The Differences Between Marketing Strategy, Tactics, And Content
Before venturing into HR software marketing strategies and tactics, you must highlight your main goals, meaning what you want to achieve through your promotional campaigns. All businesses, especially SaaS startups, must understand the difference between strategy and tactics. Your strategy refers to the overall marketing plan you’ve curated to reach your objectives. The tactics are the specific actions and activities you take to fulfill the strategy. For instance, if you want to increase website visits, optimizing your SEO and utilizing paid ads are two tactics you should implement. But is your marketing strategy the same as your content strategy? Surely not. Again, your marketing strategy is your entire plan, overseeing each activity and how it helps you reach your end goals. On the other hand, your content strategy is the steps you take to produce high-quality and engaging material to reach audiences based on the buyer personas you’ve crafted. We want you to know how to market an HR software product and which tactics you should follow to succeed in your efforts.
The Benefits Of Crafting HR Software Marketing Tactics
Thought Leadership
Smart marketers know how important high-quality content is for companies to gain credibility in the HR tech world and be seen as thought leaders in the niche. To achieve that, you need to showcase deep knowledge of common industry matters, share wise tips, offer unique and strong opinions, and highlight your expertise in the field. Such methods can transform HR tech companies as they increase brand awareness and improve audience perception. The more respected you are, the higher the probability that someone will opt to buy your HR software product. Additionally, companies with a large following will enjoy higher engagement since their target audience shares their content and comments on their social media posts.
Trust
B2B content marketing relies heavily on building trusting relationships with clients and potential buyers. Not everyone who visits your website is ready to make a purchase. Maybe they are coming to you for informative content regarding HR business tactics. Your branding is everything when it comes to gaining people’s trust, as intuitive website design and compelling blog posts and videos create a positive impression. When you stay consistent with your branding, visitors feel a sense of familiarity whenever they visit your domain. As a result, the marketing tactics for your HR software prove victorious, and customers know that you are the right choice when they are ready to buy.
Data-Driven PR
Marketing for HR software companies can be a long and laborious process. However, you can make things a little easier by implementing the concept of data-driven PR. By gathering various data from surveys and market research, you can craft targeted and successful marketing strategies and tactics. When you track down valuable KPIs, you identify mistakes and tools with great potential that help you improve your marketing results and reach larger audiences efficiently. For example, you can pinpoint the best day and time to post on your social media for increased engagement. Knowing what people want to see and hear about allows you to cater to their needs and amplify your reach.
Educate Audiences
At the epicenter of every marketing tactic for HR software lies educational and highly informative content that offers audiences the knowledge they lack. Any HR tech content agency will tell you that high-value blog posts, videos, infographics, and other types of content establish your authority in the field and provide credibility. Your content should be easy to read, though, as complicated language can drive potential buyers away. You need high retention so visitors read articles in their entirety since they are 103% more likely to convert than those who leave early. So, ensure you have experienced writers on your team or outsource your writing requirements to people with established expertise in the HR world.
Visibility
Any marketing plan for HR software aims at one thing: visibility. How easy is it for customers to spot your brand amidst the chaotic industry landscape? And how easy is it for them to recognize your brand? When your target audience is aware of your brand, they form a sense of trust and are more likely to convert. This is especially crucial for content marketing for small businesses, as they may still be struggling to reach large audiences. To achieve such a feat, you must stay consistent with your branding. Keep your website’s design clean and distinctive, and maintain a specific voice in your articles.
15 Marketing Tactics For HR Software Companies To Increase Sales
1. Create Content For The Bottom And Top Of The Funnel
At the top of the funnel, people may not be ready to make a purchase yet. Your goal should not be only to generate leads and sales but also to build brand awareness and educate your potential clients. Your marketing team should prepare content that builds thought leadership and positions you as an HR industry expert. Then, you can focus on how to sell your software to companies that are searching for a great solution. Therefore, at the bottom of the funnel, you must implement relevant keywords that most buyers use during their research. One effective tactic is to draw comparisons between your company and competitors. This allows you to shape the narrative and prevent external websites from forming incorrect perceptions about your HR tech software.
2. Utilize Paid Ads
When you fill out your marketing plan outline, make sure to be prepared to add PPC and social media ad campaigns. Both are wonderful ways to boost traffic on your website and generate leads that may convert. Your paid online marketing tactics don’t have to be enforced all year, as your ad bill may become unbearable. However, until your SEO efforts come to fruition, you can invest in paid ads that catapult you to the top of Google searches and help audiences find you on social media. Make sure you use the right keywords and audience descriptions to reach customers in the HR field. And maybe you can offer them something for free to hook them in.
3. Use Account-Based Marketing
Attracting large audiences to your website through paid ads is the first and easiest step. But how do you apply marketing tactics to attracting specific clients for your HR software? Part of your digital marketing skills should be account-based marketing (ABM), which allows you to identify valuable customers and lure them in. You may locate and connect with decision-makers on LinkedIn so they see who you are and what you offer. You may contact them directly to talk about your solution. This tactic may not be ideal for all types of companies, but it can be a great idea for those of you who want to sell HR software.
4. Enforce Chatbots
Chatbots are one of the top applications of Artificial Intelligence for businesses, as they elevate customer service thanks to their 24/7 availability. First-time visitors may have very simple and common questions that don’t require human interaction and that the algorithm can answer quickly while your employees focus on more important matters. Also, many customers don’t want to wait for hours, if not days, until a company representative answers their query. Another benefit of AI in business is that it has progressed so much that you can even train it to scan existing customers’ backgrounds and purchase histories to make personalized suggestions.
