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How To Justify Demand Generation Budget For 2019

Posted on October 2, 2018June 9, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

We are dangerously close to the budgeting season – this is the time when marketers are busy working on a new budget and finding ways to justify it. Finding ways? Yes. Every year, marketers across the industries, get push back on their budgets from the C suite because they analyze every component of the demand generation budget based on ROI and past results. According to Hubspot, 27% of marketers say securing enough budget is their top marketing challenge. Marketers have to justify every dollar that they plan to spend and that is DIFFICULT (because many marketing efforts take time to see results). But, if it is the marketer’s job to present the budget in a manner which answers the concerns of the c-suite. In this post, we will talk about 5 ways in which you can just demand generation budget for 2019. By the way, did you know that In 2018, 70% of marketers say their demand gen budgets will increase and 34% say their spending will grow by more than 20% . Must Read: B2B Content Ideas to Boost Demand Generation 1. Establish your Marketing Budget Ratio Marketing Budget Ratio (MBR) is a good start to justify demand generation budget for 2019. It not only helps connect marketing investments to revenue but lets you benchmark budget levels to other companies. According to emedia, to get the Marketing Budget Ratio to divide your total marketing spend by revenue. The resulting quotient is presented as a % of gross sales. When we say, it helps you benchmark your budget against companies, we look for similar companies in terms of stage of growth. The best picks are your competitors. But, do not get swept away with the percentages as no two businesses are the same. Apple invested 7% of its revenue on marketing in 2014; while Salesforce put 53% of its revenue into marketing in the same year. You see at the difference? So, analyze the average MBR (which gives you the idea of the market) and look into your business objectives, revenue, etc to make the decision on the percentage you want to invest back in. 2. Know your objectives and how you will achieve it You are not going anywhere if you draw a budget without knowing the objectives of the organization. So, obtain all the required information (for example, new business goals, objectives and expectations from a new launch, product or campaign etc). Without knowing these details, you cannot show how marketing budget aligns with organizational goals. And, if you did, you just lost your credibility as a marketer. Once you have obtained the information and worked on a preliminary draft, get your sales partner for feedback – ask them whatever input they can provide on the budget plan. Sales team know a lot about your audience and how everything blends in – so their feedback is of utmost value. Plus, sales agreement is a great thing when presenting the demand generation budget to the CMO. Must Read: Demand Generation Strategies Which Work! 3. Show past results, ROI and talk about challenges It is mandatory to talk about the past results you have driven and the return on investment with demand generation strategies or efforts. So, assess everything and showcase what worked and what did not. You are looking at Cost per acquisition Customer lifetime value Close rate per channel Campaign specific reporting etc. Relevant reads – Talking about past results, ROI and challenges will reinforce the fact that you are result driven. For future analysis, define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with business goals. Based on this information, you can justify changes in the budget (where there is an increase or cuts). Must Read: Account Based Marketing – An Important Aspect Of Demand Generation Channel Marketers that calculate ROI are 1.6 times more likely to receive higher budgets. (HubSpot, 2016) 4. Remove unsuccessful means and tools from last year Once you have given an overview of what works and what does not, it is important that you leave out any demand generation tool which did not give an impressive ROI. If you keep everything from last year without justifying, it is easy to believe that you are just trying to land grab for more budget allocation. So, cut down items that were unsuccessful, highlight them and explain why. If you have a replacement strategy, mention it there. It will help you justify demand generation budget and showcase yourself as a rationale marketer. 5. Talk about the forecasted results So, you have made changes and put forth the idea of hiring new staff or investing in a new martech tool. Don’t leave it there – highlight what you plan to achieve with it. Let’s say, you forecast that your blog should create x amount of SALs. By investing in a new writer, you can generate x amount of content which will generate x new leads. Meaning, x% of revenue increment. Always analyze the alternatives you have. Should I do this in-house or outsource? Do I need to invest in this tool or can I do without it? Should I just hire a freelancer to handle this? Etc. Ask questions and include the most feasible options in your budget. Remember, your aim is to justify budget (not get as much as money as you can!). Focus on maximum returns, with minimum investment. Last but not the least, don’t hard sell. Be ready to take feedback, suggestions and rework on the budget. You have a much better chance of getting the budget approved if you are open to change and hearing everyone, rather than being closed off to new ideas. Over to you – What are you planning to do for getting approval on the demand generation budget? We would love to hear about it. Must Read: Demand Generation Books Every Marketing Expert Should Read

