My recommendation is to apply and not be discouraged. Learn as much as you can on the subject. If you are able to have a good understanding conceptually, you will stand out among the other candidates that may not gone the extra mile. Be open to any entry level role in Marketing that even remotely works closely with the demand gen team. Sometimes these roles won't have a demand generation title. Marketing analyst, sales development rep, digital marketing specialist, or marketing coordinator are all paths that lead into Demand Generation. When there is an opportunity to work on a cross functional project that interfaces with the DG team - jump on it and show them how helpful you are.

Depending on your organization’s goals bringing in sales, CS, and operations can be key to running successful Demand Generation campaigns. I have more experience working in the B2B Enterprise space and the relationship with Sales and CS has been important to success. * In large-scale Enterprise sales (where deal lengths can extend beyond a year), the Field (sales, sales engineers, etc.) is critical to moving a deal from TOFU opportunities to POC and closed-won opportunities. Sales can help you understand the core influencers and buyers in the sales cycles and the problems customers are trying to solve. It’s important to align on the top accounts and how you are best positioned in the market. * Customer Success becomes more important in B2B buying cycles because customers who churn are very costly to the business. In addition, happy customers will buy more over time. If you have a large product portfolio, CS can be another seller for you, helping drive additional upsells and cross-sell opportunities in the buying cycle. Both of these teams help accelerate opportunities and can provide a unique perspective you may not have considered in past Demand Generation campaigns. 

When I think about measurement gone wrong, my first question is typically about the marketer, not the KPI. All KPIs can be useful, assuming your measurement is scalable (i.e., it doesn’t take a week to do the analysis) and you are using them appropriately (i.e., context is everything). That said, here are some metrics that I generally find less material to understanding the health of the business: 1. Impressions/Followers/Engagement: In a world overrun by bots, ad impressions, social media followers, and engagement metrics have become less relevant. You’d be surprised how many companies with massive social media followings built their audiences by purchasing cheap likes from engagement farms. 2. Frontend Email Metrics: Between email preview panes skewing results and well-documented issues stemming from privacy updates introduced in iOS 15, open rates have become far less relevant in recent years and are no longer sufficient to understand if your message is resonating. 3. CPL & Raw Lead Metrics Without Context: Lots of marketers fall into the trap of driving down CPL at the expense of lead quality. There's no faster way to lose the trust of your sales colleagues than flooding them with low-quality leads & expecting them to convert.

* Align With Sales First: Meet with sales to understand their goals, the ICP, and what constitutes a qualified lead. Build trust early. * Audit the Funnel: Assess what’s working in current lead gen efforts. Are there quick wins (e.g., better nurture paths, small targeting adjustments)? * Start Simple: Focus on a few key campaigns and prove value before expanding. * Build Infrastructure: Invest in tools that provide visibility and scalability (e.g., marketing automation, lead scoring). * Show ROI Early: Prioritize campaigns that can deliver measurable pipeline impact within your first 90 days.

For marketers transitioning into Demand Generation, the key is to demonstrate a strong grasp of marketing fundamentals and a strategic mindset. Start by showcasing your understanding of marketing channels, the funnel, and key Demand Generation metrics like conversion rates, pipeline contribution, and ROI. Employers want to see that you can think both analytically and creatively when executing campaigns. Leverage your existing marketing experience to highlight relevant skills. For example, if you come from product marketing, emphasize your expertise in messaging and positioning—both critical for demand programs. If your background is in content marketing, illustrate how storytelling and content strategy play a role in lead generation. Understanding how different marketing functions collaborate to drive demand is a huge advantage, so demonstrate your ability to work cross-functionally to execute campaigns. Creativity is also essential. Be prepared to discuss how you would activate a campaign in the market, optimize performance, and scale results. Employers value candidates who can not only strategize but also roll up their sleeves to get things done. Finally, show initiative by familiarizing yourself with Demand Generation best practices, tools (such as marketing automation platforms and CRM systems), and emerging trends. Demonstrating a proactive learning mindset will reinforce your ability

Enterprise demand gen is complex. Buying committees are large, and the buying cycle is long. According to a Google/Bain study, B2B buying committees have an average of 17 stakeholders, and on average, it takes 40 touchpoints for each of these buyers to influence the B2B buying decision. Below are four steps to help you get started. * Step 1: Start with creating the content by persona mapped to the buyer's journey. Create content for primary and secondary persona. According to Gartner, B2B buyers have six jobs to be done to make a purchase 1. Problem identification 2. Solution exploration 3. Requirements building 4. Vendor selection 5. Validation 6. Consensus creation Use this as a framework to create content. This will serve as the foundation for your campaigns. Also, in the age of AI overviews and search GPT, consider structuring your website to follow the above framework. * Step 2: Invest in integrated, multi-channel digital campaigns to drive awareness and engagement with an ABM mindset * 1:1 ABM campaigns targeted at 10-50 strategic accounts * 1:few ABM campaigns targeting up to 300 accounts grouped by vertical/industry * 1:many ABM campaigns targeting up to 5000 accounts based on ideal company profile (ICP) criteria * Step 3: Build a webinar program * Top-of-funnel thought leadership webinars * Middle-of-funnel How-to webinars * Bottom-of-funnel Demo webinars * Step 4: Plan offline tactics such as highly targeted executive roundtable events and direct mail campaigns to accelerate the pipeline and drive closed won deals

