A structured brief for the HR Tech buying cycle. Maps the buying committee, positions against the status quo, and builds the internal business case before you spend a dollar.
One measurable outcome. Not two goals. Not "awareness and pipeline." One.
| Outcome | |
| Metric | |
| Target | |
| Timeframe |
If this campaign succeeds on this metric but fails on everything else, was it worth the investment? If no, you have the wrong metric. HR buyers are measured on risk reduction, cost-per-employee, and compliance. If your metric doesn't connect to one of those, the buying committee will stall.
Most HR Tech deals involve 4-7 stakeholders. Map the committee before you write a word of copy.
| Role | Typical title | What they care about | What makes them say no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | HR Director, VP People | Solving daily operational pain | Vendor seems like more work than the problem |
| Economic buyer | CHRO, CFO | ROI, cost-per-employee, budget justification | Can't build a business case the board approves |
| Technical evaluator | HRIS Manager, IT | Integration, data security, timeline | Doesn't integrate with existing stack |
| Blocker / Skeptic | Procurement, Legal | Compliance, terms, vendor stability | Due diligence flags they can't resolve |
Your champion for this campaign:
The business case they need to build internally:
Most campaigns target the champion and ignore everyone else. The champion gets excited, brings it to their boss, and the deal stalls because there's no material that addresses the economic buyer's concerns. Your campaign needs at least one asset designed to help the champion sell up and across.
In HR Tech, your biggest competitor is almost never another vendor. It's the spreadsheet, the manual process, or "we'll deal with it next year."
| What is the buyer doing instead of buying your product? | |
| What event would force them to stop doing it that way? | |
| Cost of doing nothing for another 12 months? |
Start with the belief you want the buyer to hold. Format: "Teams that [do X] outperform teams that [do Y] because [reason]."
Primary belief statement:
| Dimension | Message | Proof point |
|---|---|---|
| Operational (daily pain) | ||
| Strategic (what their boss cares about) | ||
| Risk (what keeps them from acting) |
What we will NOT say:
HR buyers manage systems that touch every employee. A bad vendor decision creates operational chaos. Your messaging must directly address risk, not just benefits.
| Channel | Why it reaches your buyer | Best format | Which message fits |
|---|---|---|---|
Start with one channel: Channel to skip:
| Total campaign investment | $ |
| Expected pipeline generated | $ |
| Cost per opportunity | $ |
| 60-day checkpoint metric | |
| Kill criteria |
Need more than a template?
Fractional CMO leadership for HR Tech companies.
Email: christen@cgm-marketing.com | cazimimarketing.com/contact-me