How to Assess B2B Demand Generation Services

There are two ways to generate interest in your business: doing it yourself, or partnering with a B2B demand generation service. The right third-party agency is worth its weight in gold. But while there are dozens on the market, only a few are any good. 

This guide covers everything you should know about selecting and assessing B2B generation services. It also walks you through a checklist of features, warning signs, and red flags.

Already have a service in mind? We explain options to improve your vendor relationships. We also link out to resources and strategies so you feel fully in control of your final decision.

• A Look at B2B Demand Generation Services
  • Who Offers Demand Generation Services?
• Core Demand Generation Services to Look For
  • Content Creation Capabilities
  • Distribution Channels Expertise
  • Analytics and Reporting
  • Technical Implementation
• Evaluating B2B Demand Generation Service Providers
  • 1. Industry Experience
  • 2. Lead Quality Standards
  • 3. Pricing Models and Budget Planning
  • 4. Reporting and Analytics
  • 5. Account Management
  • 6. Content & Messaging Quality
  • 7. Multi-Channel Reach
  • 8. Client References or Case Studies
• How to Spot Red Flags in B2B Demand Generation Agencies
• How to Build Successful Agency Relationships
• The Right B2B Demand Generation Service

A Look at B2B Demand Generation Services

As mentioned earlier, B2B demand generation services are strategies designed to attract interest in your offering (and ultimately increase your revenue). The specific approach depends on your niche, but generally speaking, there are two main types.

The first is outbound demand generation, also referred to as ‘push’ or ‘drive’ marketing. This is any type of demand generation that ‘pushes’ people toward your brand — think cold calling, cold email, advertising, and similar tactics. 

The second option is inbound demand generation, which ‘pulls’ or ‘attracts’ customers to learn more about your business. Content and SEO are two of the most popular strategies, followed by warm-market newsletters, social media, and more.

The best B2B demand agencies have deep experience in their verticals so you can easily move the needle forward. Just keep in mind the results you get will depend on the agencies, professionals, or freelancer you choose.

Let’s take a closer look.

Who Offers Demand Generation Services?

You typically have three different options for service providers:

• In-house: These are people on your payroll dedicated to demand generation. This could be a head of marketing, developer relations, a head of growth, and more. The upside is, they work all day on your business. The downside is, they may be expensive or resource strapped depending on the resources available to your team.
• Freelance: Contract workers implement lead generation strategies on an ad-hoc basis for brands. They don’t have all day to focus on your brand, but they might have more bandwidth than your busy in-house team. They’re also substantially cheaper than full-time employees plus benefits. Just keep in mind you sometimes get what you pay for.
• Agency: There are two different types to consider: speciality, and full-service. A full-service demand generation agency can help with marketing, advertising, fulfillment, and other must-have elements. On the other hand, a specialty agency usually focuses on just one or two aspects of demand generation (think writing inbound copy or SEO).

So which option do you choose for your growing business?

Freelancers make sense if you’re a bootstrapped startup and can’t afford new employees (or don’t have employees with that level of skill on your team). Although they can’t focus their attention completely on your brand, that may not be a problem at the beginning of your business journey. 

In contrast, you might want to consider a third-party agency if you want to outsource to professionals with more resources than your average contractor. They usually have a higher budget for specific tools and platforms — although keep in mind this might be reflected in the price.

 Finally, in-house professionals make sense for mature brands who need a highly-specific B2B demand generation process. You might spend more than you would with third-parties, but you will have a full-time resource that’s completely dedicated to your business and has a strong understanding of your demand gen goals. 

Want more details around each option?

Core Demand Generation Services to Look For

Each demand generation service is a little bit different. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t offer similar solutions. 

The most effective B2B demand generation systems offer:

Content Creation Capabilities

Most B2B businesses invest one third of their marketing budget into content — and it’s not hard to see why. The right content speaks directly to your audience, addresses pain points, and moves leads closer to conversion, even years after publication.

