What’s New (and Outdated) in Demand Gen Marketing?

Demand gen marketing is a fascinating field to work in. As a naturally innovative space, there are always new techniques, technologies, and strategies to implement that promise to yield unprecedented growth and generate massive demand.

Alongside this are old strategies that no longer fit with the expectations of modern consumers.

The demand generation marketing job description is constantly changing. The amount of information available online makes it difficult for marketing leaders to stay up to date.

To help, we here at Hushly have collected a few examples of exciting new demand-generation processes that you should be focused on, and we also suggest some old ways of doing things that might need to be retired.

What is Demand Generation Strategy?

Demand generation is a marketing practice focused on building demand. Demand is defined as high brand awareness and interest that turns prospects into high-quality leads.

It’s important not to confuse demand gen marketing with lead gen marketing.

Demand Gen vs. Lead Gen

Leads are prospects that your sales team will attempt to convert into sales, while demand is the level of interest those prospects have in your product.

What’s New in Demand Gen Marketing?

We at Hushly are on top of the changes in the marketing world so you don’t have to be. Here are three ways we’ve found demand gen marketing is evolving for the better.

Playing the Long Game with ABM and Personalization

There’s a seismic shift happening in B2B demand generation towards customer-focused strategies that form valuable relationships that lead to partnerships and mutual growth.

Today’s B2B customers (and even an increasing number of B2C customers) are demanding a higher level of personalization. This includes ads that speak directly to their pain points and propose solutions they can act on immediately.

In 2022 and beyond, the best demand gen strategies will be ones that focus on the long-term goals of relationship and credibility building.

Featuring Target Companies in Ad Materials

One specific way to begin building relationships with companies you want to work with is by featuring them in your marketing and demand gen content.

By this, we don’t mean flattering companies unnecessarily. This will be transparent and could even have negative effects.

Instead, focus on the things you genuinely admire about the company and how you can help them grow. Feature them as an example of a company that’s doing things right and that you’re working to emulate in your own operations.

This type of good-faith callout works on two levels: It shows the target company you know them well. It also shows other companies your good nature and shows a willingness on your part to give credit where it’s due and adopt successful strategies regardless of who is coming up with them.

Better Creativity

Part of the shift towards customer-focused demand gen and marketing means a shift towards human-centered communication.

Too often do marketers forget that the buyers they’re speaking to aren’t just representatives of their companies, but real people with specific desires, needs, and dreams your company can help achieve. Speaking to these buyers on a human level requires a great deal of creativity and expertise.

Creative efforts in 2022 and beyond should be focused on creating content that’s not just informative and attention-grabbing, but genuinely entertaining and engaging.

There’s no doubt this extra layer of creativity is more difficult to achieve, but as buyers grow more and more used to this level of marketing, it will only become more prevalent.

What Needs to Go: Outdated Demand Gen Marketing Tactics

Here are a few tactics that don’t fit with the modern demand gen landscape.

Assuming Everyone is Ready to Buy

It’s a mistake to assume that every buyer you engage with is at the same stage of their buying process. Sales teams know that not all MQLs are created equal, and that means you shouldn’t treat them like they are.

If your marketing content doesn’t have pieces that fit into every stage of the sales cycle, you’re missing out on conversions from buyers who may be qualified but just not ready to buy yet.

The best practice is to nurture leads continuously. Start by engaging them right away – ideally within one hour of receiving their information – and continue to nurture them by providing a steady stream of relevant and contextual content that will convince them to buy your solution.

Demo Request CTAs

CTAs that direct users to demo your solution may be unnecessary.

There are two main reasons for this:

• Customers who are signing up for demos have already done extensive research in most cases. In other words, your first impression has already been made.
• Customers who are signing up for demos already know how to find them. Your CTA could be more efficiently used to promote other content.

Demos are still great ways to introduce your product to customers and get them comfortable with it before they buy. However, your CTAs should be used to promote content or links that will drive conversions.

Ads for Gated Content

Fitting with the shift towards customer-focused demand gen marketing, ads that lead to gated content should be a thing of the past.

There’s a simple reason for this: There’s so much information available online for any subject you can imagine that buyers simply don’t need to have the patience required to get through your gate. They’re far more likely to just close the page and find another free resource that won’t demand anything from them upfront.

Instead, you should be focused on demonstrating value upfront without asking anything back. This will build trust, loyalty, and the benefit of keeping prospects on your web assets for longer.

Top Demand Gen Stats for B2B Marketers to Know in 2022

Demand Gen Report recently produced its 2022 Demand Generation Benchmark Survey. Here are some key statistics from the survey that highlight the direction that most demand gen marketers are taking.

Use these stats to inform your own strategy and compare yourself against your competitors.

• Content marketing is king: 58% of respondents plan to increase content creation budgets.
• 49% of respondents say email is still the top lead generation channel.
• 39% of respondents plan to deploy marketing automation tools.
• 32% plan to deploy ABM.
• 29% plan to execute multichannel lead nurturing.
• 31% of marketers plan to increase revenue by more than 20%.

A Demand Generation Marketing Manager Like Hushly Can Keep You Ahead of the Curve

As demand generation tools continue to evolve, there will always be new strategies and directions for your company to consider.

That’s why it may be best to work with a content experience platform like Hushly to manage your demand gen needs.

Hushly specializes in customer-focused demand generation through ABM and personalization. Our automated platform uses sophisticated data analytics to ensure your leads are always converting at a high rate.

Our drag-and-drop platform also requires no technical expertise to use, so adjusting your strategy on the fly is as easy as clicking a few buttons.

We’ve been advocating for more personal, long-term, relationship-building approach to demand gen for years, so we’re well positioned to provide support for your demand gen efforts.

See how Hushly can help build demand gen using innovative techniques that will boost your marketing ROI and build long-term customer relationships.