Why is Account-Based Marketing Called Need of the Hour?

 

The marketers who have been doing this particular job for ages have seen many evolutions in marketing best practices. They have witnessed a rise in digital marketing vs. offline marketing. Then, there was a visible growth of social media marketing within digital marketing. After that, there was a hype of marketing automation technologies, which replaced human marketing activities.

The recent trends in the market are Account Based Marketing (ABM) or People Based Marketing (PBM). These trends have the potential to transform everything for B2B marketers. In the article, you can learn how ABM marketing and People Marketing differ from each other.

The approach led by account based marketing is listed below in points.

Working on account based lead generation

Marketers must note that intent-driven account-based marketing is compelling because it focuses on a fixed category of buyers. The approach is personalized rather than a generic one.

Further, start gathering the data about the customers you want to reach out. There are platforms such as AngelList and Google searches that can provide a list of prospective customers in the industry. Also, visitor identification tools can give a list of companies visiting your website.

After you have the list, bring out their size, location, and industry type. If there are companies that aren’t your ideal customer, remove them. The remaining companies are your target to be reached out with the relatable and best quality content. You can also term it as the primary job of an account-based marketing company.

Make space for automation

Selling B2B is a complex process because it requires appealing to multiple persons. The method of spending ‘equivalent to a full-time worksheet” comparing alternatives, talking to numerous representatives, and taking a ton of content for third-party sources is tedious.

The negative point that lies here a lot of campaigns lose potential leads during the early stage because they fail to follow up on a timely basis. So, introducing automation with intent-based data will allow the sales development team to spend more time talking to prospects without sacrificing early lead development.

Let me explain via an example. Create an event that pops up as an email campaign when a prospect visits your rating page or add up a new lead to your CRM (customer relationship management). Once the details are collected, then assign them to a salesperson or account-based marketing company.

Intent driven marketing or personalized marketing

People have their inboxes filled with messages and emails. But still, it hasn’t been harder before. The right buyer intent data can make things better. When there are tailored messages for different people with different priorities, then marketing becomes easy. It is then able to identify and attract qualified leads, similar to lead generation services.

You can make a personalized video that will show them how your business can help them grow, or you can also describe a solution addressing specific challenges that the prospect faces. 

The takeaway

Apart from the marketing challenges, the global pandemic also created many challenges. Things are slowly moving to the track again. Some new B2B lead generation strategies that are complementary fit to the realities of the new normal are leading the way. In simple words, high-quality lead generation strategies are firmly rooted in digital and automation.

If you are not using any B2B lead generating strategies such as ABM or PBM marketing techniques, you should probably reassess the entire B2B sales and marketing strategy. You will enjoy seeing how adopting ABM techniques might help you recover from all the downfalls of your business. 

The Secret Sauce for Demand Generation in 2021

 

B2B marketers often juggle between generating demand for a product or service and then generating leads.

Often used interchangeably, marketers need to understand a thin line that differentiates demand generation from lead generation. Even though these two concepts differ from each other, both are equally important to generate revenue and skyrocket your brand. Therefore, creating and executing demand generation solutions that bring together marketing and sales is highly essential.

Well, marketing is a genre that can go beyond your imagination.

You will be amazed to know how red bull once strategically placed empty and crushed cans of the product outside nightclubs in the garbage. This made people think that the drink was popular and consumed on a large scale, so they started buying it, leading to increased sales.

Creativity is an element that can change things overnight. On the contrary, consistent efforts and executing a well-curated strategy to bring sales and marketing on the same page are extremely essential.

The difference between sales and marketing is often not understood. There is always confusion. To demystify, sales refer to activities that lead to the selling of goods or services, and marketing is a bunch of activities that generate interest for the product or service.

No matter what the difference is, it needs to get sales and marketing working in tandem for a business to generate revenue, goodwill, and brand.

Focusing on demand generation, it is not just necessary to get leads in the pipeline. At the same time, it is essential to create high-quality leads that engage with your brand and generate revenue.

