Hiring for Demand Generation: What Skills Are in High Demand?
Companies need effective demand generation strategies to fuel growth and stay ahead. Building a strong demand generation team is essential for attracting, nurturing, and converting leads into paying customers. But what exactly makes a demand generation professional stand out? What skills are employers looking for when hiring top talent in this space?
At Sloane Staffing, we specialize in recruiting demand generation experts, whether you’re hiring in the B2B or B2C space. Here’s a breakdown of the most sought-after skills in the world of demand generation.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Demand generation is all about numbers. Successful candidates must be able to analyze data from various sources (CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, Google Analytics) to measure campaign performance, track lead behavior, and make data-driven decisions. Strong analytical skills are key for identifying trends, optimizing campaigns, and improving ROI.
Key Tools: Excel, Google Analytics, Tableau, Power BI, HubSpot, Salesforce
Proficiency in Marketing Automation
Marketing automation platforms are the backbone of demand generation efforts. Professionals need to be proficient in using these platforms to automate email marketing, nurture campaigns, and lead scoring. Experience with tools like Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot, or 6sense is often a must for streamlining campaigns and enhancing lead qualification processes.
Key Tools: Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot, 6sense, Eloqua
Content Marketing and SEO Knowledge
A strong demand generation strategy relies heavily on content. Professionals need to understand how to create and leverage engaging content that aligns with the buyer's journey. Familiarity with SEO practices is also crucial to ensure that the content gets found by the right audience. From whitepapers and blogs to webinars and case studies, creating content that attracts, educates, and converts leads is essential.
Key Skills: SEO, content strategy, copywriting, keyword research
Account/Lead Nurturing and Lifecycle Management
Whether you’re taking an account or lead approach in your nurture campaigns, nurturing is one of the most critical aspects of demand generation. Professionals must understand how to segment audiences, personalize communication, and nurture leads through the sales funnel. Experience with lead scoring, drip campaigns, and lifecycle management will help teams ensure leads are converted to MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads) and passed to sales at the right time.
Key Tools: HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, SalesLoft, Outreach
Cross-Department Collaboration
Demand generation doesn’t happen in a silo. These professionals need to work closely with sales, product marketing, and other departments to ensure alignment between marketing efforts and broader business goals. Understanding how demand generation fits into an overall go-to-market strategy is essential for driving success.
Key Departments: Sales, Product Marketing, Revenue Operations
ABM (Account-Based Marketing) Experience
As more companies shift toward account-based marketing strategies, demand generation professionals with ABM experience are in high demand. This includes knowing how to target and engage high-value accounts using personalized content and campaigns, often in collaboration with sales teams.
Key Tools: 6sense, Demandbase, Terminus, Engagio
Project Management and Organizational Skills
Demand generation involves juggling multiple campaigns, channels, and deadlines. Being organized and able to manage projects efficiently is a must for success. Professionals need to balance creative ideas with execution, often working on tight deadlines to deliver impactful campaigns.
Key Tools: Asana, Monday.com, Trello, Wrike
Paid Media and Social Advertising Expertise
With the rise of digital marketing, paid media expertise has become a crucial demand generation skill. Professionals should understand how to effectively run paid search (PPC) campaigns, display ads, and social media ads (LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Ads) to drive targeted traffic and leads.
Key Tools: Google Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, Facebook Ads, Demandbase
Strong Communication Skills
In demand generation, communication is key. Whether it's writing compelling copy for a campaign, presenting data insights to leadership, or collaborating with cross-functional teams, strong verbal and written communication skills are critical.
Hiring for demand generation is about finding candidates with the right balance of technical and strategic skills. Companies need professionals who can analyze data, leverage automation tools, create compelling content, and collaborate effectively to drive lead generation and revenue.
At Sloane Staffing, we understand the unique challenges of building high-performing demand generation teams. Whether you’re looking for someone to manage your marketing automation platform or drive your ABM efforts, we can help you find the right talent to fuel your company’s growth.
