Demand generation is a long-term, ongoing process. It involves the marketing and sales teams working together to establish relationships with well-qualified leads and customers. To start this process, offer something of value to potential customers. Instead of casting a wide net via TV ads or billboards, cast a baited line designed only to attract your target audience. Using these tactics is a great way to introduce your brand to potential customers, as well as position yourself as an authority for the type of product or service that you offer. The following are a few ideas of what can be used to simultaneously generate awareness of your brand and capture valuable contact information.
Webinars – Can you educate the public on a topic related to your brand? If so, consider offering a free webinar. You may find it useful to partner with other businesses or brands to draw a larger audience.
Content – Write an e-book, recipe book, exercise manual, infographic, or some other kind of valuable content. Offer this for free as a download or via email.
Free demos – Beyond offering demos of products like apps and software, create videos and interactive tools that showcase your product or service in use.
Giveaways and contests – This is a less targeted tool to use, but is still a great way to drive awareness of your brand.
Make it easy to connect – On all emails, webpages, and blog posts, consider having social sharing symbols, links to your social media accounts, links to join email lists and to contact you. Demand generation is relationship building, so making it easy for potential customers to connect with you and tell others about you should be top priority.