Demand Generation Program Methodology

Demand Generation
Program Methodology
© 2015 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All RightsReserved.
Follow this step-by-step guide to developand
implementa demand generation
strategy that provides a steady flow of
qualified, engaged leads foryour sales team.
01 Initiative Preparation
02 Lead Definition
03 Strategy Planning
04 Technology Selection
05 Programs& Activities
06 Measurement

Demand Generation, at its most fundamental, includes the strategies, processes,
tools, technologies and activities used to create the need, desire or want in a
customer or marketplace to purchase available goods or services. This comprises
areas such as brand awareness, product/service interest & education, purchase
intent, target population reach, audience discovery and top of funnel sales activities.
More broadly, today‟s Demand Generation programs now support and optimize the entire
buyer‟s journey throughout the attraction, conversion, fulfillment and loyalty stages of the
journey.
Given that, it is important to be aware of the primary activities that comprise an effective
Demand Generation initiative and the role Demand Generation plays in an overall Digital
Marketing effort.
What is Demand Generation?
© 2015 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights

Examples of Demand Gen Activities
 Online Advertising
 SEO
 Content Marketing
 Event Marketing
 Webinar
 Blogging
 Social Media
 Online Communities
 Public Relations
 CRM
Demand Generation can consist of various marketing related activities and channels
including the following list below:

Some confusion exists between the functions of Demand and Lead Generation with some
marketers believing that all Demand Generation is about getting leads. In fact, Demand
Generation is a multi-step process of which Lead Generation is one of the primary
outcomes.
Demand Generation opens the market for a product/service, creates awareness,
discovers new audiences, develops brand recognition, begins the engagement
process and nurtures target populations before they become real leads or prospects
for sales. By contrast, Lead Generation is the process of identifying specific prospects and
customer types that are most likely to become customers by creating strategies, tactics and
campaigns that will provide engagement between the prospect and the company or brand.
In short, Demand Generation casts a wide net over a large potential population; while
Lead Generation “fly fishes” for the best possible catch.
Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation

How to Use this Consulting Methodology:
1. UnderstandDemand Generationto drive sales and revenueimpactwithin your company.
2. Evaluate and selectthe technology thatwill be the backbone of yourDemandGen strategy.
3. Plan and crafta strategy to develop a steady flow of qualified leadsforyour sales team.
If you need assistance implementing your Demand Generation strategy, contact Demand Metric to schedule a consult with an
experienced Analyst: email us at info@demandmetric.com or call us on (866) 947-7744.
This methodology consistsof six stages,each with a description of steps and action items. Action items
include using ourpremium tools & templates. Our goalfor youruse of this methodology is to help you:

03 Strategy Planning 06 Measurement
STAGE 01 – INITIATIVE PREPARATION
In this Stage,you will focus yourefforts around understanding yourorganization‟s strengths& weaknesses
as it‟s related to Demand Generation,documenting yourgoals and objectives,and developing a business
case to gain buy-in from seniormanagementforthis initiative. Key steps in this stage include:
1. UnderstandDemand Generation
2. Review Sales & Marketing Automation BestPractices
3. Review the Levels of DemandGeneration Maturity
4. Identify YourOrganization‟sLevelof Maturity
5. Build a Business Case
Initiative
Preparation
02 Lead Definition 05 Programs & Activities

 Action Item – Read ourDemand GenerationBestPracticesReport to learn aboutthe practice area,
obtain key insights forprogram developmentand implementation and review the vendorlandscape.
This Best Practices Report:
 Details the benefits of Demand Generation
 Describes the difference between Demand and Lead Gen
 Reveals vendor research for six Demand Gen technologies
For more insights, also review our Benchmark Reports related
to Demand Generation.
Download
STEP 1 – Understand Demand Generation
Initiative
Preparation

STEP 2 – Review Marketing Automation Best Practices
 Action Item – Review ourDriving Value with Marketing AutomationHow-to Guide to understandhow
you can drive value with more advanceduses ofyourmarketingautomation system.
In this 12-page guide you will learn about:
 How to determine how advanced your program is
 The different levels of MarketingAutomation maturity
 How to evolve your Marketing Automation strategy at each level
Download
Initiative
Preparation

STEP 3 – Review the Levels of Demand Gen Maturity
 Action Item – Review ourDemand Generation Maturity Model to learn how Demand Metric defines
fourstages of maturity based on the six key componentsof Demand Generation.
The seven components of Demand Generation are:
 Orientation
 Leadership
 Tools & Platforms
Download
 Demand Generation
 Budget & Staff
 Metrics
Initiative
Preparation

