Compare demand generation to the hiring process for a moment. Job candidates are typically willing to share a significant amount of personal details in order to fill a position. When it comes to demand generation, the same is true. Potential customers will also share personal information if they are interested in your products and services.

The nurturing process begins by gathering contact information, and sharing something your audience members deem valuable. Of course, whatever you share must be associated with little risk for you. This may entail a product trial or some information that could solve buyers’ problems. Here are some examples:

• Coupons: Buyers definitely find value in coupons, and they will likely share their contact information in order to acquire them. It doesn’t require the disclosure of too much personal information, but it establishes a connection in which you can continue contact.
• Content: Rich and meaningful content will keep your audience engaged and loyal to your brand. There is a caveat here, however. Visitors to your pages may find value in your content, but this doesn’t guarantee that they are interested in what you have to offer. For a deeper understanding of what they desire, it is necessary to solicit additional information about them. You’ll need names and email addresses to communicate via personalized emails. Company names and website URLs are useful for researching prospective clients. You might also request that visitors describe themselves for further customization.

Ingredients of Successful Demand Generation

There’s no doubt that generating demand is a process. To simplify things, however, it can be broken down into individual ingredients. First consider your landing page, for instance. This is the page on your website on which visitors will find themselves after searching for a service, product, or some other information. Once they reach this destination, you can use a digital form to gather that information.

The form and the offering are the next important ingredients. You must offer something in exchange for completion of the form. Obviously, the offering must have value or the visitor won’t feel compelled to indulge.

Finally, a call to action is imperative. This can be a message or image that invites the visitor to act further, such as downloading something or making a phone call or purchase. This is one of the most efficient and effective ways to generate demand because it is non-invasive yet effective – something that is difficult to accomplish in the world of sales.

In particular, demand generation is an essential – yet often overlooked – component to B2B marketing. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that B2B marketing is all about ads, logos, and trade shows. At its core is the need for growth and consistency, which is derived from demand generation.

Fortunately, there are some best practices for accomplishing this. To begin, enhance productivity and focus by specializing your teams. They should be split into four groups: inbound leads, outbound prospecting, account executives, and account managers. Those in charge of inbound leads are responsible for information received via websites and digital forms, and are usually the results of searches, word of mouth, and outreach campaigns. Professionals managing outbound prospects develop lists of targeted buyers (either potential buyers or existing buyers you hope will invest in a new product or serves). These opportunities are then relayed to account executives to close. Finally, account managers oversee client relationships on an ongoing basis, ensuring engagement and loyalty.

In addition to specialized teams, email marketing is effective as long as it’s done carefully. For example, leave out the sales pitch. Trying to sell something right away is too aggressive, and your email will resemble junk. Instead, be specific. Keep things short using strong, simple sentences. Your purpose should be to land a referral to the correct contact person in the company.

Finally, it is incredibly important not to push. Be patient, and allow your prospects to move at their own paces. Understand the phases of the generation process, but remember that every potential client will have unique needs. Be flexible, and your prospects will be eager to engage.