Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation

By Stanley Mak

Marketers often use the terms demand generation (demand gen) for lead generation (lead gen), interchangeably, but they're not the same strategies.

I would like to clearly lay out definitions and goals so you are never lost for words about the difference between demand generation singapore and lead generation singapore again.

It is important to make the distinction between the two as marketers today are under the spotlight. They are asked to demonstrate ROI for each marketing dollar spent. Lead generation is one of the best ways to evaluate demand generation efforts.

What is Demand Generation?

Definition: Demand generation covers all marketing activities that create awareness and interest in your product, company and category. It includes a mix of inbound and outbound marketing.

Goals: Brand awareness and Creation of interest.

Demand generation not only focuses on your offering but also on your category.

Content designed for demand generation is generally more readily accessible and shared as much as possible.

Examples of Demand Generation content:o A whitepaper.o Blog posts.o Social media posts.o A public relations campaign.o A PPC campaign.o A product video hosted on YouTube.o A booth at a trade show.

What is Lead Generation?

Definition: Lead Generation is the process of collecting leads through form fills for the content you provide or through a website tracking software to add to your database of leads.

Goals: Collection of qualified leads to build trust and relationship; establish the expertise of the company and nurture them through the funnel until closed as customers.

Longer sales cycles, multi-step engagements, and enterprise sales require a lead generation strategy and process.

Examples:o A form ahead of your e-book/whitepaper/webinar.o A form on your PPC landing page.

o Website visitor tracking of all your website visitors.o A form kept at your booth in a trade show.o A form to receive regular communication such as newsletters.

Remember: If you're starting a lead generation campaign, be sure to have some sort of lead management system in place, such as HubSpot. You don't want to create all that content only to lose your leads in the funnel.

In a nutshell, demand generation shapes perception, and lead generation is a data-gathering system.

It is critical to have a marketing plan that consists of both demand generation and lead generation. Each individual piece of content should be trying to do one or the other, not both at once. You have to distinguish lead-generating content from demand-generating content and craft each one accordingly.