B2B Demand Generation
Demand Generation - Step 1
Also known as “out-market”. Because we don’t have control over the volume of people who are in-market (actively seeking a solution ie. searching Google), we need to generate demand in the first place.
Objectives:
Move their thinking from:
A: “I don’t have a problem” to; B: “I have a problem”Build brand awareness, become a trusted industry voice
Make it your brand that comes to mind when they think of your product category
Make it your product they think about when they’re having issues with their current solution
Lead gen is possible via value add content (eg. downloadable resource). Note: these are not hot leads
Lead gen is possible via re-marketing ad groups using strong call to actions
Measure of success:
Engagement metrics (clicks, website engagement)
Content generated leads. Note: Don’t expect hot leads from this activity.
Leads generated via the re-marketing audience
Timeframe:
This is a long play, expect to see engagement results and in-market increase in 6-9 months of consistent activity and messaging. The re-marketing audience conversion should take much less time if there is product fit.
What this looks like:
Campaigns targeted to the wider industry, knowing they’re not yet actively looking to buy. Interruption marketing, using paid campaigns to target content to your industry on social media platforms.
Content generated leads, knowing these often need much more nurturing and are not hot leads.
Re-marketing ad groups with strong call to actions (this is the lower end of the demand gen funnel)
Platforms:
LinkedIn ads
Meta: Facebook & Instagram ads
StackAdapt ads
Reddit ads
Targeting:
The wider industry. Because out-market is a longer play, include future decision makers. This should include re-marketing, ensuring multiple content touch points.
Messaging:
Content and messaging can be more emotive to grab attention. Show you understand their day today struggles and how to solve them. Provide genuine value to them. Find a faction and lean into it.
Suggested content pillar examples:
Basic brand awareness framed into their benefits
Show how your product solves a tactical challenge they face regularly
Social proof - testimonials, use-cases
Provide genuinely helpful resources or industry news they will actually care about
Re-marketing audiences should only include content with strong call to actions.
In-market lead geneneration - Step 2
Show up for those who are actively seeking a solution. Generate hot leads by ensuring they see your product during their research phase. This includes mopping up the fruits of your Demand Gen work with Google Search Ads.
Your Demand Generation work will mean your brand is trusted when they do reach this stage. When they see your brand during their Google Search, they’re more likely to a) click, b) convert to a lead in that first session c) move through the sales process faster.
Objective:
Lead Generation.
Note: it’s usually dependent on relevant search volume. If there’s low search volume in your industry, this is going to be a slow burn and you’ll need to put more effort into Demand Gen. Use Google Keyword Planner to see your search traffic trends.
Measure of success:
Lead generation via website demo bookings or contact forms.
Timeframe:
In-market leads are generally hot leads and want information quickly. Leads are more likely to convert in the same website session here. This is heavily affected by your website optimisation, make sure the call to actions on your website are clearly visible and appropriate.
What this looks like:
Google/Bing Search Ads.
Campaigns only on platforms where you can target in-market intent, where they are actively seeking to buy a solution in your product category. Again: we do not have full control over the volume of industry in-market, so we need to balance this with demand gen/out-market activity.
Platforms:
Google Search Ads
Note: Social media platforms usually don’t have suitable B2B behavioural targeting for intent to buy. In-market campaigns usually only cover Google Search ads, where you can target intent.
Targeting:
Keywords as niche and long tail as possible, coupled with intent to buy indicators where available. eg. “best email marketing software” is good, vs. “email marketing” which could be any number of things with no intent.
A note on optimisation: never use broad match, prefer exact match over phrase match, build up your negative keywords list quickly. See more here.
Messaging:
Straight forward, to the point. At this stage they want to get the information they’re looking for as quickly as possible. Google Search ad copy should be tailored for each ad group to reflect the search terms and maximise relevance.
Notes: So often we see this pattern of Demand Generation activity not converting directly from out-market campaigns. But it often leads to a Google Search, with a visit to your site from there. This then shows up in analytics as source=Organic Search, BUT it’s been driven by your Demand Generation work. It’s important to have this understanding. A mistake we often see is short-sightedness in relation to where conversions are coming from . In niche B2B industries your ICP could have a long thought process driven by social proof and offline conversations that you will never hear about. These are often catalysed by Demand Generation activity, especially when the content is social proof or showing your industry network.
Let us know if you have questions. You can drop us a line at hello@cusp.co.nz.
This article doesn’t cover content, which is a huge part of each approach, but that’s a whole other topic.
If you’re keen to know what working with us as a marketing partner would look like, get in touch for a chat.
Best,
Annemarie