The best content creation agencies offer subject-matter experts, well-researched pieces, professional editing, and assets like blog posts and tutorials designed to convert your specific audience. 

Distribution Channels Expertise

You’ll need a demand gen partner that knows more than just email (unless that’s a key strategy for your brand). You should also be able to ask questions about where content should go after publication — so you’re never stuck with assets that can’t be reused to maximize ROI.

Analytics and Reporting

Any demand gen agency worth its salt should offer detailed reporting with clear metrics, not just vanity numbers. You should expect regular updates showing performance benchmarks, lead tracking, attribution modeling, and/or ROI analysis. 

Technical Implementation

A good demand gen service can give you a step-by-step startup guide. But a great demand gen agency can handle both the strategy and the setup.

This means they can build or connect the tech you need to support your funnel without requiring extra resources or pulling your team’s attention away from everyday tasks.

Evaluating B2B Demand Generation Service Providers

How do you pick the best B2B demand generation agency?

Here’s a quick checklist you can use to get started:

Now, let’s take a closer look at your assessment criteria:

1. Industry Experience

This is a no-brainer, but worth discussing anyway. Because if a B2B gen provider doesn’t have experience in your niche, it probably shouldn’t be a provider to trust your brand with.

That’s especially relevant for technical brands, particularly those with a nuanced target market such as developers or CTOs. Your average demand gen approach won’t work on more sophisticated leads, and if that’s not something your B2B partner understands, you may want to search for an alternative.

2. Lead Quality Standards

A lead is a lead is a lead, sure — but not when you’re paying hundreds of dollars for demand generation. You should expect high-quality results in exchange for your investment. In other words, not just high numbers of leads who don’t end up converting to your brand.

Look for a B2B demand gen service offering ways to vet your leads for quality, whether that’s by checking them on the back-end or by generating quality content that attracts only a very specific segment of the market. It might help to discuss this directly with prospective services. For example, you might ask each sales rep about their lead quality standards, or if they have safeguards in place to prevent watering down quality for numbers.

3. Pricing Models and Budget Planning

B2B demand generation services usually follow one of three pricing structures: pay per lead, pay per project, or a monthly retainer.

Pay per lead is exactly what it sounds like: you pay a fee for each lead that shows up in your inbox. Per project is usually a payment by article, campaign, outcome goal (like a three-month advertising push). Finally, monthly retainers cost a set fee each month so you can receive specific services depending on your contract.

The best pricing structure on this list is the one that fits your ROI goals. For example, you may get a better return on per-lead pricing, or it may be cheaper to pay a flat rate per article and receive a consistent inbound funnel of leads.

You should also keep your eyes peeled for hidden fees. Case in point, some providers charge a finder’s fee for successful leads, or hourly costs on top of per-word pricing for B2B content. 

This can make ROI fairly tricky to calculate — something 32% of B2Bs say is one of their biggest barriers to scaling. 

That’s why the trick is to receive everything in writing first. If you can skim over a contract with your lawyer or a business partner, you can quickly suss out any mismatching pricing structures or expensive fees.

💡Related: Maximizing Your Content Marketing ROI

4. Reporting and Analytics

You can’t manage what you can’t measure, as the saying goes. That’s where detailed reporting makes all the difference. A reputable demand gen service should offer clear performance metrics and not just vanity stats, such as tracking lead sources, conversion rates, cost per acquisition, and more.

You might want to ask the provider(s) in question about how they report on success and how often you’ll receive updates. Bonus points if they offer dashboards or tools you can access in real-time. 

If their reports are vague or overly complicated, it could be a red flag (which we’ll cover later on).

5. Account Management

You shouldn’t have to navigate B2B gen on your own. And if you’re investing in an agency, you should have access to a dedicated account manager. This person should proactively send updates, respond quickly to emails, and become a true partner in optimizing your campaigns over time.

Not having an account manager isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, but it could certainly be frustrating if you’re working with a larger agency. Be sure you understand what’s expected of you (and the agency) long before signing on the dotted line.

