Demand generation isn’t about quick wins or short-term lead grabs—it’s about creating sustained interest and engagement in your brand. When potential customers are ready to buy, they know who you are, what you stand for, and why they should choose you.
In this blog, we will go through some tactics you can use to improve your popularity and attract, engage, and convert high-intent prospects.
Let’s take a look at some of the best demand generation examples.👇
1. Drive demand with ungated, valuable content
Gating content behind lead forms is like locking your best products in a display case—it might look exclusive, but fewer people will engage.
Potential buyers are more likely to trust your brand if they can easily access high-quality content without barriers. Providing free, valuable content establishes credibility and builds an engaged audience who’ll turn to you when they’re ready to purchase.
Alice de Courcy said in her book, ‘Diary of a First-Time CMO’:
This in and itself is an excellent example of demand generation. Alice’s book shares key learnings she’s gathered from the past half-decade leading Cognism's marketing. Plus, it’s ungated! Read it for yourself 👇
Remember, you don’t want to overwhelm prospects by entering them into a nurture as soon as you get their contact details. Most prospects may have never heard of your brand and want to learn more before purchasing.
This is why ungating content is a winner in DG!
Why it works:
- Builds trust and brand credibility.
- Improves visibility and consumption.
- Encourages organic sharing and backlinking.
- Drives SEO traffic and long-term engagement.
How to implement it:
- Identify your industry’s most common pain points and create content that directly addresses them.
- Publish comprehensive resources such as in-depth guides, expert insights, and market analysis.
- Optimise for SEO to maximise reach.
- Promote through email marketing, social media, and paid distribution channels.
2. Support content in different formats on multiple channels
People consume content differently—some prefer reading, others like watching videos, and some engage best with interactive media. Repurposing content into multiple formats ensures your message reaches as many people as possible while reinforcing your brand across different platforms.
One demand generation example is how Cognism created multiple formats of our ‘Fix your Funnel’ campaign.
This started with video.
The team would interview internal subject matter experts on the various funnel stages, sharing how we at Cognism have ‘fixed’ our funnel by making optimisations over time.
Alice said:
Here’s the first video in the series:
Why it works:
- Expands reach across different platforms and audience preferences.
- Increases content lifespan and ROI.
- Caters to different learning styles and consumption habits, which improves engagement.
- Strengthens brand recognition by maintaining a consistent presence across channels.
How to implement it:
- Start with a pillar content piece (long-form blog post, whitepaper, or research report).
- Convert it into videos, LinkedIn carousels, and infographics.
- Distribute across multiple platforms to maximise reach.
- Track performance and refine based on the results.
3. Target VIP accounts with ABM
Account-based marketing (ABM) involves targeting high-value accounts with tailored messaging and hyper-personalised content, ensuring that your sales and marketing efforts align to convert the prospects that truly matter.
And when it comes to demand generation strategy examples - ABM is always a must!
Alice De Courcy’s book provides more helpful insights into Cognism’s ABM approach:
So, how does Cognism use ABM to drive demand?
Easy, they use Cognism! Tim Hughes, Demand Generation Lead at Cognism, explains:
After that, the team creates several assets, such as:
- Personalised microsite specifically for target accounts. These microsites feature the company’s name in the headline and address key challenges we believe they face.
- Personalised email nurture campaigns to foster a connection between the decision-maker and their assigned sales rep by providing the rep with tailored email templates and messaging that offer real value.
- ABM ads are crafted from thorough research (Gong call analyses listening for specific pain points) and paired with our product’s advantages. Our goal is to pinpoint the particular gaps in the target account.
You can learn more about our ABM strategy in this chapter of Alice’s book.
Why it works:
- Increases conversion rates through hyper-personalisation.
- Strengthens relationships with key decision-makers.
- Reduces wasted effort on low-intent leads.
How to implement it:
- Identify high-value target accounts.
- Research their specific pain points and business needs.
- Create custom outreach campaigns with tailored messaging.
- Track engagement metrics and refine messaging based on responses.
4. Host micro-events that are more personal
Next up for our list of demand generation marketing examples are micro-events.
Large conferences and trade shows can be overwhelming; attendees often leave without meaningful interactions. Smaller, invite-only micro-events foster more profound engagement, build stronger relationships, and make attendees feel valued.
Alice expands on this:
So what did we do?
We looked at who the types of accounts to attend these events were, and this factored into the ones that made it onto our shortlist.
We also worked out which events historically had been ROI-positive and excluded the ones that weren’t. For the UK, for example, we were only attending two events.
We’d started to move our focus upmarket, having been building out our ABM program. A new part of our events strategy became more exclusive: invite-only dinners in the evenings after the main events were finished for the day.
Alice details the how and why here.
The results from the micro-events have been outstanding.
Alice explains:
You can read more about the strategy and results here.
Why it works:
- Facilitates high-value networking.
- Builds trust and credibility with prospects.
- Generates higher-quality leads.
How to implement it:
- Identify key VIP prospects who would benefit from a personal setting.
