SaaS Demand Generation: Building a B2B Revenue Machine

SaaS Demand Generation: Building a B2B Revenue Machine

Written by Ilse Van Rensburg | Feb 21, 2025, 12:33:40 PM

It’s time to go beyond traditional marketing.

What’s that, then, you may wonder?

The answer is SaaS demand generation—an exciting approach that doesn’t rely on gathering contact information but instead shares information to make prospective buyers want to know more and invest in your product or service.

Are you keen to learn how to implement an effective demand generation strategy for SaaS?

Then read on👇. You’re about to learn insights from DG’s best: Alice de Courcy!

What is SaaS demand generation?

SaaS demand generation is a multi-channel, data-driven marketing strategy designed to educate potential buyers, build trust, and drive high-intent leads. Unlike traditional lead generation, which focuses on capturing emails and pushing sales, demand generation nurtures curiosity and establishes your brand as an industry leader before the sale even happens.

The process involves a combination of strategies to attract and engage potential customers throughout their buying journey, including content marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media engagement, and more.

Unlike traditional marketing approaches prioritising immediate sales, demand generation focuses on building long-term relationships by providing value-driven content and experiences.

This methodology attracts high-quality leads and nurtures them, ensuring they are well-informed and primed for conversion when they reach the decision-making stage.

Why is demand generation important for SaaS?

If you’re marketing B2B SaaS, you know the competition is fierce, and innovation is everything. Demand generation ensures your solution won’t ever go unnoticed while retaining loyal customers.

Here’s how B2B SaaS demand generation solves the most common B2B marketing challenges:

1. It builds brand awareness

The more value and content you provide, the more prospects trust your expertise and opinions. By consistently delivering valuable content and engaging experiences, you position your brand as a thought leader, increasing market visibility and recognition.

2. It educates the market

Demand generation showcases the value of your product. When you share insightful resources, you empower potential customers to understand your SaaS solutions’ unique benefits and practical uses, making it easier for them to embrace and adopt your offerings.

3. It helps nurture leads

Demand generation nurtures prospects through targeted content and personalised interactions, guiding them through the sales funnel and increasing the chances of conversion. Engaged and well-educated customers are more likely to remain, resulting in higher retention rates.

4. It aligns marketing and sales

Instead of cold leads requiring weeks of persuasion, warmed-up prospects are eager to buy—which, in turn, makes sales happy!

Moreover, a cohesive demand generation strategy fosters collaboration between marketing and sales teams, ensuring a seamless customer journey from awareness to purchase.

How does the SaaS demand generation funnel work?

Demand generation for SaaS follows a carefully structured funnel. Each stage guides prospects from casual interest to a firm decision.

Awareness

Here, the goal is to attract a broad audience and make them aware of your brand and solutions. Strategies include:

Alice emphasises the importance of ungated, on demand content in this stage. This allows prospects to access valuable resources without barriers, thereby building trust and credibility.

She says:

Our guide on how to ungate your content explains more about how Alice implemented this idea into the marketing team at Cognism.

Consideration

By this stage of your demand generation funnel, your audience knows about your SaaS solution but is weighing their options. It’s time to deepen engagement and provide value beyond simple brand awareness. You accomplish this by:

Decision

This is the moment of truth—when a potential customer decides whether to move forward with your solution. To ensure they say “yes,” your SaaS demand gen efforts should include:

Promotion

While not traditionally included in the B2B marketing funnel, promotion is vital in amplifying your SaaS demand generation efforts across all stages. Tactics include:

Switching from lead gen to demand gen in SaaS

Transitioning from lead generation to demand generation isn’t an overnight shift. Instead, it should be tackled in manageable stages. Here’s how to make the switch without disrupting your current marketing strategy:

Step 1: Implement small changes immediately

You don’t have to abandon your existing MQL model right away. Instead, start by integrating demand gen tactics.

Here’s an excerpt from Diary of a First-Time CMO, which outlines some of the things Alice says you can do straight away:

Step 2: Introduce demand gen with a controlled budget

Rather than taking a radical leap, test demand generation by allocating a separate budget.

A small experimental fund (e.g., $5K per month) can be used to run ungated campaigns that focus on content consumption rather than conversions.

Monitor high-intent inbound demo requests to validate the effectiveness of your demand gen efforts.

Step 3: Split the funnel reporting

Start tracking separate conversion rates for direct demo requests versus traditional MQLs.

If your data reveals that high-intent demo requests convert more efficiently than gated content leads, present these insights to stakeholders.

Show how reallocating the budget to demand gen improves pipeline velocity and deal size.

Step 4: Shift budget based on performance data

Once you’ve gathered enough data, analyse underperforming MQL campaigns.

If certain lead-gen efforts yield a high cost per lead (CPL) with low returns, cut them.

