The life of a B2B marketer can be boiled down to three key tasks: driving demand, handing over quality leads to sales, and ensuring they close deals.
Sounds simple. But definitely not easy.
Once your strategy’s sketched out, the next challenge is picking the right tools to bring it to life.
When I joined RevenueHero, naturally I was in the market looking for the right tools to fit our demand generation strategy. I did tons of research and sat on multiple calls.
Whether you’re nurturing leads or just trying to read their minds, these tools have you covered.
Let's dive in.
1. Marketing Automation Tools
We live in the age of data, and modern automation platforms are basically your magic wand for tracking every tiny interaction with your site. It’s like putting your lead nurturing on autopilot.
HubSpot: Every marketer’s favorite MAP
For demand generation managers, HubSpot is like the Swiss Army knife of marketing automation—versatile, intuitive, and packed with everything you need to spark demand. With its seamless CRM integration and automation capabilities, HubSpot makes sure you’re not just collecting leads but nurturing them with precision. From automated email campaigns to lead scoring, it takes the heavy lifting out of manual processes and gives you more time to focus on strategy.
What truly sets HubSpot apart?
It’s user-friendly while also being a data-crunching beast. The real-time reporting lets you see what’s working (and what isn’t), so you can optimize on the fly. Their recent acquisition of Clearbit makes it even more exciting because now we don’t have to go out and buy a separate tool altogether.
Plus, it's an all-in-one platform that covers everything — email, social, SEO, and more — meaning you don’t have to juggle a dozen different tools to keep your demand gen engine humming.
Autopilot: The budget-friendly automation maverick
Autopilot might not have the same name recognition as HubSpot or Marketo, but for demand generation managers, it’s a secret weapon waiting to be discovered.
Autopilot offers all the essential demand generation tools — website tracking, Salesforce integration, action-triggered workflows, and drip campaigns—without the hefty price tag. With Autopilot, you can efficiently nurture leads and drive conversions without breaking the bank, making it an ideal solution for small teams or budget-conscious marketers.
For demand generation marketers like us, time is money. Autopilot’s intuitive interface allows you to set up sophisticated workflows quickly, reducing the time spent on manual processes. With its visual journey builder, you can create personalized marketing sequences to guide prospects down the funnel with ease.
Plus, its simplicity ensures that your team can hit the ground running without the need for intensive training. If you're looking to streamline operations and boost demand generation efforts, Autopilot is your go-to tool.
2. Speed to Lead
In the fast-paced world of demand generation, speed to lead is your secret weapon. Especially when the status quo is responding only after 1 day, 5 hours, and 17 minutes.
The moment a prospect expresses interest, time is of the essence; that spark of excitement can dim quickly. By ensuring that your sales team engages leads immediately, you not only capture their attention but also foster a sense of urgency that compels them to act.
Quick responses can mean the difference between closing a deal and watching a lead slip away. Prioritizing speed in your lead management process sets the stage for stronger conversions and lasting customer relationships.
RevenueHero: The hero your pipeline needs and the one your sales team deserve
Yes, I’m biased. If speed-to-lead is an issue you’re tackling, I think RevenueHero should be on your radar.
RevenueHero automates your qualification, routing, and meeting scheduling process, so your speed-to-lead reduces from minutes to a second.
The second a prospect submits a form, RevenueHero automatically qualifies them based on the form values, enriched data, and/or your CRM properties. Once a prospect is qualified, they’re instantly routed to the right sales team and RevenueHero ensures the prospect is round-robined to the right sales rep. Once assigned, RevenueHero displays their calendar to the prospect, so they can book a time with the sales rep.
This way, your sales team can focus more time on helping the prospect make the right choice (buying your product) instead of going back and forth over email just to schedule a meeting.
3. SEO Tools
To reel in those top-of-funnel prospects, you’ve got to speak their language. And that means understanding the keywords they’re typing into search engines—not just the ones relevant to you, but the ones your competitors are nailing too.