- Plan small, topic-focused discussions.
- Offer exclusive insights, workshops, or networking opportunities.
- Follow up with personalised engagement to drive conversions.
5. Form strategic partnerships for extended reach
Why market alone when you can collaborate with complementary brands and B2B influencers and tap into each other’s audience?
Strategic partnerships allow you to co-create content, co-host events, and leverage each other’s networks to have a greater impact on demand generation.
At Cognism, we partner with influencers like Morgan J Ingram, creating a community to reward loyal customers.
You’ll find Morgan all over our site and LinkedIn. Here’s an example of this type of demand generation:
Why it works:
- Expand brand awareness through partner networks.
- Increases trust through credible collaborations.
- Generates mutual value and shared lead generation.
How to implement it:
- Identify brands with complementary offerings.
- Develop a co-marketing strategy (e.g., webinars, guides, case studies).
- Promote via joint marketing efforts, social media, and email campaigns.
- Track leads and optimise the partnership over time.
6. Nurture leads with personalised email marketing
Another example of demand generation campaigns is personalised emails, also known as email nurtures.
Hyper-personalised, behaviour-based email marketing keeps leads engaged, nurtures relationships, and moves them closer to conversion with tailored content.
At Cognism, we paired our on-demand email nurtures with our ABM campaigns by personalising each user’s journey and pushing the micro-sites. Here’s an example of one email we sent out:
Why it works:
- Keeps leads engaged with relevant, timely content.
- Improves open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
- Reduces lead drop-off and boosts sales pipeline.
How to implement it:
- Segment leads based on behaviour and preferences.
- Use dynamic content to personalise emails.
- Automate nurture sequences with timely follow-ups.
- Measure open rates, CTRs, and optimise strategy.
7. Create awareness with an insightful podcast
Podcasts have become one of the most effective tools for demand generation, offering long-form, engaging content that builds trust over time.
Unlike traditional marketing tactics that push messages onto audiences, podcasts pull in listeners by delivering valuable, thought-provoking discussions in a format they can consume at their own pace.
If you’re looking for examples to get started, here are some resources:
Why it works:
- Establishes brand authority in your industry.
- Builds a loyal audience of engaged listeners.
- Encourages word-of-mouth referrals and organic growth.
How to implement it:
- Identify key topics and pain points relevant to your audience.
- Develop a format—interviews, solo discussions, or expert panels.
- Invest in quality audio equipment for a professional sound.
- Distribute on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
- Promote episodes through social media, email, and blog recaps.
8. Share knowledge with webinars
Webinars blend education and engagement, making them one of the best examples of demand generation.
A well-structured webinar provides immediate value, establishes thought leadership, and moves prospects further down the marketing funnel by addressing their most pressing challenges.
When Alice started at Cognism, webinars weren't a thing. She had to implement the process from scratch.
She said:
And now look at us!
Our webinars are top-notch.
Here’s how the team got them to be successful:
1. Reward attendees
We run live cold calling sessions, during which people test out their scripts and cold calls live while our subject matter expert coaches them on improving. If they don’t turn up live, they miss out on this opportunity to benefit from 1-2-1 live coaching.
2. Showcasing value
We collect testimonials from live events. Most of these can be found on dark social and are excellent for promotional purposes.
You can read more about how Alice planned Cognism’s webinar process here.
Why it works:
- Establishes thought leadership and trust.
- Captures high-intent leads in real-time.
- Provides interactive engagement opportunities.
How to implement it:
- Choose a high-demand topic that addresses a key industry pain point.
- Invite industry experts or internal specialists to co-host.
- Promote the event through email marketing, LinkedIn, and paid ads.
- Engage attendees during and after the webinar with follow-up content.
- Offer the recording as B2B content on your website to continue generating leads.
9. Demonstrate product value with interactive tools
Prospects love to try before they buy, and interactive tools allow them to experience your product’s value before committing. Whether it’s an ROI calculator, an assessment quiz, or a self-guided demo, these tools provide personalised value and accelerate the decision-making process.
Our final B2B demand generation example is our own calculator.
We have a few embedded across the site. But our winner in terms of engagement is our TAM calculator, which helps prospective customers calculate their total addressable market while showcasing the value of Cognism.
In this way, we aren’t pushing for leads. Rather, we are building our brand to drive demand when the time is right.
Give it a go 👇
Why it works:
- Offers instant, personalised insights.
- Encourages more prolonged website engagement and interaction.
- Qualifies leads based on their tool usage.
How to implement it:
- Identify a common challenge your product solves.
- Develop an interactive calculator, quiz, or self-demo.
- Embed it on landing pages, blog posts, and product pages.
- Promote it through email campaigns, LinkedIn, and paid ads.
- Use insights from tool interactions to nurture high-intent leads.
Support your demand generation efforts with Cognism
Some of the best demand generation examples are only possible because of great data.
Cognism is the leader in B2B data. Keen to learn why?
Book a demo to chat to a data expert 👇
