12 Pure-Gold Demand Gen Examples to Fill Your B2B Pipeline

Demand generation strategies are constantly being reinvented. 

While traditional methods like TOFU blogs and mass email blasts might still work, forward-thinking companies are pushing the boundaries with innovative approaches. 

This article explores cutting-edge demand generation examples that go beyond the basics, backed by real-world data and success stories. Let’s dive in!

Best Demand Generation Examples

Here are some of the best demand-gen campaign ideas you can take inspiration from: 

1. Interactive Product Demos

Interactive demos have become a game-changer in the B2B space, allowing potential customers to experience a product firsthand before committing to a purchase.

Case Study: zOpt.ai

zOpt.ai, a cloud optimization platform, used interactive demos to showcase their solution's value, resulting in impressive growth:

• 400% increase in website visitors
• 7x surge in conversions

Why It Worked:

• Focused on core value proposition
• Used short, clear content delivery
• Included an effective call-to-action (CTA)
• Tracked metrics for continuous improvement

Pro Tip: When creating interactive demos, break down complex processes into digestible steps. Combine audio and text descriptions to cater to different learning styles.

Take a look at zOpt's interactive demo,

Ready to create your own impressive demos? Start your free trial with Storylane today and launch your first interactive demo in under 10 minutes!

2. Free Tools

Offering free tools can be an excellent way to demonstrate your company's capabilities while capturing leads.

Example: Ahrefs' Backlink Checker

Ahrefs, an SEO software company, provides a free backlink checker tool. According to their Senior Content Marketer, Si Quan Ong:

"This free tool is one of the pages that send us the most traffic, and it's also a great way for potential users to test out our toolkit before signing up later on."

Other Notable Examples:

• HubSpot's Free Tools, we personally love their website grader. 
• Hootsuite's Caption Generator

Pro Tip: Align your free tool with a common pain point in your target audience's workflow. This increases the likelihood of attracting qualified leads.

3. Hyped-Up Virtual Events

Virtual events have become a staple in the B2B world, but some companies are taking them to the next level with creative concepts and strong promotion.

Example: Storylane's Demo Dundies

Not to toot our own horn but our "Demo Dundies" has to be the coolest SaaS event ever. 

It was an award show to celebrate killer interactive demos where the winner won a trip to Paris. 

The awards show featured a star-studded panel, including Peter Cohan, Natasja Bax, Maddie Suppon, Chris Mabry, Emir Atli, Ramli "RJ" John, Ben Williams, and Richard King, who 100+ demo submissions from brands like Semrush, SentinelOne, and Amazon Web Services.

Attendees loved the fun take on “The Office” and one attendee even said it "blew all other webinars out of the water,” leading to an impressive 15.5k impressions from 33 posts on LinkedIn. 

The Demo Dundies not only recognized top demos but also significantly boosted Storylane's visibility, showcasing that B2B can be both exciting and impactful.

Pro Tip: Keep the energy high and the content fresh to ensure your event leaves a lasting impression!

4. Data-Driven Content Labs

Using a combination of proprietary and industry-wide data to create insightful reports can position your company as a thought leader and generate significant interest.

Example: Hockeystack's Labs 

Hockeystack, an analytics platform, launched a Content Labs initiative that:

• Produces regular data-driven reports using both proprietary and industry-wide data
• Generates over 20,000 monthly readers
• Uses creative promotion tactics, such as a Tesla giveaway tied to a quiz based on their reports

Other examples: The team at Storylane has recently launched The Plot, our own collection of data-driven reports and best practices for interactive demos and prospect conversion. 

We crunch the numbers to identify which CTAs work best, how demo length affects conversions, what demo placement results in the most engagement, and so on. Catch the latest edition of The Plot here.

Pro Tip: Focus on answering questions highly relevant to your audience's decision-making process. Use diverse data sources to provide unique, comprehensive insights.

5. Product-Led Content

When done right, product-led content educates and converts simultaneously, all without leaving a bad aftertaste of hard selling.

Example: Zapier 

Zapier's approach to product-led content is impressively smooth. 

Take their article "How to Get More Customer Reviews" as an example:

• Their integration guides are comprehensive yet easy to digest
• Smart interlinking between related content pieces keeps readers engaged
• The user experience is designed to naturally showcase Zapier's capabilities
• By focusing on real-world problems, Zapier positions itself as the go-to solution

The result? Readers walk away with practical knowledge and a positive impression of Zapier, often without realizing they've been introduced to a new tool.

Here’s a great example 

Another brand that’s doing great product-led content has to be SEMrush. Check out their article about on-page vs off-SEO as an example.  

