HR SaaS Platform Launch Timeline

Launch Date: 8 weeks (56 days) from today
Target: 20 qualified enterprise leads
Budget: $50,000
Team: 6 people (sales & product expertise)

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Timeline Overview

Pre-Launch Phase (Days -56 to -7): Foundation, content creation, channel setup, beta testing
Launch Week (Days -7 to 0): Final preparations and coordinated launch activation
Post-Launch Phase (Days 1-30): Lead nurturing, optimization, case study development

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PRE-LAUNCH PHASE (Days -56 to -7)

Week 1-2 (Days -56 to -43): Foundation & Positioning

Critical Priority

• Define ICP: enterprise HR manager persona (company size 500-5000+ employees, pain points, decision criteria)
• Craft value proposition messaging for 3 core use cases (talent acquisition, employee engagement, compliance)
• Create messaging framework document: key benefits, proof points, competitive differentiators
• Set up tracking infrastructure: GA4, HubSpot/Salesforce CRM, LinkedIn Insight Tag, webinar platform analytics
• Define lead qualification criteria (BANT framework: budget, authority, need, timing)

High Priority

• Build enterprise landing page with social proof placeholders (case study sections ready)
• Create demo/trial signup flow with lead capture form (company size, role, use case fields)
• Set up marketing automation workflows in CRM for lead scoring and nurturing
• Begin beta customer recruitment (target 8-12 enterprise HR managers from existing network)
• Draft press release and key company announcements

Medium Priority

• Create brand asset library: logos, templates, color palette for consistent multi-channel presence
• Research and build media contact list (HR tech publications, SaaS journalists)
• Audit competitors’ positioning and launch tactics for differentiation opportunities

Dependencies: Messaging framework must complete before landing page and email content creation

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Week 3-4 (Days -42 to -29): Content Development & Beta Launch

Critical Priority

• Launch beta program with 8-12 enterprise HR customers (assign product team member as liaison)
• Create 3 hero case study drafts from beta participants (focus on ROI, time savings, compliance wins)
• Develop email nurture sequence (6 emails): welcome, problem-agitation, solution, social proof, demo CTA, urgency
• Build webinar presentation deck: problem/solution framework, product demo, live Q&A section
• Create LinkedIn ad creative: 5 variations testing pain point vs. benefit messaging (static + video)

High Priority

• Write 10 LinkedIn posts for company page and founder/exec personal accounts (thought leadership on HR trends)
• Develop sales enablement materials: one-pager, pitch deck, ROI calculator, competitive battle cards
• Create demo video (3-5 min): problem intro, platform walkthrough, results showcase
• Set up LinkedIn Campaign Manager with enterprise targeting (HR titles, company size, industries)
• Schedule beta feedback sessions (weeks 4-6) to gather testimonials and product refinements

Medium Priority

• Draft blog content (4 posts): industry trends, best practices, product vision, customer success previews
• Create gated content asset: “2025 HR Tech Buyer’s Guide” or “Enterprise HR Platform Selection Checklist”
• Design email templates matching landing page brand for campaign consistency

Dependencies: Beta program must launch before case studies and testimonials can be developed

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Week 5-6 (Days -28 to -15): Channel Activation & Asset Finalization

Critical Priority

• Finalize 3 enterprise case studies with quotes, metrics, and customer logos
• Complete landing page with beta testimonials, case study snippets, and demo video embed
• Build webinar registration page with automated reminder email sequence
• Launch LinkedIn ad campaigns (Week 5, Day -28): allocate $15k testing 5 creative variations
• Set up webinar tech stack: Zoom/Demio platform, confirmation emails, calendar invites, reminder sequence

High Priority

• Begin webinar promotion: email list (if available), LinkedIn organic posts, paid ad traffic
• Segment email list (if existing) or build cold outreach list: 500+ enterprise HR managers via LinkedIn Sales Navigator
• Train sales team on demo flow, objection handling, and qualification questions (2-hour session)
• Prepare support team: FAQs, common questions, escalation process for enterprise inquiries
• Set up Slack/Teams channel for launch day coordination and real-time monitoring

Medium Priority

• Create social proof collateral: customer logo slide, G2/Capterra review requests from beta users
• Draft LinkedIn organic content calendar for launch week (daily posts from company + exec accounts)
• Prepare launch day internal briefing document for entire team

Dependencies: Case studies must complete before final landing page and sales enablement materials

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Week 7 (Days -14 to -8): Pre-Launch QA & Partnership Outreach

Critical Priority

• Host pre-launch webinar dry run with internal team (test tech, timing, Q&A flow)
• Complete full QA of landing page: form submissions, tracking pixels, mobile responsiveness, load testing
• Conduct beta customer feedback review: identify 2-3 customers willing to participate in launch (quotes, webinar guests)
• Finalize email campaign: load into platform, test all links, schedule sends for launch week
• Review LinkedIn ad performance (first 2 weeks): pause underperforming ads, increase budget on winners

