The Case for Middle-of-Funnel Marketing: Why MOFU Leads Beat Demo Requests

The Messy Middle in B2B Marketing

The $2,500 Question Every Marketer Faces

What would you choose: 100 demo requests or 100 mid-funnel (MOFU) leads?

At first glance, the answer feels obvious. Demo leads are hotter, closer to revenue, and often come with a clear buying signal. Even if they cost 5x more—say, $2,500 vs. $500—you'd still lean toward the demos. After all, we're all trying to make next quarter's number.

MOFU leads, on the other hand, feel squishy. They're labeled as "subscribers" or "content downloads." They take longer to convert, aren't ready for sales, and don't satisfy our craving for quick wins.

But that framing is fundamentally flawed.

The 95% Problem: Why Most B2B Marketing Misses the Mark

Here's the uncomfortable truth: only about 5% of your total addressable market (TAM) is actively in-market at any given time. That 5% is dynamic—it shifts constantly as priorities, budgets, and internal conditions evolve.

Which means the other 95%? They're not shopping for a solution right now.

If your marketing only focuses on the tip of the iceberg—demo-ready prospects—you're leaving the bulk of your future pipeline untouched. You're also fighting for attention in the noisiest, most competitive part of the funnel.

Yes, in-market leads are expensive. But if you want sustainable growth and lower CAC over time, you need to start building trust and awareness with the out-of-market majority—before they raise their hand.

The Demand Generation vs. Lead Generation False Dichotomy

Before we dive deeper, let's clear up some industry confusion that's been muddying the waters.

The Current Narrative:

• Demand Generation = "Educating prospects through ungated content and LinkedIn ads to generate demo requests"

• Lead Generation = "The evil twin that generates leads that never convert because marketers focus on leads, not revenue"

Why This Framing Is Wrong:

We often describe 'demand generation' as pure brand awareness—creating mental associations between your product and specific scenarios. But here's the reality: marketers don't actually create demand. No amount of marketing convinces someone to buy enterprise software out of thin air.

B2B products are considered purchases. Before buying, prospects must evaluate financial circumstances, IT requirements, business processes, integrations, security, and support. Marketing's real job is explaining the value proposition and how it fits into your prospect's world.

The truth? Both approaches have merit when used strategically.

Why Marketers Abandoned the Middle (And Why That's a Mistake)

The MOFU Reputation Problem

MOFU has a bad reputation—and we have ourselves to blame.

For years, marketers flooded the middle of the funnel with:

• Shallow eBooks nobody wanted

• Lifeless webinars that were thinly veiled sales pitches

• Templates that solved nothing

• Content passed directly to sales with zero nurturing

Sales teams, understandably, pushed back: "These people don't even know who we are."

Instead of fixing the approach, we overcorrected. We ditched gated content, stopped scoring leads, and declared MOFU a dead zone.

But here's the truth: the middle didn't stop working—we just stopped doing it well.

The Current "Solution" and Its Problems

Frustrated marketers pivoted to running completely ungated content via paid media, hoping prospects would eventually return as direct traffic ready to buy.

This approach has several critical flaws:

1. Attribution nightmare - Nearly impossible to connect paid media spend to sales conversations

2. Budget uncertainty - No clear understanding of required investment levels

3. Organic vs. paid confusion - Would prospects have found you anyway?

4. Marketing credit games - Stories abound of six-figure social spends with zero results

5. Unpredictable GTM motion - No repeatable system for growth

Think about it: no matter how many ads you see for a product, when the need arises, you likely start Googling. If the brand doesn't show up, you choose the next best option.

The Third-Party Intent Band-Aid

Next came the third-party intent and reverse IP lookup phase. Instead of hoping for the best, marketers began:

• Spending media dollars against specific accounts

• Tracking which companies visited their websites

• Using tools like Bombora or 6sense to flag "intent signals"

• Coupling this data with outbound sales motions

This works better and feels more predictable, but it's becoming increasingly fragile.

The Privacy Problem: Third-party intent relies heavily on cookies and data sharing. Here's how it works: when you browse an article about server security on CIO.com, an intent vendor purchases that data (cookies, device fingerprints) from the publisher, then matches it to your company through IP addresses or previously collected form data.

With GDPR, CCPA, and browsers blocking third-party cookies, this process becomes less accurate and more complex. Plus, you never know if it's the intern reading about CRMs or the CRO making the purchase decision.

The First-Party Data Advantage: Why MOFU Matters More Than Ever

Building Your Own Moat

With increasing privacy restrictions and algorithm changes across search and social platforms, having first-party data on your prospects becomes incredibly valuable. The best way to build this asset? Get prospects to take action on your own web properties.

1P Data in Action:

Imagine you sell logistics software to warehouse companies. Instead of buying a Zoominfo list (which isn't opted-in and may be inaccurate), you:

1. Launch a newsletter and webinar series featuring industry SMEs

2. Create valuable content addressing real logistics challenges

3. Gate some premium content behind simple forms

4. Build an opted-in database of engaged prospects

5. Survey subscribers, share relevant content, and announce events

6. Maintain direct communication without algorithm gatekeepers

The key insight: don't immediately pass these prospects to sales. They're not in-market today but will be in 6-12 months. Use email and content to build mental availability until they're ready.

First-Party Intent Signals

1P data also generates 1P intent signals. When an HR Manager repeatedly reads content about employee handbook creation on your website (and your product helps write handbooks), that's a qualified signal worth acting on.

The Revenue Stacking Framework: A Balanced Approach

Rather than choosing between BOFU and MOFU, successful B2B marketers need a balanced approach:

Layer 1: Capture In-Market Demand (BOFU Focus)

Start here to prove marketing impact quickly:

• High-intent keyword targeting (Google/Bing)

• Bottom-funnel content and remarketing

• Paid social for ready-to-buy prospects

• Strategic partnerships

• Everything measured on revenue and pipeline impact

Layer 2: Build Future Demand (TOFU Investment)

Run parallel programs for out-of-market prospects:

• YouTube and video content

• Social media and community building

• Brand awareness campaigns

• Content that builds mental availability

Layer 3: Nurture the Middle (MOFU Strategy)

Use MOFU to build first-party databases and intent channels:

• Valuable gated content that solves real problems

• Email nurturing sequences

• Event marketing and webinars

• Direct relationship building without middlemen

Making the Case: 100 MOFU Leads vs. 100 Demo Requests

Given this framework, let's revisit our original question.

100 demo requests give you immediate pipeline and quarterly results. They're essential for proving marketing value and hitting short-term targets.

100 MOFU leads give you:

• A growing first-party database

• Future pipeline development

• Lower long-term CAC

• Reduced dependence on algorithm changes

• Direct communication channels

• Intent signals for timing outreach

The answer isn't either/or—it's both. But if forced to choose and you already have strong BOFU performance, the 100 MOFU leads become your competitive advantage.

The Path Forward: Embracing the Messy Middle

The digital landscape is changing rapidly. Privacy regulations are tightening, third-party cookies are disappearing, and algorithms become less predictable. Companies that build strong first-party relationships will have sustainable competitive advantages.

This doesn't mean abandoning bottom-funnel tactics—those remain crucial for immediate results. But it does mean investing in the messy middle with better content, clearer intent signals, and more sophisticated nurturing.

Key Takeaways:

• Only 5% of your TAM is in-market at any time

• First-party data becomes more valuable as privacy restrictions increase

• MOFU isn't broken—it was just executed poorly

• Balance immediate results (BOFU) with future pipeline (MOFU)

• Build direct relationships to reduce platform dependency

It's time to unlearn that BOFU is all there is. The companies that master the messy middle will own the future of B2B marketing.