The powerful combination of demand generation and lead generation can create incredible results for b2b sales. Complementing each other; these two provide the right fuel for creating a strong brand image and eventually augment sales and drive revenue growth. So how does one differentiate between these two complementary activities?
This blog helps you see the subtle yet significant differences between these two powerful elements of b2b.
Primary difference:
If you think of demand gen as a way to get your brand out there through brand awareness and brand knowledge transfer, then you would be right. Demand gen is all about generating demand! It’s more about creating brand awareness and then wanting people to come to you to take up your solution. Demand generation is more about creating relationships more than closing sales. It’s more about nurturing and establishing a human connection more than offering automated solutions. It all about introducing your company and its services/ products to the end customers, understanding the need of the customers, feeling the pulse of the customers and then going back and customizing those solutions for specific needs.
Lead generation on the other hand is a crucial part of demand generation and its main objective is to convert potential customers into buyers. Gated content works well to gather incredible data of good leads and it helps convert those leads into customers too. The main strategy is to get people interested in your services and then convert them into buyers.
So what are the major differentiating factors of both demand generation and lead generation?
Two important Influencing factors and enablers of B2B Demand Generation:
Amid other influencing aspects, here are two most important demand gen factors that impact business-
- Content syndication
- Email marketing
Content Syndication:
One of the best ways to increase brand awareness content syndication is a technique that can help optimize your content through various different channels and third party publishing. This can help generate demand by providing crucial information through valuable content assets so that they decide to come to you looking for solutions to their business challenges.
Email Marketing:
Email marketing is one of the best ways to get in touch with your prospects either to offer them with that which they are looking for or to get to know them well. Even social media is a great way to know the taste of your audience and to get to know their business challenges. Valuable emails with a perfect timing for the right audience can generate incredible results when it comes to demand generation campaigns.
Both content syndication and email marketing are great and effective ways to nurture and warm up to your leads.
Two important Influencing factors and enablers of B2B Lead Generation:
Amid others here are two most important lead gen factors that impact business-
Webinars:
One of the reasons why webinars garner more warm leads is because it attracts that crowd which is closer to making a buying decision. In simpler words it helps attract those customers who want to buy very soon and registering for your webinar could mean they are interested in further engaging with you. This is a potential opportunity for converting the good leads who are a part of the webinar into long term customers.
ABM (Account Based Marketing):
Getting acutely specific target through ABM enables better lead conversion. This is one of the most important channels for lead generation as it is targeted for specific accounts. ABM when based on intent data is the closest you can get to convert your leads successfully!
Examples of Demand gen and lead gen are as following-
Conclusion:
There are some subtle differences between demand gen and lead gen yet they operate differently but with the same objective. Lead generation is an important part of the demand generation process and demand generation in turn helps generate more leads for conversion. Complimentary to each other; they are both essential parts of sales and marketing functions and if done well can lead to spectacular results with great ROI.