Demand Generation for Small and Midsize Business (SMB)

In reality, what I’ve seen and experienced is that the big challenge lies in navigating the chaos where founders and C-suite executives have too much on their plate. The brief given to the team, who are supposed to be the backbone of the website, often boils down to: “This is our competitor, and we need to be better than them.” And that’s it. The website team is left scratching their heads, tasked with churning out a clone. To make matters worse, with little patience to spare, the process becomes a hurried exercise—choosing a template with minimal attention to detail, resulting in a site that misses the mark entirely.

From firsthand experience, I’ve seen the chaos that unfolds during rapid transitions. The rush to produce content often leads to a disjointed mess, with no clear strategy tying it back to your demand generation goals. Instead of a well-coordinated approach, content is created haphazardly, sometimes with product managers or even founders squeezed for time and forced to step in. This lack of dedicated resources means content lacks the depth and relevance needed to resonate with your audience. The result? A series of disconnected blog posts, whitepapers, and videos that fail to address key pain points.

Many SMBs fall into the trap of believing that online tools and rapid content posting will solve their SEO challenges. The reality is quite different. The approach often starts with listing keywords and cranking out daily blog posts using an AI tool, with the assumption that this will magically boost rankings. Meanwhile, backlinking becomes a chaotic effort, with links scattered across irrelevant sites. The mistake? Relying on these tactics without a solid strategy or expert oversight. The assumption that posting content quickly and setting unrealistic targets for an SEO agency will solve everything leads to disappointing results and missed opportunities.

As we’re scaling up, it’s time to broaden our reach—so let’s go big or go home! How about we snag some massive lists, target every customer our competitors have, and blast out those emails like there’s no tomorrow? We’re talking lists in the range of 2,000 to 5,000 (or more if you’re feeling adventurous). Let’s sprinkle in some promotions, like a free trial or discount coupons, to really catch their attention. Who needs subtlety when you can go for the grand slam? And I am not surprised, when I hear, “My domain got blocked!” and “Email marketing is dead and doesn’t work!”

In the hustle of managing demand generation, it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting the same message across all channels, believing that daily posts are a must. The reality? Festive greetings flood the feeds, content gets posted just for the sake of it, and the team juggles multiple tasks with no clear process, working from scattered documents instead of leveraging tools. And in the end, your social media feed looks like a flood of posts with no clear connection.

In the rush to put together webinars and events, the reality often looks different: generic topics that don’t quite hit the mark, last-minute planning, and the same cookie-cutter presentation used for every event. With a small team juggling multiple tasks, the focus can shift from quality to just getting it done—resulting in lackluster engagement and missed opportunities. Without a clear strategy and proper tools, it’s easy for these events to become just another checkbox rather than a catalyst for growth.

In the rush to push out ads, the ground reality often tells a different story: advertisements that are totally campaign-focused, with branding guidelines tossed aside. The message in the ad doesn’t match what the product actually delivers, and the ads are reaching all the wrong audiences. As the cost per click skyrockets, frustration builds, and in the end, I hear the usual rant: “Advertisements don’t work.” The truth is, without strategy and alignment, it’s easy to miss the mark and waste precious resources.