5. Build Your Social Media
While paid ads may increase reach and engagement for a while, they don’t guarantee consistent and genuine growth. Social media tactics and organic traffic help you create authentic relationships with your customer base and get to know them and their preferences. You can even team up with companies offering content marketing services to help you grow your audience by publishing interesting and engaging content. Alternatively, you may join relevant Facebook groups and other online communities to connect with people. Share as many of your blog posts as possible on social media and provide clickable links. Keep analyzing and measuring data to check which tactics work better for you.
6. Invest In Search Engine Optimization
Google receives 8.5 billion searches per day, meaning that bad SEO excludes you from making your HR software visible. You don’t necessarily have to pay to appear at the top of Google results, but instead, use your SEO abilities to craft high-ranking content. You must research extensively for relevant keywords and phrases your competition uses to rank highly in SERPs. Use them throughout your blog posts to help your website rank at the top of the page. Depending on the subject of each article, you should target people at different funnel stages. For instance, if you want to attract buyers, you should use relevant phrasing.
7. Add A Referral Or Affiliate Program
High-performing marketing teams usually enforce these programs into their B2B marketing strategies to incentivize existing customers and bring extra customers on board. Yet, referral and affiliate programs are not quite the same. With referrals, your buying customers know that for every new client they bring, they have an extra discount or free offer. On the other hand, anyone can be an affiliate, even if they have never purchased from you. With every new customer they generate, they get a small percentage of the money. On both occasions, you encourage others to enforce their own marketing tactics and promote your HR software to their audiences. Just make sure you budget for the discounts and percentages you offer.
8. Offer A Free Version Or Demo
No matter how successful or detailed your HR software advertising is, some customers may still want to try out your solution before purchasing. MarTech companies can offer a free version of their product until customers get to know your services, and then you can promote the paid version. You may offer sneak peeks at the premium abilities to make your software even more appealing. If such a marketing tactic is out of the question for you, you can arrange a free demo for interested companies so they can experience the full spectrum of your product. This is a great way to market your solution and build a generous brand image. Moreover, you may offer discounted plans for annual subscribers to show appreciation.
9. Create Videos
Visuals, especially videos, are the future of digital marketing since they are widely engaging and easy to consume. With YouTube, Instagram reels, and TikTok being so popular, videos are one of the best ways to promote software. But where should you publish your videos? Not all platforms are created equal when it comes to HR software, as your target buyers may not be active on TikTok but instead on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Based on the platform, you can promote shorter or longer videos to increase viewership and humanize your brand.
10. Curate Your Email Marketing
The most successful B2B marketing strategy examples include email marketing as an engaging tactic that reminds customers of your brand and your services. However, don’t start spamming people’s email boxes with daily messages, as your audience may start unsubscribing. You should find the perfect balance to keep your client base captivated but not annoyed at you. So, you can reach out to them when you have a product launch, a special discount or other offering, and a new webinar or podcast coming out. You can also send newsletters once a week or monthly to inform them of industry events, news, and lighthearted matters.
11. Publish Testimonials And Case Studies
No form of content is easier to produce than customer testimonials. Simply ask your clients to offer a short review or description of how your HR product helped them navigate the hardships of their company. They don’t have to go into too much detail, and they can provide images and videos showing the progress they’ve made. On the less simple side, case studies are a bit more complicated and time-consuming to produce. First, you need to introduce the client and explain what their challenges and goals were. Then, you must describe how you approached the pain points and managed to overcome them while providing detailed data to prove your claims.
12. Guesting
How can small businesses reach large audiences and grow their audience? Well, you can start appearing as a guest on niche webinars and podcasts. Their intimate and flexible nature allows people to listen to or watch you speak anytime and form a trusting relationship with you. You gain free exposure for your business, and you may repurpose the content by creating blog posts and social media posts. Speaking of blog posts, they are also a wonderful content marketing idea for guesting. Publishing content for trustworthy websites helps you establish authority and generate buzz and brand awareness.
13. Allow For Content Syndication
Content syndication is nothing new in the SaaS B2B marketing world, as it can help you generate more leads and increase website traffic. You can republish your articles, videos, infographics, and blog posts on other sources and add backlinks to your website. This is a win-win situation because you get extra exposure while the other party receives free, relevant, and high-quality content. But beware: although this is one of the most popular marketing tactics for HR software promotion, it can also be destructive for your SEO efforts since syndicated content is duplicated content. Google heavily dislikes duplicates. To solve this, you can index the syndicated material appropriately on both sites so your ranking doesn’t take a hit.
14. Promote Gated Content
One of the most popular tactics in marketing is gated content, which offers exclusive and premium services in exchange for contact details. Instead of allowing every visitor to check your eBook, you give them a sneak peek of the main talking points and ask them to submit their name and email address if they want to read the whole thing. While some marketers may doubt this method, assuming that people will get what they want and then disappear, we think it can be useful. You gain more leads to include in your email marketing strategy that may turn into buying customers along the way. If you are publishing your free eBook anyway, why not ask for something in return?
15. Go On Live Streams
When marketing HR software services through social media, you may go one step further and implement live streams. Your marketing leader should check which platforms your audience is most active on and start going live. Instead of doing every live event on your own, you may invite credible and well-known figures in the HR tech world. They can help you establish authority and speak positively about your product. During your streams, you may offer demonstrations and tutorials and conduct Q&As. Announce your live streams a few days earlier so people know when to join you.
Key Takeaway
Content marketing for B2B is essential when you want to promote and sell your software to a big company. You now know some of the most engaging and effective marketing tactics for HR software that provide visibility and brand awareness. However, if you want to become an expert in attracting the right type of customers, you have to dive deeper into customer profiling. Identifying your ideal target buyers is pivotal so you can craft compelling promotional strategies. And how about automating some of your digital marketing features? The benefits of AI in marketing are very promising, so you should analyze them and see whether they can help you.
