The demand gen marketing funnel
TOFU (awareness). Audience knows they have a problem. Content: thought leadership, SEO, podcasts, paid awareness.
MOFU (consideration). Audience evaluating solutions. Content: webinars, comparison guides, case studies, gated assets.
BOFU (decision). Audience comparing vendors. Content: demos, ROI calculators, customer reviews, references.
Channel mix for B2B demand gen
Content marketing. SEO-driven blog content, gated long-form (ebooks, reports), interactive tools.
Paid search. Google Ads on commercial keywords.
LinkedIn advertising. Sponsored content, conversation ads, ABM targeting.
Webinars. Live and on-demand for MOFU education.
Email nurture. Drip campaigns for prospects not ready to buy.
Events and conferences. Industry events for executive engagement.
Partner co-marketing. Joint content and webinars with complementary vendors.
Customer advocacy. Referrals, reviews, case studies.
Demand gen marketing roles
Content marketer. Writes blogs, ebooks, case studies.
Paid media marketer. Manages Google Ads, LinkedIn, programmatic.
Lifecycle marketer. Owns email nurture and lead scoring.
Field marketer. Owns events, conferences, executive engagement.
Demand gen operations. Owns marketing automation, CRM integration, attribution.
Director or VP of demand gen. Owns the full function.
Demand gen budget allocation (typical B2B SaaS, 2026)
Content: 15-25%.
Paid media: 30-40% (paid search + LinkedIn + programmatic).
Events: 15-25%.
Webinars and lifecycle: 5-10%.
Tools and tech: 10-15%.
Demand gen metrics
Pipeline-to-spend (target 3-5x).
MQL volume and quality.
Marketing-sourced pipeline.
Marketing-influenced pipeline.
CAC payback.
Channel ROI (paid search vs LinkedIn vs events).
Frequently asked questions
What is demand generation marketing?
The practical execution of demand gen strategy through content, paid media, events, email nurture, and customer advocacy programs that drive measurable pipeline.
How should B2B demand gen budget be allocated?
Roughly 15-25% content, 30-40% paid media, 15-25% events, 5-10% lifecycle, 10-15% tools. Adjust based on stage and motion.
CTA
Demand gen marketing fills the top of the funnel. Account planning ensures pipeline converts. [Book a Demo]