Navigating the pivot from collaboration and ideation to execution and accountability requires structure, project planning, swimlanes and clear communication. Simple frameworks will be your lifeline in this process. Here are some things to take into account and the seven checkboxes I have on my desk when beginning a new project: 1. Establish Clear Frameworks: Implement a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) or DACI (Driver, Approver, Contributor, Informed) model to define roles and responsibilities. This clarity helps everyone understand their specific duties and the expectations placed on them as the project moves towards execution. Don’t move forward with a project without one. Full stop. 2. Create and Share a Project Plan: Develop a detailed project plan outlining tasks, deadlines, and responsible parties. Regularly update and share this plan with all team members (via email and Slack, some people love one while others not so much) to ensure everyone is aligned and aware of their responsibilities and timelines. 3. Don’t run a meeting with an agenda: For each meeting, prepare and distribute a clear agenda in advance. Include a pre-read when possible to ensure everyone is informed and ready to contribute. This helps keep meetings focused and productive, especially as you transition to the execution phase. If you are the driver, DRIVE these and be the voice commanding the room. 4. Maintain Engagement: During meetings, keep the room engaged and on point. Stick to the agenda and avoid deviations to ensure that discussions remain relevant and time is used efficiently. Encourage active participation and address any concerns promptly to maintain momentum. 5. Shift Focus to Execution: As deadlines approach, explicitly communicate the shift from brainstorming to execution. Up the communication cadence. Reinforce the importance of meeting deadlines and the need for accountability. Emphasize the specific tasks and milestones that need to be achieved and the impact of timely execution on the overall project success. 6. Monitor Progress and Accountability: Regularly review progress against the project plan. Hold team members accountable for their deliverables through check-ins and status updates. Use the RACI or DACI framework to ensure everyone understands their role in meeting deadlines. 7. Adapt and Stay Flexible: Trains can derail. Be prepared to adapt the plan as necessary while keeping the team focused on the end goals. Address any roadblocks or issues promptly and reassign tasks if needed to keep the project on track. By following these strategies, you can smoothly transition from brainstorming together to getting things done efficiently. This way, your team stays focused, responsible, and productive as deadlines get closer.

I would prioritize paid search and co-marketing. Here's why: 1. While paid search can get very expensive, you can learn a lot from this channel that can then help you optimize other channels. I love paid because it's very easy to measure performance. I can see what prospects are clicking on, how many are converting to leads, and then what the overall CAC is (spend divided by customer sign ups). In addition to this, I can learn a lot about how to optimize my funnel. Ad copy can be optimized, landing page design can be optimized, even form fields can be optimized. Best thing is all of this CRO improvement will raise the performance of the other channels I've invested in. 2. The reason why I like co-marketing is because it's the opposite of paid advertising: it's cheap! Co-marketing is a fantastic way to generate net new leads cost effectively. Co-host a webinar with a company that serves your target customer. Then in exchange for you promoting it to your mailing list, ask them to promote it to theirs. After the event, agree to share the registration and attendee lists. You will have a lot of net new leads to nurture and work.

This has changed depending on the company I've been a part of, and the strategy of that company. I've seen a few models, which have included: 1. Global Demand Generation & Regional Field Marketing - Demand Generation is responsible for overall, global marketing for products, while Field Marketing is focused on specific regions, dedicated to localizing campaigns and handling in-country events. 2. Demand Generation & Account-Based Marketing - Demand Generation is focused on a 1:Many approach, usually through advertising, virtual events, webinars, and website optimization. The ABM team carves out a small group of high-value accounts to receive dedicated messaging and high-touch campaigns. 3. Demand Generation & Corporate Marketing - Demand Generation handles all marketing programs, but works with specialists across marketing to make those programs happen. These might be website specialists, social media specialists, designers, or digital marketers. DG ensures the specialists have what they need to post or run their channels. 4. Just Demand Generation - Usually found in a smaller company, in this model DG handles everything related to programs and managing the channels. They might work with external contractors or another in-house marketer for help with areas where they are not the expert. While model 4 is seen more often in smaller organizations, each of the other models can fit multiple people in multiple roles with varying responsibilities. Success should always be measured the same way - on pipeline and revenue, and the leading indicators (such as leads) that bring these two outcomes about.

Aligning digital marketing to the sales funnel stages is essential for driving growth and ensuring that marketing efforts effectively support revenue generation. It starts at the top of the funnel, the focus is on creating awareness and generating interest among potential customers. This is where digital marketing plays our most important role, by utilizing strategies like SEO, content marketing, social media campaigns, and paid ads to reach new audiences. At this stage, it's crucial to create valuable, educational content that addresses audience pain points and positions your brand as a solution, nurturing prospects into the consideration phase. As prospects move down the funnel into the middle and bottom stages, your marketing should shift towards nurturing and helping the rest of the buyer group evaluate solutions, this is VITAL, you have many stakeholders when your product is enterprise. For example, targeted content like case studies, comparison guides, or personalized emails can help guide prospects through evaluation. Additionally, given that B2B purchases often involve multiple decision-makers, it's important to create content that speaks not just to the primary contact but also to other influencers in the organization, such as IT, finance, or operations teams. This ensures that your messaging resonates with all stakeholders involved in the buying decision and moves them collectively towards conversion.