Ahrefs: The Sherlock of SEO demand generation tools
In the demand generation game, getting noticed is half the battle, and Ahrefs is the tool that ensures you’re always one step ahead of the competition.
As one of the most powerful SEO demand generation tools, Ahrefs provides deep insights into your competitors’ keywords and traffic sources. By understanding which search terms are driving traffic for your rivals, you can refine your SEO strategy, target high-demand keywords, and attract top-of-funnel prospects.
For demand generation managers, Ahrefs is invaluable because it gives you the data you need to dominate search engines and reach your target audience. From content gap analysis to backlink strategies, Ahrefs arms you with the information needed to outsmart competitors and increase organic visibility.
When your prospects are searching for solutions, make sure you’re the one they find first by leveraging Ahrefs’ comprehensive SEO tools.
SEMRush: A close second to Sherlock
We use SEMRush at RevenueHero and we love it.
SEMRush is another top-tier demand generation tool that offers in-depth competitor analysis, tracking keyword performance over time and identifying content that resonates with your audience. SEMRush is an excellent tool for discovering how certain keywords are trending and capitalizing on shifting rankings before your competitors can catch up.
Beyond competitor analysis, SEMRush provides a holistic view of your own SEO efforts. With features like site audits, keyword tracking, and content marketing analytics, it helps you fine-tune your SEO strategy for maximum lead generation. Whether you’re optimizing your website or planning your next content campaign, SEMRush ensures that your demand generation efforts are always data-driven and ahead of the game.
Clearscope: The SEO content powerhouse
Clearscope is the demand generation manager’s go-to tool for creating SEO-friendly content that ranks.
Using AI-driven analysis, Clearscope identifies the keywords, phrases, and topics your content needs to cover to compete in search engines. It’s like having an SEO expert by your side while you write, ensuring that your blogs, articles, and landing pages perform well.
I’ve used this tool in my previous role and I think every demand generation marketer will love Clearscope for its ability to boost organic traffic without needing deep SEO expertise.
It analyzes top-ranking content in real time, so you can quickly optimize existing content or create new pieces that have the best chance of ranking. Clearscope’s insights ensure that your content aligns with what search engines (and your audience) are looking for, driving demand organically.
4. Understanding your audience
Getting to know your audience is the cornerstone of effective demand generation. It’s not just about knowing who they are; it’s about understanding their pain points, desires, and the language they speak. This insight allows you to craft targeted messaging that resonates and compels action, turning mere interest into genuine leads.
In a landscape saturated with options, a nuanced understanding of your audience helps you cut through the noise, ensuring that your marketing efforts hit home and drive conversions.
Wynter.io: The messaging feedback machine
Wynter.io allows demand generation marketers like you and me to refine their messaging through real-time feedback from actual target audiences. Instead of relying on guesswork, you can run message tests and find out exactly how prospects respond to your copy before you launch a campaign. This helps you create content that resonates with your audience, reducing wasted efforts on ineffective messaging.
By honing your value propositions and calls-to-action, Wynter.io ensures that every piece of communication you send out hits the right note. It’s the perfect tool for demand generation managers who know that messaging can make or break a campaign.
Clarity by Microsoft: The user behavior decoder
Clarity by Microsoft is a free tool that provides deep insights into user behavior on your website.
Demand generation marketers can use Clarity’s heatmaps, session replays, and user journey tracking to understand how prospects interact with your landing pages. This data helps you identify friction points and optimize conversion paths, improving the overall performance of your demand generation efforts.
For demand generation managers focused on fine-tuning their websites for maximum lead generation, Clarity offers the granular insights needed to make data-driven decisions. It’s a must-have tool for optimizing the user experience and increasing conversions
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5. Reporting Tools
What’s demand generation without data? It’s like trying to make spaghetti without pasta. Reporting tools show you what’s working and what’s not, so you can tweak your campaigns and get even better results.
