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Welcome to the second installment of our six-part series on building killer go-to-market strategies for recruitment tools and services. If you missed our first piece on laying the groundwork for your GTM strategy, go back and give it a read. It’s essential context for what we’re diving into today.

Now, let’s talk channels. The world of HR tech is noisy—choosing the right channels can make or break your GTM strategy. 

It’s not just about being everywhere – it’s about being exactly where your target audience is looking.

Here’s the rub: reaching talent acquisition professionals isn’t an easy task. These folks are bombarded with pitches daily. They’re skeptical, time-strapped and have seen it all. Breaking through requires more than just a good product—it demands a laser-focused channel strategy.

In this article, we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty of selecting and optimizing your GTM channels. We’ll explore everything from industry conferences to social media, and dig into how to measure what’s actually working. By the end, you’ll have a roadmap for cutting through the noise and getting your product in front of the right eyes.

Ready to turn your channel strategy from a shot in the dark to a precision strike? Let’s dive in.The

Bullseye Framework: Laser-Focused Channel Selection

In HR tech, scattershot marketing is a recipe for disaster. Enter the Bullseye Framework. It’s not just another buzzword—it’s a battle-tested approach for zeroing in on your most effective channels.

Picture a Dartboard with Three Rings

• The Outer Ring: The “What’s Possible” Zone: This is your brainstorming playground. List every conceivable channel, no matter how outlandish. PR stunts? Viral TikToks? Put them all on the table The goal of this step is to generate a massive list of potential channels.

• Middle Ring: The “What’s Probable” Zone: Time to get ruthless. Evaluate each channel based on your specific market. Which ones align with your buyer personas? Which have worked for similar HR tech products? Narrow it down to your most promising options.

• Inner Circle: The “What Works” Zone:  This is where the rubber meets the road. Run lean, mean tests on your top contenders. Track key metrics religiously—double down on winners, cut losers fast.

This isn’t a one-and-done process. The market shifts. Buyer behaviors change. Your strategy needs to evolve.

Treat your channel selection like a scientist. Form hypotheses, run experiments, analyze data, repeat. It’s the only way to stay ahead in the cutthroat HR tech space.

How to use the Bullseye Framework

• Brainstorm: List every possible channel
• Rank: Evaluate which look most promising
• Prioritize: Select top 3-5 to test
• Test: Run quick, cost-effective experiments
• Analyze: Determine what worked and what didn’t
• Focus: Double down on winners, cut losers

Building Strong Partnerships

In the crowded HR tech space, going it alone is a fool’s errand. Strategic partnerships can be your secret weapon. They extend your reach, boost your credibility, and open doors you didn’t even know existed.

Why Partnerships Matter in Talent Acquisition

Let’s cut to the chase: partnerships amplify your impact. They get you in front of the right people faster and with more authority. In a world where trust is currency, the right partner can be your golden ticket.

Types of Power Partners

• Industry Influencers and Thought Leaders: They’ve got the ear of your target audience and their endorsement is worth its weight in gold. Think Tim Sackett, Kris Dunn, or Hung Lee.

• Professional Associations: SHRM, NACE, ATD—they’re the gatekeepers. Becoming members of these associations gets you access to events, publications and member databases (the real value). They also give you a bit of an instant credibility boost.

• Niche Marketplaces: Platforms like Talivity get you access to a pre-qualified audience of HR tech buyers. It also provides opportunity for co-marketing and lead sharing, and often provide incredibly valuable content and insights.

• Complementary Tech Providers: Find other tech products that complement yours. These partnerships can help fill gaps in your offering without building it yourself. It gives you opportunities for cross-promotion and the potential for deep product integrations down the line.

Finding and Approaching Partners

• Do your homework. Know their audience, offerings, and pain points.
• Start small. Don’t lead with a massive ask.
• Focus on mutual benefit. What’s in it for them?
• Be specific. Vague proposals get ignored.
• Leverage your network. Warm intros beat cold outreach every time.

Finding Your Perfect Match

Don’t just spray and pray when it comes to partnerships. Be strategic. Do your homework on potential partners. Know their audience, offerings, and pain points inside out. Start small—don’t lead with a massive ask that’ll scare them off. Focus on mutual benefit. What’s in it for them? 

Be specific in your proposals. Vague ideas get ignored. And whenever possible, leverage your network for warm intros. Cold outreach is an uphill battle.