4 Old School Demand Generation Tactics That Still Work

Posted on October 1, 2018June 30, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Demand generation has been an integral part of marketing for a long time now. But, over the years, the strategies have undergone a change. There are many new tactics and tools that have evolved. In this post, we will talk about 4 old school demand generation tactics that you can still use and drive crazy results. Must Read: 9 demand generation books every marker should read 1. Email Blast to Cold emailing On an average, I get 50 emails in a day. A few are relevant, but others are newsletters, promotional, social or direct emails. While I tend to ignore most of them (unless, of course, the subject line stood out), direct emails do catch my eye. What I want to say is – direct emailing still works! However, the strategy has changed. Earlier cold emailing meant email blast, which meant, sending the same one-size-fits-all email to every lead. This worked in because inboxes weren’t as flooded as today. There is absolutely no doubt it is difficult to get attention to your email today and for this purpose, marketers have tweaked this strategy to be more targeted. The traditional marketing funnel is now completely inverted and cold emailing starts with identifying target companies. New cold emailing funnel For cold emailing to work for demand generation, you need to Know everything about your audience The exact account you want to target Decision makers in the companies Pain points and challenges faced And, using all this information, write an email that resonates with your quality leads. The email is never about you, but them. Why? Because – Personalized emails improve CTR by an average of 14%. They increase conversions on average by 10%. Lets analyze one of the introductory emails that you can send for demand generation – Hey [name], I hope that this email finds you well. I know you are busy, so I wont take up a lot of your time. The purpose of this email is to introduce myself, as I enjoy connecting with people who work in the same industry. My company, XYZ Corporation, specializes in the production of widgets. I am a big supporter of your company and keep close tabs on all your latest news. If you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate to reach out via email. Of course, you can also connect with me via Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I hope we cross paths in the future! Cheers, Jane Doe XYZ Corporation This is a purely relationship-building email and you can continue to nurture the relationship and push it forward as planned. Must Read: 9 demand generation books every marker should read 2. Telemarketing Maureen Beattie on Integrate confesses Telemarketing was not always included in my arsenal, but proven success over recent years has turned me into a telemarketing supporter. The power of conversation and human touch with the right call center can yield rewarding results. She is not the only one. According to research, one percent of cold calls ultimately convert into appointments. That said, a few other research shows that 78% percent of decision-makers have actually taken an appointment or attended an event because of a cold calling. All this clearly shows that telemarketing might be an old demand generation strategy or technique, but it is not DEAD. That said, the discrepancy points out to the reason of why telemarketing does not fetch an impressive ROI for many – not many know how to work a telemarketing strategy effectively Most of them dont understand the very basics – You need to follow up. 44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up While you need a sales script to guide you on the call, it is best to avoid reading it out. Focus on having a conversation and learning about the prospect Follow up with emails, calls, send the required information and answer their queries. You NEED to nurture after telemarketing. If you follow these three pointers, telemarketing will yield a positive ROI. 3. Content Syndication Content syndication is both an old as well as new demand generation technique. One of the best ways to generate demand and keep prospects flowing is to work with third-party media partners that can syndicate (re-publish) your high performing content. It did work in the earlier times, and it works now. What changed is the smartness of search engines. So, you may have issues relating to duplicate content or SERP ranking if you dont follow the best practices. Whether you opt for free content syndication or paid services, always request your partner to use the rel=canonical tag. It basically informs Google where exactly original content is and help them rank the content accordingly. NoIndex Tag – As the name suggests, this tag tells Google engine bots to NOT index the page. In short, this will remove the syndicated copy from search results and hence, your organic traffic will not be affected. But, these could be difficult to agree on. In that case, you should almost always ask for a backlink. Must Read: Demand Generation Books Every Marketing Expert Should Read 4. Blogging for the audience Blogging wasn’t as popular as today, but it worked well in attracting leads from prospects. After all, search engines, back then, did not fetch millions of results for a single word. And, even though, search engines throw millions of results at you today, blogging is still the most effective way to generate demand. All you need to do is understand your audience and create content for them. AUDIENCE. AUDIENCE. AUDIENCE You should continuously strive to know more and more about your target audience. Because of the difference between blog content that converts and one that doesn’t lie in relevancy to your audience. The best way is to map your content on the buyer’s journey. You can make use of tools like Quora and Yahoo Answers to know exactly what your audience is talking about or want to know. Its also important to keep a record of client questions on forums and social platforms for your industry, communications to your sales department, as well as questions on customer feedback channels such as surveys and reviews. There are 4 old school demand generation tactics that work REALLY well today. Are you

How Web Analytics Can Help Generate More Leads

Posted on September 17, 2018July 7, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Almost every business, small or big, has a website today. And, we all, know that good design, structure, and content helps generate more leads. However, many businesses are unaware (or struggling) of how to use web analytics to their advantage. One thing is clear, website analytics is the key but it can be intimidating at first. They are indeed difficult to make sense of in the beginning. In this post, we will go over 8 ways web analytics can help generate more quality leads for you. Analyse your search words You want to aim for organic traffic. So, look up the keywords that your potential leads are putting in the search engine to find you. Are they typing in your business name? Are they typing in your product name? What are the phrases generally used? However, most leads, will not find you by business name. They tend to put in words that relate your product or services and that is why it is utmost important to rank for the right keywords and search terms. Must Read: Best Way to Generate Leads Focus on bounce rate If your bounce rate is higher than 50%, you need to work on engaging your leads. Bounce rate is the percentage of your visitors that exit your blog without visiting another page. So, it is important to test with different designs and strategies. To reduce bounce rate, you can Put navigation bar on every page for easy searchability Insert videos so they stay on the page for a longer time and engage with your content Pay attention to interlinking content at the right places Must Read: How the lead generation in USA market differ from the rest of the world Optimize popular landing pages Every 3-4 months, go to your web analytics, see which are the popular pages and optimize them. You can Put a strong call to actions Insert your lead generation strategy content Ask them to sign up for your newsletter Besides this, you can also understand the conversion rate of each landing page. Lets take a look at this report on Google Analytics Source: Vertical Measures You can see that the 5th Â landing page has a conversion rate of 4.5% even though it received 463 sessions. However, the 7th landing page received 2004 sessions with a conversion rate of 1%. With this data, you know that it is better to drive traffic to the 5th landing page and work on optimizing the 7th landing page for better conversion. If you work on data (like the example above), you will generate more leads in no time. Must Read: Sales Success Secrets: The Critical Role of Lead Generation and Appointment Setting A device used to view your website Mobile devices are projected to reach 79% of global internet use by the end of 2018 And, hence, it is utmost important to know what devices are used to reach your website. In case, most of your visitors are using mobile, you need to ensure that your entire website is responsive Did you know that 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile. Must Read: A Beginner’s Guide to Generating Business Leads Understand your traffic As a business, we tend to use as many strategies for building traffic. But, at the same time, it is important that we know which ones are working the best. Is it Facebook, Pinterest, retargeting, content syndication, email marketing etc? Once you know which ones are driving the maximum traffic, you can divert funds and time towards that. For example, if Facebook is getting you 40% of your traffic, you want to spend more on advertising your product and services on that platform. If email marketing has a higher ROI, you want to expand your campaign reach. Similarly, you will be informed about referral traffic sources. If you see certain websites sending referral traffic your way, you want to reach out to them and discuss potential partnership or advertising options. Must Read: High-Performance Inbound Marketing Techniques for Successful Lead Generation Campaigns Find out which call to actions drive maximum conversion In order to generate more leads for your business, concentrate on in-page analytics to understand which call to actions is driving maximum conversion. For example, Google Analytics, lets you see which links on a page are clicked the most. This not only helps you understand where exactly does your visitor leave your page, but it also helps in understand optimized placement for CTAs as well as content for CTAs that work (or don’t) You can further hone your message, convince your visitors to take an action and generate more leads. Must Read: Best Practices and Examples for Call to Action in Cold Emails Use demographics to understand your audience While this is one of the most obvious uses of web analytics data to generate B2B leads, we often tend to ignore it. It gives you information about age, gender, technology, geography and segments that are engaged with your business. Based on this data, you can optimize your paid advertising channels for better targeting Considering you also know where most of your visitors are located, you can also focus on location-specific advertising campaigns Funnel conversion rate This web analytics is grossly underutilized by businesses. A funnel is a process that takes the visitor through the conversion cycle. The conversion rate is realized by dividing the number of visitors to the page and visitors that have successfully converted. Based on this data, you can understand what works on the page. If the conversion rate for single step funnel (ones where there is only step involved, for example, contact page to thank you page) is too low, you can reduce no. of exits on the page, redesign the page, decrease no. of fields on the form etc. There you go. When taking any marketing decision, analytics is your best friend. It allows you to take steps to generate more leads for your business. Remember, this is an ongoing process. You will have to constantly use web analytics to improve your website and user experience. The more informed decision you make, the better it is for your business. Over to

