Demand Creation versus Capture: How to balance the funnel
Balancing demand creation and capture is essential for B2B marketing success. Aligning strategies with a company’s market stage and industry specifics is crucial. While demand creation builds long-term brand value, demand capture focuses on converting existing interest into immediate results. For example, a company might initially focus on capturing existing demand through targeted campaigns but later invest in creating demand through educational content and brand-building activities to secure a broader market presence. This report encapsulates expert insights on integrating brand awareness, reputation management, customer stories, bottom-of-the-funnel tactics, personalisation, community engagement, and technological integration.
Hosts
Joaquin Dominguez and Tom Gatten were joined by four marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Benjamin O'Dell, Director of Demand Generation at Exclaimer
Joshua Diner, Head of Product Marketing at Infobip
Nefeli Kritikou, Head of Marketing at Endava
Pamela Hsieh, Investor
Snneha Koirala, Sr. Product Marketing
Brand Awareness, Reputation, and Customer Stories
Josh Diner from Infobip highlighted the importance of a strong reputation supported by customer stories. Despite low brand awareness, Infobip’s robust reputation, built through consistent delivery and positive customer experiences, has driven significant business success. By showcasing detailed case studies and customer testimonials, Infobip provided concrete evidence of its capabilities, making it easier for prospective clients to trust and engage with their services. This approach underscores that while brand awareness can attract attention, a strong reputation sustains long-term relationships and business growth.
"Infobip’s success story is rooted in our robust reputation, built through consistent delivery and positive customer experiences. Even with low brand awareness, these elements have driven significant business success and solidified our market position." - Josh Diner
Pamela Hsieh’s experience with Alibaba in Europe illustrated how focusing on customer stories and case studies can overcome initial low brand awareness and poor reputation. By leveraging real user experiences and successes, Alibaba improved its credibility and marketing effectiveness. Featuring real buyers and their positive experiences in TV commercials and YouTube videos helped transform the perception of Alibaba, demonstrating the practical benefits of its platform and fostering trust among potential users. Hsieh shared a specific campaign where Alibaba showcased a small business that significantly grew its revenue by using Alibaba’s platform, illustrating the practical benefits and fostering trust among potential users.
"Alibaba transformed its credibility and marketing effectiveness by leveraging real user experiences and successes. Featuring these stories in TV commercials and YouTube videos significantly improved brand reputation”. - Pamela Hsieh.
Ben O'Dell from Exclaimer discussed transforming from a legacy tech firm to a modern SaaS provider, demonstrating the importance of brand promotion alongside building a strong reputation. Exclaimer strategy involved rebranding efforts and extensive use of paid social campaigns targeted at key demographics. By participating in industry roundtables and engaging with professional communities, Exclaimer increased its market visibility and credibility. This proactive approach in brand promotion allowed Exclaimer to reintroduce itself to the market, highlighting its innovative solutions and establishing a modern, trustworthy image.
Bottom of the Funnel Strategies
In economically challenging times, many companies focus on bottom-of-the-funnel strategies to maximise ROI. Pamela Hsieh noted that startups often prioritise these tactics to demonstrate quick returns, while Sneha Koirala suggested beginning with bottom-of-the-funnel strategies before expanding to broader demand creation efforts. This approach secures immediate gains and supports long-term growth. For example, Hsieh mentioned a startup that initially concentrated on converting high-intent leads through personalised email campaigns and targeted offers, which provided the necessary revenue to later invest in wider demand creation initiatives.
"Focusing on bottom-of-the-funnel strategies allows for immediate gains and establishes a strong foundation for expanding into broader demand creation efforts, ensuring sustainable growth." - Sneha Koirala
Personalisation and Buyer Personas
Personalisation and developing detailed buyer personas are crucial for effective marketing at every stage of the funnel. Josh Diner emphasised understanding customer interactions and tailoring efforts to specific needs. Infobip segmented its market into distinct personas based on industry, job role, and buying behaviour, allowing for more targeted and effective marketing messages that resonated with each group’s unique challenges and goals.
Nefeli Kritikou highlighted the importance of understanding target accounts and individual personas, addressing their unique pain points. Her company created detailed profiles for each persona, including their decision-making process and common objections, which helped craft highly targeted content and sales pitches that addressed specific concerns and needs, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
Sneha Koirala and Pamela Hsieh both stressed the need to identify key influencers and users within the buying decision process to craft targeted marketing strategies. Koirala mentioned a campaign that targeted both IT managers and end-users with tailored messages that highlighted the software’s technical benefits for managers and ease of use for end-users, ensuring that all stakeholders saw value in the product.
"Understanding target accounts and individual personas is crucial. By creating detailed profiles that include their decision-making processes and common objections, we effectively address their unique pain points, leading to more successful marketing outcomes." - Nefeli Kritikou
Community Building and Engagement
Building and engaging with communities is vital. Pamela Hsieh discussed Alibaba’s success in leveraging customer feedback for visibility, noting the greater challenge in B2B settings. Nefeli Kritikou shared that intimate events and personal experiences can encourage customers to share their stories. Small roundtable discussions where customers feel comfortable sharing their successes and challenges have proven effective in fostering community and generating authentic testimonials.
Ben O'Dell highlighted hosting roundtables and collaborating with industry communities to build brand awareness and gather feedback. By engaging with professional networks like Pavilion and the Marketing Meetup, Exclaimer enhanced its industry presence and received valuable insights directly from peers and potential clients. This strategy increased brand visibility and built a sense of trust and reliability within the professional community.
Sneha Koirala shared an innovative approach of partnering with hospitality schools to train future professionals, creating long-term brand advocates. This strategy ensured that graduates were familiar with and loyal to her company’s software, effectively building a future customer base. By embedding their solutions in educational programs, they ensured that new entrants to the industry were already proficient with their tools, fostering brand loyalty from the outset.
Josh Diner emphasised engaging with customers at industry-specific events to foster community and enhance brand trust. Infobip’s participation in global meetups and industry conferences allowed them to showcase their expertise, gather feedback, and build strong relationships with potential clients. This approach reinforced their brand’s credibility and positioned them as thought leaders in their field.
"Hosting roundtables and collaborating with industry communities are essential strategies we use to build brand awareness. These interactions not only increase visibility but also provide valuable feedback that shapes our business strategies." - Ben O’Dell
Technological Integration and Data Utilisation
Technological integration and data utilisation are key to modern marketing strategies. Josh Diner described Infobip’s shift to specialised industry squads and the use of first-party data and AI for personalised marketing. Organising teams around specific industries ensured that each team developed deep expertise and tailored their approaches to the unique needs of their sectors. Advanced data analytics allowed for highly personalised and effective marketing campaigns.
Sneha Koirala supported this by highlighting the importance of using first-party data for personalisation and customer insights. Detailed data analytics tracked customer interactions and preferences, enabling the delivery of personalised content and offers that significantly improved engagement and conversion rates. This data-driven approach ensured that marketing efforts were both relevant and impactful.
Conclusion
The insights in this report underscore the complexity and multifaceted nature of B2B marketing. From balancing demand creation and capture to leveraging customer stories and personalisation, the strategies discussed provide a comprehensive roadmap for navigating B2B marketing challenges. Integrating these approaches enables companies to build strong brands, foster customer trust, and achieve sustainable growth in a competitive landscape. By focusing on understanding customer needs, utilising advanced data analytics, and fostering community engagement, B2B marketers can create effective and impactful campaigns that drive long-term success.
Join the Precision Punks Community
Access to the slack community of serious B2B advertisers
Chatham House rules ‘Adzact confidential’ events with peers
Private in-person events in London and New York
Exclusive data & learning resources to build your career
