How do you evaluate and select the best channels and tools for your demand generation campaigns?

To tailor your message, understand your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This includes: 1. Decision Makers: Identify who approves purchases and influencers. 2. Decision Process: Map how they reach buying decisions. 3. Research & Vetting: See how they gather information (analyst reports, webinars, case studies). 4. Knowing these points helps you understand your ICP's behavior on different channels (social media, email, etc.). This lets you align your messaging (benefits, solutions) with their buying intent at each stage. By understanding their journey, you craft targeted content that resonates and drives them towards your solution. This is key for a successful demand generation strategy.

Set your demand generation campaigns on the path to success with clear, measurable goals and metrics! Start with Specific Objectives: Instead of vague goals, be crystal clear. Think "10% more brand mentions on social media in six months." Measure Progress: Use analytics tools to monitor campaign performance, ensuring you're on track. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Identify the metrics that matter - conversion rates, leads, traffic, clicks, and social engagement. Conversion Metrics: Consider metrics like lead-to-customer conversion rate and cost per acquisition. Align with the Customer Journey: Your metrics should reflect different stages - awareness, nurturing, and conversion.

Imagine planning a road trip without a destination. Same goes for demand generation. Before diving into tools, let's get clear on your goals. What exactly do you want to achieve? More website visits? Leads? Sales demos? Define specific, measurable goals. Then, we can choose the tools (like a GPS!) to track progress. Are website visits rising? Leads converting? These metrics will be your compass, showing success or areas for improvement. With a clear goal and the right tools to measure progress, your demand generation campaign will be a smooth ride to achieving your objectives.

You need to understand your audience, who are direct and indirect decision makers in the targeted accounts, what is the decision making process looks like for your ICP, how the research and vetting process look like. This all will help you to understand your ICP behavior on different channels and this is going to be crucial for your demand generation strategy to align your audience intent and messaging on different channels

In my opinion: - Analyze campaign goals and target audience - Research and compare various channels - Assess channel reach and engagement potential - Evaluate cost-effectiveness and ROI - Test small-scale campaigns on different platforms - Collect and analyze performance data - Optimize based on metrics and feedback - Continuously monitor and adjust strategies - Stay updated with industry trends and new tools

Knowing your audience also means understanding the buyer committee. Don't just focus on the person with the cash. Especially in complex B2B sales, like SaaS, there are so many stakeholders involved. Each one has their own concerns and influence on the buying decision. It’s important to understand everyone’s role, from the initial user to the final decision-maker. Dig into their journey - how they find, consider, and decide on your product or service. This allows you to pick channels and tools that align with their specific needs and preferences.

Picking the right channels for your audience is key. 1. Who are your dream customers? 2. What keeps them up at night (think problems)? 3. Knowing their online habits (where they research, etc.) helps you target them better. Imagine their journey – how they find, compare, and buy your stuff. By understanding them, you can choose the perfect channels and tools to reach them where they are.

In my experience, knowing your audience is multifaceted. It involves not only recognizing who your ideal customers are and how they make purchase decisions but also understanding where they congregate. To truly resonate with your audience, it's essential to be where they are talking about the topics that matter to you. Using design thinking approaches, I've found, provides the most comprehensive understanding of the audience. It allows you to not only gather data but also immerse yourself in their world, empathize with their experiences, and develop strategies that address their unique challenges and aspirations. This deep understanding is a driving force in making your demand-generation efforts more successful.

It is not enough to simply be where your audience is. You need to be wherever they'll be most receptive to your messaging or content. In B2B, this usually means whatever channels they use to do research (as opposed to simply idling away the hours scrolling or watching cat videos). So keep that in mind.

Knowing your audience can mean a few things - who they are, how they buy, etc - but one thing that is often overlooked is where they spend time. Tools like Sparktoro are great for understanding where your audience is spending time talking about the topics that matter to you. Just because they're on a channel doesn't mean they are talking about what you want to, and knowing where they are can be a strategy game changer

Do not assume the advice you see from LinkedIn creators fits your company's strategy - vertical, audience, etc. Just because somebody has 30,000 followers doesn't mean what they say applies to you.

To identify the most effective channels and tools for demand generation, it is essential to conduct thorough research on your product or content. Following this, you should perform comprehensive testing by utilizing various marketing channels and tools to determine their efficacy.