How To Brand Yourself As Demand Generation Powerhouse

Posted on September 12, 2018June 30, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Most businesses struggle to promote their brand effectively and create a consistently well performing lead generation funnel. But, can you survive in such a situation? Of course, not. You need consistency and predictability in acquiring new quality leads. This is where businesses decide to hire a demand generation powerhouse. And, if you a demand generation expert, it is important to brand yourself correctly. In this post, we will share 4 guaranteed ways to brand yourself as demand generation powerhouse and attract the clientele you want. Must Read: 9 demand generation books every marker should read 1. Get the damn results and win clients trust If you are looking to brand yourself as a demand generation powerhouse, it is important to get impressive results for your clients. Each year our team gets smarter and we analyze everything we have done for our clients. While we keep experimenting with new strategies, there is always a handful of them that are guaranteed to drive results every single time. All this information guides us to perform better for our clients and we are able to win their trust. We noticed that there are 5 activities in our procedure that fetched us great results and you can copy that Take out the time to understand and define the demand generation goals of your client. Remember, the goals depends on the maturity of the organization. Define buyer persona once again (even if the organization gives you a persona, you want to be sure they have done it the right way) Create content (as well as repurpose high performing content) for each stage of the buyer’s cycle and experiment with what works with your audience. Do not, in any case, try to get content written for cheap. Test new strategies in intervals and redefine goals if need be. Always share reports and keep your client updated (even if something is NOT working!) These are a few examples of what we achieved for our clients – Thumbs up for OnlyB2B! Vikas is great to work it. His team helped us generate more than 2000 MQL in about 3 quarters. Not only that, we saw a huge increase in SQL in our CRM, almost 10 times increase in conversion rates and increase in webinar event registration. I was wowed by the results. Only B2B helped us achieve above 24,000 leads in a year’s time which is difficult in VoIP & Internet industry. Out of this, numerous leads converted into sales resulting in a 252% increase in our revenue for that fiscal year. There was no looking backward from there. We immediately signed a contract with them for another 3 years. Must Read: What Is Demand Generation Marketing and Why Is It Important? 2. Ask for testimonials Look, it is simple. We can go on telling you how we can drive results but why would you believe us without any social proof? Also, in the world of businesses, you can achieve success much faster by the word of mouth. Testimonials are the answers to both of these. They are extremely powerful tools for branding and strengthening your reputation. Ask for specific testimonials that speak for your work. For example, we received these two testimonials from our clients this year Only B2B was easy to work with. They shared regular updates and reports which were of immense help in tracking the success of our campaigns. They constantly work towards delivering better results and focus on content that had real results (through A/B testing!). They help us generate 4000+ new pipeline in a short duration, almost a 25x increase in MQL and a 40x increase in ROE. I highly recommend them. So many tops of the funnel lead delivered in less than 2 quarters. They carried out A/B testing regularly, shared regular updates and analyzed engagement at every level. Their processes resulted in the increase of highly qualified leads (Sales qualified or Marketing qualified). I think we do not need to speak anything else about their ability and credibility. The results say it all. Your business will be in safe hands! Not only they talk about how easy we are to work with, they also mention a part of our process (for example A/B testing) and the results we have driven in brief. Must Read: Does your Company Needs a Demand Generation Agency? Find Out 3. Use the latest tech stack We shouldn’t have to say this. But, if you want to be a demand generation powerhouse, not only should you have the latest tech stack at your disposal but your team needs to know how to use it to its full potential. Look at this testimonial we received We are a leading company in the security vendor industry and it makes sense to outsource database related requirements. We chose Only B2B because they were very promising and we were looking for cleansing our CRM database and adding the new list. They updated and scrubbed over 1 million contacts within a short duration of 120 days. Not only that, they were also able to add 500 new contacts each day. This really helped my overall business! It clearly states how we could do a job quickly, and thanks to the tech stack we have. So, get on to the new marketing technology and don’t be scared to invest in a few which stick out. 4. Start a blog, share your knowledge and put your name out there If you want to be a demand generation powerhouse, you know how important it is for you to start your own blog and share actionable knowledge. So, start with your blog and avoid making these 2 mistakes. We started the blog, and in a year, we have been able to rank on page 1 of Google for competitive terms like Content Syndication Tools, benefits of account-based marketing, Content Syndication Myths, Demand Generation Blogs, B2b Content Creation services and many more. You know how much traffic can that translate to! As a demand generation expert, we also love to use guest posting and content syndication to put our name out there. In the past few months, we have written for known platforms like Marketo, Magnificient, Customthink, Pixel production, Adotas,

