Demand Generation Campaign Guide: Strategy. Setup & Best Practices

 

In today’s competitive digital landscape, simply generating leads is no longer enough. Brands must first create demand, build trust, and stay visible throughout the buyer’s journey. That’s where Demand Generation Campaign Guide comes into play.

 

This blog guide will walk you through what demand generation is, how it differs from lead generation, and a step-by-step process to create a high-performing Demand Gen campaign using Google Ads. Whether you are a beginner or a marketer looking to scale, this guide is designed to be practical and easy to follow.

 

What is Demand Generation?

Demand generation is a long-term marketing strategy focused on creating awareness, interest, and trust in your brand or product before asking users to convert.

 

Unlike direct sales tactics, demand generation nurtures potential customers across multiple touch-points such as:

• YouTube
• Google Discover
• Gmail
• Display & visual placements

 

The goal is simple:
👉 Make users familiar with your brand so they choose you when they are ready to buy.

 

Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation

Many marketers confuse demand generation with lead generation, but they serve different purposes.

 

Demand Generation

• Focuses on awareness and consideration
• Targets top- and mid-funnel audiences
• Builds long-term brand value
• Educates users before conversion

 

Lead Generation

• Focuses on immediate conversions
• Targets bottom-funnel users
• Uses forms, gated content, or offers
• Short-term performance driven

 

👉 Best practice: Use demand generation first, then retarget engaged users with lead generation campaigns.

How to Create a Demand Generation Campaign?

Creating a successful Demand Gen campaign requires proper planning, patience, and optimization. Google Ads Demand Gen campaigns are powered by automation, so giving the system time to learn is critical.

 

Before diving into setup, keep these important rules in mind:

 

Learning & Review Periods (Very Important)

• After changing a bid strategy, performance may fluctuate
• Google Ads may label the campaign status as “Learning”
• Allow at least 50 conversion events before making changes
• As a general rule: Wait for 50 conversions before optimization
• Ads take up to 24 hours for review and approval
• For Total Budget campaigns, publish within 2 business days to scale correctly

 

Step-by-Step: Create a Demand Gen Campaign in Google Ads

 

Step 1: Create a New Campaign

1. Log in to your Google Ads account
2. Click the Create (+) button
3. Select Campaign
4. Enter your campaign name
5. Enable Run a product feed campaign if you’re promoting products (Optional)
6. Add conversion goals and click “Continue”

 

📌 Note: Product feed campaigns only support product ads.

 

Step 2: Choose an Advertising Goal

Select a goal that aligns with your business objective:

• Sales
• Website Traffic
• Product & Brand Consideration
• Create a campaign without a goal

 

Example: If you want users to visit your website, choose Website Traffic.

 

Then, select the relevant conversion goals.

 

Step 3: Set Up Campaign-Level Targeting

Device Targeting

 

You can target:

• Computers
• Mobile phones
• Tablets
• TV screens

 

For mobile targeting, you can refine further by: 

• Operating system
• Device model
• Network type

 

👉 Showing ads on all devices usually helps maximize reach.

 

Language & Location Targeting

 

By default:

• Language: All languages
• Location: All locations
• Targeting is set at ad-group level

 

To set targeting at the campaign level:

1. Scroll to Location and Language
2. Enable campaign-level targeting
3. Use Advanced search for radius targeting

 

⚠️ Important: Once published, you cannot switch back to ad-group-level targeting.

 

Step 4: Set Up Bidding & Budget

Your bidding strategy determines how Google spends your budget.

 

Available Bid Strategies:

• Maximize Conversion Value
• Target ROAS (TROAS)
• Maximize Conversions
• Target CPA
• Maximize Clicks

 

Budget Types:

• Daily Budget: Average spend per day
• Total Budget: Fixed spend over a date range (start & end dates required)

 

💡 Tip: If your campaign hits the budget limit quickly, increase budget to scale.
If not, optimize targeting, creatives, or bidding.

 

Step 5: Ad Group Setup

Channels: Demand Gen ads can appear on:

• YouTube
• Gmail
• Discover
• Google Display Network

 

You can:

• Choose channels manually
• Or select All Google channels (recommended)

 

Google’s automation allocates budget efficiently across channels.

 

Audience Targeting

 

You can target:

• Custom segments
• Your data segments
• Lookalike audiences
• Interests & demographics

 

You can also create a new audience at the ad-group level. Optimized Targeting is recommended for best performance.

 

When enabled:

• Google may expand demographics (age, gender, income)
• Helps improve reach and conversions

 

You can:

• Exclude specific audiences
• Restrict demographic expansion (may limit performance)

 

Step 6: Create Your Ads

Ads are created at the ad-group level.

 

Available ad formats:

• Video ads (single video)
• Image ads
• Carousel ads

 

Ad Creation Checklist:

• Add ad name
• Upload media assets
• Add up to 5 logos
• Write compelling headlines & descriptions
• Follow Ad Strength recommendations

 

Strong creatives are critical for Demand Gen success.

 

Final Thoughts: What Makes a Demand Gen Campaign Successful?

A successful Demand Gen campaign is not about quick wins or immediate conversions. Instead, it focuses on building long-term visibility, trust, and meaningful engagement with your audience. The first priority should always be creating awareness so people recognize your brand before they are ready to take action.

 

It’s equally important to give Google Ads enough data and time to learn. Allowing the campaign to reach at least 50 conversions helps the system optimize bidding and targeting more accurately. Making frequent or rushed changes can interrupt the learning phase and negatively impact performance.

 

Using all available channels and Google’s automation ensures your ads reach users across platforms like YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Display, maximizing reach and efficiency. Along with this, high-quality and engaging creatives play a crucial role in capturing attention and driving interest.

 

When executed correctly, Demand Generation builds a strong marketing foundation, fuels long-term growth, and improves the overall performance of your digital advertising campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is demand generation?

Demand generation is a marketing strategy focused on building brand awareness, interest, and trust before users are ready to convert.

What is the difference between demand generation and lead generation?

Demand generation focuses on awareness and consideration, while lead generation targets immediate conversions using forms, offers, or gated content.

How long is the learning period in Google Demand Gen campaigns?

Google recommends allowing at least 50 conversion events during the learning period before making changes to bidding or targeting.

Which channels are used in Demand Gen campaigns?

Demand Gen ads can appear on YouTube, Google Discover, Gmail, and optionally the Google Display Network.

Which bid strategy is best for Demand Generation?

Popular bid strategies include Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, Maximize Conversion Value, and Target ROAS, depending on campaign goals.