Google Analytics: The data-driven demand generator
Let’s be honest, while all of us hate GA4, Google Analytics is still the gold standard of tracking tools for all marketers. With it, you can track website traffic, user behavior, and conversion data in granular detail. Understanding which pages and campaigns drive the most engagement allows you to optimize your strategy and allocate resources more effectively.
The beauty of Google Analytics lies in its flexibility — it’s as powerful for small tweaks as it is for major campaign analysis. For demand generation managers, the data from Google Analytics is crucial for fine-tuning everything from landing pages to ad targeting.
If you're serious about measuring the impact of your demand generation tools, Google Analytics is non-negotiable.
Factors.ai: The attribution expert
Attribution is one of the trickiest puzzles in demand generation, and Factors.io makes it a breeze. By tracking multi-touch attribution across your channels, Factors.io gives you a complete picture of the buyer's journey. Demand generation managers can see exactly which touchpoints are driving conversions, so they can double down on the tactics that work and trim the fat from underperforming campaigns.
For demand generation managers looking to refine their strategies, Factors.io simplifies the process of understanding which activities contribute to demand.
The platform’s clear insights into ROI across channels help ensure that every dollar spent is optimized, making it a powerful tool for marketers who need to show tangible results.
HockeyStack: The SaaS growth whisperer
HockeyStack is a full-funnel analytics platform built for SaaS companies looking to ramp up their demand generation efforts.
It provides insight into how every touchpoint — email, ads, blog content — contributes to revenue growth. This clarity helps demand generation managers optimize lead generation and streamline the sales funnel, improving conversion rates and boosting the bottom line.
With detailed cohort analysis and funnel visualization, HockeyStack gives demand generation managers the power to make data-backed decisions that drive SaaS growth.
By tracking leads through the entire sales process, it helps you zero in on what's working and what needs tweaking, making it an essential tool for any SaaS demand generation team.
6. Advertising Platforms
Facebook Ads: The social retargeting superhero
Facebook Ads remains one of the most powerful tools for demand generation, especially with its robust retargeting options. Demand generation managers can use Facebook's data-driven targeting to show ads to users who have interacted with their brand, viewed products, or visited the website. This second-chance engagement can make all the difference in converting on-the-fence prospects.
With its advanced audience segmentation, Facebook Ads lets demand generation managers hyper-focus their efforts, serving ads to the exact people who are most likely to convert. Whether you're trying to build awareness, nurture leads, or drive last-click conversions, Facebook Ads offers the flexibility to fit any demand generation strategy.
Google Ads: The demand gen workhorse
Google Ads is one of the most reliable demand generation tools for getting in front of high-intent audiences. By bidding on relevant search terms, demand generation managers can ensure their brand is front and center when potential customers are actively looking for solutions. It’s a fast and effective way to drive high-quality leads straight to your landing page.
For demand generation managers, Google Ads is a versatile tool. Whether you’re running search, display, or shopping ads, the platform provides extensive control over targeting, budget, and ad placement. With precise keyword bidding, you can capture leads right when they’re ready to convert, making it a cornerstone of any demand generation strategy.
LinkedIn Ads: The B2B targeting goldmine
LinkedIn Ads is a crucial demand generation tool for B2B marketers. It allows demand generation managers to target prospects based on industry, job title, company size, and other professional criteria that are hard to match on other platforms. Whether you’re looking to build brand awareness or drive qualified leads, LinkedIn’s professional focus makes it ideal for reaching decision-makers in your target audience.
With LinkedIn Ads, demand generation managers can take advantage of matched audiences, retargeting, and precise demographics to ensure that the right message reaches the right people. It’s an indispensable tool for any B2B demand generation strategy.
Final thoughts
Of course, each of these demand generation tools offers something unique, making them invaluable for any demand generation manager looking to streamline processes, engage leads more effectively, and ultimately, drive conversions.
Whether you’re automating your marketing, optimizing your SEO, or creating content, these tools ensure you stay ahead in the game.
