Demand Generation vs. Demand Capture

When it comes to marketing, it’s all about results, right? Leaders want more pipeline, conversations, and qualified leads. But if we step back and survey the landscape of your business, industry, and competition, not all strategies are created equal. You need a balanced approach that emphasizes your strengths and incorporates a sustainable approach you can utilize over the long haul.

Demand generation is all about increasing the awareness and appetite for your product or service. This can include everything from organic, top-of-funnel blog content to paid advertising. 

Remember, your audience may be problem-aware, or not even know they have a problem yet. The goal of demand generation isn’t just to get the sale or conversation now. It’s the long play of earning trust, building a brand, and being clearly known for a relevant problem you solve in the market.

On the other hand, when your website and other marketing channels have existing traffic but few conversions, it’s time to consider adding a demand capture component to your strategy. This often means having a website with hundreds (or even thousands) of monthly visitors but not enough booked meetings or opt-ins. 

It’s about harnessing the attention of people who already know they have a problem — and are actively looking for a solution. The role of demand capture is to offer a relevant next step and remove the friction to take action. 

Few places have as much impact on your marketing strategy and company growth as your website. It’s the always-on, 24/7 salesman that never sleeps.

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, a website is more than just a virtual storefront—it’s your brand’s first impression, credibility check, and often the deciding factor for potential customers. 

Your website is also the hub where most demand for your services and products flows. 

Run an ad? It’s likely going to a landing page. Write a blog? It’s going to live on your site too. If you want to generate and capture more of the demand in your market, your website has to be solid. 

Think of these categories as two levers you can pull. It can be challenging to know where to focus, so start by reviewing your analytics and these possible scenarios. 

Remember: data tells a story when you know how to read it. If you’re using Google Analytics, for example, compare your overall traffic for the site or page against how many booked meetings, demos, or conversions you see. 

Little traffic but lots of conversions? You’re capturing the demand you have, but it’s not enough. If you have 10 people visiting your site a month and 5 opt into a free resource or booked a meeting, that is a fantastic conversion rate. 50%! 

The problem is 50% of a small number might not get you to your goal. If this happens to be you, it’s time to invest in getting more people to visit your site.

• Write blogs.
• Add more pages to your website.
• Consider paid media and advertising.
• Start a podcast or be a guest on relevant industry podcasts.

Lots of traffic but few conversions? There’s existing demand right in front of you, but there’s not a compelling reason for them to take a step forward. 

We recently saw a website where new relevant content was being added to a newly refreshed website, and traffic had a more than 10x increase in just a few short months. Leads, though, weren’t increasing at the same rate, which meant it was time to do a little conversion rate optimization. 

If you have traffic sitting in front of you, the most effective way to get more people to raise their hand is to optimize what you offer by:

• Testing your Call to Actions (CTAs)
• Refining your messaging to be more customer-focused
• Introducing a lead generator that exchanges value for an email address

Little traffic or conversions? It’s time to level up both your demand generation and demand capture, friend. 

In a world where your to-do list isn’t likely to get shorter, delaying action or focusing on one of these components can be tempting. And yes, you should prioritize either demand generation or capture if the data is clear-cut. 

More often than not, though, it’s about prioritizing a healthy mix of both. This might mean rewriting your homepage with the StoryBrand framework in mind, introducing a free lead-generating resource, and then running paid ads when the time is right. 

Whatever the mix is, don’t relegate yourself to only doing demand generation or demand capture. They both serve a purpose and offer a balanced strategy long term.

Need help assessing where your website and marketing strategy should focus? Talk to our expert team of creative storytellers today.