What To Look For When Hiring A Demand Generation Marketer

Posted on September 10, 2018June 30, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Demand generation marketers are a lot like stand up comedians. They have to assess the audience, track their responses and deliver content (sometimes, change) accordingly. Successful stand-up comedians are definitely the ones who understand their audience, recognize what they like, what offends them and predict their responses. They experiment with content and are skilled at knowing what works and what doesn’t. Can demand generation marketer learn from stand up comedians? Do they have to adapt to the changing audience and the environment? Do they interpret audience responses and change their content accordingly? Do they have to experiment with new strategies? Yes. Yes. Yes and Yes. Demand generation is all about knowing the audience, tracking the quality leads, measuring results and changing strategies accordingly. It is the job of demand generation marketers to read the signals and take accurate steps So, lets look at 4 skills your demand generation should have Must Read: 9 demand generation books every marker should read 1. Deep understanding of marketing technology Marketers have access to never-ending technology. From CRMs to automation software and analytics, you have a wide variety of powerful tools to choose from. No doubt, there has been an explosive growth in the marketing technology domain. With only 150 options available in 2011, it has grown to more than 5000 in 2017. Clearly, it is important that your demand generation marketer is able to assess and utilize these new technologies to your advantage When you are interviewing your demand generation marketer candidate, ensure that while researching new tools, they also think beyond just the features. For example, they need to think how the technology aligns and integrates with your present systems. How will it impact your customers or employees? etc. A demand generation marketer should also be ready to utilize the training resources to ensure that the team is using the new technology and tool to its full potential. So, ask them relevant questions about the marketing technology. A few questions would be What tools are you comfortable with? Are you comfortable using x, y or z? What campaigns or results have you achieved on it? What is the latest marketing technology you appreciate? When would you decide to invest in it? How would you change the present martech stack if you were to decide to buy a new tool? etc Must Read: Ultimate guide to demand generation strategy 2. Familiarity with the buyer’s journey Your demand generation marketer cannot be ONLY technologically sound. He/she needs to understand the buyers journey and be ready to make informed decisions along with the other members of the team. In short, your demand generation marketer should be able to understand the difference between what works and what doesn’t. But, that is not it – He also needs to understand why is something working better than others. This information can guide your demand generation marketer towards designing new strategies and running campaigns that lead prospect growth down the right path. Did you know that – 67% of marketing leaders say creating a connected customer journey across all touchpoints and channels is critical to the success of their entire marketing strategy, but only 23% of marketers are extremely satisfied with their ability to leverage customer data to create more relevant experiences. So, a few questions you need to ask are How important is it to be familiar with the buyers journey How would you change the strategies if analytics shows you that x works and why doesn’t [give a short story here, so you can assess how they assess] etc. Must Read: Hack: Unlimited Demand Generation With Content Marketing 3. Ready to experiment If demand generation marketers never experimented with new strategies, we would still be stuck with outbound marketing – trying to catch as many fish aimlessly. But, to create a successful marketing strategy, marketers need to test, analyze, experiment and optimize all of their marketing efforts – whether it is a placement of buttons on a homepage, call to action texts or content of a blog post. Optimizing your existing plans and strategies (for example, optimizing old content) can dramatically boost the effectiveness of your demand generation efforts. But, if your demand generation marketer hasn’t tried or does not want to try, you wont be able to optimize in a true sense. Your demand generation marketer is not fearful i.e he is ready to experiment systematically. So, for this purpose, ask them How would they conduct a marketing experiment? If there is a new way to do x in the market, what will be their approach? Would they try the new strategy or stick to an already tested strategy that is working for your business? How to ensure minimum wastage of marketing budget while carrying out a marketing experiment? 4. Should be master of at least 2 tactics Riches in the niches. Have you heard that saying? Well, if you haven’t, you would still know that expertise in tactics is GOLD. There are so many demand generation tactics out there, that not one person can know it all. But, when you are hiring demand generation marketers and establishing a team, you should aim for hiring candidates that master at least 2 tactics. This way, if you hire 2-3 demand generation marketers, you will have people with expertise in different tactics. Meaning, you can expect results of demand generation strategies much more quickly. Must Read: B2B content ideas to boost demand generation 5. Understanding data that actually matters and take action on it Marketing data is easy to read but difficult to analyze and implement changes based on it. Your demand generation marketer needs to know how to put together all the metrics and draw actionable information from it. For example, with relevant information, you can understand buyer persona and identify the best type of content and placement. Unfortunately, companies are still struggling to analyze their database efficiently and use it to find sales opportunities. 50% of the average marketing database is useless, largely because of duplicate records. According to the Demand Generation Benchmark Report, improving the ability to measure and analyze marketing impact was a top demand generation priority for 61% of organizations in 2017. This means you need to look for