Pro Tip: Your primary goal should be to solve user problems effectively. If your product naturally fits into that solution, you're on the right track.

6. Thought Leadership Video Series

In a world drowning in blog posts, thought leadership videos cut through the noise, offering a dynamic and personal way to showcase expertise. 

Example: Storylane's "GTM On-The-Go" video series

Storylane's Director of Marketing, Madhav Bhandari, hosts a weekly video series providing insights on SaaS go-to-market strategies from industry experts. This approach:

• Puts a face to the brand, building trust and recognition
• Allows for dynamic interactions with guest experts, showcasing a broader range of insights
• Creates a library of valuable, easily digestible content that positions Storylane as a go-to resource in the GTM space

Pro Tip: When launching a thought leadership video series, focus on consistency and quality. 

Establish a regular schedule, invest in good audio-visual quality, and always prioritize delivering genuine value to your audience. 

Remember, the goal is to be seen as a trusted advisor, not just another talking head.

7. Strategic Gifting

When done right, gifting can be an effective way to stand out and create meaningful connections with prospects.

Data Insights from Hockeystack's Labs Report:

• Outbound emails with gifts had a 3.08x higher meeting rate
• Deals that started with gifting had a 1.84x higher win rate
• In open deals, gifting after the first call led to a 6.31x improvement in second call rates

Pro Tip: Focus on sending gifts to highly qualified prospects showing clear intent, rather than using gifts indiscriminately to boost MQL numbers.

8. Category Creation

Creating a new category can position your company as an innovative leader, though it requires a sustained, multi-faceted approach.

Example: Chili Piper's "Demand Conversion" Category

Chili Piper recently launched a new category called "Demand Conversion," encompassing various aspects of the sales and marketing process. This move:

• Positioned them against multiple competitors in different spaces
• Introduced new products aligned with the category
• Generated significant industry discussion and attention

Pro Tip: Category creation is a long-term play. Be prepared to invest in consistent messaging and education across all marketing channels.

9. Real-Time Marketing

Rapidly responding to industry events or competitor actions can generate buzz and showcase your brand's personality.

Example: ClickUp's Rapid Response Ad

When a competitor called out ClickUp during a keynote:

• ClickUp created a dubbed-up response ad within 40 minutes
• The ad garnered hundreds of thousands of views

Pro Tip: To execute real-time marketing effectively, have a nimble creative team ready to respond quickly to relevant events.

10. Community Building

Building a community around your brand can create long-term value and a steady stream of qualified leads.

Example: Superpath's Content Marketing Community

Superpath, a content marketing community and job board:

• Built a free Slack community of over 7,000 members
• Achieved a $500,000+ annual run rate through various monetization strategies
• Operates with minimal overhead using no-code tools

Pro Tip: Focus on providing genuine value to community members first. Monetization should be a secondary consideration to ensure long-term engagement and growth.

11. Employee Advocacy Programs

Employees' personal brands and networks can significantly extend your company's reach and add authenticity to your messaging.

Example: Storylane's Employee Advocacy Program

Storylane's approach demonstrates the power of a well-executed employee advocacy strategy:

• Generated 394,917 impressions on LinkedIn from 148 posts by employees
• Provided employees with guidance, visual assets, and content suggestions to ensure quality and consistency
• Encouraged authentic personal insights alongside company messages, boosting credibility
• Implemented a gamification system to motivate participation, rewarding top performers
• Resulted in increased brand awareness and several qualified leads directly attributed to employee posts

This program not only amplified Storylane's reach but also helped employees build their personal brands, creating a win-win scenario.

Other Notable Examples:

• RB2B's founder-led marketing strategy
• Dreamdata's AE-centric approach

Pro Tip: Provide employees with guidelines and content suggestions, but allow them to maintain their unique voice to ensure authenticity.

12. Partner Marketing

Strategic partnerships can open up new markets and create mutually beneficial growth opportunities.

Examples:

• Apollo.io earns 10% of revenue through their partner program
• Glide's partnership revenue makes up 30% of their total revenue

These numbers come straight from PartnerStack's case studies, which are basically the Billboard Hot 100 of partner marketing success stories.

Pro Tip: Look for partners whose products or services complement yours without directly competing. This creates natural opportunities for cross-promotion and integrated offerings.

Wrapping up

By incorporating these innovative demand generation strategies, B2B companies can stay ahead of the curve and create more impactful connections with their target audience. Remember, the key to success lies in continuously testing, measuring, and refining your approach based on data and audience feedback.