STEP 4 – Identify Your Organization‟s Maturity Level
 Action Item – Complete our DemandGenerationMaturity Assessment to understandwhere your
organizationfalls on the fourtiers of DemandGenerationmaturity.
Download
The four levels of maturity are defined as follows:
 Undefined
 Progressive
 Mature
 World-Class
Also review our selection of Assessments related to Demand
Generation specific channels for more insights.
Initiative
Preparation

 Action Item – Use our Business CaseTemplate to ensure seniormanagementthatDemand Generation
initiatives aligns with currentbusiness goals& objectives.
Sections of your business case should include:
 Executive Summary
 Opportunity Overview & Key Success Factors
 Assumptions & Decision-Making Criteria
 Business ImpactAnalysis
 Risk & Contingency Plans
 Recommendation
Download
STEP 4 – Build a Business Case
Initiative
Preparation

STAGE 02 – DEFINING WHATA “LEAD” IS
In this Stage,you work with Sales to standardize the definitionfora “lead”. It is importantto gauge your
target audienceand target“lead” in order to strategize foryour DemandMetric programs.Key activities in
this stage include:
1. UnderstandyourLeadsBuying Persona
2. Define yourLeadsBuyingProcess
3. Agree on definitionof a “Lead”
4. DiscoverLead ScoringBestPractices
5. Define LeadScoring Parameters
02 Lead Definition
05 Programs & Activities
Lead
Definition

STEP 1 – Understand your Leads Buying Persona
02 Lead Definition
Lead
Definition
 Action Item – Use the BuyerPersonaTemplate to documentrelevantinformation aboutthe prototypical
„key players‟involvedin making a decisionto purchase yourproducts& services.
Characteristics you will want to capture include:
 Background (Job Title, Income,Age, Education)
 Situation (priorities, pain points, motivation, needs, goals)
 Habits (likes/dislikes, trusted resources, research methods)
 Decision-Making (authority, budget, purchase process)
Download

STEP 2 – Define your Leads Buying Process
02 Lead Definition
Lead
Definition
 Action Item – Use the Buying Process StageTemplate to identify the messages and assets neededto
align your sales process & actions with each buyerpersona‟s progressthroughtheir buying process.
Buying Process
 Need
 Discovery
 Consideration
 Decision
 Review
Download
Sales Actions
 Provoke
 Educate
 Explain
 Reassure
 Maintain

STEP 3 – Agree on the Definition of a “Lead”
Key qualification criterion:
 Company (size, industry, location)
 Contact (seniority level, decision-maker)
 Buying Stage & Needs
 SpendingAuthority
 Recentness of Activity (web visits, downloads, call, etc.)
02 Lead Definition
Lead
Definition
 Action Item – Use the Qualified LeadDefinitionTool to agree with Sales leadership onthe key criterion
required fora lead to be considered qualifiedforsales.
Download

STEP 4 – Discover Lead Scoring Best Practices
02 Lead Definition
Lead
Definition
 Action Item – Use the Lead Scoring How-ToGuide to help marketers score leadsby showing how to set
up a simple lead scoring system and then refine it overtime.
Read this brief 11-page guide to learn about:
 The case for lead scoring
 Setting up a simple lead scoring system
 Refinements to improve results over time
 Companies that follow this process will quickly gain
immediate benefits from lead scoring and have a solid
foundation for future growth.
Download

STEP 5 – Define Lead Scoring Parameters
 Action Item – Use the Lead Scoring Template to customize a frameworkforscoring leads on a manual
basis. If you have a marketingautomation system,automate this processwith lead scoring rules.
Sample Lead Scoring Criteria:
 Company (size, industry, location)
 Contact (seniority level, decision-maker)
 Buying Cycle Stage
 Interest
 Actions (page views, pricing page visits, etc.)
 Recentness of Activity (web visits, downloads, call, etc.)
02 Lead Definition
Lead
Definition
Download

STAGE 03 – PLAN YOUR STRATEGY
In this Stage,you plan out your DemandGenerationstrategy,programsand initiatives by learning the
importantaspects of the DemandGenerationFrameworkand identifying key roles,responsibilities,
processes,technologies,contentand metrics.The key activities in this Stage are:
1. Define Roles & Responsibilities
2. DiscoverWhich MarketingChannelsMatterthe Most
3. Design YourMarketingFunnelforLead Acquisition
4. Create a Demand GenerationStrategy Workbook
5. Identify BudgetAllocations
Strategy
Planning

