Quick Definition
Demand generation is the marketing function focused on creating awareness and interest in your products or services, building pipeline through a combination of content, advertising, and engagement strategies.
Demand generation encompasses all marketing activities aimed at generating awareness and interest in your solution. It's broader than lead generation, focusing on building brand awareness and educating the market, not just capturing contact information. Effective demand gen creates the conditions for leads to convert by building trust and demonstrating expertise before the prospect is ready to buy.
In This Guide
Demand Generation vs Lead Generation
While related, demand gen and lead gen serve different purposes in the marketing funnel.
- Demand gen: Create awareness and interest (top/middle funnel)
- Lead gen: Capture contact information (middle/bottom funnel)
- Demand gen builds the audience; lead gen captures it
- Both are essential for sustainable pipeline growth
Demand Generation Tactics
Demand gen uses a mix of tactics across the buyer journey.
- Content marketing: Educational content that builds authority
- Brand advertising: Awareness campaigns that build recognition
- Thought leadership: Executive visibility and speaking
- Community building: Events, communities, partnerships
- SEO: Ranking for keywords buyers search
Demand Capture
A critical component of demand gen is capturing the demand you create. Most visitors who engage with your demand gen content don't fill out forms—visitor identification captures this latent demand.
- Most demand gen traffic is anonymous
- Forms only capture 2-3% of visitors
- Visitor identification captures the other 97%
- Convert demand gen investment into actual leads
Measuring Demand Generation
Demand gen metrics span the full funnel from awareness to pipeline.
- Awareness: Traffic, brand searches, share of voice
- Engagement: Content consumption, time on site
- Pipeline: MQLs, SQLs, opportunities created
- Revenue: Influenced and sourced revenue
Real-World Examples
- 1A demand gen team runs LinkedIn brand campaigns for awareness
- 2Content marketing drives organic traffic that converts to leads
- 3A webinar series establishes thought leadership and generates leads
- 4Visitor identification captures leads from demand gen traffic
Key Benefits
Frequently Asked Questions
What is demand generation?
Demand generation is marketing focused on creating awareness and interest in your products. It builds pipeline through content, advertising, and engagement strategies that educate and attract potential customers.
What's the difference between demand gen and lead gen?
Demand gen creates awareness and interest (top of funnel). Lead gen captures contact information (bottom of funnel). Demand gen builds the audience; lead gen converts it.
How do I measure demand generation?
Measure across the funnel: awareness metrics (traffic, brand searches), engagement (content consumption), and pipeline (MQLs, opportunities, revenue).
How do I capture demand from anonymous visitors?
Use visitor identification technology. It reveals who's visiting from your demand gen campaigns, even when they don't fill out forms—capturing 3-5x more leads.
Related Resources
Comprehensive Guides
See It In Action
Demand Generation
Capture demand from campaign traffic that doesn't convert to forms.
Lead Generation
Generate leads from your website without forms by identifying anonymous visitors.
Marketing Attribution
Connect anonymous website traffic to real pipeline and revenue attribution.
Related Terms
See Demand Generation in Action
Experience how Bullseye brings these concepts to life.
Related Definitions
What is Website Visitor Identification?
Website visitor identification is technology that uncovers the identity of anonymous website visitors by matching browser signals to databases of known contacts, revealing names, emails, companies, and job titles.
Learn moreWhat is Buyer Intent Data?
Buyer intent data is information indicating that a company or individual is actively researching a particular topic, product category, or solution—showing purchase consideration before direct engagement.
Learn moreWhat is Lead Generation?
Lead generation is the process of identifying, attracting, and capturing information from potential customers who have shown interest in your product or service.
Learn moreWhat is Account-Based Marketing (ABM)?
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a B2B strategy where marketing and sales focus their efforts on a specific set of target accounts, using personalized campaigns designed to resonate with each account.
Learn more