How To Tell If You Are Doing Demand Generation The Right Way

Posted on August 23, 2018June 30, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Are you implementing demand generation the right way? Yes? No? Maybe? Demand generation activities deal with creating an effective sales pipeline for your business. Meaning, it is not ONE tactic. It is a culmination of tactics, strategy, tech stack, etc for an end to end optimization of the sales cycle in a given organization. This also means that it is important to know if you are doing demand generation the right way. But, how do we know that? By measuring the success of strategies and tactics at each stage of the sales cycle. In order to achieve the maximum return on investments in every activity, you need to analyze the right data. According to Integrate, marketers in charge of demand generation are tasked with the challenge of understanding marketing and sales performance at a far more granular level. Measuring the right prospect and demand gen program insights, allows you to optimize programs to generate higher quality leads that convert to a new customer. Without any further delay, lets look at the top metrics you need to look at if you want to implement demand generation the right way. That said, these are not the only ones you need to measure. Here is an infographic by Bizible that can help you with others Now, lets discuss the 4 metrics. Must Read: 9 demand generation books every marker should read 1. Cost Per Acquisition As the name suggests, cost per acquisition is the amount of money you have spent in taking the lead through the buyer’s cycle and finally, converting them into a buyer. This is not just an important metrics for doing demand generation the right way, it is an integral part of assessing the effectiveness of demand generation as a whole. In simpler terms, if the cost per acquisition is at a higher side or exceed average customer lifetime value, it is near to possible for any organization to achieve profitability. Calculating CPA for campaigns isnt rocket science. Calculate the total cost spent on acquiring buyers (only marketing related expenses) and divide it by the number of customers acquired for the period that campaign ran. CPA formula looks like this – Source: TheOnlineAdvertisingGuide For example, the total cost of the campaign is $1000 for 100 customers, then the cost per acquisition is $10. The lower the value, the better it is. Must Read: What Is Demand Generation Marketing and Why Is It Important? 2. Marketing qualified leads (MQL) to Sales qualified lead (SQL) For those of you who are not aware of the term MQL, an MQL is a lead that is qualified for nurturing based on pre-defined criterion and lead metrics information. Similarly, an SQL is a lead that is ready to invest in your product and services if nurtured properly and given the right offers. The formula to calculate MQL to SQL conversion is not complicated. It looks something like this – Number of SQL’s / Number of MQLs = MQL to SQL Conversion Rate This formula will help you understand the percentage conversion at this point in the sales funnel. You can read about this metrics in detail here. Similarly, you should analyze lead to MQL conversion for knowing if you are doing demand generation the right way. Everything put together will help you understand the gaps in the sales funnel. For example, you can know if most of your leads drop out after being checked as MQL. Meaning, you can work on your tactics, content, and strategy at that stage. Here are how the formulas for each stage of the funnel conversion look like (MQLs/SQLs) x 100 = Top-to-Middle Funnel Conversion Rate (SQLs/Customers) x 100 = Middle-to-Bottom Funnel Conversion Rate (MQLs/Customers) x 100 = Top-to-Funnel Conversion Rate. Must Read: MQL to SQL conversion rate 3. Closing percentage This is the stage where SQL becomes a buyer. It is important to understand how many of the SQL’s your sales team is able to close. It is also an important factor in how effectively you are converting, qualifying and nurturing marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads. Not only that, it highlights any bottom of the funnel weaknesses The formula would look something like this (Deals Closed Number/Sales Proposals Number) x 100 = Closing Percentage 4. Lifetime customer value LCV is the total profitability of a customer over the total period of your relationship with your business. Not only does this metric reveals the effectiveness of closing deals, it also highlights the quality of account management and customer engagement practices. This infographic from Hubspot shows how a customer lifetime value graph should look like. A climbing CLV not only shows that effectiveness of conversion but also shows that you are doing demand generation the right way because you are generating high-value customers. Source: Kissmetrics That said, demand generation strategy and lead generation funnels play a crucial role in identifying these high-value customers and elevating them to your sales team And, the good part again is, it is not difficult to calculate. CLV takes into account the average size of each customer, no. of purchases one customer makes in a year, and average profit margins for that customer. It is then read with the customer retention rate. Here is a graphic to help you out. Source: Finnchat If you are looking to do Demand generation the right way, it is important to focus on the right metrics. In fact, it also requires you to take into consideration the right information and act on it at the right time. According to this article, with real-time performance measurement and optimization tools, demand marketers can unify data from across lead sources, the MAP and CRM to understand and fine-tune full-funnel marketing performance without any lag in accessing intelligence. Meaning, you will know if you are doing demand generation the right way! So, what do you think? Are you doing demand generation the right way? Must Read: Hack: Unlimited Demand Generation With Content Marketing

