AMA: BILL Director, Demand Generation, Talmage Egan on Demand Generation KPI's

The ideal OKRs for demand generation depend on your organization’s specific goals, but they should always align closely with tangible business outcomes, particularly financial targets 💰. Demand generation operates closer to revenue than many other marketing functions, so the focus should be on metrics that directly support the growth and financial health of the business 📈. For example, OKRs shouldn’t primarily center on surface-level metrics like content downloads 📄 or website clicks 🔗. While th ...Read More

An often-overlooked KPI for demand generation teams is your company’s brand strength 🌟. It’s easy for demand generation professionals to focus solely on bottom-of-funnel activities—tracking last-touch actions like demo requests 📩 or understanding immediate drivers of pipeline growth 📈. However, this can lead to neglecting the critical role that branding plays in long-term success. Your brand is one of the strongest sources of inbound leads. The number of people actively seeking out your company ...Read More

Being the first demand generation hire is incredibly exciting. You’re in a position with endless opportunities 🌊, but that also means you’ll need to balance owning many KPIs with focusing on the ones that truly matter. Here’s how I would approach it: Own All KPIs, But Prioritize What You Report 🎯: As the first hire, you’ll naturally be responsible for tracking a wide range of metrics. You’ll care about things like blog performance (e.g., low bounce rates 📉 or high engagement 📊) because these hel ...Read More

Yes, I believe they can ✅. Managing existing demand is just as important as generating new demand 🔄. Even without a budget for ads, you likely still have pipeline activity and leads coming in from various sources that need to be effectively managed and optimized. In such a scenario, I would focus on maximizing the impact of the current pipeline. This includes: Analyzing Opportunities 🔍: Take a detailed look at the opportunities coming through and identify trends and gaps. Collaborating with Sale ...Read More

Demand generation and content marketing are truly a match made in heaven 🌟. Together, they create a powerful blend of long-term brand building and short-term pipeline generation—a partnership that strengthens your marketing strategy from every angle. Here’s how I would measure their combined impact: Content Marketing Metrics 📝: Audience Growth: Track how much your database is growing 📈. How many people are you bringing into your funnel through content? Long-Term Conversions: Measure the lifecycl ...Read More

The metrics you hold demand generation accountable for will vary depending on the stage of your business and the maturity of your analytics 🔍. A startup, for instance, will need to focus on different metrics than an established brand. Similarly, how well you understand your full funnel will dictate whether you prioritize testing new strategies or doubling down on proven tactics. Here’s my (made-up-on-the-spot) step-by-step process for determining the right metrics: Understand Your Funnel 🧩: Map ...Read More