How to Hire a Demand Generation Agency

Struggling to spark interest among potential clients and drive business growth?

Hiring a demand generation agency might be the game-changer you need! Demand generation firms are specialized agencies offering to help you promote your offers and expand your customer base. 

In this article, we’ll delve into the role of demand generation agencies and the benefits of hiring one. You’ll also learn how to choose a reliable demand generation partner that will help you keep your sales funnel flowing with qualified leads.

Let’s get down to it.

What Is a B2B Demand Generation Agency?

A B2B demand generation agency helps growing businesses increase awareness and interest in their products and services through a variety of marketing tactics. These service providers use a combination of inbound and outbound strategies to attract high-quality leads and turn them into paying customers.

Some of the strategies that demand generation companies use to enhance include content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), LinkedIn, social media marketing, email marketing, as well as paid advertising.

How Does a Demand Generation Agency Help Businesses?

In essence, demand generation agencies offer businesses a variety of marketing and sales services to ensure that new leads are moving smoothly throughout the sales funnel. They help with research, prospecting, outreach, lead nurturing and scoring, analytics, and even customer onboarding.   

Successful organizations hire demand gen partners to gain access to cutting-edge technology and tactics. A streamlined, data-driven strategy is vital for attracting quality prospects and converting them into loyal customers.  

Here are some of the benefits of partnering with a demand generation agency:

Better Expertise and Knowledge

You can gain quick access to expert sales and marketing teams if you work with a demand generation agency. Their salespeople are up with the latest trends and most successful demand generation strategies, which enables them to bring in-depth knowledge to the table. Such specialized skills are a sure way to boost your lead generation efforts.

Increased Sales Efficiency

Hiring a whole team of outsourced sales reps will free up your internal team’s time and allow them to focus more on other core tasks. Not only will you be getting more sales support to run your business, but you’ll also gain access to tools and marketing automation technologies that will enhance your sales campaigns.

Great Scalability

One significant benefit that comes with hiring demand generation firms is exceptional flexibility. Outsourcing gives you the freedom to scale your sales operations up or down depending on the changing needs of your business. That’s something many companies struggle with when relying solely on an in-house sales team.

Data-Driven Decision-Making

Reputable demand generation companies use analytics to guide their marketing strategies and sales efforts. Measuring the effectiveness of every move you make is crucial if you want to optimize your demand gen campaigns for better sales results at lower costs.

Who Needs Demand Generation Services?

Demand generation is the way to go for any company that’s looking to close more deals and increase profits. So, businesses of all sizes and in all industries may at some point need extra help with demand generation.

Here are four examples of companies that usually need to outsource demand generation:

1. Startups and small businesses: Startups and small businesses — especially in B2B — must leverage demand generation to reach prospective buyers quickly and generate interest in their offers. But the problem is, such companies rarely have the resources to build full-scale in-house sales and marketing teams. That’s when delegating some demand generation tasks may become a necessity.
2. Companies launching new products or services: A new offer usually requires tons of awareness and interest to stimulate demand. With a lot on their plate already, in-house teams in this situation could only manage to handle some parts of the work. Seeking help from an outside demand generation agency might be the best way to go in this case.
3. Companies in service-based industries: Companies in industries such as IT, finance, real estate, and consulting rely heavily on demand generation to thrive. Without a steady flow of qualified leads coming through their sales pipeline, businesses in service-based industries would struggle to survive.  
4. Companies looking to expand into new markets: Breaking into a new market is always a tricky step toward the unknown. It requires an in-depth understanding of prospects’ needs and preferences for a sales team to engage and convert them efficiently. Outsourced demand generation teams can provide crucial insights into unexplored markets and help you gain a foothold in unfamiliar territory.

What Makes an Outstanding Demand Generation Marketing Agency?

Choosing the right demand generation partner has the biggest impact on your sales success in the future. Reputable agencies will understand your growth objectives and are, therefore, able to develop unique, comprehensive demand gen strategies that fit your needs.

So, how do you know you’re actually hiring the right demand generation firm?

Here are four crucial factors to consider:

Proven Industry Expertise

The most important factor to take into account is relevant skills and expertise. To make the most out of your outsourcing efforts, you want to work with a demand generation agency that has a proven track record of delivering results in your target industry. 

To do this, you have to look for case studies, client testimonials, and relevant success stories that demonstrate their expertise and capability. You could also ask the partner before you hire them about the experience they have with clients similar to you. 

Agency Reputation

While industry knowledge is key, agency reputation will also play a major role in ensuring the success of your partnership. Aside from case studies and past achievements, you should get an overall look at how the demand generation firm you want to work with is perceived in the industry.

Thanks to the online world, prospective buyers today are always a few clicks away from researching any business they want to work with. In your case, you should be asking the following questions:

How is their brand represented through their website and social media presence? Do they demonstrate professional ethics in their work? Do they offer excellent customer service? Did they claim any industry awards or get recognition from big players in the industry?

