A Holistic Overview of Digital Demand Generation for B2B Marketers

All B2B digital marketing strategies aimed at invoking demand, enticing leads, and driving conversions constitute Digital Demand Generation. It is a long-term campaign that goes through every demand-and-supply related touch point of potential clients. 

• In the initial phase, demand generation begins with consistent brand building and PR campaigns. 
• The intermediary phase looks at educating potential clients about their problem points, thereby attempting to stoke demand.
• Finally, there is an endeavour to nurture leads that match with your ICP (Ideal Client Profile)

All along, the primary intent is to establish a 2-way communication channel with prospective clients. First as a credible brand, knowledge-hub and industry expert, then as the right ‘problem-solver’, and finally as a trustworthy partner in progress.

Three-Fold Significance of Digital Demand Generation 

For any B2B marketer, relying on the current digital marketing space poses a mixed bag of challenges and potential. On one hand, there is massive scope to tailor innovative demand generation strategies that can bring you solid leads. On the other hand, multiple contenders vying for the attention of the same market segments can be a huge challenge. Here is a look at why digital demand generation is significant for B2B marketers:-

• Digital Demand Generation streamlines your Content Marketing Efforts

Digital content has reached such superfluous proportions that the attention span of the average internet user has gone way down. You can post the most impressive, original, and engaging content in the digital realm. But it is digital demand generation that ensures that it reaches the right eyeballs. It ascertains that your content targets prospective leads that are most likely to convert. So sharing high quality content can never be a futile exercise with tactical demand generation.

• Well-Integrated Sales and Marketing Activities

For many B2B businesses, a major loophole lies in an inherent disconnect between the sales and marketing department. With digital demand generation, a comprehensive framework for aligning prospective clients is created. This necessitates the involvement of both the sales and marketing departments, inducing them to work on the same page.

• Focus on the Buyer Persona

Demand generation places your ICP at the heart of all your B2B marketing activities. When you prioritize the right buyers, you end up saving considerable time, money, and other marketing resources. Once you have chalked out the right buyer persona, all your sales and marketing activities have a common pivot-point to lean on. Needless to state, this ensures higher efficiency and marketing ROI.

5 Effective Digital Demand Generation Strategies for 2021

1. High-value giveaways– If you want your target audience to take you seriously, please refrain from handing out cheap freebies. It could be a free tool/app, a limited period service trial, or a complimentary e-book. Any lead-magnet needs to have substantial value to entice your target audience and establish the required sense of trust.
2. Collaborate on Webinars– For start-ups and new brands, it can be incredibly challenging to get seasoned businesses to sign up for your webinars. To get a better response, you could team up with an established industry expert to conduct your initial series of webinars. Once you get the ball rolling, you can go solo thereafter.
3. Team up with Social Media Influencers– Similar to teaming up for webinars, liaising with the right social media influencers can provide you with excellent online visibility. As long as you are discerning about your target audience while selecting the influencer, you are good to go.
4. Revamp you Email Marketing Strategy- For most B2B marketers, digital demand generation is a quest for high search engine visibility and prominent social media standing. The tried-and-tested realm of email marketing often gets sidelined. Click-worthy emails with high-value lead-magnets (giveaways) as described above are a sure-shot success mantra.
5. Local SEO- Search Marketing is a vast and highly competitive arena. To chalk out your spot as a relatively new and local business, implementing local SEO strategies is highly recommended. While paid social media ads are outbound in nature, local SEO is a highly cost-effective inbound marketing strategy for B2B businesses.

Conclusion

Lead generation is just one aspect in the vast field of demand generation. The recent years have witnessed an organic shift from traditional marketing outlets to digital avenues. Digital demand generation has thus become a key success driver for your B2B business on all fronts- profitability, brand value, and credibility.