Demand generation and lead generation are both critical for strong B2B marketing strategies, but there are some key differences and too many companies do not focus effectively on demand generation. This ultimately dis-empowers their lead generation efforts and sends the sales team chasing ghosts. Effectively create the demand for your services/products and you’ll start attracting more of the kinds of buyers you want to work with through your lead generation efforts.
While demand gen is ultimately the umbrella for lead gen and inbound-marketing, New Breed explains the distinctions well between demand gen, lead gen and inbound marketing:
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Demand generation is the focus of targeted marketing programs to drive awareness and interest in a company’s products and/or services
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Lead generation is the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business
- Inbound marketing is a technique for drawing customers to products and services via content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization and branding
In other words, demand generation is the function and inbound marketing is the method.
Demand Gen Takes your Prospect Through a Three-Step Psychological Journey
- It brings into clarity they have a problem you can solve.
- It increases their awareness and trust in your brand.
- It solidifies in their mind that your product/service will provide the solution to their problem.
Examples of Effective Demand Gen Efforts
- Raise awareness of your brand and the solutions you provide through strategic content-marketing strategies.
- Use content to establish yourself as a thought-leader and an expert in your industry vertical.
- Disseminate free, helpful resources—webinars, ebooks, articles, etc.—that provide your prospects with solution-based information that is relevant and actionable.
Too many companies focus on capturing information from potential buyers before actually solidifying their brand and creating the right demand; this creates a sort of misalignment with your efforts.
As Jennifer Lawrence put it so well: “Demand marketing is meant to remove that misalignment within your marketing and sales activities. It’s a fully integrated approach that aligns your company efforts with what your prospects and customers really need and desire.”
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