Fabtech 2023 kicks off the season with one of the earliest major tradeshows for manufacturers. This 45,000-attendee show alternates cities each year and offers B2B technology companies an early preview of what works and what doesn’t in time for their booth planning for major 1Q 2024 shows like CES and Photonics West.
5 min read
Smart Moves for Trade Shows 2023/2024
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Sep 19, 2023
Topics: Change and Innovation Trade Show Strategy Branding and Identity
4 min read
A Fractional CMO to Manage Change & Grow Your Business
By Alison Arnold on Mon, Aug 21, 2023
Most B2B technology companies have no shortage of demand but lack a robust sales and marketing presence to seize the opportunity for growth. Engineering-driven companies have a healthy skepticism about marketing and often lack the core competency internally.
Topics: Branding and Identity Manufacturing Change Management Digital Transformation Organizational Culture
6 min read
The Automation Imperative: Debunking Misconceptions in Advanced Manufacturing
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Aug 03, 2023
Automation and digital transformation are the next revolution in productivity. This is driven by a severe shortage of skilled labor and supply chain disruption is capping growth for advanced manufacturing across the sectors we serve. Automation has the potential to improve output, introduce new capabilities, improve margin, and grow revenue—but the skilled labor gap is making this change an imperative.
Topics: Business Insights Manufacturing Change Management Digital Transformation
2 min read
Managing Change in the Energy Industry
By Alison Arnold on Tue, Jun 27, 2023
Integrating renewables into energy frameworks. Outdated energy infrastructures with increasing energy demands. Ever-changing regulations and political pressures. It's no wonder people who work in the energy industry are exhausted.
Change fatigue is a real thing and it's costing your company. Organizational restructuring, new technologies, process improvements, upskilling...employees are experiencing anxiety and may show resistance borne from fear. Here are some strategies for helping employees manage change.
Topics: Change and Innovation Internal Communication Change Management Digital Transformation employee engagement Organizational Culture
5 min read
Marketing Budget Planning for 2024
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jun 16, 2023
For many, it’s budgeting season as companies work through their strategic plans for the coming year. This means something different in every B2B industrial company we surveyed:
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Strategic Planning Marketing and Sales Alignment
5 min read
Marketing KPIs for 2023: What to Expect, and How to Measure it
By Michele Nichols on Wed, May 31, 2023
What to expect in 2023? After the last two years, we are prepared for anything! There are ongoing changes to privacy regulation and management that will impact what you can measure, and what you should expect in the year to come.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy Social Media Marketing Metrics Email Marketing Strategic Planning Digital Transformation
3 min read
Effective AI and Automation Techniques in Marketing
By Mary Crowley on Wed, May 10, 2023
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation have become buzzwords in recent years, and for a valid reason. These advanced technologies are revolutionizing the way businesses approach their marketing strategies by enabling high levels of efficiency, increased personalization, and improved customer experiences. The marketing industry is now leveraging AI and Automation. We’ll explore the top 5 AI and Automation techniques that every marketer should be aware of.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Automation
3 min read
Measuring Change: KPIs for Change Management
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Apr 25, 2023
Appropriate change management and internal communications are critical to the success of your change plan, whether that’s driven by:
- Digital transformation
- M&A integration
- Reorganization or business model change
Topics: Business Insights Internal Communication Change Management Digital Transformation
1 min read
Trends for Tech Startups and the Investment Community
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Feb 09, 2023
Topics: Business Insights Strategic Planning Tech
7 min read
SPIE Photonics West DEI Roundtable
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Feb 06, 2023
Lessons Learned from Students, Candidates, Employees & Employers
Introduction:
I was proud to be asked to lead this roundtable discussion on a topic that is critical to the growing field of photonics. That in no way makes me an expert in DEI. As a business owner who works with many of the market leaders in photonics, I am simply committed to doing the work.
I’m pleased to share the highlights from our active discussion on topics including:
- What’s the state of the industry today?
- What are some actions you can take to improve diversity in photonics, whether you’re a student, candidate, employee, or employer?
