The Anatomy of a Great Demand Generation Campaign

Demand generation is a key driver for business growth. Here’s what an effective lead generation campaign looks like.

You probably can’t grow your business without generating leads. But what does effective demand generation look like? We like to think of it as a way of warming up potential buyers. The goal is to get them on the right path to make a purchase, but the journey to get there requires a lot of data, planning, content and coordination (not to mention constant monitoring and optimization). So, let’s take a look at how an effective demand generation campaign works.

What happens in a demand generation campaign?

There are four key steps in a demand generation campaign. Here’s what that looks like in the eyes of your potential buyer.

1. Attract Prospect

The prospect discovers you through one of your marketing channels. This could be through your website or social media pages, from a digital ad or via a targeted marketing email they received from you.

Example:
Marco is researching industry trends on a trade association website as he considers upgrading several pieces of aging equipment. While on the website, he sees a digital ad from AZ Equipment promoting a whitepaper about the top equipment innovations to be aware of in 2021.

2. Engage Prospect

You peaked their interest enough to click on your call-to-action (CTA). A CTA is a brief message that encourages the prospect to take some type of action – this usually involves clicking on a button or link for more information.

Example:
The ad has peaked Marco’s interest in the whitepaper, so he clicks on the “Download Now” button. He hopes it will be a valuable add to a growing body of research he’s compiling to help inform his new equipment purchase. 

3. Capture Lead

When the prospect clicked on your CTA link, it took them to a landing page designed to collect lead information in exchange for an offer (this could be a free consultation or product trial, a , a webinar, etc.)

Example:
After clicking on the “Download Now” button, Marco is directed to a landing page that asks him to provide some basic information in exchange for the free consultation. He decides to complete the online form with his information so he can do the consultation with your team.

4. Nurture Lead

Now that the prospect has provided their information, you can target them in a series of follow-up marketing activities designed to nurture them along in their journey toward (hopefully) becoming a loyal customer.

Example:
The following week, Marco receives an invitation from AZ Equipment for a webinar where the company will discuss a few of the whitepaper topics in more detail. He believes one of them will be crucial to understand for his equipment purchase, so he signs up.

This process is fundamental in your prospect’s journey toward becoming a delighted and loyal customer. As you can see in the example with Marco, creating the right content that aligns with the buyer journey at the right time is a key component of effective demand generation. But it’s just as important to use the right channels to promote that relevant content to the right audience. This is where data, planning and coordination come into play.

If this is all starting to sound a bit complicated, well…it can be. Effective demand generation requires quality data and customer insights, relevant content, multiple marketing channels and strong coordination between marketing and sales teams. To execute demand generation effectively, we recommend building (or refining) your strategy and determining the right budget and resources required to support it before jumping into that first campaign. This may require some outside help if you don’t have the in-house marketing resources needed to support ongoing, strategic demand generation activities.

Advice for Creating Great Demand Generation Campaigns

Successful B2B demand generation depends on some extensive behind-the-scenes orchestration that can involve a lot of moving parts. So how can you ensure that your efforts are paying off? Here are three tips we often share with our clients: 

1. Invest in the right tools – How much do you know about the people who are interacting with your company online? For example, when a prospect fills out a contact form on your website, do you know what they did before and after they completed that form? Think about how you might use that information to better understand their needs – and leverage it the next time you reach out to them. The right demand generation tools can help you get to know your prospects better, and therefore capture leads more effectively.
2. Consider all stages of the buyer journey – Just because a prospect had some type of digital interaction with your company, it doesn’t mean they’re ready to talk to someone on your sales team right away. They will likely need to be “primed” with several interactions until they are in-market to make a pruchase. This may start with you providing high-level information such as tips or checklists, followed by more detailed information delivered through webinars or playbooks, then a product demo. Your demand generation campaigns should factor in each stage of this journey.
3. Ensure consistent messaging and brand alignment – Make sure that your content delivers what your prospects are looking for, and that it aligns with your company’s unique strengths and value proposition. You should be offering the unique expertise and information they need, and proving your value in the process of doing so. It’s also important to always deliver on what you promise (in the ad, on the landing page, etc.), because this is the best way to establish trust and move the prospect forward in their journey – which hopefully ends by becoming your customer.

Learn more about building a demand generation engine to drive high growth.

Here at GrowthMode, we can help you build, maintain and measure effective demand generation activities to drive faster growth for your company. Contact us today to learn more.