The secret sauce for demand generation in 2021

I agree that we are already halfway through 2021, but rethinking strategies is the right thing to do at a given point in time if they are not delivering as expected.

1.    Generate more leads

Leads keep the sales funnel alive. If there are no leads, there is nothing that the sales teams can work on to generate revenue.

However, to get the sales team some real action, it is essential to have Sales QualifiedLeads and Marketing Qualified Leads Services and professional HQL solutions.

2.    Data, data, data

On average, we generate approximately 1.145 trillion MB every day. Imagine how useful this data can be for a business?

In the era where the world experiences exponential growth in big data and business intelligence solutions, Data Solutions & Management Company offers businesses a strategic outlook.

Considering key strategies and end goals of businesses, professional B2B  Data Management Solutions offer insightful solutions that are useful in the long run.

3.    Understand what works for your business

Abbreviated for, Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline, BANT is a framework that helps businesses identify the intensity of a qualified lead. Based on the BANT parameters, it becomes easy for the sales reps to determine which lead needs their attention first.

Leading BANTMarketing Service Providers understand all the essential elements and offer solutions to help businesses outperform by catering to the right lead at the right time.

Takeaway

Demand generation is dynamic. It is different for different businesses at the given point in time. So, make sure to understand what your business needs now and when approaches need to be changed. Getting associated with a professional demand generation company can do all of this in an extremely professional manner.

People-Based Marketing - a Handy Solution for B2B Companies

 

B2B leads could add tremendous value to your marketing strategy and play a crucial role in accounting for high revenue and facilitating business development. However, it is equally important to select the right B2B lead generation solutions to support business growth and enhance the efficacy of the marketing efforts.

Develop marketing and sales plan with correct data

In this changing business era, lead generation companies no longer depend on age-old tools. B2B companies are finding more efficient and enhanced solutions to keep their feet firm in the market. Creating high-quality leads (HQL) in good numbers is a key challenge for top lead generation companies in the present scenario.

New methods followed by B2B companies to enhance their business platform and relationship with consumers include:

·         People-based marketing (PBM)

·         Content syndication marketing

·         Demand generation solutions

·         Install base targeting

·         HQL solutions

·         Account-based marketing (ABM)

·         Intent-drivenmarketing

Are you ready to know more about PBM and its high quality lead generation value?

Let’s begin.

What is people-based marketing?

People-based marketing or PBM is also termed cross-device marketing. It entails classifying consumers or prospects as an individual and not devices or cookies.

In short, it collects consumer data from offline and online sources, and with the help of a rich consumer profile, it correctly recognizes and targets consumers across various devices.

It develops cross-channel techniques to create a multi-channel experience for consumers that will make the client come back.

PBM is known to identify real people instead of proxies or cookies and delivers marketing interactions to known individuals. It is the most effective strategy for generating B2B leads. 

B2B companies with people-based marketing solutions could take their customer relationship management (CRM) data and utilize it to identify online targets.

Why people-based marketing solutions?

B2B marketing companies prefer people-based marketing solutions to –

·         Reduce advertising budgets

·         Better understand consumers

·         Help expand reach by targeting real consumers

People-based marketing solutions are known to help brands develop relationships with consumers.

A demand generation solutionscompany could tap the PBM strategy to power sales revenue. All you need to do is discover a reliable demand generation solutions company that offers you a plethora of B2B lead generation services to fulfill all your demand generation needs.

PBM and B2B appointment setting services

PBM powers sales revenue with the help of B2B appointment setting services that concentrate explicitly on producing leads and enabling salespeople to focus on closing sales.

Appointment setting is basically getting in touch with the client/lead to set up a sales meeting. Moreover, appointment setting services play an important role by maintaining relationships with present consumers and producing high quality leads.

B2B appointment setting services are used when –

·         Consumer data is inaccurate and unstructured

·         Requires too much time to create a system to nurture leads

·         Marketing and sales teams are busy

Final verdict

PBM has been in the limelight in recent years, with about 93% B2B marketers investing in it. A data solutionscompany uses first-party data to integrate PBM in its marketing strategy.

