3 Demand Generation Tactics to Help Expand Your Customer Base
By Jenna Hanington, Senior Content Strategist
Growing your business should always be a top priority, regardless of your company size. However, while many larger companies have the luxury of leveraging their existing customer bases and brand evangelists to grow, smaller companies must rely on generating new business to succeed.
Marketers play an important role in this growth by generating demand, and more frequently, by acting as the first touch that a customer has with a brand. A recent benchmark study by Demand Gen Report highlights some of the top priorities of today’s marketers — and driving pipeline through demand generation dominates the no. 1 spot. In fact, more than one-third of B2B marketers expect their demand generation budgets to grow by 20 percent this year alone.
But which expansion tactics should marketers invest in as budgets continue to increase every year? How can marketers help grow their businesses and turn more leads into satisfied customers?
1. Shift from quantity to quality
When asked to rank their most important demand generation goals, 74 percent of B2B marketers placed “focusing on lead quality over lead quantity” at the top of the list. As marketing accountability becomes increasingly critical, B2B marketers must shift their demand generation efforts to focus on the leads that are more likely to convert. Fortunately, modern marketing technologies such as marketing automation make it easier to qualify leads based on the criteria that are most important to your business, so you can focus on filling your funnel with the highest-quality leads.
2. Support prospects and customer with targeted content
Because content is a primary vehicle for demand generation, 63 percent of B2B marketers list “expanding our content library to drive campaigns” as a top initiative for this year. Without content to fuel the demand engine, it’s incredibly difficult to build targeted campaigns that will move leads through the funnel. Not only is content critical to your lead generation efforts, it’s also an important way to position your company as a helpful resource to your buyers and customers. When the time comes to select a vendor during the buying process, customers are more likely to side with the company that they believe will support their needs and help them grow.
3. Create the easiest path to purchase for your buyers
Buyers are stretched for time, which is why so many of them fall off during the research process when they can’t find what they’re looking for. Often, buyers will turn to competitive solutions when information about your company or your value proposition is difficult to find. Make things easy for your buyers by clearly defining their path to purchase. Intuitively place the content they need on your website so that it’s front and center, and consider investing in a solution that offers lead nurturing to deliver helpful content to your buyers throughout the course of the sales cycle. Remember, email is still the top strategy for driving leads, and lead nurturing can help you streamline your email efforts so that content is only getting delivered when it can make the highest impact.
By focusing on quality leads, creating targeted and helpful content, and nurturing your leads through the buying process, you can help drive demand for your business and expand your customer base. Take a look at this article for additional tips on getting the most out of your existing base of customers through upsells and cross-sell opportunities.
Learn more about each of the tactics mentioned above in our Complete Guide to B2B Marketing.