Reallocate that budget to demand gen initiatives while keeping only the highest-performing MQL campaigns.

Step 5: Gradually adjust the balance

Over time, transition your budget and activities toward a demand-generation-heavy model.

Aim for a 90% demand gen and 10% MQL split, but move at a pace that aligns with your internal buy-in and success metrics. Sales leaders will appreciate the increase in high-intent leads that convert faster and with fewer objections.

By methodically shifting from lead to demand gen, you build a marketing engine that creates sustainable, high-quality pipeline growth without reliance on outdated, low-intent tactics.

Creating a demand generation strategy for SaaS

Content marketing

#b2bmarketing #demandgeneration | Alice de Courcy | 11 comments

Alice de Courcy

SVP @ ZoomInfo | Ex CMO | Demand Marketer | Scale-Up Specialist | $3M - $85M

1y

LinkedIn

How we build a repeatable content process:

We have gone through a number of iterations with our content process. But I’m really excited about the way we are managing that creative output now.

Some context, our old approach saw us moving too far away from ‘what we want to be known for’ - which we had inadvertently nailed in the past. So I wanted us to get back to the glory days of creating content around these subjects.

For our sales persona, that’s outbound - specifically cold calling.

For our marketing persona, that’s our switch from lead gen to demand gen, and how we scale our demand gen processes now that we have made the leap.

While I don’t like to be held to a strict content calendar, we have found that in order to create what we call ‘big rock’ content pieces, we need to plan ahead.

These heavy lift content projects can take a lot of time to produce, therefore we need to plan out how we continue to output between big rock campaign delivery.

Essentially our content process looks a little like this: 🪨 Our DG Content Managers map out the big rock content pieces they’d like to produce in the quarter. For example my Diary of a First Time CMO would be a ‘big rock’.

💎 They then break these big rock pieces up into smaller content pieces that they can output over the months while they build towards the big rock.

E.g. We have a goal to create ‘The Ultimate Guide to EU Expansions’ in the New Year. And rather than output nothing until then, we are creating a bunch of blog titles and videos around this subject that will later filter into this bigger content asset.

🚀 This is then mapped out and project managed on a roadmap built in Asana, with tags that make it easy to filter to find the big rock theme that the content is attached to. And with dates for when it will be actioned or published to clearly communicate to our DG Managers.

🗞️ Our DG Managers then go through various stages of testing this content to see which pieces perform best.

🎡 Which creates a feedback flywheel as they report back to DG Content Managers on what content is resonating which then filters back into roadmap planning.

This process means we are always outputting within core themes of what we want to be known for - and the roadmap allows us to plan without being too rigid.

#b2bmarketing #demandgeneration


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[Content marketing](/content/blog/content-marketing/index.html) is the foundation of any SaaS demand generation strategy, but it needs to be good. It has to serve a purpose and be valuable to your audience.

Alice says:

To establish your brand as an authority and educate potential customers, you’ll need to focus on a range of content. All ungated, of course 👇.

- **Blog articles:** Publish high-quality, SEO-optimised content that addresses critical questions and industry pain points.
- **Case studies**: Showcase real-world success stories highlighting how your product delivers tangible results.
- **Whitepapers and eBooks:** Provide in-depth insights into industry trends, challenges, and solutions.
- **Interactive content**: Create quizzes, assessments, and calculators to engage prospects and encourage self-qualification.
- **Webinars and video content:** Use engaging formats to demonstrate expertise, showcase product capabilities, and answer real-time audience questions.

At Cognism, our content focus has shifted to “big rocks,” like our annual [cold calling report](/content/cold-calling-report-2025/index.html), the [SDR Zone](/content/sdr-zone/index.html), our [demand gen course](/content/dg-playbook/index.html) and, of course, “ [Diary of a First-Time CMO](/content/diary-of-a-first-time-cmo-volume-1/index.html).”

Creating content now involves phased builds towards these big rocks, allowing our team to produce smaller, related content while contributing to larger projects.

The content team uses a colour-coded planning system in Asana to map out and track deadlines, ensuring flexibility and alignment with the core themes of what the business wants to be known for.

Learn more about our [updated DG content strategy](/content/diary-of-a-first-time-cmo-volume-2#out-updated-content-strategy/index.html).

### SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Search engine optimisation ensures that your SaaS demand gen content reaches the right audience at the right time. A strong SEO strategy includes the following:

- **Keyword research:** Identify high-intent search terms and integrate them naturally into your content.
- **On-page optimisation:** Improve title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and internal linking structure.
- **Technical SEO:** Enhance site speed, mobile-friendliness, and crawlability to improve rankings.
- **Backlink building:** Earn high-quality links from authoritative industry websites through guest blogging, PR, and content syndication.
- **Content updates:** Regularly update old blog posts with new data, trends, and insights to maintain relevance.

