5 Critical Actions to Simplify Demand Generation
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 7:08 am
As the buying process and decision-making evolve in the B2B and SaaS spaces, marketers face some new and some perennial challenges in demand generation. B2B marketers find that the average buyer group size is about 7 people, even in companies with just 100-500 employees.
The demand generation manager's task of creating interest across the entire buyer group can therefore be compared to that of an orchestra conductor who makes sure that all the players are playing along. When this needs to be managed across the entire target group, demand generation becomes a complex function in itself.
Why is B2B demand generation so complex?
At Smartbound , we have attempted to decipher some of the complexities of demand generation that B2B marketers face today. Below is the list of top 7 nuances of B2B demand generation that add to its complexity.
01. Excessive number of accounts and contacts
The fundamental complexity for demand marketers stems from the fact that an average B2B company targets a minimum of 4-5 thousand accounts or 25-30 thousand contacts at a time. This translates into a massive influx of data that poses a significant data science problem .
02. Simultaneously deploy multiple outreach tactics
Companies need to cast a wide net across list of telegram users in cambodia available channels to maximize their acquisition efforts. Multiple acquisition tactics are always in play: SEM, SEO, outbound (ABM) , social media, events, webinars, and direct mail. To avoid falling into the trap of diminishing returns, it is necessary to drive harmonious coordination of all tactics.
03. Boost engagement across the entire buyer group
Purchasing decisions in B2B are made by a committee of people with different responsibilities around the same requirement. Therefore, it is imperative for B2B marketers to engage and convince all these people through the stages of the buying process . However, determining the buyer group or demand unit to target remains a difficult task for marketing teams.
04. Commitments should be scheduled to achieve the best results
Capturing the attention of stakeholders throughout a non-linear B2B buying process is a challenge. To get the most impact from any interaction, B2B marketers must align their messaging with the stage of the buyer’s journey . Understanding and monitoring the journey of tens of thousands of contacts and accounts is a daunting task.
05. Contacts have channel preferences
Each stakeholder in a buying group will have a preferred channel. You need to understand the best way (or tactic) for a given stakeholder to consume your message or content. Otherwise, not only will effort be wasted, but marketing spend will be unjustifiably increased.
06. Continuous engagement monitoring over a long sales cycle
B2B sales cycles are long, typically lasting 8-10 months. Add to this the sheer volume of accounts and contacts demand marketers have to deal with. The process of systematically collecting, processing and interpreting engagement signals from a large target group over an extended period increases the complexity of demand generation.
07. Multinational and multi-product operational nuances
Most businesses have multiple product or service offerings and operate in different geographies. For each offering and geography, there will be a certain set of nuances that demand marketers will need to leverage. Different outreach tactics, buyer groups and nuances of the buying process, as well as information about product interests are some of the variables that B2B marketers need to decipher in order to take the right steps to make the demand generation movement successful.
The demand generation manager's task of creating interest across the entire buyer group can therefore be compared to that of an orchestra conductor who makes sure that all the players are playing along. When this needs to be managed across the entire target group, demand generation becomes a complex function in itself.
Why is B2B demand generation so complex?
At Smartbound , we have attempted to decipher some of the complexities of demand generation that B2B marketers face today. Below is the list of top 7 nuances of B2B demand generation that add to its complexity.
01. Excessive number of accounts and contacts
The fundamental complexity for demand marketers stems from the fact that an average B2B company targets a minimum of 4-5 thousand accounts or 25-30 thousand contacts at a time. This translates into a massive influx of data that poses a significant data science problem .
02. Simultaneously deploy multiple outreach tactics
Companies need to cast a wide net across list of telegram users in cambodia available channels to maximize their acquisition efforts. Multiple acquisition tactics are always in play: SEM, SEO, outbound (ABM) , social media, events, webinars, and direct mail. To avoid falling into the trap of diminishing returns, it is necessary to drive harmonious coordination of all tactics.
03. Boost engagement across the entire buyer group
Purchasing decisions in B2B are made by a committee of people with different responsibilities around the same requirement. Therefore, it is imperative for B2B marketers to engage and convince all these people through the stages of the buying process . However, determining the buyer group or demand unit to target remains a difficult task for marketing teams.
04. Commitments should be scheduled to achieve the best results
Capturing the attention of stakeholders throughout a non-linear B2B buying process is a challenge. To get the most impact from any interaction, B2B marketers must align their messaging with the stage of the buyer’s journey . Understanding and monitoring the journey of tens of thousands of contacts and accounts is a daunting task.
05. Contacts have channel preferences
Each stakeholder in a buying group will have a preferred channel. You need to understand the best way (or tactic) for a given stakeholder to consume your message or content. Otherwise, not only will effort be wasted, but marketing spend will be unjustifiably increased.
06. Continuous engagement monitoring over a long sales cycle
B2B sales cycles are long, typically lasting 8-10 months. Add to this the sheer volume of accounts and contacts demand marketers have to deal with. The process of systematically collecting, processing and interpreting engagement signals from a large target group over an extended period increases the complexity of demand generation.
07. Multinational and multi-product operational nuances
Most businesses have multiple product or service offerings and operate in different geographies. For each offering and geography, there will be a certain set of nuances that demand marketers will need to leverage. Different outreach tactics, buyer groups and nuances of the buying process, as well as information about product interests are some of the variables that B2B marketers need to decipher in order to take the right steps to make the demand generation movement successful.