The demand generation solutions company adopts the latest and innovative marketing technologies and tools and develops a strategy to boost today’s changing business environment.

B2B appointment setting leads to a higher-performing sales team. This is where B2B lead generation services change the game by creating a difference across several stages of the sales funnel by adding extra value before taking the process to the next step.

How to Qualify B2B Leads with BANT Sales Methodology

 With B2B lead generation services, one can develop a healthy sales pipeline and grow their business. BANT is one of the best lead qualification processes even after all these years.

B2B lead generation is known to be a godfather in B2B marketing.

In a B2B enterprise, we often encounter prospects in search of ‘ready to buy’ leads. Most often, these are termed as sales qualified leads (SQL) or qualified leads. Each lead has a different angle to understand and takes effort to convert them into qualified leads; however, most B2B enterprises get them using the BANT methodology to define qualification criteria.

Did you know?

·         A recruiter takes about 90 seconds to decide if a candidate is worth for an organization

·         A human being takes about 400 seconds to fall asleep

If sales representatives (sales rep) could close deals at such a rapid pace, then a quote (like above) would have also been made on those sales reps to give them glory and inspire similar others in the trade.

Unfortunately, closing a deal is a time-consuming process. But there is one thing you could do to improve this: ‘separating bad apples from the good ones’ in your sales pipeline. And that is what lead qualification delivers. It helps the sales team to focus on good leads by filtering out the low-quality leads.

There are so many options available to qualify a lead, but we will focus on one of the oldest sales qualification methods out there – BANT. After all, old is gold!

About BANT qualified leads

What is BANT?

BANT is a sales qualification methodology that allows salespeople to find a qualified lead in the form of its four primary elements – Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline. A lead is thought worthy if it meets at least three of the four BANT criteria. IBM introduced this sales acronym.

When it was first launched, it was an instant favorite among salespeople for many reasons:

·         Saved time in filtering out low-quality leads from good ones

·         Offered appropriate framework to qualify leads

·         It increased efficacy by concentrating on leads that were most likely to be closed

Here is an example of BANT qualified leads:

Sales rep – Do you have a planned budget to accommodate us?

Lead – Yes, of course, budget is not an issue.

Sales rep – Well, that’s good then. Are you the one who will be using the product?

Lead – No, I am not the one. My sales team will be using it.

Sales rep – You need our product because you are facing major issues with lead generation?

Lead – Yes, you are right.

Sales rep – By when you need the solution in place?

Lead – Uhhhh….how about two weeks?

Sales rep – Well…that works.

Perfect. There it is, a qualified lead!

BANT in the modern era

There is a twist, as budget is no longer a center point. What really matters are the prospects’ needs. It is not regarding affordability, but it is regarding return on investment (ROI). However, Need is one of the most important elements in BANT.

Why so?

David Ogilvy says: “Customers don’t buy products. They buy benefits.”

How to use BANT to qualify leads in 2021?

1.      Do not see budget as a blocker.

2.      Find out who is involved in the decision-making process.

3.      Find out the importance of the prospect’s problem.

4.      Map out how rapidly their firm moves toward a solution.

Following are the B2B demand generation services:

1.      Demand generation services

2.      Account-based marketing services

3.      High quality leads (HQL) services

4.      Persona based marketing (PBM) services

About account-based marketing services

The BANT is still relevant, but B2B business models have evolved and accepted the retro model for 2020, i.e., account based marketing (ABM) to deal with high-level individual contacts in large organizations. An account based marketing service provider company will help one find target accounts that best suits products and services.

ABM helps the sales and marketing teams to concentrate on accounts that are most likely to generate and convert sales opportunities. It is a tactical approach to lead generation.

As we all know, ABM needs a unique approach and narrow focus for each account; it is one of the great examples of customizedB2B marketing solutions.

Final verdict

It is necessary to give a modern touch to BANT to fit into the current sales process, which depends on the salesperson’s ability, i.e., to continuously adapt and innovate to the latest trends.

 customizedB2B marketing solutions

The Wild World of B2B Lead Generation Strategies

 

The truth about B2B lead generation – what really works!

