# Demand Gen Director Playbook

Reference playbook for the demand-gen-director skill. Read the relevant section before producing any demand gen artifact.

## Table of Contents

1. Annual Demand Gen Planning
2. Campaign Design - Detailed Process
3. Lead Scoring - Calibration and Maintenance
4. Event Playbooks - By Format
5. Channel Deep Dives - Enterprise B2B
6. Content-to-Pipeline Optimization
7. Budget Allocation Methodology
8. Marketing-Sales SLA
9. Measurement and Attribution
10. Demand Gen Benchmarks

---

## 1. Annual Demand Gen Planning

### Planning Process (Q4 for the following year)

**Step 1: Get the number**

From gtm-strategist pipeline math, determine:
- Total pipeline target for the year (and by quarter)
- Marketing's share of pipeline creation (typically 30-50% for enterprise B2B)
- Monthly marketing pipeline creation target
- Pipeline by segment (different segments may need different programs)

**Step 2: Backtrack to program requirements**

```
Marketing pipeline target: $___M / year

÷ Average deal size: $___K
= Opportunities needed: ___

÷ SQL-to-opportunity rate: ___%
= SQLs needed: ___

÷ MQL-to-SQL rate: ___%
= MQLs needed: ___

÷ Average MQL conversion by channel
= Channel-specific volume targets
```

**Step 3: Map programs to targets**

For each quarter, design a program mix that covers the pipeline target:

```
Q[X] PIPELINE TARGET: $___M

ALWAYS-ON PROGRAMS:
  SEO/content: Expected pipeline $___K (based on trailing performance)
  Email nurture: Expected pipeline $___K
  Community/PLG: Expected pipeline $___K (from community-plg-director)
  Subtotal: $___K

SURGE CAMPAIGNS (2-3 per quarter):
  Campaign 1: [Theme/segment] - Expected pipeline $___K
  Campaign 2: [Theme/segment] - Expected pipeline $___K
  Subtotal: $___K

EVENTS:
  Event 1: [Type/name] - Expected pipeline $___K
  Event 2: [Type/name] - Expected pipeline $___K
  Subtotal: $___K

ABM PROGRAMS (from abm-director):
  Tier 1 orchestration: Expected pipeline $___K
  Tier 2 clusters: Expected pipeline $___K
  Subtotal: $___K

TOTAL PLANNED: $___K (should be 1.2-1.5x target for buffer)
```

**Step 4: Allocate budget**

Distribute budget across programs based on expected ROI and strategic priority. Reserve 10-15% for opportunistic campaigns and testing.

---

## 2. Campaign Design - Detailed Process

### Campaign Development Workflow

**Week 1-2: Strategy & Planning**
- Define objective (pipeline target, segment, personas)
- Select channels and content assets
- Align messaging with b2b-messaging-director frameworks
- Build targeting criteria (account lists, persona filters, keywords)
- Set budget and timeline

**Week 3-4: Asset Creation**
- Create/adapt content assets (or brief content team)
- Build landing pages
- Write email copy (nurture sequence)
- Design ad creative (3-5 variants for testing)
- Set up tracking (UTMs, CRM campaigns, pixels)

**Week 5: Setup & QA**
- Configure ad platforms (targeting, budgets, bidding)
- Set up email automation (triggers, scoring, routing)
- QA all landing pages, forms, and tracking
- Brief SDR team on expected MQL flow and follow-up expectations
- Dry-run the entire conversion path

**Week 6+: Launch & Optimize**
- Launch channels in sequence (not all at once - stagger for learning)
- Daily monitoring first week (budgets, targeting, initial engagement)
- Weekly optimization (pause underperformers, scale winners)
- Biweekly pipeline check (are MQLs converting?)
- End-of-campaign review (full attribution and ROI analysis)