STEP 1 – Define Roles & Responsibilities
 Action Item – Review ourDemand Generation Framework to learn how all of the departmentsand
componentsof an organizationcome togetherto develop,coordinate onand operate with Demand
Generationbestpractices.
This framework defines Demand Generation efforts across
six categories:
 Roles
 Responsibilities
 Processes
Also check out our Modern Marketing Department Structure
Download
 Technology
 Content
 Metrics
Strategy
Planning

STEP 2 – Discover Which Marketing Channels Matter
 Action Item – Review ourMarketing ChannelRanking Tool to evaluate yourmarketingchannels based
on their brand promotion quality,lead quality and cost/event.
This tool helps you find your most profitable channels
including:
 Webcasts
 E-Newsletter
 Press Releases
Also check out our Lead Generation Prioritization Tool Download
 PPC Ads
 Website
 Blog
Strategy
Planning

STEP 3 – Design Your Marketing Funnel for Leads
 Action Item – Review ourLead Acquisition Model processdiagramto communicate yourlead generation
& nurturing process.
This diagram provides you with read-world example of a potential
lead generation process. Your lead acquisition model should
include: Direct & Indirect Marketing Campaigns, Lead Scoring,
Lead Nurturing Campaign and LeadAssignment.
Also check out our Marketing Funnel Template for more ideas.
Download
Strategy
Planning

STEP 4 – Create a Demand Generation Strategy
 Action Item – Use our Demand Generation StrategyWorkbook to provide seniormanagementwith a
one-page documentthat clearly outlines youraction plan forthis project.This documentwill also allow
you to track your strategy progressthroughoutthe year.
Key information to include in scorecard:
 Objectives
 Programs & Initiatives
 Metrics & KPIs
 Timeframes and Goals
 Goal Achievement Tracking
Download
Strategy
Planning

STEP 5 – Identify Budget Allocations
 Action Item – Employ our Marketing BudgetTemplate to help you track the costs for yourDemand
Generationprograms,initiatives,staffing and resources in relation to your overallmarketingbudget.
Download
Strategy
Planning
The key components of this budget are:
 Technology, Implementation & Support
 Staffing
 Training & Education
 Promotions & Marketing Campaigns
 Content Development

STAGE 04 – TECHNOLOGY SELECTION
At this point, you have learnedaboutDemand Generation,identified yourtargetlead definition and
developed strategies to properly interactwith your audience.Now,you will evaluate the technology
landscape in orderto implementyourstrategic initiatives.This stage includes the followingsteps:
1. Review Core TechnologiesforMarketing Automation
2. UnderstandAdditionalTechnologies and Solutions AvailableforDemand Gen
3. Evaluate Vendors and Create a ShortList
4. SubmitRFPs to Short-ListedVendors
5. ConductEvaluations and Make Decisions
Technology
Selection

STEP 1 – Review Core Tech for Marketing Automation
 Action Item – Review the Marketing AutomationSolution Study and CRM Solution Study to bring you
up-to-date on the bestpractices technology and solutions availableto get yoursystem ready.
Technology
Selection
Download
Download

STEP 2 – Understand Additional Tech Required
 Action Item – Review the Solution Studies and TechnologyOverviewsbelow to get an excellent
overview ofwhatis available to supportyourDemand Generation initiative.
Check out the following Technology Overviews:
 Online Communities Technology Overview
 OnlineAdvertising Technology Overview
 Online Event Marketing Technology Overview
 SEO Technology Overview
Technology
Selection
Check out the following Solution Studies:
 Email Marketing Solution Study
 Content Marketing Solution Study
 Social Media Marketing Solution Study
 Video Marketing Solution Study

STEP 3 – Evaluate Vendors and Make a Short List
 Action Item – Use our Demand Generation Solutions Matrix to evaluate the over50 vendors from all six
technologies.Make a shortlist of the vendorsyou will be considering forimplementation.
Download
Technology
Selection
This matrix covers the following focus areas:
 Email Marketing
 Interactive Marketing Apps
 OnlineAdvertising
 Online Event Marketing
 Predictive Marketing Analytics
 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

STEP 4 – Submit RFPs to Short-Listed Vendors
Technology
Selection
Download
 Action Item – Use our series of System RFPs (listed below)designedspecifically forDemand
Generationto documentyourrequirements foreach technologyand send offto yourshort-listed vendors
to receive more informationon their solutions.
The following additional RFP‟s are also available:
 Marketing Automation System RFP
 Email Marketing System RFP
 OnlineAdvertising System RFP
 Online Event Marketing System RFP
 SEO System RFP Template