Topics: Business Insights employee engagement DEI
1 min read
Market Outlook for Advanced Manufacturing
By Mary Crowley on Thu, Nov 17, 2022
Supply chain disruption, workforce shortages, market volatility, margin pressure—what else is ahead for advanced manufacturing in the US for 2023? In this video, Michele Nichols, President of Launch Team, shares growth rates, opportunities, and trends, including winning strategies on how to create a competitive advantage in light of market forces. She also covers what advanced manufacturers can expect in the coming months and years.
Topics: Business Insights Market Research Manufacturing
2 min read
Catch Launch Team at FABTECH 2022
By Michele Nichols on Wed, Nov 02, 2022
We're headed to FABTECH 2022, November 8-10 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Topics: Trade Show Strategy Manufacturing
3 min read
HubSpot's INBOUND 2022: 3 Smart Marketing Tips
By Mary Crowley on Wed, Oct 19, 2022
The HubSpot INBOUND conference is always a great opportunity for marketers to learn about the latest trends and strategies from fellow marketing professionals and leaders. This year's conference was no exception and as a HubSpot Platinum partner, we came away with new approaches to try, current best practices, and good reminders for us and our clients.
Topics: Business Insights Inbound Marketing Social Media
2 min read
1 min read
The Current State of Marketing Budgets: Our Survey Results
By Mary Crowley on Fri, Aug 12, 2022
How are your peers in the industry reacting to the market conditions this year? We recently conducted a survey on sales and marketing mid-year results and their approach to budgeting and planning for the coming year.
Topics: Business Insights Strategic Planning Marketing and Sales Alignment
3 min read
What Does Good Internal Communication Look Like in a Hybrid Environment?
By Mary Crowley on Thu, Jul 21, 2022
There is no new normal. Every company we work with is experimenting with work modes, fully back in office, remote, and hybrid work environments. A recent Accenture survey revealed that 83% of workers say a hybrid model would be optimal for them. Given the competition for top talent, high-growth organizations are enabling productivity anywhere workforce models.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Internal Communication employee engagement
5 min read
Delivering an Exceptional Omnichannel Customer Experience
By Sarah Holland on Wed, Jul 06, 2022
The pandemic forced most organizations to adapt and add additional sales, marketing, and service tactics to meet the needs of a remote world. Coming out of the pandemic, we are operating in a hybrid environment where employees and customers expect “all of the above”—all the digital, remote, and in-person options available in highly personalized combinations. The customer drives these combinations, and it is important to remember that omnichannel is customer-centric, not business-centric.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Strategy Social Media Marketing and Sales Alignment
3 min read
Rochester's Green Technology Movement
By Mary Crowley on Wed, Jun 29, 2022
New York’s Climate Act, the nation's most ambitious clean energy initiative to date, challenges industries and communities to reach 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040, 70% renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy-wide carbon neutrality.
Experts predict cleantech will increase jobs, drive the development of new technologies, and strengthen both the regional and state economies. Already, investments in cleantech have created approximately 158,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector, just in the year 2020.
Topics: Business Insights Change and Innovation USA Tech Manufacturing Transformation
4 min read
Culture and Brand Building Q&A – Webinar with AZO
By Mary Crowley on Fri, Jun 10, 2022
With workforce shortages hampering many companies’ growth and changing customer expectations, culture and brand are more important than ever. Strong brands ring true internally and externally, so you can’t effectively address brand without addressing culture.
Michele Nichols, President of Launch Team, sat down with the AZO Network to bring insights from the latest research on company culture, brand building, and creating an authentic competitive advantage. During the webinar, Michele discussed actionable ways to attract and retain employees and customers and answered audience questions. You can also watch the full recorded webinar here.
Topics: Branding and Identity Organizational Culture
2 min read
Gamification: A New Way of Engaging Employees
By Mary Crowley on Wed, Jun 01, 2022
In a world of ever-shorter attention spans and the scarcity of labor, gamification can offer a way to attract, engage, and motivate your team. Gamification uses game elements in a non-gaming context, a concept that has been helping companies to improve employee engagement and outcomes.