### Campaign Brief Template

```
CAMPAIGN: [Name]
OWNER: [Marketing DRI]
TIMELINE: [Start] → [End]
BUDGET: $[Total]

OBJECTIVE:
  Pipeline target: $[Amount]
  MQL target: [Number]
  SQL target: [Number]

TARGET:
  Segment: [From ICP]
  Personas: [From buying committee]
  Account list: [Named accounts or criteria]

THEME:
  Core message: [1-2 sentences]
  Supporting proof: [Case study, data point, customer quote]

CHANNELS:
  [Channel 1]: Budget $[X] - Targeting [criteria] - Asset [name]
  [Channel 2]: Budget $[X] - Targeting [criteria] - Asset [name]
  [Channel 3]: Budget $[X] - Targeting [criteria] - Asset [name]

CONTENT ASSETS:
  Awareness: [Asset name, format, status]
  Consideration: [Asset name, format, status]
  Decision: [Asset name, format, status]

CONVERSION PATH:
  [Ad/content] → [Landing page URL] → [Form/CTA] → [Nurture sequence] →
  [Scoring threshold] → [MQL] → [SDR follow-up]

SDR COORDINATION:
  Expected MQL volume: [X per week]
  Follow-up SLA: [4 hours]
  Talk track: [Reference to b2b-messaging-director asset]
  Escalation: [If MQL volume exceeds capacity]

MEASUREMENT:
  Week 1-2: Engagement metrics (CTR, CPL, registration rate)
  Week 3-4: Pipeline metrics (MQLs, SQLs, meetings)
  Week 6+: Revenue metrics (opportunities, pipeline value)
  End of campaign: Full ROI (pipeline and revenue attributed)

SUCCESS CRITERIA:
  Minimum: [X MQLs, $X pipeline]
  Target: [X MQLs, $X pipeline]
  Stretch: [X MQLs, $X pipeline]
```

---

## 3. Lead Scoring - Calibration and Maintenance

### Initial Calibration Process

**Step 1: Analyze historical conversions**

Pull last 6-12 months of leads that became opportunities. For each:
- What was their title/role?
- What company characteristics did they share?
- What content did they engage with before converting?
- What sequence of actions preceded the conversion?

**Step 2: Identify predictive behaviors**

Rank behaviors by conversion correlation:

| Behavior | % of Leads Who Did This | % of Converters Who Did This | Predictive Value |
|----------|------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------|
| Visited pricing page | 8% | 45% | Very High |
| Downloaded case study | 12% | 35% | High |
| Attended webinar | 15% | 30% | Medium-High |
| Downloaded whitepaper | 25% | 28% | Medium |
| Read 3+ blog posts | 40% | 32% | Low-Medium |
| Opened email | 60% | 55% | Low |

Behaviors with high predictive value get higher point values.

**Step 3: Set initial thresholds**

Back-calculate: if your scoring model had existed 6 months ago, what threshold would have captured 80% of converters while excluding 70%+ of non-converters?

This becomes your initial MQL threshold. Expect to adjust within the first 60 days.

### Monthly Scoring Review

```
REVIEW CHECKLIST:
  - MQL volume: On target? (If too high, threshold is too low. If too low, threshold is too high.)
  - MQL-to-SQL rate: >15%? (If <15%, scoring isn't predictive enough. If >40%, threshold is too high - you're leaving pipeline on the table.)
  - SDR feedback: Are MQLs worth following up? (Qualitative check)
  - False positive rate: How many MQLs are immediately disqualified? (Target: <30%)
  - False negative rate: How many opportunities came from leads below MQL threshold? (Target: <10%)

ADJUSTMENTS:
  If too many low-quality MQLs → Increase threshold or reduce behavioral scores for low-intent actions
  If not enough MQLs → Decrease threshold or add new high-value behaviors
  If SDRs are ignoring MQLs → Either quality problem (fix scoring) or process problem (fix SLA)
```

---

## 4. Event Playbooks - By Format

### Executive Dinner Playbook

```
FORMAT: Intimate dinner for 8-12 senior buyers + 2-3 internal executives
COST: $5-15K per event (venue, food, speaker, travel)
PIPELINE EXPECTATION: 3-5 meetings → 1-2 opportunities per dinner

PLANNING (6-8 weeks before):
  - Select city based on target account density
  - Choose venue: upscale restaurant, private dining room
  - Define guest list: 15-20 invites to get 8-12 attendees
  - Invite criteria: VP+ title at Tier 1 or Tier 2 accounts
  - Secure internal executive host (CRO, CEO, or VP)
  - Optional: external speaker or industry expert (adds draw)

INVITATION (4-6 weeks before):
  - Personal email from internal executive (not marketing blast)
  - Subject: "Dinner invitation: [Topic] in [City]"
  - Tone: Peer-to-peer, not vendor-to-prospect
  - Follow-up: SDR phone call to confirm / answer questions
  - Confirm dietary restrictions and preferences

EVENT STRUCTURE:
  6:30 PM: Cocktails and introductions (30 min, unstructured)
  7:00 PM: Dinner seated, host opens with brief topic framing (5 min)
  7:10 PM: Roundtable discussion - facilitated, not presented (45 min)
  8:00 PM: Dessert, open networking (30 min)
  8:30 PM: Close

  RULES:
  - No slides. No product demos. No sales pitches.
  - Discussion topic should be a shared challenge, not your product
  - Your executives listen more than they talk
  - Product comes up naturally when relevant - don't force it

POST-EVENT (within 48 hours):
  - Thank-you email from host
  - Share discussion summary or relevant content piece
  - SDR or AE follow-up to schedule 1:1 meeting
  - Track: attendees, follow-up meetings, pipeline generated
```

