Many of our target audience members aren’t even aware of how they can improve their products and processes, let alone be aware of what we can do for them. ‘Demand generation’ is about igniting this potential interest in our offerings. It’s about brand awareness and driving traffic to our content, as well as establishing us as the go-to solution. The ultimate goal? Attracting leads with a high potential for conversion.
Tactics often considered to be at the heart of demand generation include understanding the online behaviour of our audience (so we can create messages that resonate); understanding specific accounts; regularly publishing relevant content; investing in email marketing; and using automation tools.
As this article puts it, “Essentially, demand generation is a long-term, education-focused marketing strategy that prioritises reaching and engaging ‘out of market’ buyers.” The concept may sound a bit woolly, but I think it offers some important perspective on different types of customer. We sometimes tend to concentrate a little too much on ‘lead generation’, which is quite different. I’d recommend reading up about the difference between the two.