For more than a decade, Demand Gen has been a short-term fix, adding to pipelines but failing to build the long-term trust and credibility a brand needs to grow. After years on the Demand Gen treadmill, B2B companies are starting to shift focus to brand-building—investing in awareness, confidence, and trust for real, lasting growth. Here are 5 questions and answers.
Since around 2009, B2B companies have thrown piles of money into generating demand and chasing leads—with a surprisingly low payoff.
The problem? Demand Gen is a short-term play that is almost always sales-led or product-led.
Yes, it can fill the pipeline with “potential” business, but that is a just forecast, not cash in the bank. It also doesn’t build credibility, reputation, or the staying power a brand needs to scale.
After 15+ years of this (let’s be honest) treadmill, brand is making a comeback in B2B, especially in tech. Brand building, brand marketing, and brand reputation are getting the attention they should’ve had all along.
This article tackles five questions I’ve been hearing lately from tech founders and marketers who are looking beyond Demand Gen for lasting success.
As Mark Stouse highlighted in last week’s Razor #28 (link below), to build a solid brand reputation, we need to create awareness, confidence, and trust. Awareness can be bought—this is where Demand Gen has played for the last 15 years or so. But confidence and trust? Those are earned. And that’s where Demand Gen has fallen short.
Instead of fixating on clicks or form fills, we need to focus on brand-focused metrics that show effectiveness over time—think share of voice, direct traffic, and brand recall.
“Brand-building provides air cover for sales and creates long-term value. If we want consistent growth, we can’t skip over these fundamentals.”
Dive deeper: 10 B2B Expert Insights: Why Brand-Building Trumps Demand Generation
Jon Miller’s recent LinkedIn post makes a similar point. He reminds us that when buyers eventually enter the market, “their perception of your brand will determine whether you make the shortlist.”
In other words, buyers already know and trust a brand by the time they’re ready to buy. We won’t see the results immediately, but these indicators point to a brand reputation that’ll keep paying off, even as short-term tactics, like Demand Gen fade.
Focusing exclusively on leads can feel productive—everyone loves a full pipeline. But a leadgen-only strategy is kind of like drugs—a quick fix.
To build sustainable growth, we need to prioritize brand building. That means carving out budget and resources for both lead gen and brand-focused initiatives.
When both are in play, we’re addressing immediate business development while investing in our future. Think of it like having a checking account AND a savings account.
“Brand building and short-term sales can co-exist, but it takes a strategic approach. Just because something doesn't fill your pipeline today doesn’t mean it’s not valuable tomorrow.”
Dive deeper: Progress NOT Perfection: B2B Tech Marketing Strategies for Growth
Chris Walker underscores the pitfalls of focusing solely on short-term, department-level attribution in a recent LinkedIn post. He explains that an obsession with attribution credit can lead to poor investment decisions that don’t support the bigger picture.
In other words, we can meet immediate sales targets while investing in long-term growth. Strong brands, built steadily, fuel both—not the other way around.
Always ask: Who is it for? Too many companies waste time trying to appeal to everyone for fear of missing out.
Stay focused on reaching your best-fit customers. They care a lot about what you offer for a reason and won’t bail on you if you raise your prices.
Take time to understand their needs, problems, fears, and motivations. Create messages that resonate with them, not just with anyone.
“Identify the smallest viable market that truly values what you offer. Brand-building isn’t about appealing to everyone—it’s about knowing your best-fit customers.”
Dive deeper: Stand Out in the Crowd: Building a B2B Tech Brand that Gets Noticed
Dale W. Harrison’s LinkedIn post on “SEO for human brains” reinforces the importance of understanding Category Entry Points (CEPs) to stay top-of-mind with ideal customers.
By building recall triggers, we ensure our brand shows up when these customers need us most.
Brand marketing helps you rank “high in the search results of the memories of future buyers when they need a solution that looks like your product.”
Don’t fall into the “Lead Gen Trap,” where the entire focus is on filling the funnel instead of building reputation. Lead gen alone is a treadmill—it keeps you busy, but it doesn’t make your brand more credible or memorable. Too many B2B tech lead gen campaigns are just demo churns.
“Lead generation might feel like it keeps the lights on, but it’s not what builds a legacy. Over-reliance on short-term tactics undermines brand equity and dilutes your reputation.”
Dive deeper: Break Free from the Lead Gen Trap and Build a Brand That Lasts
Liam Moroney recently called out the tendency to hyper-focus on short-term precision, which can stunt long-term brand growth. He argues that true growth happens when brands are widely known and recalled, not just hyper-targeted.
Real growth comes from building something resilient. If lead gen is just for today, brand building is for tomorrow. Stay focused on communicating your unique differentiation.
Everything starts with insight. The better the insight the better the outcome—in this case the better the brand strategy.
Without insight, we’re just guessing—and guessing is expensive. When we invest in understanding our customers and market, we’re setting ourselves up for relevance and resilience.
This is what separates the “throw spaghetti at the wall” approach from a strategic plan that actually delivers.
“Effective marketing is built on insight, not intuition. Deep customer research drives strategies that matter; skipping this part is a recipe for irrelevance.”
Dive deeper: How Deep Customer Insights & Brand Building Drive B2B Tech Success
Mark Stouse’s LinkedIn post on “accuracy vs. precision” serves as a reminder that insights gleaned from causal analysis need to be actionable, not perfect. Causal analysis generates insight that guides direction without getting bogged down in unnecessary details.
Think of causal analytics as a GPS for your business decisions. As Mark puts it, “It not only captures what your teams are doing, but it factors in the marketplace realities to accurately understand outcomes.”
After years on the Demand Gen treadmill, B2B companies are seeing that short-term tactics alone don’t build sustainable growth.
Demand Gen may have added to the pipeline, but it hasn’t built the trust or credibility a brand needs to last. Customers trust reputable brands before they even engage with them.
If we want lasting growth, we must be committed to brand. Focus on building up the fundamentals: awareness, confidence, and trust. And measure what actually matters—brand recall, direct traffic, share of voice—with tools like causal analytics.
Investing in brand pays off in the long run.
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This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