### Webinar Playbook

```
FORMAT: 45-60 minute presentation with Q&A, virtual
COST: $500-2K (platform, promotion, speaker prep)
PIPELINE EXPECTATION: 100-200 registrants → 40-60 attendees → 5-10 MQLs → 2-4 meetings

PLANNING (4-6 weeks before):
  - Select topic based on ICP pain points (NOT product features)
  - Secure speaker(s): customer + internal expert is the best combo
  - Build registration page and email promotion sequence
  - Set up promotion: email to database, LinkedIn ads, partner promotion

PROMOTION SEQUENCE:
  4 weeks out: Initial announcement email + social post
  3 weeks out: LinkedIn ad campaign begins
  2 weeks out: Reminder email + partner cross-promotion
  1 week out: Final reminder email + social push
  Day of: Morning reminder to registrants
  Post-event: Recording available email (captures late registrants)

EVENT STRUCTURE:
  0:00 - Host intro and housekeeping (2 min)
  0:02 - Speaker(s) present topic (25-30 min)
  0:32 - Live Q&A (15-20 min)
  0:50 - Wrap with CTA (not "buy our product" - "learn more about [topic]")

POST-EVENT:
  Day 0: Send recording to all registrants (attendees + no-shows)
  Day 1: SDR follow-up to attendees who match ICP (personalized, reference a specific Q&A moment)
  Day 3: Nurture email with related content to all registrants
  Day 7: SDR follow-up to recording viewers who match ICP
  Track: registrants, attendees, engagement score, MQLs, meetings, pipeline
```

### Conference/Sponsorship Playbook

```
FORMAT: Booth + speaking slot + attendee engagement at industry event
COST: $10-50K+ (sponsorship, booth, travel, swag, entertainment)
PIPELINE EXPECTATION: Varies - target 15-25 qualified conversations → 5-10 meetings → 2-4 opps

PRE-EVENT (4-8 weeks):
  - Identify target attendees (cross-reference attendee list with target accounts)
  - SDR pre-event outreach to target attendees (book meetings at the event)
  - Prepare booth messaging (1 problem statement, 1 demo station, 1 content takeaway)
  - Brief team on conversation framework and lead capture process
  - Plan evening event or dinner for Tier 1 accounts attending

AT THE EVENT:
  - Booth staff: 2-3 people rotating (always have someone available)
  - Conversation goal: Qualify in 3 minutes, then either book a follow-up or gracefully exit
  - Lead capture: Scan badge + add notes immediately (not at end of day)
  - Speaking slot: Problem-focused talk, not product pitch. Include customer co-presenter if possible.
  - After-hours: Executive dinner or happy hour for Tier 1 prospects

POST-EVENT (within 5 business days):
  - Day 1: Categorize leads (hot / warm / nurture / disqualify)
  - Day 1-2: SDR follows up with hot leads (reference specific conversation)
  - Day 3-5: Email all warm leads with relevant content
  - Day 7+: Nurture sequence for remaining leads
  - Track: conversations had, leads captured by tier, meetings booked, pipeline

ROI FRAMEWORK:
  Investment: Sponsorship + booth + travel + entertainment + content + time
  Return: Pipeline generated within 90 days attributable to the event
  Break-even: If pipeline ≥ 5x investment, consider successful
  Decision: Attend again if pipeline ≥ 10x investment
```