DEMAND GENERATION BLACKBOOK | 8 HACKS TO SKYROCKET YOUR B2B BUSINESS

Posted on August 14, 2018June 28, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Do you want to skyrocket but having a difficult time creating demand for your products or services? Don’t worry, you are not alone. A lot of businesses out there make mistakes while creating and implementing their demand generation strategies. In this eBook, we will share 8 growth hacks for demand generation that will skyrocket your B2B business. B2B Data Cleansing step-by-step for Quality Analysts According to Forrester, data decays at a constant rate of 4%5% / month which means that your database will become unusable within six months. This should come as no surprise, after all, the pace at which people shift jobs, cities, move up the ladder, retire is as dynamic as the economy today. This makes B2B data cleansing a top priority for businesses. B2B data cleansing is tedious and time-consuming but it is critical to your organization. DIY: Step-by-Step B2B Content Syndication Process B2B Content syndication is the process of re-publishing your content (example, blog posts) on third-party websites which have a higher domain authority or traffic (for example, TNW or The Huffington Post). Ultimate Guide: Demand Generation for Bloggers This guide will help you: 1. Map Demand Generation on the funnel. 2. Know Demand Generation best practices 3. Get tools. 4. Establish KPIs for measuring success. Must Read: What Is Demand Generation Marketing and Why Is It Important? How to use your website for generating high-quality B2B leads Basic ingredients for B2B lead generation strategy include Top Of The Funnel (ToFU), Middle Of The Funnel (MoFU), and Bottom Of The Funnel (BoFU). 6 Ways to Process of B2B Lead Generation are: a. Planning b. Educating with the RIGHT content c. Capture leads d. Implement LSS e. Convert f. Measure. How to Get Better at B2B Lead Generation All marketers agree that B2B Lead Generation is the biggest challenge that they face. One of the main reasons why this is the case is because companies tend to disregard Outbound Marketing tactics for generating qualified leads (Marketing qualified or Sales qualified). This whitepaper discusses the limitations of Inbound Marketing and the benefits of utilizing Outbound Marketing to bolster existing marketing strategies. 84% of marketers agree that a combination of Inbound & Outbound marketing tactics is best to drive business Demand Metrics, 2016 78% of B2B Decision Makers agree to take an appointment or attend an event based on a cold call DiscoverOrg Outbound Telemarketing is 39% effective at generating leads and 37% at driving brand awareness; more than twice as effective as Inbound Methods Insidesales.com Download your free copy now and see how Outbound Marketing can improve your Lead Generation Efforts in 2016! Cleansing, Enhancing and Integrating, The Three Pillars Of Data Hygiene Is your Prospect Contact Data meeting your Lead Generation expectations? The problem may not be with your marketing department, it may be your data itself! Maintaining data hygiene is incredibly important to the overall success of your business. And it is really not that difficult to do, if you know how to do it. This whitepaper gives you a detailed explanation of the processes required to efficiently carry out the cleansing of your databases! 5 Ways to Make Your Email Marketing Strategy Successful Email Marketing Whitepaper – From Workhorse to Over-Acheiver. Marketers agree that Email Marketing is the workhorse of their marketing mix. but are they doing everything to make their strategy successful? Are you? this whitepaper deals with some tips that will make your strategy infinitely better. Can Telemarketing Be Beneficial To You? Learn about Telemarketings role in B2B marketing and see how integral it is to the entire process. This White paper will show how Demand Generation can really benefit from Telemarketing. It will prove that Cold Calling is not, by any measure, dead! If you are not cold calling, you are missing out. Checkout: Does your Company Need a Demand Generation Expert or Agency

Does your Company Need a Demand Generation Expert or Agency? Find out

Posted on August 13, 2018June 28, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

So, you are considering what to opt – a demand generation expert or agency? Congrats. A lot of businesses do not give this question a thought (which is a BIG mistake!) Look,B2B Demand generation marketing is NOT easy. If it were, every B2B company would be acing it. There are so many strategies to use and as much effort to be put into each of them to ACTUALLY work. As a result, many businesses tend to outsource demand generation or hire an expert (depending on their needs). Frankly, there are pros and cons to both (demand generation expert or agency). According to Gartner, 58% of businesses are increasing marketing spend every year. Meaning, it is important to ensure that you are investing money into a solution (demand generation expert or agency) that works for you. Although, in the end, the right choice between demand generation expert or agency, depends on your business, motivation, priorities, and end goals. In this post, we will go over a few questions you need to ask yourself which will allow you to decide between a demand generation expert or agency. Lets get started Must Read: 40+ Demand Generation Blogs You Should Follow Now! What is your end goal? Before you decide between demand generation expert or agency, take out the time to detail your end goals. Ask yourself What do you want to achieve in the end? What do you want to achieve with demand generation campaigns? Who is your target audience? If possible, set out realistic ROI expectations as well, etc 1. What is your budget? Once you understand your demand generation needs, it is easier to create a budget for it. No doubt, the cost is one of the deciding elements. If you notice, you will always ask – What is more cost effective solution? We are not asking to compromise on the quality of services but your marketing solution needs to be cost effective for your business. So, what is more effective – demand generation expert or agency? A lot of depends on your need, again. Demand generation agency The price depends on your individual project requirements. They generally charge hourly or go by a project rate. Demand generation agencies account for every minute they spend and will provide extensive reports on campaigns Basically, you pay for EXACTLY what you need Considering the agency bears the cost of tools, investments, human resources and others; it is 0 overhead costs for you. You dont have to worry about taxes, payroll, office space, benefits, vacations, nothing! Nada! Demand generation expert Look, recruiting top talent requires a lot of time headhunting and money. It is NOT easy! You will have to bear overhead costs if you are hiring a demand generation expert – competitive salary, benefits etc. Besides this, you will also need to invest in tools, training, workshops etc to keep him/her updated Not only that, employees can be lured away or they can leave your organization. It can happen with agency employees but it wont be your headache But, remember one thing – most often than not, one person cannot handle all your needs and requirements. You will need an entire team of experts if you want to scale your campaigns! Must Read: What Is Demand Generation Marketing and Why Is It Important? 2. Time You will need to analyze how much time do you have to be involved in any marketing campaign. Whether you decide to go with demand generation agency or expert, know whether or not you can get involved in it Demand generation agency or expert? Well, agencies take the load off of you. They offer end to end solution and will do all the work. You will only be involved in major decision and analysis of campaigns (what is working, why something is not working etc) In other words, you can concentrate on other important tasks related to running a business. Expert – You will need to take out time to supervise the work. For many businesses, that is equivalent to no peace of mind. That said, many agencies nowadays want you to be involved as much as possible. It allows them to personalize and target your audience in a better fashion. Still, when compared to experts, this will not take a lot of your time because agencies understand time is money. 3. Niche and expertise of demand generation agency or expert? Have you heard the saying – riches in the niches? Most marketers nowadays are experts in one part of marketing (for example, demand generation, B2B lead generation, content syndication etc) Meaning, you need to be very clear on your marketing needs before you hire an expert. In either situation, you will need to constantly spend resources on training them on the latest technologies and tactics. On the contrary, agencies have a team of experts. You are not responsible for finding and deciding the strategies even before you have actually tested it out (which is absurd, to begin with) You don’t go to the doctor telling him you have this problem and this solution works. You let the doctor tell you what is the best treatment. Similarly, agencies can tell you exactly what CAN work for you, put in into practice and see if you need a change of strategy. Experts can also recommend the change of strategy but they might not be great at ALL other tactics. So, what is the conclusion? Still confused between demand generation expert or agency? Outsourcing it to demand generation agency will give you access to multiple experts that you cannot afford to hire and put them to work on your marketing campaigns. As stated above, you will have ZERO overhead costs. That said, both demand generation expert or agency is not hands-off. Someone has to manage the third party relationship or coordinate with the expert to ensure that the goals are met. In either case, do your due diligence and research on multiple agencies and interview experts to find the right fit. Over to you – What do you think? What is a great fit for your business – demand generation expert or agency and why? Must