Want to know the greatest challenge in B2B marketing? And I swear it has nothing to do with what color dress one should wear in a presentation. The answer is “leads.”

Lead is a universe where it all begins. Without leads, there is no revenue, no clients, no raison d’être, no nothing. Without leads, you are a black hole in the universe.

And there arises a question – how do I get leads?

To produce B2B leads, marketing departments need to take a multi-channel approach.

Following are the lead generation strategies and channels for B2B businesses:

·         Social media marketing

·         Website optimization

·         Content marketing

·         Paid advertising

·         Email marketing

·         Referral traffic

Lead generation is an essential component of a well-oiled B2B sales and marketing operation. To attract more clients, it is necessary to do marketing of products and services first. A B2B lead generation company is the one that is interested in finding ideal consumers for your service or products. Also, content syndication plays a vital role in promoting thought leadership and create an effective relationship with a target audience.

Content syndication marketing – expand reach and win trust!

Content syndication marketing plays an essential role in lead generation. It helps tap a new audience or existing consumer, develops a positive perception of the brand, and adds visibility and authority that leads to qualified business inquiries.

The questions you must think upon

Is your website driving leads for your business? Is your website generating high-quality leads that your sales team can close?

Nowadays, buying journey is getting more complicated as we spend more time learning independently online than anywhere else. But the real success of a marketing leader is proven when the sales enablement services manage to convert, generate, and manage business leads and unlock new growth opportunities.

Concentrating on B2B demand generation and sales enablement services could help marketers develop a strategy to support lead management, enhance sales partnership, and develop strategic account-based marketing programs that could help buyers buy. Also, marketers must ensure that buyer enablement is available to all consumers across seller and digital channels.

Brent Adamson, Distinguished VP, Advisory at Gartner, said: “The hardest part of B2B solutions isn’t selling them‚ but buying them. Today’s buying journey has effectively reached a tipping point where it’s become nearly unnavigable without a significant amount of help.”

Demand generation marketing has so many things in common with lead generation. It acts like an umbrella covering marketing and sales initiatives from every touchpoint in the consumer’s journey – from initial prospect interest to upselling consumers.

Strategies used by demand generation agencies

·         Creating awareness amongst the target audience

·         Monetizing and converting the present in-market demand

·         Connecting sales and marketing teams for better results

Do you know?

Where do online leads come from?

The answer is your website. Here is the basic flow of how B2B website leads are produced online:

·         Traffic (visitors)

·         Website

·         Leads

Once a lead is generated and the consumer is in the target market, the lead becomes a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL). The digital marketing team will then begin promoting the lead via marketing campaigns.

Sales enablement – a key to unlock Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Usually, lead generation models, sales, and marketing teams work together as a relay team. Marketing increases the number of produced leads, nurtures them, and hands them off to sales.

Account-based marketing transforms this process and links inbound and outbound marketing with sales to create demand in targeted accounts. Further, these coordinated account-based marketing campaigns engage and convert target accounts at every purchase journey stage.

A sales representative with a combination of account-based marketing and sales enablement becomes a social seller, engages targeted clients, and delivers insightful and powerful content that helps in the decision journey.

Takeaway

Today’s world of information overload has radically changed consumer behaviors and how they want to connect with brands. Gone are the days where marketers could rely on their product, brand, or service to attract and retain consumers.

“At the end of the day, consumers don’t just want you to show them that you know them; they want you to help them get something done,” added Adamson. “Proving you know the customer in the absence of helping them can do immense damage.”

All in all, a lead generation strategy leverages quality of content and thought leadership.

B2B Lead Generation: Who is the Owner of a Complex Sale?

 Who should take the onus of B2B lead generation? Is it the sales or the marketing team?

In today's market space, where competition is cutthroat, we always hold someone or the other responsible when things do not turn out the way they are expected to.

When in a sales meet, I often hear the same issue. The sales and marketing teams are not doing a great job because they both feel it is the other's job.

But did you know both are right?

I will tell you how.

Companies often do not define what salespeople do as "lead generation" or "demand generation." Instead, they term it as business development, pipeline development, or prospecting.