High Priority

• Reach out to 10 HR tech influencers/communities for launch partnership (LinkedIn groups, Slack communities, newsletter mentions)
• Prepare sales team scripts for inbound lead response (SLA: respond within 2 hours during launch week)
• Set up lead routing rules in CRM: enterprise size = direct to sales, SMB = nurture sequence
• Create launch day dashboard: real-time signups, ad spend, webinar registrations, email metrics

Medium Priority

• Schedule post-launch content: 4 blog posts, 15 social posts for days 1-30
• Prepare backup plans: if webinar tech fails (backup Zoom account), if landing page crashes (cached version), if ad account suspended (backup creatives)

Dependencies: Beta feedback must inform final messaging and case study refinements

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LAUNCH WEEK (Days -7 to 0)

Day -7 to -3: Final Preparations

Critical Priority

• Day -7: Send first launch email to segmented list (existing users/beta customers): “You’re invited to our official launch”
• Day -6: Publish press release on newswire (PRWeb/Business Wire) and company blog
• Day -5: Activate LinkedIn ad spend increase to $2k/day for launch week
• Day -4: Send webinar invitation email to entire list + LinkedIn ad traffic
• Day -3: Post launch announcement on LinkedIn (company page + exec personal accounts), tag beta customers

High Priority

• Pitch press release to media contact list (20 HR tech journalists) on Days -6 to -4
• Prepare internal team: all-hands briefing on launch day protocols and response procedures
• Load sales team with pre-qualified beta leads for Day 0 outreach
• Test all systems: CRM notifications, Slack alerts for new leads, demo environment stability

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Day -2 to Day 0: Launch Execution

Critical Priority

• Day -2: Send “launching tomorrow” teaser email with countdown
• Day -1: Post LinkedIn countdown content (company + execs): “24 hours until launch”
• Day 0, 6 AM ET: Official launch - landing page live, all tracking active
• Day 0, 8 AM ET: Send launch announcement email to full list: “We’re live! Book your demo”
• Day 0, 9 AM ET: Post launch announcements across all LinkedIn accounts with case study previews
• Day 0, 10 AM ET: Sales team begins outreach to warm lead list (beta referrals, webinar registrants)
• Day 0, all day: Monitor dashboard hourly, respond to all inbound leads within SLA
• Day 0, 5 PM ET: Send EOD recap to team with Day 1 metrics

High Priority

• Post launch content in 5+ HR-focused LinkedIn groups (with community manager approval)
• Monitor social mentions and engage with every comment/question on launch posts
• Activate any partner/influencer launch day posts (coordinated timing)
• Begin A/B testing landing page CTAs based on early traffic patterns

Medium Priority

• Capture screenshots/metrics for post-launch case study: signups, engagement, media coverage
• Document any launch day issues for retrospective

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POST-LAUNCH PHASE (Days 1-30)

Week 1 (Days 1-7): Momentum & Nurture

Critical Priority

• Days 1-2: Follow up with every Day 0 signup within 24 hours (personalized sales outreach)
• Day 3: Host first post-launch webinar (target: 50+ registrants from ads + email)
• Day 4: Send post-webinar follow-up email to attendees with demo booking link
• Day 7: Analyze Week 1 performance: lead volume, qualification rate, ad CAC, email engagement

High Priority

• Continue LinkedIn ad campaigns with optimizations based on Week 1 data
• Activate email nurture sequence for leads not yet qualified (drip education content)
• Sales team conducts qualification calls with all inbound leads (target: 15+ qualified by Day 7)
• Gather early user feedback for testimonials and quick-win case studies

Medium Priority

• Publish first post-launch blog post: “What we learned from our beta customers”
• Share webinar recording on landing page and via email to no-shows

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Week 2-3 (Days 8-21): Optimization & Scaling

Critical Priority

• Day 10: Review qualified lead progress toward 20-lead goal (should be at 8-10 by now)
• Day 14: Host second webinar (topic: advanced use case or customer success story)
• Day 14: Send mid-campaign check-in email to leads in nurture (re-engage cold prospects)
• Optimize LinkedIn ads: reallocate $5k from low-performing campaigns to top converters

High Priority

• Sales team pushes qualified leads toward demos and trials (target: 50% of leads move to next stage)
• Create urgency campaign: limited-time offer for early adopters (discount, extended trial, dedicated onboarding)
• Develop first full customer case study from post-launch user (publish on landing page and LinkedIn)
• Pitch 3 HR tech podcasts or webinars for founder/exec guest appearances

Medium Priority

• Analyze channel performance: email vs. LinkedIn ads vs. webinar for lead quality
• Begin building content for Month 2: customer success stories, product updates, thought leadership