Squeezing Every Ounce of Value

Once you’ve landed a partner, milk it for all it’s worth (respectfully, of course). Co-create killer content like webinars or research reports. Cross-promote to each other’s audiences. If you’re partnering with another tech provider, integrate your products for a seamless user experience. Share data insights to create unique market intelligence. Remember, partnerships aren’t transactions—they’re relationships. Nurture them. Deliver value consistently. The payoff can be exponential.

A word of caution: choose wisely. The wrong partnership can damage your brand faster than you can say “toxic association.” Vet thoroughly and trust your gut. In the next section, we’ll explore how to weave these partnerships into a cohesive multi-channel strategy. Stay tuned.

Crafting a Multi-Channel Strategy

In HR tech, a single-channel approach is like fishing with one line in a vast ocean. You might get lucky, but you’re leaving a lot to chance. A multi-channel strategy casts a wider net, increasing your odds of landing big fish.

Why Go Multi-Channel?

• Reach: Different buyers hang out in different places. Be everywhere.
• Frequency: More touchpoints mean more chances to convert.
• Credibility: Omnipresence builds brand recognition and trust.
• Resilience: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify.

Creating Channel Synergy

Here’s where the magic happens. Your channels should work together, not in silos.

• Cross-pollinate content: Turn that conference presentation into a blog series. Chop up your webinar into bite-sized social posts. Expand on tweet threads in your newsletter.
• Use channels to fuel each other: Drive webinar sign-ups through LinkedIn ads. Promote your blog content at industry events. Use email to boost engagement on your social channels.
• Create a “surround sound” effect: Hit prospects with consistent messaging across multiple channels. Reinforce key value propositions at every touchpoint.

Consistency is King

Your message needs to be rock-solid across all channels. But that doesn’t mean copy-paste boring.

• Core message: Keep it consistent. Your unique value proposition shouldn’t change.
• Tone and style: Adapt to each channel’s vibe. LinkedIn isn’t Twitter.
• Call-to-action: Align it with the channel. What works on a blog might flop in an email.

Pro Tip: Create a messaging matrix. Map out your key messages and how they translate across channels.

Integration: The Secret Sauce

Data silos kill multi-channel strategies. You need a 360-degree view of your prospects.

• Invest in a robust CRM. Track every interaction across channels.
• Use marketing automation to create seamless cross-channel experiences.
• Implement strong UTM tagging. Know where your traffic and conversions are coming from.

Remember: The goal isn’t just to be everywhere. It’s to create a cohesive experience that guides prospects toward conversion, no matter where they encounter your brand.

In our next section, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of content marketing for HR tech. It’s not just about creating noise—it’s about delivering value that positions you as a trusted advisor.

Content Marketing: Your Secret Weapon in HR Tech

In the crowded HR tech space, content isn’t just king—it’s the whole kingdom. It’s how you attract, engage, and ultimately convert your target audience. But here’s the catch: everyone’s churning out content. To stand out, yours needs to be exceptional.

Why does content matter so much in our industry? It builds trust, positioning you as a thought leader rather than just another vendor. It educates prospects, helping them understand their problems and your solutions. It’s SEO gold, helping you climb those search rankings. And crucially, it nurtures leads, keeping prospects engaged throughout those notoriously long HR tech sales cycles.

Content That Resonates

In the talent acquisition space, certain types of content pack more punch:

• Thought leadership articles: Take bold stands on industry issues
• Case studies: Quantify results and address common objections
• How-to guides: Offer actionable advice that showcases your expertise
• Industry trend reports: Back predictions with solid data analysis

Creating Killer Content

Creating this kind of content isn’t easy. It requires a deep understanding of your audience, a focus on quality over quantity, and a consistent publishing schedule. You need to optimize for search, using keyword research to guide your topic selection.

Let’s be honest—not every HR tech company has the in-house resources to pull this off. That’s where partnering with content experts can be a game-changer. Our team specializes in creating high-impact content tailored for the HR tech space.

