Demand Generation Tactics: 10 Strategies to Boost B2B Leads

For any B2B business, demand generation marketing is the key to growth. A successful strategy drives interest in and demand for your product or service, which attracts potential leads.

So, where should you focus your efforts? And how can you maximize the outcomes? We'll cover 10 B2B demand generation tactics you can use to connect with your ideal customer, even in a competitive space.

What is demand generation?

Demand generation is the practice of introducing your business to potential prospects, making them aware of the products and services you offer, and piquing their interest in your solution. It involves:

• Attracting potential leads

• Boosting brand awareness

• Driving traffic to your website

• Positioning your brand as an authority

• Establishing your brand as trustworthy

B2B businesses typically use this approach to attract new customers and upsell existing customers. The ultimate goal of demand generation is building pipeline and creating opportunities to grow your business.

Demand generation vs. lead generation: What's the difference?

Although demand generation and lead generation are related, these terms refer to two different approaches:

• Demand generation focuses on driving awareness and increasing interest

• Lead generation centers on collecting contact details and nurturing qualified leads

As a result, demand generation often comes first in most B2B marketing strategies. After all, you have to attract an interested audience before you can convert prospects into qualified leads.

10 B2B demand generation tactics

Use these top tactics to generate demand across channels.

1. Video marketing to share thought leadership

Video marketing is ideal for building trust with your target audience and establishing your brand as a thought leader. Using various video formats, your marketing and sales team can:

• Share their expertise and insights

• Show product demos and walkthroughs

• Teach customers how to get more value from your product or service

For example, this Semrush YouTube series shares quick, actionable marketing tips. Each video shows viewers how to use Semrush software to accomplish marketing tasks.

Another way to level up your B2B video marketing strategy is hosting webinars. Using this format, you can connect with potential leads in real time and build stronger relationships.

For example, Teamleader uses Livestorm to livestream and organize automated webinars. These videos promote new software features, facilitate interactive discussions, and more.

When you use Livestorm to host webinars, following up with attendees is simple. You can use our built-in emails to share links to on-demand event recordings and other relevant resources.

2. Social media marketing to grow a community

With social media marketing, your team can connect with potential customers in spaces where they already spend time. For B2B companies, this often means investing in LinkedIn.

There are tons of ways to grow your community and generate demand using social media.

For example, MadKudu uses LinkedIn to share feature releases, drive interest in the company, and show potential and existing customers how to get more value from the product:

Make prioritizes social media event promotion. The event pictured below is open to virtual and on-site attendees, allowing the company to engage a social media audience and connect with its community in person:

HubSpot uses LinkedIn to share memes and lighthearted content. These posts tend to create substantial engagement, giving the company more opportunities to boost awareness and stay top-of-mind with prospects:

3. Search engine optimization (SEO) to improve website visibility

When you focus on SEO, you can rank your website and video content at the top of relevant search results. In other words, SEO gets your business in front of potential customers as they search for solutions and drives traffic to your website.

For example, this Livestorm blog post is the first result for the search "how to host a webinar:"

And this Livestorm YouTube video is the first video result for the same search:

Successful SEO requires a mix of tactics, including:

• Keyword research

• Content strategy

• Backlink portfolio

• Technical optimization

4. Content marketing to distribute high-value content

SEO-focused blog posts are just one element of a successful content strategy. Lead magnets like ebooks and reports are considered high-value because they offer more in-depth information to potential leads.

Many lead magnets require prospects to provide contact details in exchange for the asset. Your sales and marketing team can then use this information to follow up with prospective customers.

For example, this Calendly ebook helps sales teams reduce friction during the sales process:

This Asana report contains original research on the state of AI at work:

5. Email marketing to nurture leads

Demand gen tactics like lead magnets and webinars often result in potential leads signing up for your email list. As long as you've secured permission to send marketing messages to these subscribers, you can use email to generate interest and identify qualified leads.

Email marketing is great for teasing new products, promoting feature releases, and sharing new resources. Over time, marketing emails help with lead nurturing and leading prospects toward a purchase decision.

