Demand Generation: A Complete Guide to Getting Potential Clients to Actively Search for You

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One of the essential functions of Marketing is to create and deliver value according to the needs of the target market, with the aim of positioning our company and, thus, achieving an increase in revenue. You are surely familiar with this process.

And although we have several strategies available to achieve this, the what is gcash starting point is usually to strengthen brand awareness to capture leads and generate more sales.

This is exactly what demand generation is all about.

Keep reading, because in this article we will tell you what this discipline is about, how you can generate greater demand for your products and how Marketing teams should work to achieve better results.

Let's get started!

What is demand generation?
Let us tell you a story to give you context.

When Rock Content was born in 2013, there was little or no talk in Brazil about Content Marketing. How could we succeed in a market that did not demand this service and did not see its great potential?

Of course, demand generation arises as the first response.

Demand generation encompasses all marketing actions that aim to identify potential audiences and increase their interest in your products and services.

Precisely, during our outing we identified the companies to which we could transmit the value of content strategies to generate real sales opportunities . All through our banner: content and this blog that you are reading right now.

There are many cases like ours in different market segments. Think of Uber's efforts to position itself in a world that was still accustomed to taxis. Or what Apple did when it launched the first iPhone.

As you can see, demand generation is perfectly applicable to companies that want to market a new product or service . But it is not exclusive to these companies, as established companies can also generate more demand for their existing products.

Thus, in practice, any B2B or B2C marketing strategy of any company can benefit from demand generation to position itself and improve its reputation in the market.

Well, in the end, it seeks to keep your company in the minds of your prospects to encourage conversation and make its way through the long and complex purchasing process .

Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation: What’s the Difference?
With all of the above, it seems like demand generation is just another term for lead generation , right? In reality, while these strategies are closely related, they differ in some ways.

First, the goal of demand generation is to increase awareness and visibility about your brand or a product , while lead generation promotes a specific action to obtain information about users, such as filling out a form, registering on a landing page , etc.
Second, demand generation is a more emotional strategy , as it appeals to showing the values ​​and attributes of a company. Lead generation, on the other hand, is more logical and focused, as it consists of qualifying and retaining the prospects most likely to buy your products or services.
Demand generation is therefore the first step towards generating qualified leads , as it paves the way for strangers to move through the sales funnel to become customers.

Ultimately, these two strategies are complementary. You cannot generate leads without positioning your brand , but your company name would have no value without valuable prospects and clients.

How to implement a demand generation strategy?
Whether you are planning a new launch , promoting your business or growing your flagship product , focusing on defining a demand generation strategy is necessary to find potential customers .

The question is: how to do it?

To begin with, you must be clear that demand generation is not a discipline with immediate effects, so you must focus on the long term. In addition, it is a cyclical process, as it begins, ends and repeats itself at any stage of the Customer Journey.

With this clarification, take note of the following guidelines to carry out your demand generation strategy.

1. Define your goals
Any marketing strategy starts with defining objectives. For demand generation, you need to focus on the company's business objectives.

For example, if the Sales team needs to sell X amount of software licenses by the end of the quarter, you need to identify how many leads the Marketing team needs to generate to fill the sales funnel.

The idea is to determine the approximate number of people you need to impact with your demand generation strategy. A good idea is to implement a Sales Enablement system to coordinate the actions and objectives of the Marketing and Sales teams.


2. Build your brand identity
Now, considering that marketing campaigns focused on brand building are 4 times more likely to increase revenue and profits, you need to work on improving your product recognition and positioning yourself as an authority in your industry.

To do this, branding actions are crucial to define your brand identity. Think about the following:

What values ​​does your brand represent?
How do you differentiate yourself from the competition?
What is your purpose?
How can you communicate it at all stages of the Customer Journey?
These questions, while simple, are powerful in creating a consistent brand and conveying a message that resonates with your audience.

branding
3. Research thoroughly who your audience is
The next step is to understand who your ideal audience is. A widely used figure in Marketing is the Buyer Persona . This is defined as a data-driven representation of your ideal customer.

There are many ways to build this profile. By the way, together with RD Station we developed a Buyer Persona generator that can help you.

Keep in mind that correct segmentation in this step is crucial to sending a valuable message to the right audience.