Distribution: Get Eyes on Your Content

Once you’ve created great content, the battle is only half won. Distribution is key:

• Leverage your email list—still one of the most effective channels
• Promote on social media (LinkedIn for B2B, Twitter for thought leadership)
• Use paid amplification to reach new audiences
• Tap into partner networks to expand your reach

Repurposing: Squeeze Every Ounce of Value

Here’s a pro tip that can truly set you apart: start with video. It’s the content motherlode. Host a thought leadership roundtable with industry experts. From there:

1. Turn it into a podcast episode
2. Chop it into short-form videos for social media
3. Transcribe and edit into blog posts
4. Extract key quotes for social media graphics
5. Compile insights into an industry report

Remember, your content strategy isn’t separate from your overall go-to-market strategy—it’s an integral part of it. Every piece of content should serve a purpose in moving prospects through your funnel. Get this right, and you’ll not only attract more leads, but you’ll also close deals faster.

In our next section, we’ll tackle a question that keeps many HR tech founders up at night: direct or indirect sales? The answer isn’t always straightforward, but it can make or break your go-to-market success. 

Direct vs. Indirect Sales Models

Let’s tackle the elephant in the room: direct or indirect sales? It’s a question that keeps many HR tech founders tossing and turning at night. The truth? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Direct Sales

Pros:

• Control: You’re the captain of your ship. Every interaction, every pitch, it’s all you.
• Relationship Building: You’re not just selling; you’re creating partnerships.
• Higher Margins: No middleman means more profit in your pocket.

Cons:

• Resource Intensive: It’s a hungry beast, demanding time, money, and manpower.
• Slower Scaling: Growth is often linear. More sales? You need more reps.

Indirect Sales

Pros:

• Market Reach: Tap into established networks and customer bases.
• Reduced Overhead: Less need for a massive in-house sales team.
• Faster Scaling: Multiply your efforts through partner channels.

Cons:

• Less Control: Your message and brand are in someone else’s hands.
• Smaller Margins: You’re sharing the pie with your partners.

The Hybrid ModeL

Best of Both Worlds? 

For many HR tech companies, a hybrid approach hits the sweet spot. Use direct sales for high-value, complex deals where your expertise shines. Leverage indirect channels for broader market penetration and quicker scaling.

The key? Know your product, know your market, and be ready to pivot. What works today might not work tomorrow in the fast-paced world of HR tech.

Measuring Channel Effectiveness

All this strategy means squat if you can’t measure it. Here’s how to separate the winners from the losers in your channel mix:

Key Metrics to Watch

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): How much are you spending to land each customer?
2. Conversion Rates: At each stage of your funnel, who’s moving forward and who’s dropping off?
3. Return on Investment (ROI): Are you getting bang for your buck?
4. B Are you acquiring customers who’ll stick around and grow with you?

Setting Up Tracking

• Invest in a robust CRM. It’s your command center.
• Use UTM parameters religiously. Know where every click comes from.
• Set up multi-touch attribution. The buyer’s journey isn’t linear; your tracking shouldn’t be either.

Data-Driven Optimization

• A/B test everything. Subject lines, ad copy, landing pages – leave no stone unturned.
• Look for patterns. Which channels bring in the best-fit customers?
• Be ruthless. If a channel isn’t performing, don’t be afraid to cut it loose.

Remember, data without action is just noise. Use these insights to continually refine your channel strategy.

Conclusion

Choosing the right channels isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it deal. It’s an ongoing process of testing, measuring, and optimizing. The HR tech landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, and your channel strategy needs to keep pace.

Here’s the bottom line: there’s no magic bullet. What works for one HR tech product might flop for another. Your job is to stay curious, stay nimble, and always be testing.

In our next installment, we’re diving into the nitty-gritty of pricing. It’s not just about slapping a number on your product – it’s about crafting a pricing strategy that reflects your value and resonates with your market. Stay tuned, because pricing can make or break your go-to-market success.

Key Takeaways

1. The Bullseye Framework is your roadmap for channel selection. Use it.
2. Partnerships can be rocket fuel for your GTM strategy. Choose wisely and leverage them fully.
3. Content isn’t king; it’s the whole kingdom in HR tech. Invest in creating value-packed, repurposable content.
4. Multi-channel isn’t about being everywhere; it’s about being everywhere that matters to your audience.
5. Direct vs. indirect sales isn’t an either/or. Consider a hybrid approach for maximum impact.
6. If you’re not measuring, you’re just guessing. Use data to drive your channel strategy.
7. Your channel strategy should be as dynamic as the HR tech market itself. Always be ready to adapt.

Remember, at Talivity, we live and breathe this stuff. Whether you’re looking for a sponsored content piece or outsourced marketing work, we’re your partner. Schedule a time with Matt, and let’s make some waves in the HR tech space together.