STEP 5 – Conduct Evaluations & Make Decisions
Download
Technology
Selection
 Action Item – Use our series of VendorEvaluations(listed below)designed specifically forDemandGen
to compare vendorsagainstone anotherbased on up-to-datetechnology requirements.Afterthis
exerciseis complete,decide on yoursolution(s).
Use the following matrices to help your decision making:
 Marketing Automation Vendor Evaluation
 Email Marketing Vendor Evaluation
 OnlineAdvertising Vendor Evaluation
 Online Event Marketing Vendor Evaluation
 SEO Vendor Evaluation

STAGE 05 – PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES
In this Stage you will be organizing yourkey lead generation programs. Here are the three steps you will
take in this stage:
1. Review and LeverageDemand Generation BestPractices
2. Map Contentto your LeadsBuying Process
3. Organize yourDemandGen Programs
02 Lead Definition
Programs
& Activities

02 Lead Definition
Programs
& Activities
STEP 1 – Leverage Demand Gen Best Practices
 Action Item – Leverageourcollection of related training courses,methodologies and playbooks (see
below)to help you implementbestpracticesin yourDemand Generation program.
Visit the following links for best practice guidance on the following topics related to Demand Generation:
 Related Training Courses
 Related Methodologies
 Related Playbooks
 OnlineAdvertising
 SEO
 Content Marketing
 Event Marketing
 Webinar
 Blogging
 Social Media
 Online Communities
 Public Relations
 CRM

02 Lead Definition
Programs
& Activities
STEP 2 – Map Content to your Leads Buying Process
Here are a few resources you can use when creating content:
 Case Study Template
 White Paper Template
 Press Release Template
 Business Case Template
 Action Item – Use the ContentMapping Templateto create a visualrepresentationof the contentfor
yourlead nurturing plan.
Download

STEP 3 – Organize Your Demand Gen Programs
02 Lead Definition
 Action Item – Use our Marketing CalendarTemplate to plan and organize all of your Demand Generation
activities and then provide to yoursales team, to keep them updated onyourcampaigns.
You can also make use of our other organizational templates:
 Advertising Calendar & Budget
 Content Marketing Editorial Calendar
 Events Database Template
 Webinar Promotions Calendar Download
Programs
& Activities

STAGE 06 – MEASUREMENT
Now that you have executed yourstrategy,implementedtechnologies,began running yourprograms &
activities,you can start to measure the results ofyourDemandGenerationprogram.In this Stage,you will:
1. Calculate ROIfrom Marketing Channels
2. MeasureYourDemandGeneration Program
02 Lead Definition
Measurement

STEP 1 – Calculate ROI from Marketing Channels
 Action Item – Use the Marketing AutomationROI Calculator to calculate the overallfinancialimpactthat
Marketing Automationcan have on yourbusiness.
We also have other ROI calculators for specific channels:
 OnlineAdvertising ROI Calculator
 Email Marketing ROI Calculator
 Webinar ROI Calculator
 Tradeshow Program ROI Calculator
 Online Community ROI Calculator
Download
Measurement 02 Lead Definition 05 Programs & Activities

STEP 2 – Measure Demand Generation Program
 Action Item – Use the Demand Generation Metrics Dashboard to track the Key PerformanceIndicators
(KPIs) for yourprogram. Update this dashboard on a monthly basis to generate high-quality graphs that
will show yourprogress.
Some of the key metrics we suggest analyzing are:
 # MQLs Created
 SQLs v. MQLs
 Webinar Views
We also have additional Metric Dashboards for specific
marketing channels available.
 Cost Per Lead (CPL)
 Keyword Performance
 # Links & Backlinks
Download
Measurement 02 Lead Definition 05 Programs & Activities

 At the end of any project,it‟s always a good idea to review it and identify areas forimprovement.
 DemandMetric has the tools and expertise to help you build an effectiveDemand Generationprogram:
» Create or audityourexisting DemandGenerationstrategy plan
» Assistwith using any of the tools referencedin this methodology
» Provide hands-on marketing assistance to accelerate achievingyourmarketing department‟s goals
To learn more, simply contactDemandMetric: info@demandmetric.com
Conclusion

Demand Generation Program Methodology

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Demand Metric

More from Demand Metric (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Demand Generation Program Methodology