You don't want to waste your resources trying to reach an audience that isn't interested in what you're selling or, worse yet, doesn't have the problem you're trying to solve with your product!


4. Map the Customer Journey of your potential clients
Now that you know who your ideal customer is, you must define the stages of the Customer Journey . Once we manage to attract a person's interest, we want them to continue advancing in their journey until they become a customer, right?

Well, in the Customer Journey we have 5 stages:

awareness;
consideration;
buys;
retention;
and recommendation.
Demand generation is typically focused on the first stage. However, you need to generate demand at all stages! The most effective marketing teams focus on the entire process.

And even though the ideal would be to attract potential customers from the first stage, in practice they can arrive at any time during their purchasing journey. So you must prepare yourself to take care of the relationship with your customers , understand their pains and meet their needs.

Remember: focus on educating your audience at all stages of the Customer Journey.

5. Plan a Content Marketing Strategy
One of the most effective ways to generate demand is through Content Marketing. Why? Customers tend to buy products from brands they know and trust.

That's why it's necessary to gain their trust through valuable content such as videos , blog posts, eBooks and newsletters . With these, you can position your company as an authority in your industry.

What should you keep in mind about Content Marketing aimed at generating demand? Mainly, two things: SEO and the creation of truly valuable content.

Regarding the former, since demand generation is about increasing visibility, the content should be linked to the most general queries about your industry. Keyword research is the key that will connect you with your potential customers.

Once you identify the keywords and topics that are relevant to your business and your audience, you need to make sure you deliver an unforgettable content experience. Strive to offer a differentiating factor like that offered by interactive content .

The advantage of interactive content is that:

They promote user engagement and Customer Experience , which helps build a connection that facilitates their passage through the sales funnel; and
They can generate leads organically , since interactive content demands action from users, which generates relevant data for the company.
Some examples of powerful interactive content today are:

calculators ;
quizzes ;
landing pages;
infographics ;
evaluations;
videos ;
ebooks ;
among several others.

Also, don't forget to create content for the top , middle , and bottom of the funnel that facilitates a transition between stages, maintains interest, and improves the purchasing experience .

6. Select your channels
In addition to producing valuable content, you need to determine which channels you will use to distribute it. To do this, you need to consider the channels your buyer persona uses, your goals, and your budget.

In summary, in the digital environment there are 3 types of channels :

Own channels: website, blog, your social media profiles, etc.
Paid channels: Google Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube Ads, etc.
Earned channels : reviews in the media, mentions in specialized portals in your sector, public relations management , etc.
What you should aim for is to build an integration of the channels in which your Buyer Persona is present in order to interact with them more frequently and stay in their Top of Mind .

You don't need to invest in paid advertising from the start. You can create content on topics that interest your audience to feed your blog and distribute on social media. This way, you can start strengthening your digital presence organically.

7. Automate your strategy
Once you've identified what you need to generate demand at each stage of the Customer Journey, you can begin to automate some parts of the process to optimize your available resources .

For example:

the dissemination of segmented content;
responses to queries;
lead attraction, etc.
There are numerous tools to automate these actions. Just keep in mind that you must closely monitor their performance so as not to lose focus of the strategy, which is to generate demand.


What should marketing teams do to boost demand generation?
The demand generation scenario is complex: excess information, growing competition, great pressure to meet short-term objectives, increasingly demanding customers and difficulty in engaging in valuable conversations are some of the challenges that we marketers face.

And although, according to HubSpot , the main priority for marketing specialists is lead generation, many teams make the mistake of focusing their actions on a single stage of the Customer Journey and not paying attention to the importance of the brand.

According to this LinkedIn post, marketing teams need to take a completely different approach . In fact, the future of demand generation is understood from the following perspectives:

understand the importance of branding in marketing strategies: lead generation is more effective and profitable in the long term when you invest in your brand.
Balance more immediate goals with a longer-term vision.
Adopt a more holistic profile: marketers must have lead generation as one of their main skills, but they must also know how to use social media, master content strategies and create interactive experiences to build a brand.
A flexible skills approach to work and a learning culture can be an improvement in demand generation efforts. But this change must be carefully planned!

It is important to structure a solid, strategic and well-balanced Marketing budget to achieve the expected results.