Alice says:

What did this mean for [SEO at Cognism](/content/diary-of-a-first-time-cmo-volume-2#five-years-investment-in-seo/index.html)?

We focused on quality content enhanced by internal subject matter experts. This ensures we always create content with authority and substance around subjects that are poignant to our core ICP.

This and our [money keywords strategy](/content/blog/money-keywords-strategy/index.html) saw us taking the place of HubSpot’s biggest organic competitor at the time:

Read this CMO diary chapter on [creating content to outperform your competitors](/content/diary-of-a-first-time-cmo-volume-2#content-outperform-competitor/index.html) for more insight from Alice!

### Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

While organic content builds a long-term audience, PPC campaigns can accelerate SaaS demand generation by placing your brand in front of targeted audiences. Key tactics include:

- **Google Ads:** Target high-intent keywords to capture active searchers looking for solutions.
- **LinkedIn Ads:** Leverage LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities to reach decision-makers in B2B sectors.
- **Retargeting campaigns:** Keep your brand top-of-mind for visitors who have interacted with your website but haven’t converted yet.
- **A/B testing:** Optimise ad copy, landing pages, and bidding strategies for maximum ROI.

The key lesson Alice has learnt from Cognism's Paid journey is:

Sometimes the biggest impacts are in the basics!

How so?

Here are two chapters from Alice’s CMO diary to help you with your own B2B SaaS demand generation strategies for Paid:

- [Paid ad wins](/content/diary-of-a-first-time-cmo-volume-2#paid-ad-wins/index.html)
- [Fresh paid acquisition leadership](/content/diary-of-a-first-time-cmo-volume-2#fresh-paid-ads-leadership/index.html)

### Social media engagement

#growthmarketing #leadgeneration \| Alice de Courcy \| 11 comments

[Alice de Courcy](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alice-de-courcy-5205516a?trk=public_post_embed_feed-actor-name)

SVP @ ZoomInfo \| Ex CMO \| Demand Marketer \| Scale-Up Specialist \| $3M - $85M

5y

Edited

[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?trk=public_post_embed_linkedin-logo-image)

How do you run social for your company's LinkedIn page?

❌ Prioritise promotion of your own content and branded content?

❌ Schedule posts for the week, click go, job done?

❌ Report back on engagement monthly, maybe only quarterly?

Over at [Cognism](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cognism?trk=public_post_embed-text) we have started getting forensic with our LinkedIn Company page strategy.

We are breaking out post types, tracking individual engagement, testing new ideas and doubling down on what OUR AUDIENCE wants us to post rather than what WE want to share.

Our top 3:

1️⃣ Video - by a LONG way
2️⃣ Fun - meme's are a hit
3️⃣ Re-purposing, curating and crediting other people's successful work. Don't reinvent the wheel.

What's the point of promoting your latest blog on LinkedIn if it delivers 0 to little traffic?

[#growthmarketing](https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join?session_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Ffeed%2Fhashtag%2Fgrowthmarketing&trk=public_post_embed-text) [#leadgeneration](https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join?session_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Ffeed%2Fhashtag%2Fleadgeneration&trk=public_post_embed-text)

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Social media plays a crucial role in SaaS demand generation by fostering engagement and brand awareness, and LinkedIn is the most important social platform for this purpose.

Alice’s demand generation strategy for B2B SaaS was to turn herself into a subject matter expert for Cognism's marketing audience.

Her top advice for using this tactic:

Don’t be afraid to use content more than once.

Best practices include:

Tracking and measuring DG success

A well-executed SaaS demand generation strategy is only as good as the data behind it.

You need to track and analyse performance across multiple touchpoints to ensure your efforts drive tangible business impact.

For Alice, this meant tying the team’s demand generation activities directly to revenue.

She said:

When I took the leap and started setting goals and KPIs against revenue, everything else became a lot easier. Weirdly, the fear of missing target reduced."

For early stage SaaS demand generation, this will mean getting approval from your CEO and setting aside an experimental budget.

To effectively measure demand generation success, monitor:

Organisation and centralisation is everything. This means ensuring your B2B marketing team formalise OKRs, align on progress reporting and tighten up Asana usage.

Alice says:

Here’s how she fixed this challenge:

Learn more about Alice’s approach to reporting and OKR tracking centralisation.

Lastly, the tools you use for SaaS demand generation are everything. You can see a full list of the B2B marketing tech stack we use at Cognism.

Or read this chapter for a summary of the team’s favourite tools.

The ultimate SaaS demand gen resource

If you’re serious about mastering SaaS demand generation, Alice de Courcy’s Diary of a First-Time CMO is invaluable.

It provides real-world insights, case studies, and actionable strategies to help SaaS companies transform their outdated lead-gen tactics into sustainable demand-gen engines.

Give it a read, ungated 😉, by clicking the banner below 👇

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