Even with a rise in content and inbound marketing, salespeople find themselves carrying the burden of prospecting for their leads. This is where they waste most of their time, energy, and resources and still struggle to find the right people who will be interested in talking to them.

Remember, the primary catalyst that can surge the sales graph and add to the ROI is leads. (Realistically, not just leads but marketing qualified leads.)

Today the number one challenge faced by marketers is lead generation. And believe me, with millions of free resources already competing for attention, it is inevitable to sign up a B2B demand generation agency for professional services.

Formula to align sales and marketing strategies for success

To stand out,  it is essential to think out of the box and be a little experimental.

But is it necessary to do all this in-house, involving the time and efforts of employees meant to close deals and increase the revenue?

A B2B lead generation company is an agency that understands the importance of volume and quality of leads for business success.

These B2B lead generation companies help businesses save time spent on nurturing and following up unproductive leads. They do this by offering a plethora of services.

What does a marketing quality leads provider agency offer?

A marketing qualified leads company is often involved in delivering services dealing with leads that show interest in what a brand offers. Basis the marketing efforts, these leads are often intentionally brought face to face with your enterprise as they had voluntarily submitted forms on the website, opted for a program, or added items to the cart, and so on.

In the marketing lingo, marketing qualified leads are classified as the ones with high conversion potential.

So let's find out other ways demand generation services help businesses obtain an enriched sales funnel.

B2B appointment setting services

We have heard about these types of services a million times. But did you know the drill followed to acquire such leads?

An expert B2B demand generation company works with the sales rep team, involved in the sales development activity. These activities include a trained sales representatives calling and nurturing qualified sales leads. It involves a sales rep setting appointments for another sales representative who will deliver a more in-depth and detailed sales pitch to close a deal.

Content syndication program

Technically, content syndication marketing is about republishing content on other sites in order to reach a wider audience.

How content marketing really works

Step 1 – Create and promote inspirational, impactful, or memorable content about your brand for the target audience.

Step 2 – People see the Ad or content, but they don't necessarily act on it right away.

Step 3 – Later, when the need arises, people

(a) do a brand search for your stuff

(b) do an unbranded search but are biased toward clicking and buying from you

On a professional level, content syndication service providers republish various digital content such as syndicate articles, infographics, video content, blogs, news, and articles. These activities help increase website traffic and ultimately the sales figures.

Conclusion

The secret behind B2B revenue growth lies in the expertise, data, and tools deployed to generate leads that focus on quality and quantity.

Attempting to carry out lead gen services in-house proves extremely time-consuming and expensive for any organization.

Hence, it is best to invest in services offered by a B2B lead generation company or data solutions company, or people-based marketing solutions company that aligns best with your business needs.

Ingredients for a Killer B2B Demand Generation Strategy for New Brands

 “B2B demand generation is a cakewalk.”

Said no one ever.

Especially if your business is the newbie in town, and if you have tried increasing the sales figure by generating more leads, you already know how tough it is.

Trying to establish a brand, you must have heard about many challenges such as brand knowledge, brand value, brand appeal, and more. But the real survival of any brand is highly dependent on its customer base. This indirectly means no customers-> no feedback, no feedback-> no word of mouth, no word of mouth-> no organic publicity, and no organic publicity-> no customers.

To get out of this vicious circle and set your brand free to achieve the best in the market that is crowded with competition, let us give it our best shot by adding some of the handpicked B2B demand generation services offered by industry professionals.

The brand story

The brand is a promise. A promise of the value or experience a customer gets every single time. A brand incessantly promises quality, consistent experience, customer service, and value for money.

Putting myself in the customers’ shoe

Headphones are something I am very particular about. Honestly, I wouldn’t say I like to experiment with what I purchase because there is no way I can compromise on the quality of sound. This is why I only go for headphones from Sony. Believe me you, I never have had any complaints and the only time I needed to buy a new pair was when I lost the one I already had.

This is the power of a brand. But Sony did not become successful overnight. It took time and effort to get to where it is today.