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Week 4 (Days 22-30): Final Push & Retrospective

Critical Priority

• Day 28: Final push email campaign: “Last chance” messaging for early adopter benefits
• Day 30: Review total qualified leads (target: 20+), calculate CAC, assess pipeline value
• Sales team closes any remaining qualification calls and moves leads to proposal stage
• Document launch retrospective: what worked, what didn’t, lessons learned

High Priority

• Create launch success summary for internal stakeholders: metrics, wins, learnings
• Gather NPS or satisfaction scores from early customers
• Plan Month 2 campaigns based on highest-performing channels and messaging

Medium Priority

• Archive all launch assets and creative for future reference
• Celebrate team success and recognize key contributors

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Success Metrics by Phase

Pre-Launch Metrics

• Beta participation: 8-12 enterprise customers enrolled
• Asset completion: 100% of landing page, emails, ads, webinar ready by Day -7
• LinkedIn ad testing: 5 ad variations tested, top 2 identified by Week 6
• Email list quality: 500+ enterprise HR managers segmented and ready
• Sales team readiness: 100% trained on demo and qualification by Day -14

Launch Week Metrics

• First 24 hours: 40-60 landing page signups
• Email performance: 25%+ open rate, 5%+ click rate on launch announcement
• LinkedIn engagement: 2,000+ impressions, 100+ engagements on launch posts
• Webinar registrations: 50+ for first webinar (Day 3)
• Qualified lead starts: 5-8 leads qualified by Day 7

Post-Launch Metrics (30 Days)

• Primary Goal: 20+ qualified enterprise leads (MQL or SQL stage)
• Cost per qualified lead: <$2,500 ($50k budget / 20 leads)
• Demo/trial conversion: 30%+ of qualified leads book demo or start trial
• Email nurture engagement: 15%+ open rate on follow-up sequences
• LinkedIn ad ROAS: 2:1 or better (pipeline value vs. ad spend)
• Webinar attendance rate: 40%+ of registrants attend
• Sales pipeline created: $200k+ in potential contract value from 20 leads

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Budget Allocation ($50,000)

Category	Amount	Percentage
LinkedIn Ads	$25,000	50%
Webinar Platform & Promotion	$5,000	10%
Email Platform & Data (Sales Navigator)	$4,000	8%
Press Release Distribution	$2,000	4%
Design & Creative (freelance support)	$5,000	10%
Sales Enablement Tools (CRM, demo software)	$3,000	6%
Content Development (case studies, blog)	$3,000	6%
Contingency & Testing	$3,000	6%

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Risk Mitigation

Low lead volume in first week

• Contingency: Increase LinkedIn ad spend by $5k (from contingency budget), launch cold email outreach to Sales Navigator list
• Monitoring: Daily dashboard review; if Day 3 leads <10, activate backup plan

Ad account suspension or creative rejection

• Contingency: Pre-approved backup ad account, 3 alternate creative sets ready, direct outreach via LinkedIn InMail as backup channel
• Monitoring: Check ad account daily during launch week

Webinar tech failure

• Contingency: Backup Zoom account ready, pre-recorded demo version available, ability to pivot to email-only launch if needed
• Monitoring: Conduct tech rehearsal on Day -7 and Day -1

Competitor launches during same window

• Contingency: Differentiation messaging emphasizing unique value (enterprise focus, specific features), accelerate case study publication
• Monitoring: Set Google Alerts for competitor names, track their social activity weekly

Sales team overwhelmed by lead volume (positive problem)

• Contingency: Implement lead scoring to prioritize highest-fit prospects, extend response SLA for lower-priority leads, bring in additional team member for qualification
• Monitoring: Track lead response time; if >4 hours, activate backup support

Low email list quality/engagement

• Contingency: Shift budget emphasis to LinkedIn ads (proven targeting), leverage Sales Navigator for direct outreach, partner with HR communities for co-marketing
• Monitoring: If Week 1 email open rate <15%, reduce email frequency and focus on other channels

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Key Dependencies & Critical Path

1. Days -56 to -43: ICP and messaging framework (blocks all content creation)
2. Days -42 to -29: Beta program launch (blocks case study development and testimonial gathering)
3. Days -28 to -22: Case studies finalized (blocks landing page completion and sales enablement)
4. Days -21 to -14: Landing page and email campaigns complete (blocks launch execution)
5. Days -14 to -7: Webinar tech and promotion ready (blocks Day 3 webinar delivery)
6. Day -7 to Day 0: All systems tested and team briefed (blocks smooth launch execution)
7. Days 1-7: Sales team responsiveness (blocks lead qualification and pipeline building)

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Total Checklist Items: 92 tasks across 3 phases
Critical Priority Items: 38 (must complete on time to hit 20-lead goal)
Team Coordination Points: 12 (beta feedback sessions, sales training, webinars, launch day sync, weekly reviews)