Everything About Demand Generation Strategies, Tactics, and Examples

Everything About Demand Generation Strategies, Tactics, and Examples Demand doesn’t generate itself. If it did, we’d all be able to pack up our stuff and find a different career. Our organizations would blissfully carry on without us, bringing in leads Fortunately for us, that isn’t the way things work, and thus we remain gainfully employed. Somewhat less fortunately, it turns out drumming up business with content is easier said than done. It takes a strong understanding of your audience, smart strategy, and consistent execution to make that happen. In other words, it isn’t work you’re going to finish in a weekend. It’s going to take time, commitment, and a little bit of know-how. That’s where this post comes in. Here, you’ll find: Clarity around what demand generation is (and is not). It’s a somewhat confusing concept due to the amount of overlap between it and other marketing disciplines. An outline for how to plan a demand gen strategy. Get templates and guidance you need to start putting a plan into practice. Links to actionable blog posts and other reliable sources. Check the Recommended Reading callouts throughout the post for more detailed guides on how to implement each piece of your strategy. This is a broad topic, and condensing down everything about it into one post isn’t entirely possible. But, you can consider this your one bookmarkable hub to find all the resources you’ll need in one place. It’s time to start reading and start building up your business. What Exactly is Demand Generation? This genuinely isn’t a dumb question. Demand generation, as a marketing term, describes a broad set of practices and tactics that are all centered around one thing: making people care about your product. It encompasses everything an organization does to raise awareness and build interest in what they sell. That can include branding, public relations, content marketing, or anything else that helps turn audiences from not knowing you exist, to wondering why they didn’t buy sooner. How Does That Differ From Lead Generation? You’ve probably heard the term lead generation too, and might be wondering how it differs from demand gen. Solomon Thimothy from Clickx  sums up the distinction between the two well in this video: If you don’t have time to watch the video, the easiest answer is that lead gen is a part of demand gen, which’s more narrowly focused on capturing information from potential customers (most often through an online form). Ultimately, generating leads is part of the goal of generating demand, but the practice of demand gen from start to finish is more complex. Whats the difference between #LeadGeneration and #DemandGeneration? Understanding Why Demand Generation Matters No one cares about your brand. At least, not until they realize they have a problem that needs solving, or they discover a want for a particular type of product or service. But, even then, once their search for a solution begins, you have plenty of competitors they could find instead. So, it’s up to you to build interest in your industry, get in front of potential customers, and deliver the kind of value that’s going to attract people to you (instead of any of the number of other options they might have). This isn’t going to happen by accident. And it’s not going to happen without the help of the right knowledge and tools, either.