We gathered five B2B marketing leaders and asked them to share their thoughts on what marketers should focus on for effective and profitable marketing campaigns
What is a B2B demand generation program?
It’s all about building a strategy to drive more awareness and demand for your brand and product.Â
Lead generation is in a close relationship with demand generation. Generating more leads will have a positive impact on demand generation because demand generation focuses on generating interest in your business in the wider market. More leads and more sales will drive more awareness, which is the end goal of demand generation.Â
Demand generation is one of the first aspects of the overall demand funnel, the goal of which is to close more deals. The goal of a demand generation framework is to enable your B2B marketing to reach beyond your current customers.
Whether you are a startup looking to make your first big deals, or a major organization with a sizable database of customers, stagnation is not an option. In today’s highly competitive business environment, organizations that are not focused on growth are quickly eclipsed by their competitors.Â
In order for you to drive repeatable results with demand generation, you will need a proven strategy, a strong demand generation funnel, and the right lead generation tools for the job. There are a number of different strategies and approaches to demand generation, but the fundamental goal is to get your brand and its solution in front of people who need it.Â
This means finding buyers with a strong intent who have a problem that your offering can address. Another part of this is creating good content marketing assets that is shared online and on social media.Â
The fact is that most businesses, like consumers, are searching on Google for solutions to their problems. If your content appears in their searches, your brand awareness increases. The thing to remember about demand generation is that if nobody knows your name, you can’t help anyone. However, with a strong B2B demand generation strategy, you can solidify your brand as a trusted source of solutions and knowledge within your target market.Â
One of the most important aspects of B2B marketing is B2B demand generation.
Demand generation strategy
There are a few essential elements that you should factor in as you build your demand generation strategy. Looking at demand generation strategy examples can be a great way to learn more about how this process works.Â
Here are eight proven demand generation strategies you can use:
1. Build Awareness
The first thing you’ll need to focus on is building awareness. Being active on social media and reaching out to publications with a bigger audience than you are two ways you can do this.Â
2. Publish High-Quality Content
Content is foundational to demand generation. Building a library of strong content can demonstrate your thought leadership to prospective customers and prove your expertise in search engines that will rank you higher as a reward.Â
3. Be Unique
In today’s world, people are inundated with all kinds of noise that can easily leave consumers somewhat bewildered. Don’t join the background noise of your competitors. Share what makes you different, and your business customers will be drawn to your brand.Â
4. Utilize ViB Syndication
You may have created great content, but what can you do with it? B2B content syndication, such as the service provided by ViB, can get your content in front of thousands of prospective customers that fit perfectly into your target market. This means more demand generation and more lead generation.Â
5. Invest in Automation Software And Tools
Speaking of ViB, automation software and demand generation tools (like ViB) can be powerful in the hands of a busy B2B marketer. ViB Appointments provides impressive ROI thanks to the high-quality leads it can generate.Â
6. Host Events
Attending events can be another way of building awareness and getting your name in front of prospective customers who may not have heard of you before. At these events, whether they are online or in-person, try to find ways to stand out from the crowd and be the name they remember.Â
7. Social Media Marketing
Be active on social media. Developing a unique and engaging brand experience on a variety of social media platforms can be a great way to get the word out about your brand.Â
8. Develop A Strong Email Nurturing Campaign
Part of your demand generation funnel is the nurturing of the leads you’ve generated. You want to make sure to use an effective email marketing campaign to move customers along the buyer’s journey and convert these leads into sales.Â
Demand generation funnel
One established way of demonstrating how demand generation works with other marketing activities is the demand generation funnel. It’s important to know and understand the various demand funnel stages so that you can build a comprehensive demand generation strategy. Here is a list of the main demand funnel stages:
- Demand Generation
- Lead Capture
- Sales Accepted Lead
- Sales Qualified Lead
- Won
We have already discussed the specifics of demand generation and the strategies to achieve it. The prospects that flow into your funnel as a result of that demand generation will then pass through various stages.Â
Lead capture is the point at which a prospect turns into a lead because they have clicked something on your website and taken action as a result of the marketing. Then comes sales qualified lead. At this point, the lead has been vetted by the sales team. After that, there is the meeting, the proposal, and then a won deal.
One person who needs to be very familiar with this funnel is a demand generation manager. Ultimately, it is the demand generation manager’s responsibility to ensure that each of these funnel stages is properly managed and successful. Demand generation marketing isn’t always easy, but the right tools can make a real difference.
See the 10 B2B data providers we trust
Best B2B appointment setting services
To source the best leads, it’s important to work with a qualified appointment setting platform. Some of the best B2B appointment setting services include Calendly and UnboundB2B. When deciding between appointment setting services, it’s important to keep your needs and objectives in mind.Â
For instance, if you’re driving results on a small marketing budget, it may be prudent to stick with free online appointment scheduling. You should also consider scalability. Is the software able to grow alongside your business, or will you forever be stuck with the tier or package you initially chose when signing up?
ViB is among the best appointment setting services, as it doesn’t require any heavy lifting on the part of the client. We offer effective marketing services to help companies increase awareness and accelerate their pipeline.Â
ViB is easy to get started with and, at half the typical agency cost, affordable. Boasting a 4.7 customer satisfaction rating, we are one of the best appointment scheduling platforms, delivering quick, effective results.Â
Partnering with an appointment setting service like ViB can help you achieve more in a shorter amount of time, ultimately boosting the efficiency of your workflow.