6. Content & Messaging Quality

For demand generation, how you write something is just as important as what you write. Poorly written copy, even if it seems to carry your message up front, could still tank performance if it isn’t perceived well by your audience.

To combat this, ask for samples showcasing past content and ask how the agency approaches brand voice and messaging. Especially in regulated or complex industries like finance or SaaS, you’ll want a team that understands how to balance clarity, compliance, and conversion.

7. Multi-Channel Reach

Single-channel campaigns rarely move the needle anymore. Your ideal agency should offer support across multiple platforms (like content writing and tutorials with social media collateral) to meet leads wherever they’re most active.

You should also hunt for providers who know how to use each channel effectively. It’s not just about volume, after all — it’s also about strategy and depth of experience. Make sure your provider can connect the dots between the channels you need to deliver a cohesive experience for prospects.

8. Client References or Case Studies

A great demand gen provider should be proud of their work, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find evidence of measurable outcomes, client testimonials, and industry-specific wins. 

But if the company doesn’t offer any case studies, or if they’re not willing to share hard numbers, it might be a red flag you can’t afford to miss.

Which leads directly to our next point.

How to Spot Red Flags in B2B Demand Generation Agencies

Struggling to pick between two or more services? It may be easier to narrow your list for checking any ‘warning lights’ up front.

With this in mind, here are some red flags to look for in potential demand gen partners:

• Vague metrics. If a service waxes eloquent about ‘engagement’ or ‘impressions’ without tying them to actual leads or conversions, proceed with caution.
• No transparency in pricing. Hidden fees, unclear billing structures, or reluctance to send a detailed proposal can spell trouble for your ROI.
• Limited communication or slow response times. If it takes days to hear back before you’ve even signed a contract, expect even worse after the deal is closed.
• No performance guarantees or goal alignment. If the agency can’t commit to benchmarks or isn’t interested in your KPIs, that’s a misalignment from the start.
• Missing or outdated case studies. No track record? No thanks. A good agency should have current, relevant success stories ready to share. You can get around this by chatting with a past customer of the business. If they don’t have anything good to share, move on to another competitor. 

These pointers, of course, are just the tip of the iceberg.

Learn more about dealbreakers when working with a SaaS marketing agency.

How to Build Successful Agency Relationships

Even after you’ve selected a B2B demand generation agency, you’ll want to put in the work to maintain a good rapport. Like any other relationship, you want to avoid resentment as much as possible. Just keep in mind it takes work, intentionality, and time. 

Here are some tips for maintaining vendor relationship(s) from the get-go:

1. Set clear expectations. Define what success looks like in terms of deliverables, ROI, communication cadence, and billing. Be upfront about your goals, and encourage the same transparency from your vendor.
2. Communication protocols. Ask your agency how often you can expect to hear from the team. You should also set your own expectations for meeting frequency and updates. Remember that communication is a two-way street — set the standard for responsiveness by getting back in touch frequently.
3. Schedule regular performance reviews. Whether it’s weekly check-ins, monthly reports, or quarterly reviews, agree on how often you want updates and how detailed they should be. Your agency can’t fix what they don’t know, so speak up early and often.

The Right B2B Demand Generation Service

There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ B2B demand generation service — only a provider that best suits your needs. But there are a few agencies that stand out from the rest.

And for hundreds of companies, that’s Draft.dev.

Draft.dev has served hundreds of technical B2B brands with full-funnel technical content with demos, code samples, and social collateral. Our comprehensive campaign strategy allows us to dive deep into competitor research, carefully explore existing content, and then create downloadable assets with optimized landing page copy. 

We make B2B demand generation easier to manage with a hands-off approach so you can scale without compromise. We also provide monthly analytics and reviews of our content effectiveness and average cost per lead. If you’re not 100% satisfied with your content, you don’t pay. Learn more about how Draft.dev works with clients.