{"id":802,"date":"2018-02-12T14:51:20","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T09:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.only-b2b.com\/blog\/?p=802"},"modified":"2023-06-29T17:28:19","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T11:58:19","slug":"demand-generation-and-inbound-marketing-the-new-couple-in-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.only-b2b.com\/blog\/demand-generation-and-inbound-marketing-the-new-couple-in-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Demand Generation and Inbound marketing: The new couple in town!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are lots of articles that compare <\/em>demand generation (as an outbound marketing strategy)<\/u><\/em> and inbound marketing only to give a gold medal in marketing Olympics to the latter. While their arguments make sense, we cannot deny that companies still use outbound strategies for demand generation successfully.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we will discuss whether you need a mix of\u00a0demand generation<\/u>\u00a0and inbound marketing strategies<\/span><\/a> or focusing on one will bring you the required ROI?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s begin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand generation as a beginning point to inbound marketing?<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, let us understand what is inbound marketing. Hubspot, credited for coining the term Inbound marketing defines it as something that focuses on creating quality content that pulls people toward your company and product where they naturally want to be. By aligning your content you publish with the customers\u2122 interests, you naturally attract inbound traffic that you can then convert, close, and delight over time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, <\/strong>demand generation drives awareness<\/u><\/strong> for your product\/services.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are right, demand generation tops the sales funnel.\u00a0It is a pre-marketing effort because it assumes that your product\/services are unknown and has its own set of\u00a0best practices\u00a0Let\u2019s also refer to inbound marketing stages\u00a0Demand Generation and Inbound marketing[\/caption]\u00a0As you can see, inbound marketing is about\u00a0attracting, converting, closing and receiving feedback<\/em>\u00a0for improving your services\/products.\u00a0Demand generation focuses only on\u00a0attraction<\/em>. It is\u00a0lead generation that focuses on conversion and closing. You can read the\u00a0difference between demand generation and B2B lead generation<\/span><\/a>, here.\u00a0This, according to me, is the first overlap between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read:<\/strong> <\/span>5 Common Demand Generation Plan Problems to Avoid<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of Inbound and Demand generation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few examples of traditional demand generation (if viewed in the light of outbound strategy) would be cold calling (telemarketing), email marketing, print advertorials, trade shows etc.\u00a0On the other hand, according to\u00a0Neil Patel, inbound marketing is about content creation, SEO, landing pages, backlinks, webinars, influencer marketing etc.\u00a0I searched demand generation tactics<\/em>and the first page had an article by Sprout Social.\u00a0The\u00a08 amazing demand generation strategies\u00a0listed are a free report, free resources, updating blogs regularly, video marketing, partner marketing, guest post and social media (LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) . We recently wrote a post on\u00a0top 6 demand generation strategies\u00a0where we\u00a0included all of these in detail.\u00a0Yes, the second overlap! You will see that the best demand generation tactics include content upgrades, free resources, survey, reports, webinars etc.\u00a0The strategies which are now used for demand generation are similar to inbound marketing. It is due to a digital transformation that the nature of demand generation has changed.\u00a0I think it is fair to say that demand generation is the first step in your inbound as well as outbound marketing strategy. What tactics you use to generate demand for your product depends on a lot of other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read:<\/span> <\/strong>9 demand generation books every marketer must need to read<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merging both<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand generation, traditionally, is an offensive strategy. Meaning, it is proactive in looking for people who match buyer persona but may not be looking to buy.\u00a0For example, email blast. The old-school style was one message fits all<\/em> but today, with tactics like\u00a0account based marketing<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and B2B list building<\/span><\/a> along with technology which allows\u00a0super-segmentation of your audience, you can target exactly who you want and how you want it. So, instead of waiting for them to come to you, you go to them strategically.\u00a0Another example is cold calling. A study found out that\u00a060 percent of C-suite in IT have considered switching\u00a0to a new vendor after a\u00a0cold call. Again, the old school style of cold calling without sales script and etiquettes is long gone.\u00a0Just look at\u00a0Moz and Fractly survey<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking the altar: Demand Generation weds Inbound Marketing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, do we need to choose one? Do we need to separate demand generation from inbound marketing? Of Course, no! We need a mix of both to achieve our business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n