Human resources (HR) technology is one of the latest technological advancements in business. To put it simply, it is the software and hardware that serves as the HR department’s copilot, making many of the processes and tasks under HR a whole lot easier to manage, such as:
- Recruitment
- Communication
- Payroll and benefits management
- Performance tracking
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Data storage and analysis
Some known examples include Glassdoor, a website focused on recruitment and job searching, and Monday.com, a collaboration software with a focus on project management. Every HR software or hardware has its own distinctions, with each of them bringing something new to the table. Given the importance of HR in any company, the rise of HR technology is an innovation that can help both new start-ups and seasoned corporations alike with their internal processes.
The HR technology industry is growing — fast
Although HR technology is pretty new to the game, many companies have already delved deep into developing and selling HR technology to break into the industry. Established big name companies such as Microsoft and Facebook have already taken strides to get into this market; with the growth of Facebook Workplace, a collaborative software tool, and the recent unveiling of Microsoft Viva, an HR-focused Microsoft Teams feature.
There are other technology companies, whose main product did not initially target the corporate world and HR work, that have entered the scene, such as Discord, a voice and video communication tool that can also be used for data storage. And innovation is no stranger to this industry, with software such as Gather.town, a video calling space that mixes elements of video games with corporate HR work.
With these, along with the many start-ups breaking into the industry, the HR technology market is projected to grow past $10 billion in 2022, with revenues expected to exceed $80 billion in 2025. It’s clear now that HR technology is on an upward trend.
Content is still king
HR technology is booming, but given the quickly rising competition, one would definitely need to set themselves apart from the rest in this industry. On top of having to have a product that has its own distinct features and quirks, you will have to really up your marketing game. This is where content marketing comes in.
Nowadays, with the prevalence of social media usage and the digital age as a whole, all new products, services, companies, and businesses need content marketing; Over 84% of companies already have a content strategy, and this will only keep growing with 24% of marketers looking to invest even more into content marketing. This kind of marketing is particularly important if the industry you’re delving into is swiftly growing such as the HR technology industry.
With content marketing, the product itself is not enough on its own—people want to see your brand. It’s about trust, expertise, and the leading qualities of the company itself, before the product.
Content marketing is a methodical process of quality content leading to the success of an entire brand in an increasingly competitive industry:
- Blogs, videos, and social media posts create brand awareness amongst audiences, getting a glimpse of what the company does well, what they know, and what they do.
- This creates a following, gaining more and more traction and traffic from people viewing their content, including those who aren’t initially interested in their product.
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And with more people viewing their content, seeing the company as an expert in their industry, there are more people who get to see what they offer. There are more opportunities to convert more audiences into buyers.
This is exactly why content marketing is perfect for HR technology providers: if you can show companies through content marketing strategies that your product and services can work for them, they’ll be able to make better and more informed decisions for their internal processes.
Numerous successful HR technology companies have used this method of marketing, and have succeeded because of it, especially when the pandemic pushed companies to move to a work-from-home setting. Slack, one of the leading companies in HR technology, made use of content marketing to establish themselves as an entire brand. Slack is now one of the main go-to collaboration apps for companies thanks to their consistent content creation.
Notion, another leading collaboration app, also makes use of blogs and videos for their social media platforms. In addition, iCiMS, an HR technology company focused on talent acquisition and recruitment, was even awarded for its efforts in content marketing. This is all on top of them having one of the biggest market shares for applicant tracking software, and their links to other established technology companies such as Dropbox and Uber.
Content marketing is the future of marketing, and it works for hot new industries, especially ones that directly mirror its intentions such as HR technology.
Twitter engagement post by Slack
Content marketing is a tried and tested method of breaking into a fast-growing industry, and is perfect for the success of any up and coming companies getting into HR technology. It is a process of building trust and credibility, and in turn, giving a sense of leadership in any given industry. Content is integral in getting into the HR technology industry because its focus lies in how the company connects to the audience, and many have already benefited from it. Therefore, if anyone wants to get into this, it is absolutely necessary to start planning out your content marketing strategy as soon as possible.
- Written by Jack Cordero
