Demand Generation Examples: 10 Campaign Ideas Proven to Work

by The MNTN Team

6 Min Read

Demand generation is the process of increasing brand awareness and creating buzz about your products or services through engaging content. The goal of a demand generation strategy is twofold: make audiences aware of your brand, then get them excited about purchasing your goods or services.

There are all sorts of great ways to fuel demand, and the most impactful campaigns use a variety of complementary tactics. Here are ten examples of demand generation that you can use to inspire your customer acquisition campaigns:

1. Content Marketing Strategies

Generally speaking, demand-generation campaigns need to focus on educating an audience with zero-cost-to-consumer (free) information. Enter content marketing, which is designed to engage with prospects and loyal customers by providing them with engaging materials, such as blogs, infographics, and videos.

While video represents one of the most powerful forms of content, you can’t sleep on the impact of blogs, either. Well-constructed and easy-to-digest blogs can expand your reach and support your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.

That said, it’s also important to make your blog content skimmable, as 73% of people will scan written content to find the information they are looking for and bounce if it isn’t clear at first glance.

On their own, social media platforms are powerful marketing tools that you can use to connect with your current following and expand your reach to bring in new followers. The question is, how can you grow your following enough that your social channels become viable demand-generation assets? The answer, believe it or not, might be something as simple as a contest.

According to a recent survey, roughly 65% of respondents view things like social media giveaways as an effective tool for growing their following. And when designed strategically, contests can be quite cost-effective, too.

For example, you could ask participants to follow your brand’s Instagram page in exchange for a chance to win a $50 gift card. All you’ll need to do is designate a time frame to complete the action (i.e., five days), offer enough opportunities to incentivize the masses (such as ten gift cards instead of one), and pick the winners randomly to ensure fairness.

You can even make sharing the post a prerequisite for winning to help maximize your brand’s reach during the excitement.

3. Search Engine Optimization

SEO remains one of the foundational forms of demand generation. It’s a process that involves conducting keyword research, incorporating relevant phrases into your content, and addressing back-end site components to maximize visibility on search engines.

However, despite its ubiquity in marketing, SEO is a never-ending battle. You must continuously enhance and tweak your content, conduct further research, and keep up with the latest search trends among your target audience. These three things are essential for maintaining high visibility and attracting quality leads.

4. Paid Advertising

While it’s certainly not sustainable to try to grow your business off of paid search ads alone, the content does play an important role in demand generation because it can provide near-instant results. For example, you can use paid ads to generate interest in a new product or introduce consumers in an adjacent market to your services.

What you must keep in mind, though, is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for using paid ads in your marketing mix. If your other outreach channels are performing well, you can scale back on this one. Conversely, if you need a quick influx of quality leads, you can double down on paid-ad spending.

5. Webinar or Virtual Event Series

Hosting webinars or similar digital events is an effective way of engaging with prospects, demonstrating thought leadership, and generating demand for your products or services. (We’d know; we host a lot of them here at MNTN.) Providing valuable insights, education, and networking opportunities can attract high-quality leads and nurture relationships through interactive online content.

These strategies are particularly effective for business-to-business (B2B) brands, though you can also employ them in the business-to-consumer (B2C) space. Regardless, you’ll use these sessions as a chance to answer questions from prospects, share what your product or service does, and spread the word about your brand.

6. Referral Programs

Referral programs use the power of word-of-mouth marketing to drive demand and acquire new customers. By incentivizing existing customers, partners, or affiliates to refer friends and colleagues, you can expand your consumer base and increase brand advocacy.

A good referral program is all about balance. You can’t offer incentives that drastically cut into your profit margins, but you also need to properly motivate people to support your program.

7. Partnerships and Influencer Campaigns

Partnering with influencers can also play a key role in generating brand awareness and driving demand for goods and services. The process is relatively straightforward.

Find influencers whose followings most closely resemble your ideal target audience and reach out to them to promote your products. Smaller influencers may promote your brand in exchange for free merchandise or commission-based profit-sharing opportunities. Larger influencers, on the other hand, may require a flat payment in addition to other incentives.

8. Offer Free Trials and Services

If you’re especially confident in your product or service, you can give users a chance to try it for free. During a trial period, consumers will enjoy a risk-free experience and can get to know your brand and its offerings. If they love it, they’ll likely renew the subscription or make a purchase.

Trials can be a great way of differentiating your brand from the competition, especially if you operate in a crowded niche where many of your competitors don’t offer such opportunities.

9. Personalized Email Campaigns

Email marketing remains a powerful tool for demand generation, offering personalized communication and targeted messaging to your audiences. By segmenting your email list based on demographics, behaviors, or preferences, you can deliver relevant content and offers that resonate with individual recipients.

There is a caveat, though. You’ll need to avoid over-messaging at all costs. Making someone feel overwhelmed will likely prompt them to hit the “unsubscribe” button and part ways with your brand faster than it took to write and send the email itself.

10. Connected TV Advertising

Coming to the last of our demand generation examples, we turn to Connected TV (CTV). The term refers to smart devices (primarily internet-connected televisions) that allow users to stream content on demand. CTV advertising, by extension, is the process of delivering curated ad content on these platforms to generate demand and acquire new customers.

MNTN Performance TV is a leading CTV platform that allows you to target niche audiences and exercise total control over your campaigns. You can target viewers based on their location, interests, demographics, and viewing habits, among many other factors.

But that’s not all! MNTN Performance TV also makes it easy to embrace creative best practices, such as storytelling. You can swap out content with ease, ensuring your streaming TV ads stay fresh and captivating. And even if you need a little help getting the creative juices flowing, our Creative-as-a-Subscription™ (CaaS) offering can connect you with top content producers.

Demand Generation Examples: Final Thoughts

Now that you’re ready to put these great examples of demand generation to work for your brand, it’s time to start building your revamped strategy and identify which tools are the best fit for your organizational goals. You need a well-balanced game plan that combines foundational elements such as SEO as well as more dynamic options like MNTN Performance TV.

Before you launch your next campaign, ensure you’ve got the tools needed to stand out. Explore MNTN Performance TV by booking a free demo today.