---

## 5. Channel Deep Dives - Enterprise B2B

### LinkedIn Advertising

```
TARGETING STRATEGY:
  Layer 1: Company targeting (upload account list or use firmographic filters)
  Layer 2: Title/seniority targeting (match buying committee personas)
  Layer 3: Exclude current customers and disqualified accounts

AD FORMATS (ranked by enterprise B2B performance):
  1. Sponsored Content (single image): Highest volume, good for awareness + consideration
  2. Conversation Ads (message ads): High engagement, good for event invites + demo offers
  3. Document Ads: Share gated content directly in feed
  4. Video Ads: Good for brand awareness, lower conversion
  5. Text Ads: Lowest cost, lowest engagement, good for retargeting

BUDGET GUIDANCE:
  Minimum viable test: $5K/month for 90 days
  Growth: $10-25K/month
  Scale: $25-75K/month
  
  CPL range (enterprise B2B): $75-250 per lead
  CPC range: $8-15 per click
  
  Key: LinkedIn is expensive per lead but high quality for enterprise.
  If cost per SQL (not CPL) is acceptable, the channel is working.

OPTIMIZATION CADENCE:
  Week 1: Launch 3-5 ad variants, monitor delivery
  Week 2: Pause lowest performer, increase budget on best
  Week 3-4: Refresh creative (ad fatigue sets in fast)
  Monthly: Review CPL, cost per SQL, and pipeline contribution
  Quarterly: Full channel ROI analysis
```

### Content Syndication

```
WHAT IT IS:
  Distributing gated content (whitepapers, reports, guides) through
  third-party publishers who deliver leads matching your ICP criteria.

VENDORS: NetLine, TechTarget, DemandScience, Bombora Content, Madison Logic

WHEN TO USE:
  - Need to reach new audiences outside your existing database
  - Have strong mid-funnel content (case studies, technical guides)
  - Targeting specific verticals or technical audiences
  - Supplementing LinkedIn for lead volume

QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS:
  - Specify strict ICP filters (title, company size, industry)
  - Require double opt-in or confirmed engagement
  - Expect: 30-40% match rate to your actual ICP (rest are noise)
  - Score these leads LOWER initially (they didn't seek you out)
  - Track: MQL rate from syndication vs. other sources

BUDGET: $25-75 per lead (negotiable at volume)
TYPICAL ORDER: 500-2,000 leads per quarter
```

### Search (Google Ads)

```
ENTERPRISE B2B SEARCH STRATEGY:
  
  HIGH-INTENT KEYWORDS (bottom of funnel):
  - "[Your product] vs [competitor]"
  - "[Category] software for enterprise"
  - "[Competitor] alternative"
  - "best [category] for [use case]"
  → Bid aggressively. These are active buyers.

  PROBLEM-AWARE KEYWORDS (middle of funnel):
  - "[Pain point] solution"
  - "how to [solve problem they have]"
  - "[Compliance requirement] tools"
  → Moderate bids. Drive to content, not demo requests.

  CATEGORY KEYWORDS (top of funnel):
  - "[Category] meaning"
  - "what is [technology]"
  - "[Category] market"
  → Low bids or SEO-only. Too early for paid investment.

BUDGET GUIDANCE:
  Enterprise B2B search is low volume, high intent.
  Typical budget: $3-10K/month
  CPC: $10-50 for competitive enterprise keywords
  Expected volume: 50-200 clicks/month (enterprise-specific)
  Key metric: Cost per demo request, not cost per click
```

---

## 6. Content-to-Pipeline Optimization

### Content Performance Measurement

| Metric | What It Tells You | Healthy |
|--------|-------------------|---------|
| Views/downloads | Awareness and reach | Growing MoM |
| Engagement rate | Content quality/relevance | >5% for gated, >2% for ungated |
| MQL contribution | Pipeline influence | Each major asset → 5+ MQLs/quarter |
| Pipeline influence | Revenue impact | Track $ pipeline where content was consumed pre-opp |
| Time on page | Depth of engagement | >3 min for long-form, >1 min for short-form |

### Content Refresh Cadence

| Content Type | Refresh Cycle | Trigger for Off-Cycle Refresh |
|-------------|--------------|-------------------------------|
| Case studies | Every 6 months (update metrics) | Customer leaves, major product change |
| Competitive content | Every 3 months | Competitor launch, pricing change |
| Technical documentation | Every release cycle | Product update |
| Industry reports | Annually | Major market shift |
| Blog posts | Evergreen: annually / Topical: no refresh | SEO ranking drop |

---

## 7. Budget Allocation Methodology

### Budget by Channel (Enterprise B2B Benchmarks)

| Channel | % of Budget | Best For |
|---------|-------------|----------|
| LinkedIn Ads | 20-30% | Account targeting, awareness, consideration |
| Events (hosted + sponsored) | 20-30% | Pipeline acceleration, executive engagement |
| Content creation | 15-20% | All stages, SEO, sales enablement |
| Search (Google Ads) | 5-10% | High-intent capture |
| Content syndication | 5-10% | New audience reach, volume |
| Email/marketing automation | 5-10% | Nurture, re-engagement |
| Direct mail | 3-5% | Tier 1 ABM, event invitations |
| Reserve/experimental | 10-15% | Opportunistic campaigns, testing |

