Demand generation is a term that describes how you attract and nurture potential customers for your business. It’s not just about getting people to visit your website or sign up for your newsletter. It’s about guiding them through every stage of their buying journey, from awareness to consideration to decision.
Demand generation is important for small businesses because it helps you build a loyal customer base that will buy from you repeatedly and refer you to others. It also helps you stand out from your competitors and grow your revenue.
But how do you create an effective demand generation strategy? Here are some tips:
- Know your audience. You need to understand who your ideal customers are, what their pain points are, what their goals are, and how they make buying decisions. You can use tools like surveys, interviews, personas, and buyer journeys to get insights into your audience.
- Determine what you want your audience to do. You need to have clear and measurable goals for each stage of the funnel. For example, at the top of the funnel, you may want to increase brand awareness or website traffic. At the middle of the funnel, you may want to generate leads or email subscribers. At the bottom of the funnel, you may want to convert prospects into customers or upsell existing customers.
- Focus on providing educational content. Content is the key to demand generation because it helps you educate your audience about their problems and solutions. You need to create content that is relevant, valuable, and engaging for each stage of the funnel. For example, at the top of the funnel, you can use blog posts, videos, podcasts, or infographics. At the middle of the funnel, you can use ebooks, webinars, case studies, or white papers. At the bottom of the funnel, you can use testimonials, demos, or free trials.
- Use multiple strategies. You need to use a mix of channels and tactics to reach your audience where they are and drive them to take action. You can use SEO, PPC, social media, email marketing, influencer marketing, or referral marketing to amplify your content and generate demand.
- Offer free trials and demos. One of the best ways to convince your prospects to buy from you is to let them try your product or service for free. You can offer free trials or demos that showcase your value proposition, solve their pain points, and overcome their objections. You can also use tools like chatbots or conversational marketing to engage with them in real time and guide them through the trial or demo process.
Demand generation is not a one-off activity; it’s an ongoing process that needs constant attention. By following these tips, you can create a demand generation strategy that will help you grow your small business in 2022.