Any company that wants to build long-term relationships with its customers knows they probably aren’t ready to make a purchase right away. And even if they love to buy, they probably don’t want to be sold.
That’s why so many companies have been turning to demand generation tactics as an effective way to reach out to and engage potential customers.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to create a killer demand generation campaign.
Understanding Demand Generation
So, let’s begin by unpacking what demand generation means.
Demand generation is a multi-faceted, comprehensive marketing strategy that aims to create a buzz about your products or services. It’s a lot more than just sparking interest — it’s about carefully nurturing potential customers throughout the buying journey, keeping your brand at the forefront of their minds, and ultimately steering them to make a purchase.
Effective demand generation is all about fostering long-term relationships with consumers to ensure recurring business and brand loyalty.
What goes into a demand generation campaign?
A demand generation campaign consists of several elements that work together to help drive sales and increase brand recognition.
Content marketing
Content marketing is at the core of any effective demand generation strategy. This involves creating interesting, relevant content that engagingly speaks to your target audience, and helps establish you as knowledgeable thought leaders within the industry.
Content marketing can take many forms, from blog posts and guides to social media campaigns and videos. The idea is to engage potential customers in a natural way that doesn’t feel too sales-y.
Lead nurturing
Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with prospective customers over time. This involves providing them with valuable content and resources that will help them get to know your brand better and eventually take the next step in the buying process.
Businesses nurture their leads through email drip campaigns, ongoing email content (e.g., newsletters, promos), social media posts, and other digital marketing efforts. The goal is to build trust and connect with potential customers. That way, when it comes time to make a purchase decision, they already have a brand top-of-mind.
Paid ads
Paid advertising is another important element of demand generation. By creating targeted Google ads, social media ads, or connected TV ads, you can reach a bigger audience with your messages and drive more qualified leads to your sales funnel.
By carefully crafting ad campaigns, businesses can gain valuable insights into what resonates best with their target market. This helps them refine their messaging and hone in on the topics that move potential customers down the funnel.
5 Best Practices for Successful Demand Generation Campaigns
Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s look at some key best practices for running a successful demand generation campaign.
Know your goals and KPIs (ahead of time).
Before you can create an effective demand generation strategy, it’s important to know what success looks like for your business.
The most important goals to track for a demand gen campaign include:
- Number of leads generated
- Conversion rate
- Cost per lead
- Engagement rate
- Traffic
Remember: You aren’t necessarily looking for immediate sales conversions. It’s more about gaining meaningful insights into what resonates with your target customers and building relationships that will result in long-term loyalty.
Tailor your message to different customer segments.
You can’t expect one message to resonate across all types of customers — each segment has its own needs, wants, and preferences. Audience targeting is key to creating successful demand generation campaigns.
Identify the different customer segments you want to target and create tailored messages that speak to them in a direct, authentic way. You can also use personalization tactics such as A/B testing, dynamic content, and segment-specific ads for even more effective targeting.
Use multiple channels and touchpoints.
When it comes to demand generation, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. You should be using multiple channels and touchpoints to reach out to potential customers from different angles.
More than 80% of customers prefer companies that take an omnichannel approach because it creates a more seamless experience. Leverage the power of email marketing, social media, and other digital channels to reach out to your target market.
Monitor metrics in real time.
The only way to get meaningful insights into what’s working (and what isn’t) is to track your campaign performance on an ongoing basis — this will help you identify areas for improvement and optimize your demand generation strategy over time.
Invest in a marketing automation platform.
Demand generation campaigns require a lot of resources and time. Even if you have just a few prospects, manually managing them is impossible (trust us). Half the functions of a demand generation campaign aren’t even possible without software.
Investing in software (and integrating it) also ensures you’ll be able to track your metrics in real time. Every day, you can check your KPI dashboard to review it during team calls and make adjustments as needed.
Closing Thoughts
Demand generation is an essential practice for businesses looking to stay competitive in their respective industries. By understanding the fundamentals and following best practices, you can create a comprehensive demand gen strategy that will help your business reach its goals — and ultimately drive more sales!
That said, it’s important to remember that effective demand generation is an ongoing process. You’ll need to continuously refine your approach and keep up with the latest trends to remain relevant and competitive.
