HR buyers plan to increase their budgets by 25% in 2010 for corporate social-networking tools, employee-wellness programs, management and leadership-development initiatives, performance-management systems and other training and development programs.

The positive forecast came from HRmarketer.com's latest report, "HR Buyers' Behavior: What to Expect in 2010."

The fourth annual survey is part of an ongoing "Trends in HR Marketing" report series from the marketing-software and -services company.

The report provides information on trends and best practices for marketing to the human-resource and benefits marketplace, and details the purchasing behavior of the typical HR buyer and their budgetary priorities in 2010. It also includes analysis of the research by HRmarketer. This analysis, combined with an understanding of how important content, online visibility and social media have become for HR suppliers, provides readers with a better understanding of their target market and the best marketing tools with which to reach them.

Highlights include:

• Thirty-one percent of HR professionals report their company will hire 10%-20% more staff in 2010.
• Forty-five percent of HR buyers are "somewhat optimistic" about the economy and think that business is starting to improve in 2010.
• Key "pain points" for HR in 2010 include assessments and selection, talent-management systems, coaching and mentoring, corporate social networking, I-9 compliance, employee self-service, and work-life programs.
• HR-buyer participation in social media and the consumption of social-media content such as blogs, social-networking sites, white papers, research reports, podcasts and Webcasts continues to increase.
• HR buyers turn to the Internet first when beginning their search to identify vendors for HR products/services they are interested in purchasing.
• HR buyers value industry content (e.g., white papers) and other organic online sources of information as a primary source of product/service information – more than print or online media advertising.

"In an economic year as dismal as 2009 has been, it's hopeful to hear that HR buyers are more optimistic about 2010," says Kevin W. Grossman, president of HRmarketer.com. "Having an online presence and participating in social media are more important than ever for HR suppliers, because that's where more buyers are participating."

Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents were executive management across a variety of industries, and 88% of survey respondents come from companies with annual revenues exceeding $5 million.

You can download "HR Buyers' Behavior: What to Expect in 2010" at http://hrmarketer.com/content/?p=183#more-183.