This email from Backlinko shares a step-by-step process readers can follow to scale content production, including tips for completing these steps with Semrush:

For example, this email from Bubbles announces a new feature, prompting existing customers to try it:

Your marketing team doesn't have to send all emails to every subscriber. Instead, segment your audience and use email marketing automation to direct messages to engaged prospects.

6. Event marketing to connect virtually and in person

Many demand generation strategies focus on digital methods like email and social media. But with B2B event marketing, you can build an engaged community both virtually and in person.

To make a big impact, consider hosting a large industry conference. For example, Moz hosts MozCon, an annual conference for SEO and digital marketing professionals. While the conference takes place in person in a physical location, attendees can also register to receive event recordings.

If a major industry conference isn't in your event marketing budget, you have plenty of other options. Consider hosting or attending:

• Trade shows, which let you showcase products to a B2B audience

• Panel discussions and roundtables, which let your executive team share expert insights

• VIP dinners, which let you form more personal relationships with high-quality leads

7. Influencer marketing to boost brand awareness

Building an audience from scratch or expanding an existing customer base can be challenging for any business. But with influencer marketing, you can leverage existing audiences to create demand.

Influencers have engaged audiences that trust their authority on specific topics. When you partner with the right influencers, they can introduce your business to their followers in a natural (i.e., non-salesy) way.

For example, Jess Cook is a Semrush partner. In a series of LinkedIn posts like the one below, she shares how she uses Semrush tools to do her job and achieve important goals.

8. Partnership marketing to form collaborations

While influencer marketing centers on collaborating with individual creators, partnership marketing** focuses on collaborating with other businesses**. While the tactics and outcomes vary, the end goal is generating demand for both businesses.

Some of the most valuable types of partnership marketing include:

• Jointly hosting webinars so both businesses can connect with attendees and follow up after the event

• Software integrations that encourage the target audience to include both platforms in their tech stack

• Content partnerships that allow both businesses to contribute original research and expert insights

9. Account-based marketing (ABM) to target top prospects

While some demand gen marketing efforts cast a wide net, ABM targets a narrow group of prospects. Although this may seem counterintuitive, it prioritizes major revenue opportunities.

With ABM, you identify top accounts that have the potential to generate significant revenue. Then, you tailor marketing campaigns for these companies.

“ABM is all about fostering very deep relationships rather than just generating leads,” Pauline Mura, Field Marketer at Livestorm.

Marketing teams use ABM to:

• Run dynamic ad campaigns targeting specific companies

• Personalize website content for visitors from target accounts

• Send drip campaigns that build on previous touchpoints

• Host events tailored to target accounts

“We use industry events for awareness, curated workshops for engagement, and VIP experiences to accelerate deals,” shares Leanne Chescoe, EMEA Marketing Director at Demandbase.

10. PPC ads to expand reach exponentially

Many demand gen tactics focus on inbound methods, which attract prospects in your target market. However, you don't necessarily have to wait for your ideal customer to stumble upon your brand.

With PPC ads, you can target your ideal customer as they search for related topics. As a result, you can expand your prospect list and build more pipeline.

For example, a Google search for tips on how to create a slide deck introduces several software solutions:

And a Google search for HubSpot alternatives surfaces several other CRM options to consider:

Demand generation campaign metrics to track

When you measure the outcomes of demand gen campaigns, go beyond vanity metrics like impressions and views. Instead, monitor these metrics to keep improving your demand gen tactics:

• Opportunities generated: Total number of sales opportunities

• Cost per lead (CPL): Amount spent to convert each lead

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC): Amount spent to acquire each customer

• Customer lifetime value (CLV): Total amount spent by the customer over the relationship

• Sales cycle length: Amount of time to close a deal

Livestorm for demand generation

Livestorm is the ideal B2B demand generation tool for webinars and virtual events. With Livestorm's webinar software, your marketing team can:

• Connect with prospects via livestreams and engage your audience in real time

• Design engagement funnels with on-demand and automated webinars

• Follow up with engaged prospects and nurture their interest in your brand

• Integrate Livestorm into almost any existing marketing automation tech stack

Ready to get serious about driving demand for your B2B business? Sign up for Livestorm and set up your first online event in just a few minutes.