What Is Demand-Generation Content And Why Does it Matter?

The most basic type of content is that which you create as one-off pieces so you have something to share on social media, through email, etc. If you’re not seeing any results from your current content efforts, take it a step further by creating demand-generation content. This content is aligned with your promotional efforts and the sales cycle, allowing you to target customers in the awareness phase. Using key messaging, you then guide them to the bottom of the funnel until they convert.

Demand generation (demand-gen) content targets customers who could benefit from knowing about your product or service and brings them to the awareness level of your funnel. Learn about why this content is so valuable to implement.

Demand-Generation Content Allows You to Target Customers from Competitors

Demand-gen content targets audiences who aren’t familiar with your brand or your products and aren’t even sure that they need them. The goal of demand-gen content is to make people more aware that there are alternative options to what they currently use.

“To plainly define it, demand generation creates the demand for a product or service through a gradual and holistic marketing process that spans the entire company—from product creation, brand marketing, content marketing, and product marketing,” according to the guide, 6 Surefire Ways to Create Demand-Gen Content in 2020.

The same guide uses the example of marketing a wake-up light alarm clock as opposed to a traditional audio one. Most people might use the alarms on their phones or bedside table alarm clocks, which can be harsh and even scare them into waking up. However, a light-based alarm clock is an alternative that brightens a room. Most people aren’t aware that this is an option and may start to look for these products for their own morning routines. This is where your demand-gen content comes into play.

Elizabeth Burnam, marketing at New Breed, says that demand-gen content is an umbrella term to cover lead generation and inbound marketing. This means the goal is to drive qualified leads that you can then sell to through strategic digital marketing initiatives.

Demand-Generation Content is More Relevant — Which Consumers Want

Simply creating content isn’t enough to appeal to today’s consumers. Not only does your content need to stand out and compete with the endless stream of viral TikTok sensations, news stories, and competing branded posts, but it also needs to be relevant to your target audiences.

According to the 2019 Meaningful Brands report by Havas, 90 percent of consumers expect brands to deliver content, but 58 percent of consumers think the content that comes from brands is irrelevant or isn’t meaningful.  

This isn’t the only study to highlight the discord that customers feel when interacting with brand messaging. One 2018 study published by Periscope by McKinsey found 40 percent of consumers felt “messages received only sometimes captured the characteristics that would make them personal,” meaning that these “personalized messages” weren’t actually that personal at all. Almost a quarter of American respondents said personalized messages were rarely or never relevant.

This goes to show how important targeted, accurate content marketing is. Your customers will notice when the content you share isn’t relevant and they won’t be impressed. Demand-gen content works to address this through strategic marketing and lead generation.

Demand-Generation Content Addresses Several Issues With Your Marketing Strategy

Developing demand-gen content can help you address several problems with your existing marketing strategy. It isn’t a silver-bullet solution for everything, but it can help improve various issues you may have noticed with your current sales process. For example:

●      It can help you better understand your audience. Demand-gen content requires research and strategy. You will likely learn more about your audience and their behavior through the content development process.

●      It can increase visitor traffic. Increasing the relevance of your marketing efforts means more people clicking and engaging, which drives more people to your website. You can develop a healthy pool of leads as you grow your website traffic. 

●      It can increase customer conversions. With more of the right people hitting your website, you can increase conversions. 

●      It can provide measurable results. With a clear view of your content marketing strategy, and how it’s tied to sales, you can see what works and what doesn’t. This allows you to learn more and create better-performing content over-time.

Evaluate Your Current Content Creation Process

Don’t create content for just anyone. Focus on creating content that turns potential customers into leads by making it targeted and personalized. Invest in demand-gen content and watch the rest of your sales and marketing soar too.