So no matter how promising the product or service you put on the shelf is. Finding marketing qualified leads that can be converted to a promising customer base is inevitable.

Behind the scenes

Businesses are often on the hunt for new customers, but when your business is new in the market, it needs to do a lot more in comparison to already established names. And no one knows this better than the marketing team.

Remember, the fight for brand supremacy is extremely essential to achieve all that a brand can give to your business.

However, to showcase the world elements such as awareness, uniqueness, innovation, reliability, and quality, it is extremely essential to pay close attention to your lead generation strategy.

Tips to chalk out a winning B2B lead generation services strategy

The DNA of no two businesses is alike; hence it is essential to customize the marketing efforts for improved results.

To help you in your brand journey, here are elements that can be leveraged at your discretion to uplift the new business and head on the brand journey.

Content syndication marketing

Give away your best. Yes, content syndication is an activity that has immense power to showcase what your business is all about. It is a platform that can make that noise and tell the world your products and services are available.

This platform gives businesses the flexibility to use a variety of digital content such as blogs, infographics, news, and even videos.

B2B data management services

Big or small, data is an essential fuel to power the success of every business. No doubt, marketers are great with what they do, but to build a brand, engage new customers, and drive revenue, data specialists and marketing operations experts are irreplaceable.  

Professional B2B data management service provider have the right expertise to deal with data. Therefore, investing in these services is essential to make the most of your data, strengthen your brand, and make a difference to the bottom line.

In essence

“Teach a parrot the terms’ supply and demand,’ and you’ve got an economist.” Thomas Carlyle, Historian and Writer

But that is not how it works.

To find success, it is essential to determine how well of a fit each prospect is for your business. Based on the BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) qualification framework, it is easy to channelize efforts and money toward a promising prospect.

So, as a newbie in the market, if you want to build concrete lead generation strategies, it is essential to do your homework right and signup for professionals who understand your needs and have had similar experiences in the past.

Need Help to Improve ROI Post-Pandemic? Here is How Your B2B Lead Generation Services Stack Should Look Like

 2020 with the Coronavirus pandemic has been a hell of a year, where things changed overnight. On the bright side, pollution levels reduced, nature reclaimed its space, and the world experienced more family time. And yes, the concept of lockdown also has unveiled exceptional culinary skills from the unexpected. But on the dark side, the world witnessed layoffs, travel restrictions, hunger, economic imbalance, changed consumer behavior, and more.

The COVID-19 pandemic, indeed, is a reminder of a few other catastrophes that occurred in the past. And every single time, such disasters have managed to make a significant change. Likewise, 2020 witnessed social distancing and quarantine. But thanks to technology, even though the human touch was lost, people still stayed in touch virtually.

All this has changed the way the market operates. Businesses now have started operating on a work from home module, and customers are doing a whole lot of online shopping.

Now, as we cross almost a year of living in the times of COVID, we understand the crisis has done far more damage than just health. Therefore, it is time to gear up and build a foolproof B2B lead generation solution to get business back on track.

The market

Most people looking at the world economic crisis believe it is crazy or weird to think about gaining market share amidst the pandemic? But how true is that?

Even if your competitors are losing out on business, there are certainly people who need your products or services right now.

So how can you get to these people and convert leads into sales and sales into revenue?

Believe me you, it is no rocket science, but not a child’s play either. The need of the hour is to orchestrate demand generation services in the most fitting way to garner leads and accelerate revenue.

Providers are scarce in the market. What does this mean to you?

In times of crisis, when you could pack up and shut your doors over the fact that businesses are losing customers, it is time to reconsider, even if you may lose some of your customers, the truth is that they, too, are struggling financially.

This is the time to study the market and make some wise moves. Investing in the right B2B lead generation company that offers insightful data solutions can work beyond expectation. All you need to do is try and not give up.

Focus areas

Considering the current market condition, the best marketing efforts require experience, expertise, resources, and reputation. So, don’t forget to subscribe to the best demand generation solution company (they will get the focus right).

Marketing qualified leads

Every dollar counts. Hence, it is time to refocus on marketing and spend efforts and money to deal with marketing qualified leads.

