Demand generation is the process of creating a predictable pipeline for your sales team by increasing brand awareness and positioning your product as the definitive solution to a specific problem.
In 2026, demand generation has shifted from "gated content" to "ungated education." Our take is that a well-informed buyer is a faster-closing buyer. According to Gartner, 75% of the B2B buying journey now happens before a prospect ever speaks to sales.
Primary tactics include:
As long as the strategies aim to build demand by creating awareness for your products, acquiring new customers, and re-engaging existing ones, it falls under demand generation.
Now, for it to be effective, the sales and marketing functions of your company need to be transparent and aligned, and both teams should be able to identify any gaps in the process.
Building demand requires a repeatable framework rather than "random acts of marketing."
Use ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) data to find who has the problem you solve. Don't just target "Marketing Managers." Target "Marketing Managers at Series B SaaS companies using Snowflake with a churn rate > 5%."
"Atomize" your content. One technical webinar should become 5 LinkedIn snippets, 1 deep-dive essay, and 2 "how-to" videos for Slack communities.
When a prospect visits your pricing page 3 times in 48 hours, that is an intent signal. Trigger a personalized outreach via LinkedIn, not a generic "automated email."
An example: A DevOps SaaS brand creates a free vulnerability scanner. They don’t ask for an email, they let developers find 5 bugs for free. By the time the developer reaches the "limit," they have already proven the ROI to themselves and demand the Enterprise version.
ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu drive demand by delivering specific educational value at every stage of the buyer’s journey, moving a prospect from initial problem awareness to a final purchase decision.
By aligning content with the prospect’s "state of mind," brands can build trust and reduce friction in the B2B sales cycle.
The MoFu stage drives demand by nurturing leads with personalized content that positions your specific product as the best solution for their needs. As potential customers move down the funnel and you gather intent signals, the focus shifts from general education to specific utility.
The BoFu stage drives demand by providing the final proof points and technical validations necessary to convert MQLs and SQLs into paying customers. This content must explicitly demonstrate your product’s unique value proposition and ease of implementation.
In 2026, demand gen doesn't stop at the "closed-won" deal. Post-purchase demand generation involves customer advocacy programs and expansion marketing to ensure existing clients stay and grow.
B2B demand generation focuses on multi-stakeholder committees and long and complex sales cycles, whereas B2C focuses on individual emotion and immediate action.
Althouhg there are many mistakes marketers can make, during our experince we've identified three in common:
The B2B Tech world is constantly expanding, especially with the AI and LLM boom tech brands have difficulties finding ways to make themselves stand out from their competitors. For this reason, nailing down your demand generation strategy is more important than ever.
A wrong perception is to beleive that demand generation is a framework that can be replicated for every company in every industry. That's so wrong. You should build your demand generation program based on the stage of your company, your goals, resources, and priorities. It will take you some time to figure out what works best for your business, but once you're there, you will start creating a strong brand environment.
The primary difference is that demand generation focuses on building brand awareness and category positioning, while lead generation focuses on capturing specific contact information to build a sales pipeline. You cannot effectively capture a lead (lead gen) if the prospect doesn't first want your solution (demand gen).
A successful B2B demand generation strategy consists of four core pillars: audience identification, content distribution, lead nurturing, and sales alignment. These components work together to make sure you reach the right people with the right message at the right time.
The ROI of demand generation is best measured through "Marketing Sourced Pipeline" and "Customer Acquisition Cost" (CAC) over time. Unlike direct-response ads, demand gen ROI often shows up as a decrease in sales cycle length and an increase in average deal size.
Demand generation is key for tech brands because B2B involves complex problem-solving and multiple decision-makers who require deep education before they trust a vendor. In a crowded 2026 marketplace, tech brands cannot survive on "cold calls" alone, they must create a "pull" effect through authority.
Dark Social refers to the "invisible" ways demand is created: private Slack groups, word-of-mouth, podcasts, that traditional tracking software cannot attribute to a specific link click. In 2026, most demand generation happens in these spaces.
Creating high-quality content is half the battle, distribution is what generates demand. Content distribution makes sure your insights reach your target audience where they already consume information, rather than waiting for them to find your website.