In today’s candidate-driven job market, employers need innovative tools to find and retain top talent, streamline hiring, build employee engagement and support workplace culture. Their HR departments and company leaders need the right technology to do this: your technology. But no matter how innovative your HR tech is, it can’t meet employers’ needs if they’ve never heard of it. PR helps you put your products on the radar of HR pros and business leaders.
Here are just a few reasons why PR is crucial to your HR startup:
Differentiation
HR technology is an increasingly crowded market. Today, organizations want to boost employee engagement, cultivate great company culture and even land on a “Best Places to Work” list – and they’re seeking HR tools to make it happen. This demand for innovation has yielded many HR startups, all trying to distinguish themselves from the rest.
Your prospective customers should be able to quickly evaluate your product and see how it stands out from the crowd, but it can be difficult to do this from simply a short description on your website.
How can you communicate what makes your HR solutions superior to those of your competitors? The right campaign focuses your messaging on your startup’s unique offerings. From generating third-party editorial coverage that highlights your product to running an effective social media campaign that draws attention to specific use cases and product updates, PR will enable prospective customers to better evaluate what you have to offer.
Expertise
Your customers need you to have a pulse on the HR industry. They want to partner with a forward-thinking HR startup that understands their goals and will grow with them as they evolve. They need to see your company’s leaders as spokespeople for the industry who are guiding the conversation about HR innovation, not just responding to it.
You need to get your startup into these conversations. When your customers see your name discussing the increasing relevance of technology like AI, machine learning and advanced analytics in today’s workplace, it builds the trust necessary for a strong partnership. Through thought leadership content, you connect your startup’s knowledge to your physical products, demonstrating your value to customers, prospective clients and even investors.
Reaching Your Target Audience
Just as finance professionals are likely to be found perusing The Wall Street Journal, HR experts read industry-specific publications like HR Dive, Human Resource Executive and HRO Today looking for information on the latest and greatest – whether it be predicted trends in the coming years or the latest technology to hit the market.
Even though these HR pros are immersed in industry publications, the CEOs of their organizations aren’t. When they Google your company, what will they see? Your startup can’t just be featured in niche media – you need a national presence, as well. When the HR Director of a company recommends your products to a C-level decision-maker, the executive will quickly research you to confirm your validity. If you don’t appear in a respected and widely read publication, they may be less likely to follow through on their HR Director’s recommendation.
Company leaders are looking for the credibility and validation offered by publications like Forbes, Fast Company and Business Insider. You need to bring your startup’s media presence to the national stage, ensuring you reach both industry-specific and broad business audiences.
With so many new HR technology vendors hitting the market, it’s time to stand out from the crowd, build credibility in the space and reach a wide audience. Investing in PR will help you accomplish these goals and positively impact your brand – and your bottom line.
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