Demand Generation
Activities that build awareness, understanding, and interest in solving a relevant problem.
Demand generation develops interest in a problem, category, or product among the market you want to serve. It can include education, research, events, community participation, and campaigns. Its purpose extends beyond immediately collecting contact details: people may learn and become interested before they are ready to identify themselves.
Example: A SaaS for procurement teams publishes research on renewal mistakes and hosts discussions with finance operators. Buyers learn why contract visibility matters and later look for a solution. The work can create informed demand even when attendees do not instantly request a demo.
Watch out: Demand generation and lead generation overlap but are not interchangeable. A form submission captures a contact; it does not prove that useful buying demand exists. Conversely, someone can develop strong interest without completing a form. Measure relevant audience engagement and downstream qualified demand with appropriate time windows. Avoid claiming every subsequent sale was caused by a campaign simply because the buyer encountered it once.
Further reading: HubSpot: demand versus lead generation.
Related: lead generation, marketing attribution.