Picture this: You’re in charge of marketing at a B2B company, and you’ve got a bunch of products or services that could really help other businesses. You feel excited to share what you have, but you can’t seem to get enough qualified leads through the door. Sales gets frustrated because they’re not talking to the right people, and higher-ups are asking, “Where’s the growth?” Sound familiar?
If that hits home, you’re not alone. Demand generation can be tricky. B2B marketers often juggle a million things: big budgets, long buying cycles, tough competitors, and customers who expect real value right away. So how do you reach the right folks without annoying them or burning your marketing dollars on empty clicks? This post will walk you through some proven demand generation tactics—clear and simple. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to build awareness, win trust, and keep leads flowing into your pipeline. The best part? These tips are easy to tweak to fit your company’s needs, so you can start using them immediately.
Let’s dive in.
1. Be Everywhere Your Audience Hangs Out
You might think, “Well, that’s obvious.” But it’s so easy to miss. For B2B marketing, you need to understand where your potential buyers actually spend their time. Do they read specific industry blogs? Are they into LinkedIn groups? Do they hang out on Slack channels dedicated to their profession? Sometimes we focus on LinkedIn only to discover that our prospects are active on Twitter or industry forums.
Fictional Example: Imagine you run marketing for a company that sells data analytics software for retail stores. You notice there’s a popular online community called “Retail Data Gurus,” where store owners talk about everything from daily foot traffic to seasonal deals. That’s a place where you could offer helpful advice, share short guides (like “How to Use Data to Predict Holiday Sales”), and answer questions. This isn’t about spamming links. It’s about showing up as a friendly expert who genuinely wants to help. Over time, people start recognizing your brand and what it does.
Stat to Back It Up: According to a survey by Demand Gen Report, 47% of B2B buyers viewed three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep. Being present on their preferred platforms means they’ll find you among those three to five pieces of content. That alone can make a huge difference in creating demand.
2. Use Simple, Helpful Content
Lots of B2B companies produce massive whitepapers filled with technical terms that nobody outside their industry understands. That might work sometimes, but more often, potential buyers want quick tips and easy-to-read information that solves their problems right now.
What Kinds of Content Work?
- Blog posts that address common questions.
- Short videos that show demos or how-to tutorials.
- Infographics that break down data in an easy-to-scan way.
- Podcasts that discuss industry trends.
Keep your content short if it needs to be short, and longer if you’re covering more complex ideas. At the core, you want it to feel like you’re talking to a neighbor, not lecturing a college class.
Fictional Example: Let’s say your business sells HR software to mid-size companies. You might write a blog post called “5 Quick Ways to Streamline Your Hiring Process” and keep it under a thousand words. Then you’d create a short explainer video showing how the software helps with scheduling interviews. Add an infographic that visualizes the stages of recruitment. That’s a triple threat right there, and it’s easy for people to digest.
Stat to Back It Up: Research from HubSpot shows that companies that publish 16 or more blog posts per month got about 3.5 times more traffic than those that published zero to four posts. More traffic often leads to more chances to create meaningful demand for your product.
3. Email Marketing that Doesn’t Feel Like Spam
Email is still one of the best ways to connect with potential buyers. But it’s also one of the easiest ways to annoy them if you’re not careful. People get tons of emails every day, so you want yours to stand out in a good way.
Tips for Better Emails:
- Keep your subject lines clear, and avoid clickbait phrases that don’t match the email’s content.
- Personalize the email. Use their first name, mention their company, or reference something you know they’re interested in.
- Include a short call-to-action (CTA) that feels natural. Something like, “Want to learn more? Click here for a quick demo.”
Fictional Example: Picture you’re promoting a new software feature that helps small manufacturers track inventory in real-time. Your email might read: “Hey Sarah, I saw you handle purchasing at XYZ Manufacturing. We just released a tool that spots inventory shortages before they happen. Thought it might be worth a look. Here’s a 2-minute video that explains it better than I can!” Short, friendly, and helpful.
Stat to Back It Up: According to Campaign Monitor, every $1 spent on email marketing can bring up to $44 in return. That’s a big reason to refine your email game and make sure it’s part of your demand generation toolkit.
4. Host Webinars and Virtual Events
Sometimes, people just need a face (or a voice) to connect with. Webinars and online events let you go deep on a topic and interact with your audience in real time. This can be a great way to warm up leads, answer questions, and show off your product’s real-world impact.
How to Make Your Webinar Count:
- Make it interactive by running a Q&A session or polling the audience.
- Invite industry experts or even existing customers to share real-life insights.
- Keep it to 30-45 minutes if possible. Everyone’s busy.
Fictional Example: Let’s say you make a platform that automates social media management for big tech companies. You could host a webinar called “Cut Your Social Media Posting Time in Half.” During the webinar, show exactly how your platform automates repetitive tasks. Invite a happy client to talk about their success. Boom—instant credibility.
Stat to Back It Up: A study by GoToWebinar found that 73% of B2B marketers say webinars are the best way to generate high-quality leads. They’re also a good way to create recorded content that can live on your website for future visitors to watch.