### Budget Efficiency Targets

| Metric | Target | Formula |
|--------|--------|---------|
| Marketing cost per MQL | $200-500 | Total marketing spend / MQLs |
| Marketing cost per SQL | $1,000-3,000 | Total marketing spend / SQLs |
| Marketing cost per opportunity | $2,000-8,000 | Total marketing spend / opportunities |
| Marketing cost per $ pipeline | $0.10-0.25 | Total spend / pipeline generated |
| Marketing ROI | 5-10x | Pipeline generated / total spend |

---

## 8. Marketing-Sales SLA

### The SLA Document

```
MARKETING COMMITS TO:
  - Generate [X] MQLs per month meeting agreed scoring criteria
  - Follow MQL definition without diluting quality
  - Provide campaign context with every MQL (source, content consumed, score)
  - Review and adjust scoring monthly based on SDR feedback
  - Report pipeline attribution weekly

SALES (SDR) COMMITS TO:
  - Follow up on every MQL within [4] business hours
  - Make minimum [3] attempts before dispositioning
  - Provide disposition reason for every rejected MQL (feedback loop)
  - Track meetings and pipeline created from MQLs in CRM
  - Participate in monthly MQL quality review

SHARED COMMITMENTS:
  - Monthly alignment meeting (marketing + SDR management)
  - Quarterly full funnel review (marketing + sales leadership)
  - Shared dashboard visible to both teams
  - No public blame - private feedback, public alignment

SLA VIOLATIONS:
  If marketing MQL volume drops >20% below target → escalate to CMO/CRO
  If SDR follow-up SLA drops below 80% compliance → escalate to SDR management
  If MQL-to-SQL rate drops below 15% for 2 consecutive months → joint scoring review
```

---

## 9. Measurement and Attribution

### Marketing Dashboard - Weekly

```
PIPELINE METRICS:
  MQLs generated: [this week] vs. [target] vs. [last week]
  SQLs accepted: [this week] vs. [target]
  Pipeline created (marketing-sourced): $[amount] vs. $[target]
  Pipeline influenced (marketing-touched): $[amount]

CHANNEL PERFORMANCE:
  [Channel 1]: Spend $[X], MQLs [N], CPL $[X], Pipeline $[X]
  [Channel 2]: Spend $[X], MQLs [N], CPL $[X], Pipeline $[X]
  [Channel 3]: Spend $[X], MQLs [N], CPL $[X], Pipeline $[X]

CAMPAIGN PERFORMANCE:
  [Campaign 1]: MQLs [N], Pipeline $[X], Status [on track / behind / ahead]
  [Campaign 2]: MQLs [N], Pipeline $[X], Status [...]

CONTENT PERFORMANCE:
  Top performing assets this week (by MQL contribution)
  New content published
  Content gaps identified
```

---

## 10. Demand Gen Benchmarks

### Conversion Benchmarks by Channel

| Channel | Visit-to-Lead | Lead-to-MQL | MQL-to-SQL | SQL-to-Opp |
|---------|--------------|-------------|------------|------------|
| Organic search | 2-5% | 20-30% | 15-25% | 40-60% |
| LinkedIn Ads | 1-3% | 10-20% | 15-20% | 35-50% |
| Content syndication | N/A (leads delivered) | 8-15% | 10-15% | 30-45% |
| Events (hosted) | N/A | 30-50% | 25-35% | 50-65% |
| Events (sponsored) | N/A | 15-25% | 15-20% | 35-50% |
| Webinars | 30-50% (reg-to-attend) | 15-25% | 15-20% | 40-55% |
| Email nurture | N/A | 5-10% | 20-30% | 45-60% |
| Direct/referral | N/A | 40-60% | 30-40% | 55-70% |

### Program ROI Benchmarks

| Program Type | Expected Pipeline ROI | Payback Period |
|-------------|----------------------|----------------|
| SEO/content (mature) | 10-20x spend | 6-12 months |
| LinkedIn Ads | 5-10x spend | 3-6 months |
| Executive dinners | 10-25x spend | 1-3 months |
| Webinars | 8-15x spend | 2-4 months |
| Conference sponsorship | 3-8x spend | 3-6 months |
| Content syndication | 3-6x spend | 3-6 months |
| Direct mail (ABM) | 5-15x spend | 2-4 months |