Appointment setting website
An appointment setting website enables users to easily set and manage appointments. Rather than having to keep up with everything by hand, they can simply log onto the platform and gain full visibility into their appointment setting process, accessing tools and solutions to improve their workflow.Â
Solar appointment setting companies offer exclusive leads for energy consultants. Some of the benefits of Solar is that it reduces your workload, offers industry expertise, and helps increase brand awareness.Â
There are many other examples of different appointment setting websites that deliver industry-specific results. Outbound appointment setting is another great option. These appointments are achieved when businesses can convince leads that they can meet their needs.Â
This can help boost your sales activity by following up with leads and targeting new ones. Of course, you might also decide to start an appointment setting business of your own.Â
To start an appointment setting business, it can be helpful to first look at appointment setter jobs. Working as an appointment setter can give you a better idea of how the process works and equip you with the necessary tools and resources to make successful appointments. This is the best way to get started with your own business.
Appointment setting software
Appointment setting software helps users manage their appointments. This can be especially helpful for those responsible for large numbers of appointments, as it can help them keep track of everything. Automation is typically a major component of appointment scheduling software.Â
Automation tools help users deal with appointment-related tasks automatically, eliminating manual, time-consuming processes. The best appointment scheduling software platforms use automation to improve users’ workflows. The following are the 10 best online appointment scheduling software platforms.
- ViB: B2B demand gen for high-tech businesses.
- HubSpot: Great for companies that want scalability.Â
- Squarespace Scheduling: Best software for small businesses.Â
- 10to8: Best for customer communication.Â
- Bookeo: Good for seasonal businesses that need to freeze their accounts.Â
- SimplyBook.me: Ideal for a la carte features.
- Picktime: Best for educators and at-home consultants.Â
- Appointlet: Good for small teams seeking an affordable solution.Â
- Square Appointments: Good for solopreneurs, as well as salons and spas.
- Chili Piper: Ideal for converting B2B leads.Â
It’s important to ensure that your software of choice is compatible with your business model. For example, if you work with several people, you might try looking for appointment scheduling software for multiple users.
Demand generation tools
Demand generation tools help your organization to do a better job at reaching out and cultivating high-quality leads. The best B2B demand generation software makes your efforts more rewarding by helping you get more conversions and more sales. There are several demand generation companies out there that provide a variety of demand generation marketing and demand generation content. Here is a list of them:
- Autopilot
- Pardot
- Ahrefs
- RiteKit
- Ion
- BuzzStream
Each of these companies provides a variety of different demand generation services. However, one of them stands out for their unique capabilities and surprisingly good ROI. The ViB platform has some of the most powerful demand generation tools available.Â
For example, ViB Appointments allows you to reach out to ViB’s huge community of over 2 million professionals to set up a meeting to pitch your solution with qualified leads. Using our system, you can narrow your leads down to only the people with the strongest intent to buy and then can easily schedule meetings with them.
ViB verifies the information of every prospect and has repeatedly generated higher quality leads than our competitors, delivering results that delighted our customers. We also offer a content syndication service where you can get your content in front of thousands of prospective customers looking for a product or service just like yours.Â
Demand generation examples
Sometimes, true stories are the most impactful way to learn something. That’s why looking at demand generation examples can be a great way to discover why demand generation is so important.Â
For example, Chris from Turbonomic shared how ViB was able to give them a 110% increase in webinar registrations, $935,000 in pipeline generation from sales appointments, and a 10x ROI for each closed opportunity. These are great examples of the huge benefits that come from having an effective B2B demand generation strategy.Â
In addition to the stellar results, Chris was grateful that the partnership with ViB was able to bring sales and marketing closer together. Instead of merely giving content to the sales team, he was able to deliver high-quality leads to them, which is something they were all grateful for. When demand generation marketing is done right, it not only benefits the bottom line but can strengthen your team and grow your business.
Demand generation vs. lead generation
Over the course of this discourse, you’ve probably noticed that there is a subtle difference between demand generation and lead generation. When it comes to specifics, demand generation focuses more on building awareness. That’s why it is at the top of the funnel.Â
Lead generation comes next and focuses more on the capturing and nurturing of prospects. However, both of these work together very well as part of the overall demand funnel. The more lead generation you have, the more demand generation you have, and so forth.Â
When it comes to demand generation vs. digital marketing, digital marketing consists of the activities you do to support and generate more demand. Two more concepts people may be curious about are demand generation and inbound marketing. Again, inbound marketing is an essential element of demand generation. Finally, when you are comparing demand gen vs. product marketing, both again work well together and are vital to your marketing strategy.Â
Demand generation process
The demand generation process doesn’t have to be difficult. For a young B2B startup, it may be challenging to figure out how to get your name out there so that you can start building up your sales and growing your business.Â
Fortunately, the right tools can enable you to quickly begin generating the demand you need. ViB Appointments, ViB Syndication, and ViB Webinars are all highly effective and useful ways to succeed when it comes to demand generation. We have also covered several demand generation strategies. When it comes to building your own plan, looking at a demand generation strategy template may be a great way to get lead generation ideas for your objectives and framework.