All of these can be good indicators of the demand gen partner’s reputation and will provide you with insights into the likely quality of their services.

Communication and Collaboration

Another element to always consider when outsourcing demand generation is responsiveness and communication. The goal is to hire a partner who’s ready to listen to your ideas and keep you informed about any progress they make throughout their journey.

Reviews on third-party websites such as G2 and Capterra are a good place to start. On these platforms, you’ll find dozens of testimonials from real customers that have worked with the company, providing valuable insights into their experiences and satisfaction levels.

Cost-Efficient Pricing Structures

Understanding pricing structures is important for ensuring that the agency’s offered services align with your budget. By considering pricing, you’ll also be able to analyze the potential ROI from hiring each demand generation firm and make better-informed decisions.

In addition, knowing your costs from the start will help you compare different partners and avoid unexpected costs down the road.

Our Proven Approach to Demand Generation for B2B Companies

At Martal Group, we adopt a holistic, results-driven approach to demand generation. Our marketing and sales strategies are tailored to the specific needs and goals of each business we work with. Over the past decade, we’ve helped hundreds of partners achieve significant growth and maintain it through cutting-edge demand generation tactics.

Our demand generation process includes but is not limited to:

Lead generation: As a top-tier demand generation agency, we help our clients attract quality leads to their sales funnels and convert them. We’ll use a variety of sales and marketing tactics to create awareness and stimulate interest in any offerings you want to promote.

Market and customer research: There’s no way you can hit a target if you don’t know what you’re aiming at. Thus, successful demand generation starts with knowing who your ideal buyers are and how to reach them. Our sales reps will conduct a thorough market analysis to help you understand your target prospect’s needs, interests, and behaviors.

Data analysis and reporting: Top demand generation agencies rely on expertise to develop initial plans, but they let the numbers tell them what adjustments to make. That’s why as a demand generation firm, we adopt a data-driven approach that helps us tailor our growth strategies to the needs of your audience.

Sales funnel optimization: Aside from generating new leads, one of our main objectives is to enhance your sales performance and push prospects at different stages of the funnel to convert. We do that partly by nurturing leads continuously. But we also work to identify potential bottlenecks and then implement strategies to overcome them.

Customer retention: Our demand generation process extends beyond only acquiring new customers. Once a prospect has converted, we aim to keep them satisfied and engaged with your brand for the long run. For that, we use various retention tactics to deepen customer relationships and promote repeat business.

How Will the Role of Demand Generation Companies Evolve in the Future?

As we navigate further into the digital age, the role of demand generation companies is poised for significant evolution. Sales and marketing teams, traditionally tasked with stimulating interest in a company’s offers, are likely to face novel challenges and opportunities in the face of emerging technologies. And with that, consumer behavior is also going to shift.

We asked experts about the possible forthcoming changes in demand creation. Here’s what they predicted:

Personalization and ABM Marketing Will Grow More Essential

“Looking towards the future, the role of demand generation companies will likely continue to evolve as technology and customer behavior change. Personalization and account-based marketing are becoming increasingly important, and demand generation companies will need to adapt their strategies accordingly.” 

Krittin Kalra, Founder, WriteCream

Companies Will Lean More Towards Data-Driven Strategies 

“I foresee their role evolving by placing a greater emphasis on data-driven strategies. Data is becoming increasingly valuable, and demand generation companies are using it to create targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. 

By analyzing customer data, they gain insights into buyer behavior and preferences, resulting in higher engagement and better returns for businesses. Embracing data-driven strategies is crucial for success in the evolving B2B tech industry.” 

Matias Rodsevich, CEO, PRLab

AR and VR Integration Will Gain Traction 

“AR and VR integration has the potential to revolutionize the way businesses generate leads by providing an immersive and interactive experience for prospects to connect with. This will assist demand-generating businesses in showcasing their clients’ products and services distinctively and appealingly. 

AR-powered product demos, for instance, will allow prospects to see how a product works in its environment, delivering a more intimate experience, while VR will take prospects to a virtual environment where they may experience the same product in an inventive way. It will provide useful data and insights into prospects’ interests, requirements, and preferences.”

Marc Hardgrove, CEO, TheHOTH

Privacy Laws and Ethical Marketing Will Shape Strategy Adaptations

“The role of demand generation companies will likely evolve as B2B business dynamics continue to change. They may need to adapt their strategies to accommodate the growing focus on personalized engagement, integrated omnichannel experiences, and data-driven decision-making. Demand generation companies may integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, opening up new opportunities for hyper-targeted and efficient demand generation. These companies will need to stay updated with shifting privacy regulations and cultivate a strong stance towards ethical marketing practices.”
Diana Stepanova, Operations Director, Monitask