When creating a channel strategy, I always ask first if we need to pull or push. Does our target audience recognize the pain point and actively seek a solution, or do we need to educate them and help define the problem? Always test the strategy and learn from the results. However, I like to think that the right message is more important than the channel. There are many ways you can support content distribution, but if the message isn't relevant, you won't get results.

As an entrepreneur, I've learned the hard way: never assume anything! Dive Deep, Experiment, and Evolve! The world of demand generation is vast, and the tools are plentiful. Here's how to navigate: Spread the Net Wide: Start by listing down all potential channels and tools. From good ol' email to cutting-edge automation, there's a lot out there. Pros & Cons: For each channel or tool, weigh the benefits against the drawbacks. Does the high reach of PPC justify its cost for your brand? Synergy Check: Some tools work better together. Maybe your CRM can integrate seamlessly with an analytics tool, doubling the insights! The Pilot Phase: Before going all-in, run small campaigns to test the waters.

Exploring different marketing tools and channels, and experimenting with them, helps in finding the most effective ways to reach your audience.

Perhaps the biggest step is to have all data presented in one dashboard. Make sure that both your demand generation and lead generation campaigns are transparent and you can easily see which content on which platform contributed to which goal. Tools like dashthis or Google Looker Studio are perfect for this.

Measure, Refine, Repeat! Here's how to keep up with demand gen: Data is Gold: Regularly track your campaign's performance using the metrics you've set. It's not just about seeing the numbers but interpreting what they mean. Spot the Stars and the Slackers: Identify the channels/tools that are bringing in the results and those that are lagging. Maybe your webinars are a hit but your emails aren’t getting enough opens. Iterate with Intent: Based on your analysis, refine your strategies. If Instagram is where your audience hangs out the most, consider allocating more resources there. Stay Hungry for Knowledge: The world of demand generation is fast-paced. Keep an ear to the ground for the latest trends, tools, and tactics.

Continuously monitor the performance of your campaigns, learn from the data, and make necessary adjustments to improve your strategies for better outcomes.

Continuously monitor the performance of your chosen channels and tools using the defined metrics. Analyze this data to identify what is working and where improvements are needed, and make iterative adjustments to optimize the effectiveness of your demand generation strategies.

-Establish clear goals such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, driving conversions, or engaging a specific audience. -Create detailed buyer personas based on demographics, behaviors, preferences, and pain points. -Evaluate channels such as email marketing, social media, content marketing, SEO, PPC advertising, and events based on alignment with your audience and goals. -Run pilot campaigns to test channel and tool effectiveness, measuring KPIs such as open rates, engagement, traffic, and conversion rates. -Evaluate pricing and potential ROI. -Invest more in high-performing channels and tools. -Make adjustments to improve performance. -Regularly track performance and adjust strategies based on new insights.

Often overlooked in channel selection is just how much time is needed to see results. Especially ones where content and engagement are key, rushing too quickly to expecting hard results can be a campaign killer. Set realistic expectations depending on the goals, the audience, and the level of brand awareness you have.

Don't sacrifice your personal touch over data at all costs! The human side of demand generation is often overlooked. A few thoughts to keep in mind: Story Over Statistics: While data drives our decisions, it's the human stories that drive connection. I remember a campaign we ran for a startup that didn't have the best metrics but garnered heartfelt testimonials. That impact, often immeasurable, can be priceless. Stay Agile: In one of our campaigns, we realized midway that our core message wasn't resonating. Instead of pushing ahead, we pivoted, changed our approach, and saw a dramatic uptick in engagement. Being agile isn't just a buzzword; it's a survival skill in today's marketing world. Enjoy, demand gen is fun!

I like to add two more things, 1. Budget Allocation Remember to allocate your budget based on the cost-effectiveness and ROI of each channel and tool. Prioritize the channels that offer the highest return on investment. Also, ensure that the selected tools and channels can scale with the campaign needs and future growth. 2. Compliance and Data Security Ensure all tools and channels comply with relevant regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, etc. Data Security: Evaluate the security measures of each tool to protect customer data and ensure privacy.

When having internal conversations about doing qualitative research, have the quantitative data to back up the justification for re-allocating resources