5. Lean into Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
If you’ve been around B2B marketing for a while, you’ve probably heard about ABM. It’s a strategy where you focus on targeting specific high-value accounts, almost like you’re creating a personalized campaign for each one. This might sound fancy, but it can be as simple as customizing your messaging and content to speak directly to each company’s needs.
Fictional Example: You have a short list of 20 companies that would be a game-changer if they became customers. Instead of spraying ads everywhere, you craft personalized landing pages for each account, highlight case studies that match their industry, and send tailored emails to the decision-makers. You might also run a small LinkedIn ad campaign that calls out specific pain points those companies face. By focusing on a smaller group, you give them the VIP treatment and raise your chances of closing a deal.
Stat to Back It Up: According to data from ITSMA , 87% of B2B marketers say ABM efforts outperform their other marketing investments. That’s a big green light if you’re thinking about giving ABM a shot.
6. Show Real Social Proof (Even if It’s Small)
People pay attention to how others feel about a product, especially in the B2B space. Social proof, like testimonials or case studies, can turn a skeptical prospect into a curious lead. You don’t need huge brand names to make a point. Even smaller successes can mean the world to someone who’s deciding whether your solution is right for them.
What Counts as Social Proof?
- Written or video testimonials
- Case studies
- Review site ratings (like G2 or Capterra)
- User-generated content (posts from customers praising your product)
Fictional Example: Let’s say you offer a project management tool designed for creative agencies. You only have a few clients so far, but one of them left a fantastic review on G2 describing how your tool saved them hours each week. Share that review on your website and in your marketing campaigns. Even if it’s just one customer, it’s proof that you’re solving a real problem.
Stat to Back It Up: Research by BrightLocal shows that 79% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. While this stat usually applies to B2C, B2B buyers are humans too. They also want validation that others like your product.
7. Retargeting Ads Without Being Annoying
If someone visits your site but doesn’t convert, retargeting ads can bring them back later. Just be careful not to follow them all over the internet to the point where they feel chased. It’s a balancing act: You want to remind them of what you offer, but you don’t want them thinking you’re some kind of internet stalker.
Tips for Kind Retargeting:
- Set frequency caps so your ads don’t pop up everywhere.
- Change up the ad creative. Don’t use the same banner or message over and over.
- Use a friendly tone in your copy.
Fictional Example: You run an online platform that helps event planners automate their vendor coordination. A prospective buyer visits your product page and then leaves. Later, they see a retargeting ad that says, “Still searching for a simpler way to coordinate vendors? Check out how we help event planners.” Provide a link to a quick customer success story or video. If the person still doesn’t bite, you cool it down after a couple more gentle reminders.
Stat to Back It Up: Data from AdRoll shows that retargeting ads can lead to a 70% higher chance of converting. That’s huge, especially for B2B companies where leads might take weeks or months before buying.
8. Measure and Tweak Constantly
Demand generation isn’t a one-time project. You have to keep an eye on your campaigns, see which ones are performing, and make adjustments as needed. Make sure you’re tracking metrics like cost per lead, lead-to-opportunity ratio, and overall ROI. If a certain channel isn’t bringing in enough high-quality leads, shift your budget to something that’s working better.
Fictional Example: You launch a multi-channel campaign for your cloud-based accounting software. You try LinkedIn ads, Google ads, and a webinar. After a month, you check your data. You see that the webinar brought in the best quality leads. Your LinkedIn ads drove a lot of traffic, but those leads didn’t convert. So, you decide to invest more in webinars next quarter and tweak your LinkedIn targeting to see if you can improve those conversions.
Bonus: Don’t Forget the Human Side
Behind every B2B purchase is a human being with a busy schedule and goals to meet. If your message feels cold or robotic, it’s a turn-off. That’s why it’s good to keep your tone friendly and show genuine concern for the problems they’re facing. When people see you’re trying to help rather than just pushing a sale, they’re more likely to pay attention.
Bringing It All Together
So, we’ve covered quite a few tactics:
- Hang out where your audience is (online communities, social platforms, industry sites).
- Create simple, helpful content.
- Send friendly, personalized emails.
- Host webinars and virtual events.
- Try account-based marketing for high-value targets.
- Use social proof like case studies or reviews.
- Use retargeting ads without creeping people out.
- Measure your results and pivot when needed.
These are building blocks you can mix and match in a way that fits your business. Start small. Maybe pick two or three tactics and see how they go. Then ramp up when you notice positive results.
What’s Next?
If you put these tactics to work, you’ll probably see a rise in interest and inbound leads. It won’t happen overnight—B2B buying journeys can be lengthy. But with patience and a human-centered approach, you’ll build trust and authority in your market. That trust is what fuels demand in the long run.
Final Word: At the end of the day, nobody wants to feel like they’re being bombarded by ads or forced into a sales pitch. The best demand generation strategies meet people where they are, give them something valuable, and invite them to learn more. When you adopt that mindset, you’ll discover that a steady flow of leads and growth is within reach.
Thanks for reading. We hope you got some practical tips to help power your demand generation efforts. If you’re curious about how our own solutions might help your company handle these tactics, let us know. We’re always happy to chat and see if there’s a good fit—no pressure, no hype.
Note: All examples in this article are purely fictional scenarios created to illustrate the strategies. They are not based on real events or endorsements.