Marketing qualified leads refer to leads that have the potential to become customers. Remember, if a customer visits your website or checks out your advertisement on advertising platforms, it is not easy to say if they would be potential customers just by looking at them. Here comes the need for expertise and the right tools.

Therefore, signing up with the best marketing qualified leads company is a must as it channelizes funds and efforts in the right direction.

Data solutions

Data is the primary ingredient, and a data solutions company is the right recipe to achieve sales success. Remember, the quality of data processed and used to generate insights on prospects works as the deciding factor. Remember, deploying the best data management solutions adds value to every dollar spent.

B2B ABM & PBM services

ABM & PBM, also known as Account-Based Marketing and Persona-Based Marketing, are extremely essential for businesses as ABM empowers enterprises with a competitive edge by helping them reduce wastage and focus on targets. On the other hand, PBM helps businesses make efficient use of time and energy to build effective strategies.

You can avail of these services by wisely comparing your requirements with the offerings of a reputed ABM & PBM agency.

Stay calm and carry on

Post COVID-19 demands companies to mindfully sign up for demand generation services to get business back on track. But above all, it is that phase where businesses need to stay calm and carry on.

Demand Generation, Lead Generation, Inbound Marketing | In Simple Words

 The marketing world has several ways to connect with the audience. Every time the world witnesses new strategies and logic introduced by the top leaders and marketing strategists, they respond to the current challenges.

Among all the marketing world terms, there is a significant hype created around demand generation, lead generation, and inbound marketing.

To many of us, the difference between these terms is unclear. Let me help you understand in simple words.

When marketing a product or service to the audience, it all comes down to solving a problem. In a condition where your audience is aware of the problem, and you are giving the solution, there is a pre-existing demand for your product or service.

However, when your audience doesn’t realize a problem while you make them know it by telling the problem, the solution is demand generation. It helps understand the pain points, why they matter, and ultimately why your answer is the best fit.

The best demand generation company shows its audience a potential challenge they face in life and work or otherwise and positions their brand as the answer.

 

For example, a company organizes an event wherein people are supposed to give opinions, feedbacks, and suggestions related to their products. Every customer who participates gets free socks with the company’s logo on it. Now, the demand is generated when these developers or customers wear those same socks. It works as a walking-talking advertisement of the brand.

Now, let us understand lead generation. It differs from demand generation services, conceptually and strategically.

In lead generation, the audience recognizes that they have a problem and actively seek a viable solution. The solution is a product or a service.

When a customer reaches the brand in lead generation, he is not being told about the problem. He already knows the problem, and hence is waiting to meet the right solution. The lead generation company or B2B lead generation agency helps the brand meet this solution by conducting market research, surveys, calls, or creating focus groups. When the company runs a campaign, its objective is to obtain the prospect’s information.

The campaign’s success depends on using customer information to nurture the relationship through the rest of the marketing funnel. The campaign owners use the information for ultimately selling the product or service to the customer.

The next term is inbound marketing, which differs from lead generation and demand generation. A lead generation company that creates information or content for the public to use goes through inbound marketing.

The audience seeks out information or product and comes across your brand as a potential solution. Therefore, inbound marketing can create higher quality prospects when it is implemented effectively. With optimized SEO (search engine optimization) and the right keywords, a marketing agency can easily bridge the gap between the users’ problems and potential solutions.

Quick recap

If you still think there is hotchpotch in your mind regarding these terms, let me quickly do a small recap to make it even simpler for you to understand.

Demand generation is the first stage wherein customers are informed about their potential problem along with its solution. And lead generation assumes that the audience already knows their pain while processing it and extends the right answer.

Demand generation services require wisdom and tend to work in the inverse of lead generation and inbound marketing. It creates a need to show them their problem until convincing them your solution is the best against their situation. This type of marketing requires a proactive approach to face and deal with the audience.

If you are looking for any of these services for your brand, there are multiple companies in the market offering these services at a reasonable cost. All you have to do is share your exact needs and the demand generation companies will take care of the rest.