their profiles with employee advocacy.
To create an engaging employee advocacy strategy, it’s imperative that your employees post authentic content that offer genuine insights and perspectives. , At the same time, these campaigns also benefit significantly from planning and organization. Employee advocacy tools like Oktopost can help by providing your advocates with a steady stream of high-quality content as well as a shared workflow to make employee advocacy a seamless process.
5. Invest in multimedia content and events
Don’t limit your outreach to banner ads and blog posts—marketing efforts that involve multimedia or offline experiences are often some of the most memorable and effective. For example, a key driver of success for Amazon’s advertising strategy is its Amazon Prime Day online activities and in-person events, which are heavily promoted on social channels.
A big part of B2B demand generation is educating prospects about your products and why they need them. Webinars that address business challenges and discuss your solutions can provide value while increasing your brand recognition and authority. You can also host live or virtual events that facilitate networking, establish personal connections, and create positive associations with your brand.
Remember that video is still the king of content, and mastering the art of creating engaging short-form videos will help you establish a compelling presence on platforms like TikTok.
The right tools can keep your brand in demand
There’s still lots of life left in the demand gen model, but B2B buyers are discerning, and you have to tailor your efforts to their needs, speak their language, and meet them on their preferred channels.
Social media provides unparalleled reach for digital marketers, especially if you’re running a closely targeted ABM campaign. Tools like Oktopost that can plan, schedule, and monitor your social media marketing activities will help you optimize your strategy and execute it flawlessly.
Learn more about how Oktopost’s B2B social media management platform can help your team generate demand for your brand.
