Five Demand Generation Tips to Drive Your Marketing Efforts Forward

By Michelle Voznyuk, Marketing Specialist at Heinz Marketing

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of account-based marketing (also referred to as ABM). While the concept has quickly gained traction over the past few years, ABM has actually been around for quite a while. According to ITSMA, account-based marketing started taking shape as early as 2003. Today, it’s widely recognized by B2B organizations as an effective tool for reaching targeted accounts.

While incorporating ABM into your marketing strategy is still a great idea, doing so in tandem with more traditional demand generation strategies can actually increase your impact.

You may be thinking demand gen is part of the past. However, the need to grow awareness and reach is still very much applicable.

Here are five present-day demand generation tips you can implement to drive your marketing efforts forward:

1. Develop Quality Content on a Regular Basis

Today’s buyers have higher expectations than ever before. That means organizations must work harder to gain (and keep) their attention. One of the most effective ways to reach your audience is by generating high quality content. Rather than viewing content as a necessary evil, organizations should put it at the center of their strategies. Creating strong top-of-funnel content will act as a value-add and be the driving force behind your campaign efforts.

2. Update and Refine Your Email Programs Often

Gone are the days of setting and forgetting your email programs. Not only should you aim to have multiple programs firing at once, but they should also be kept up with regularly. Monitoring performance is key to understanding what is and isn’t working. Create a cadence for reporting and analyzing email metrics, and an action plan to address any issues. You can try A/B testing subject lines to improve open rates, shift around CTAs within the email, or replace assets that are outdated and no longer relevant.

3. Participate in Industry Events

Another great way to improve your demand generation efforts is to participate in industry events. There are multiple routes you can take when getting involved, including booth participation, co-hosting an event, or acting as a sponsor. All of these options have various benefits and can help increase your brand awareness. While each event is unique and will have a different set of rules, you should reach out to the event coordinators to discuss your options. Some events have promotional/lead sharing programs that can bring direct leads to your organization!

4. Invest in Partner Marketing Relationships

Relationships are everything in the B2B space. That means it’s in your best interest to collaborate and partner with other organizations when you can! There are tons of reasons why you should invest in partner marketing. Doing so can expose you to a new audience, move existing prospects down the funnel, and help you achieve overarching goals (just to name a few). To start, try creating joint content with another organization. This could be co-hosting a podcast, doing some industry research, or putting on a joint webinar.

5. Use the Power of LinkedIn

The world is your oyster when it comes to LinkedIn! It’s a great way to grow your organizational and personal brand at the same time. If you’re fairly new to the game, you can start by networking with other individuals in your industry and the industries you’re targeting. This can be as simple as dropping a comment on a post, or reaching out to someone via direct message. Once you feel comfortable, you should start sharing your own thoughts and content! Becoming a thought leader in the industry can do amazing things for your brand reputation and make sure you’re always top of mind!

I hope you found these tips helpful as you finish out the year strong. While you should definitely invest time and resources into ABM, it’s important to note that there are many demand generation strategies that are still worthwhile today!

As always, if you find yourself struggling to get started or gain traction, reach out to our team! We’d love to help.