How To Maximize Social Media For Demand Generation

Posted on April 26, 2018June 9, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Social Demand Generation: Maximizing Social Media for Demand Generation Social media for demand generation is an extremely effective tool. It is used to research buyer behaviour, gather relevant information, generate more demand and nurture leads. Alex Jones of Brandwatch says We have seen our clients use social media for everything from in-depth behavioral research on Millennials to learning what kind of weather provokes people to buy ice cream No wonder, social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) is said to be the reason Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency or the key to rebranding egg farming. Is social media for demand generation gaining traction in the B2B space? Of course! According to B2B Buyers Survey Report, 53% of B2B buyers spend more time using social media to research vendors and solutions. Not only this, 83% B2B marketing teams use social media as a part of marketing strategy So, how do we maximize social media for demand generation? What should we keep in mind while strategizing use of social media for demand generation? In this post, we will discuss ways in which you can use social media for demand generation. Must Read: 9 demand generation books every marketing expert should read 1. Start looking at social media as a demand generation tool If you want to use social media for demand generation effectively, it is important to start looking at it like a demand generation marketer. What do we mean? A demand generation marketers not only focuses on brand awareness, but analyzes data involved in conversion optimization and sales cycle. Questions like below are answered in detail before taking an action – How do I segment leads? What tactics engage buyers the most? What type of content is effective in lead nurturing campaigns? How to ensure that each dollar spent translates into money/revenue earned? etc As a social media manager, you need to start doing the same. Stop looking at social media as a œcontent distribution platform and start looking at it as a revenue generating platform. The amount of data insights you can gather from social media platforms is incredible (discussed below). Needless to say, there are many ways you can utilize audience insights to improve your demand generation mix. Isn’t it? 2. Focus your efforts on appropriate channels Don’t split your time between ALL the platforms. Decide on 1 or 2 platforms that will help you achieve business goals. Did you know that Snapchat ads are viewed up to one million times a day (source)? However, if you are in to medical equipment space, your buyers probably do not hang out on snapchat. In case you are into marketing tools, you want to try it out! Must Read: 5 Common demand generation plan problems to avoid According to KippBodnar, CMO of HubSpot, B2B marketers are moving beyond LinkedIn and Twitter as platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to gain traction among buyers. Recent figures by Statista.com show the dominance of Facebook because of it appeals to both personal side as well as professional. Source: Epitomise Surprised at the list? This is why you shouldn’t decide on a platform based on your bias or preference. So, do your research. Not every platform will fetch tangible results for your business. Social media for demand generation will truly work if you choose the right platform to implement your strategy. 3. Use social listening to make an informed decision According to Dominique on Sprout Social, social listening allows you to find the exact preferences, problems and challenges your target audience has, and then create solutions to offer them that are based in the value proposition of your brand. In short, social listening is about gathering relevant information based on overall sentiment and tone of conversation going on about your brand. Most marketers ignore the readily available information on social media. You need the right MarTech stack to gather information, analyze and present it in a way that is easier to understand. For example, sprouts social tool can create reports to track trends, hashtags, tag messages etc. This is an excellent example of using sprout social tool for social listening. Let’s take an example. If you track social media behaviour, you may realize that millions of people crack phone screens every day. There is a clear demand for shatter-resistant phones. This information can also be useful for phone accessory manufacturers. They can share content or webinar updates that deals with this area to maximize engagement and drive demand for their product (for example, a tempered glass). You can also gather the trending keywords and steer your SEO strategy towards that. When you create content keeping in mind the reason behind why it trended along with using the right keywords, you are bound to drive crazy traffic to your business. By identifying such information, needs and gaps in the market, social intelligence can inform demand generation strategy, lead generation mechanisms, content marketing, value propositions and positioning of your brand. Must Read: Top 6 Demand Generation Strategies Which Work! 4. Use social data to segment and nurture leads You can use social data to segment potential buyers into personas. There are several tools, including Brandwatch, which allows you to collect these leads. Such tools allow you to create a panel of profiles that fit the persona or demographic you are targeting. These lists can be used to understand the trending topics among your prospects, the overarching concerns they have, and the language they use. You can also understand influencers in your niche for a targeted outreach or collaboration. This information can drive your demand marketing tactics along with steering content marketing strategy and social media marketing towards lead nurturing and demand generation. 5. Include Social engagement data into a lead scoring model Your lead scoring already incorporates behavioral data. For example, it includes a click to download or click through from an email etc. Unfortunately, most lead scoring models do not include leads social media engagement even though these are great indicators of TOFU interest. According to Socedo, socially engaged leads tend to better qualified leads (Sales

