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- š How to start B2B demand generation from scratch?
š How to start B2B demand generation from scratch?
3 tactics, 2 traps and 1 tool to start B2B demand generation
Hello founders!
Welcome back to āTactical Tipsā by Jerel and Shuo at DECODE, the largest founder community co-hosted across Berkeley and Stanford. Every week, we cover one of our foundersā top questions on how to build, sell and operate 10x better.
Today, weāll be answering the question āHow to start B2B demand generation from scratch?ā and covering insights on understanding your ideal customer profile (ICP), creating a content library, and building a robust middle of funnel.
So, here is advice inspired by Allyson Letteri, Operating Advisor at Bessemer and former VP of Marketing at Handshake.
And ... weāve curated a YouTube playlist featuring our best founders, operators and investors.
š„ Inside this issue:
ā
3 tactics to start B2B demand generation
ā
2 traps to avoid
ā
1 tool to leverage
šLetās dive in.
Grab 30 mins with Jerel - Need personalized advice on building your startup or just want to talk? Happy to help and make intros if itās the right fit.
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3 tactics to start B2B demand generation
šÆ Hone in on your ICP
Pains: What are the most pressing, painful problems theyāre facing that your solution can solve?
Gains: What are the main goals or outcomes theyāre looking to drive?
Shifts: What's happening at their company thatās making them open to a new solution? (Common shifts include compliance mandates, a crisis or breach, new executives joining the team, or even when the team outgrows old systems.)
Blockers: What objections make your buyers resist your solution? (For example, they may not be fully aware of the problem your solution solves or they may think your competitorsā solutions have more features.)
Motivators: What considerations will influence them to move forward and buy? (This might include hard ROI data or seeing testimonials about real results from their peers)
š Create a content library
Develop reusable core content that addresses customer questions at every stage of the buyer journey
Produce 2 -3 pieces in each of these 5 categories:
Symptom-related content
Help problem-unaware prospects recognize warning signs and hidden costs of the status quo
Focus on pain, inefficiencies, and risks they may be tolerating
E.g. āSigns your data management is brokenā
Solution-related content
Educate problem-aware buyers on available solutions and how to evaluate them
Explain trade-offs, common mistakes, and where existing tools fall short
E.g. āAI vs Manual: a 2025 comparisonā
Value proposition content
Explain what the product does and why it wins
Show how the solution delivers better results, stronger ROI, or superior experience; make differentiation obvious
E.g. āHow [X] platform cuts costs 30%ā
Customer stories and data stories
Provide proof with quantifiable results and real outcomes
E.g. ā[X] automates 90% of tasksā
Product content
Show how the product works; demonstrate workflows, use cases, and key functionality that drive value
E.g. ā[X] workflow automation demoā
š ļø Build a robust middle of funnel (MoFu)
Website
Homepage needs to speak to potential buyersā most important concerns
Make sure the website speaks directly to your ideal customer, explaining your productās value and why itās better than alternatives
Events
Create experiences to engage prospects who are interested and want to learn more, but are not ready for a sales conversation (e.g. live events, intimate dinners, virtual webinars)
LinkedIn
Focus on sharing what helps buyers progress in the sales journey (e.g. understanding symptoms, why current solutions are inefficient, how your approach solves problems differently)
Earned media and communities
Identify where ideal customers gather or whose voices they trust, then show up by contributing content (e.g. guest on podcasts, writing for trade publications or newsletters, share insights in forums)
Email marketing
Send a monthly newsletter featuring valuable content (e.g. new insights, case studies)
Build drip sequences to guide audience towards specific actions
2 traps to avoid
šØ Ignoring end-user buy-in when crafting messaging
If your messaging is off-putting to the end users (they often fear "displacement and burnout"), adoption will fail regardless of executive buy-in
Craft two narratives: C-suite ā bottom-line gains; End users ā less tedious work, more strategic impact
šØ Pitching when prospects never heard of the product
Introducing the product and doing demos to strangers donāt convert
Lead with understanding prospectsā problems and warm them with content that shifts how they think about solutions
Align every tactic and channel to a strategy:
Who are you targeting?
What actions do you want them to take?
What messages will motivate those actions?
What is the right channel to get their attention?
1 tool to leverage
š Best practice on MoFu marketing
70% of the B2B buying process happens before prospects contact sales, and MoFu prospects are typically 30-90 days from making a decision
Leverage tools like Kissmetrics for person-based analytics, enabling you to track individual user behavior across devices and sessions.
Bonus: 1 trend to spark startup ideas
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