13 TYPES OF DEMAND GENERATION CAMPAIGNS FOR SUCCESS

The demand generation definition is straightforward. Demand generation is about capturing peoples’ attention and creating brand awareness. But it’s not pushy. It’s not salesy. It’s a way of letting those in your industry know that you’re there, you know what you’re talking about and you’ve got some pretty useful content they might like.

A demand generation campaign delivers that content. All the best gen campaigns are data-driven, so before you start, know who you’re targeting, what their pain points are, and what sort of content they engage with. Use this information to make content that builds awareness and interest in your products and takes your targets through the customer journey. Then, it's time to pick which demand gen tactics you want to try. 

Clear goals

Know why you need a demand generation strategy. Without clarifying your goals you won’t be able to allocate budget, decide on the right content, and assess which channels will be best.

Ideal customer profiles (ICPs)

You need to map out your ideal customer profile and define the buyer personas within your ICP that you’re targeting with your campaign. This will help you build out a high-relevance target account list and to better understand your target accounts. 

Understanding buying decisions and consumer needs will ensure successful demand generation and connect you with more customers.

You should research:

• Whats social media platforms and other channels you’ll find them on.

• What content they engage with.

• What interests them – professionally and personally.

• Their pain points.

• Their buying behaviors.

Mix of marketing channels

As well as knowing where your customers hang out, you need to know what type of content works best on what channels. Think about how to repurpose content across different channels as well to maximize your reach. Also, consider other platforms where your message may land better to get the best campaign ROI.

KPIs

How will you measure success? Whether it's lightweight conversion events or average deal size, KPIs will help you track progress on what matters most to your business  and show you where to tweak or iterate.

Your common content KPIs will be:

• Traffic.

• Engagement.

• Conversion tracking .

• Downloads.

• Time spent on content.

Other metrics you’ll want to watch are:

• Opportunities generated – how many new visitors could be potential leads further down the line?

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC) – how much it costs to convert a customer.

• Cost per lead (CPL) – will help you decide if you’re spending your budget in the right places.

• Customer lifetime value (CLV) – the amount you can expect a paying customer to spend with you over time.

1. Free versions or trials

Everyone pops up like meerkats at the mention of ‘free’. And it makes sense; who doesn't love a freebie? Free versions tempt users in as they realize how great the whole package is. And free trials give them a glimpse of how well your product or service solves their problems.

2. Webinars

A perfectly packaged way of showcasing your product without any ties. Webinars will work hard for you. LiveWebinar reports that 73% of attendees will turn into leads, making them a key player in both demand and lead generation campaigns. Add interactive elements like polls or Q&As for engagement. Use live presenters to give a more personal touch. Offer free downloadable resources. And the next step can be actionable, like requesting a demo or booking an appointment. Webinars also help generate interest in a scalable way.

3. Interactive content/tools

Like free trials, interactive content or tools give potential leads a taster of your product without needing to talk to the sales team. Calculators, template downloads, generators – pick what’s going to deliver value to your customers. Creative assets get 52.6% more engagement than static content. Take Ahrefs’ free keyword generator. It gives you a certain number of ideas for free, but you’d need to sign up for a plan to get access to deeper, more useful SEO tools. On our site, you can upload a PDF to see how it’d look as a Turtl Doc for free.

4. Informative and educational content

Free resource downloads packed with educational or informative content show your future customers that you’re experts in your field. And they can learn from you. According to Conductor, customers are 131% more likely to buy from you if they’ve read educational content by you. Create content around what pain points your customers have, guided by market trends and keyword research.  

5. Direct mail

Direct mail can still drive demand very effectively, particularly in account based marketing campaigns. Create memorable first impressions with personalized direct mails. From company merch to useful content, to delectable treats, a well-thought-through package will catch attention and make customers feel that bit more special. 

6. Influencers and guest blogs

To get more eyes on your products and traffic to your website, work with blogs that have bigger followings. Guest blogging on a larger blog sends traffic back to your website. And if you work with influencers in your industry, you can arrange for them to use their blogs and social profiles to highlight your products. 93% of marketers use influencers as part of their marketing strategy. It’s a valuable tactic for creating awareness.

7. Personalized email

Personalized email marketing > email marketing. Using personalization in your email marketing works wonders on performance and makes your message stand out from the crowd(ed inbox).  A simple segmentation tactic, or personalized subject lines, names, and interests. These all help to increase open rates by 29% and click through rates by 41%. You can also use lead scoring to improve segmentation – and journey outcomes.

If you want to see even better results from personalization, include tailored content in your email marketing. Turtl’s Personalization Engine enables you to create deeply personalized pieces of content for thousands of prospects in minutes. More impactful content with less effort – what’s not to love about that?

8. Quizzes

Who doesn’t love a little quiz? Whether it’s a useful tool that subtly points to a solution or just a plain procrastination activity, quizzes draw people in. They work well in social media campaigns as well. Create a quiz that highlights how your product helps with prospects’ pain points. Make it as entertaining as a Buzzfeed quiz and you could see completion rates of 96% or get a lead capture rate of 33%.

9. User Generated Content (UGC)

Social media is your best platform for getting users to generate their own content. Run competitions, ask followers to send pictures of your products in action or to share their experiences and you’ll expand your reach and get noticed. You might also attract lookalike segments to your brand.

10. Events

Whether you’re hosting your own, or running a stand at a larger event, face-to-face is where you can make a significant impact on potential customers. 72% of brands acquire leads at events.
Entice them in with some freebie resources or merch. Educate them with demos or presentations. And leave with their contact details ready to follow up and turn them into qualified leads.

11. LinkedIn

A ready-made community for businesses to connect. Regular posting, engaging with other businesses and professionals, and creating your own expert-led content helps to start conversations and leads to future business. According to Sprout Social, 4 out of 5 LinkedIn members drive business decisions. Demand gen offers and PPC ads on the platform will also get your content seen by a wider audience.

12. Online courses

If your educational content could help teach people in your industry, why not bundle it up into an online course? Courses are a great inbound marketing play. great example of using courses for demand generation comes from SaaS superstar Hubspot. Hubspot has created courses of all different shapes and sizes from their wealth of content. They’ve done this to share their knowledge and upskill their audience – and position themselves as industry experts.

13. Podcasts

Get your brand out to the masses with a brand awareness podcast. Guest speakers from your industry, in-depth discussions, or just a good chinwag – if you nail down your podcast format, you’ll have a formula that could run as long as you need – and feeds high quality leads into the top of the marketing funnel. Accompanying content like downloadable resources also keeps your audiences engaged afterward.

The most effective demand gen campaigns don’t just drive awareness or interest—they create measurable impact. From deeply personalized content to unforgettable digital experiences, every tactic used should support marketers’ ultimate goal: turning demand into revenue. 

Pairing a killer new demand gen content with a sharp demand gen ads strategy helps get that high-value, high-relevance content in front of your target audience – and fast. With the right ad placements, you can reach target prospects and test new tactics to expand to new audiences.

Use Google Ads with a bid strategy like target CPA to maximize conversions from valuable signals. And don’t forget to fine tune your efforts using historical data, lead generation metrics, and even search lift from video assets like YouTube Shorts. Video platforms are some of the fastest-growing demand gen channels, so don't neglect your Youtube channel and make YouTube Ads, video action campaigns, or Google Video Partners part of your ad spend.

The best campaigns create demand by combining crystal-clear goals, deep ICP understanding, and an omnichannel approach. Whether you’re using free trials, webinars, or any of the types we’ve talked about above, make sure to produce consistent and relevant content if you want to attract the right kind of leads.