15 Demand Generation FAQs to make your Marketing Better

Posted on April 18, 2018June 28, 2023 By Vikas Bhatt

Demand generation isnt as simple as it sounds. It is a process of creating a desire for a particular product/service. According to Anne Fleshman, it starts with showing your prospects they have a problem that needs fixing, then it presents your business as the fixer. In this post, we will discuss 11 demand generation FAQs that we come across (with most clients). Must Read: Did you know – Repeating demand generation activities drives 10x results 1. What is demand generation? Demand generation is all about driving the awareness for your brand and business. It is the strategy that gets your potential buyers excited about your companys offerings According to Hubspot, Demand generation programs can help your organization reach new markets, promote new product features, build consumer buzz, generate PR, and re-engage existing customers. Demand generation, however, is more than just a branding concept or early funnel marketing tactic. Demand generation programs are touch points throughout the conversion optimization and sales cycles. 2. Do you need to have a demand generation strategy? One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make is to assume demand exists for their products/services. With millions of businesses, you cannot assume anything. Always start with a detailed demand generation strategy. 3. Most awaited demand generation FAQ – What is the importance of having a good demand generation strategy? Demand generation helps in capturing the attention of prospective buyers and build trusting relationships with them. A detailed and well-thought strategy helps in Increasing online visibility Connecting with the right audience Lead nurturing along the buyer’s journey Conversion optimization And all this is extremely important for any business to grow and expand. 4. Is demand generation a one-time strategy? This is one of the demand generation FAQs we love to get and answer. We also consider it the make or break for your strategy. To begin with – No, demand generation is not a one time strategy. There are several processes and steps which need to be repeated at regular intervals to make it effective. 5. So, what are these processes which should be repeated? For a demand generation strategy to work effectively, you need to continuously Evaluate goals Produce content or repurpose existing content Spread or promote content Keep testing your strategies Analyze data at regular intervals Follow best practices for demand generation Must Read: Top 6 Demand Generation Strategies Which Work! 6. How is demand generation different from lead generation? More than a demand generation FAQ, this is a confusion that exists in the mind of many marketers. Demand generation and B2B lead generation are very different. While the former concentrates on generating demand and driving awareness for your business, the later is focused on generating qualified leads (Sales qualified or Marketing qualified). 7. Where does demand generation appear in the sales cycle? Demand generation appears in the beginning of the sales cycle. This diagram will clarify the placement of demand generation strategy Source: Referral Saasquatch 8. What tactics and tools are used to generate demand? One of the most common demand generation FAQs is about the tactics that really work. Some of the most popular demand generation tools and tactics that always works are Content upgrades Research and Surveys Podcasts Videos Webinars Influencer reach Free tool or app Co-market Email Marketing Giveaways Must Read: Guide To Choosing The Right Demand Generation Partner For Your Business Needs 9. What are best practices or demand generation etiquettes a marketer should follow? To begin with, a marketer should Build a strategy around every tactic Build a strong demand funnel network Implement a lead nurturing framework that maps onto the buyer’s journey Think from a buyers perspective Accept that mistakes happen and learn from it 10. How do we measure the effectiveness of a tactic? Demand generation marketers follow different attribution models to gain insights into the effectiveness of a tactic. 11. How do we measure demand generation results? This cannot be missing from demand generation FAQs, can it? There are several performance metrics, but the following metrics will help you obtain the right information Closing percentages Funnel Conversion rates Cost per Acquisition Cost per Lead Conversion to MQLs Lifetime customer value Tactic analysis with attribution models 12. What is the biggest mistake demand generation marketers make? This is one of the widely asked Demand Generation FAQs. According to us, the biggest mistake demand generation marketers make is to either think they don’t follow any attribution model or follow any one. Each attribution model provides you a certain part of data but does not give you the complete picture. Understand what you should know to increase the effectiveness of demand generation efforts and then select a relevant model. Most of the times, you will need to understand more than one set of data to be effective in your strategies. In such cases, you should implement 1-2 models. 13. I am confused with so many terminologies. Can I get some explanation? Oh, sure. A lot of businesses are confused with technical terms and this is an expected demand generation FAQ. 14. What demand generation blogs should you read? This is definitely a unusual demand generation FAQ. With the list we have collated here, you can understand the nuances of this strategy. 15. How to choose the right demand generation partner? Start by knowing your needs Select 4-5 demand generation agencies Explore processes with them Do they have a management plan? How do they familiarize themselves with your business? How do they decide on methodologies for a demand generation campaign and how do they measure success? How do they pick a team you will work with? Do they have people with required experience? How were they chosen, and what skills/experience do they bring? Assure quality of services by talking to former clients and analyzing their record. Are there any unanswered question about demand generation? Lets talk about it in the comments section Must Read: Hack: Unlimited Demand Generation With Content Marketing

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