Topics: Change and Innovation Marketing and Sales Alignment employee engagement
3 min read
Change is Coming: The Role of Executives in Change Management
By Melissa Newcomb on Mon, Mar 14, 2022
“Change is coming”--it's a bit of a troupe. After the world-changing experience of the COVID pandemic, frequent, rapid change in business has become universal and continual. [Check out our blog on important lessons learned.] Some of the biggest changes are common across all businesses:
Topics: Marketing Strategy Internal Communication Positioning Strategic Planning Transformation Change Management Digital Transformation employee engagement
3 min read
Measuring the Value of Your Brand and Culture in B2B
By Mary Crowley on Mon, Feb 21, 2022
The organizational culture that you establish may be your most valuable asset and the key to your growth. Although culture and brand are both thought of as hard to define, measure, and manage, it’s important to understand the impact of brand equity on profit margin, customer acquisition, and customer retention. Being able to measure the value of your business culture will ultimately drive authenticity within your organization.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Internal Communication Marketing Metrics Client Relations Branding and Identity
2 min read
9 Ways to Leverage Culture to Strengthen Your Brand
By Mary Crowley on Wed, Feb 09, 2022
Is your culture a true competitive advantage? In today's market, with little opportunity for face-to-face relationship building, your business culture matters more than ever to ensure a positive customer experience and win the war for talent. Brand development based on a strong culture supports connection, growth, and sustainability within the working environment. Take a look at 9 ways you can leverage culture in your company to help strengthen your brand and promote a positive company.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Internal Communication Marketing Metrics Branding and Identity employee engagement
2 min read
2022 Photonics Trends and Themes: Photonics West Observations
By Victoria Ferroni on Mon, Feb 07, 2022
Another successful year at Photonics West is in the books! With the show being back in person again since it last was in 2020, we wanted to share some main themes that we observed after attending in person at this year's event.
Topics: Change and Innovation Trade Show Strategy
1 min read
Photonics West 2022: Catch Us Live or Remote
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Jan 20, 2022
We have missed seeing our photonics clients face to face and hope to see many of you at Photonics West January 23-27. We’ll be sharing market insights and marketing best practices and catching up with old friends. Watch for Launch Team at:
Topics: Company News Trade Show Strategy
3 min read
Empowering People and Ideas: Congratulations, Fellow ATHENA Award Finalists!
By Alison Arnold on Thu, Jan 13, 2022
We are proud to have been among all the finalists at the 2022 ATHENA awards ceremony, sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce. Many congratulations to this year's winners!
The ATHENA Organizational Award honors women leaders who demonstrate excellence in their field, create dynamic, supportive company cultures, and give back to their communities. We’re so excited to be a finalist for this award – joining the ranks of other women in Rochester who embody these values every day.
Topics: Company News
2 min read
2021 Lessons Learned in Navigating Change
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Jan 03, 2022
Here we are, entering another year where the only certainty is uncertainty. Take a deep breath and recognize all the growth you’ve achieved and the stability you’ve provided in spite of rapid change. You’re helping to build a culture of resilience and action in the face of ambiguity.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Strategy Change and Innovation Strategic Planning Digital Transformation
3 min read
Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Observations from MD&M
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Dec 20, 2021
This year’s MD&M East, an expo that spans medtech, packaging, automation, plastics, design, and quality for the largest design and manufacturing event in the East, was a low-attendance, high-quality show that formed the backdrop for interesting conversations. What’s next for medtech? What are the implications for product development, product launch, suppliers, and consumers?
4 min read
2021 Success Stories: Website Optimization, Rebranding, Inbound Content, and Social Media Ads
By Mary Crowley on Fri, Dec 17, 2021
With a year full of new challenges, the ups and downs of the Pandemic, and managing hybrid work we wanted to take a moment to share some of our client wins from this year. Dive into the 2021 success stories of our clients.
Topics: Company News Marketing Metrics Client Relations
2 min read
Change Management and Digital Transformation: Tips for Success
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Dec 06, 2021
Digital transformation today is taking place at a pace that is 20-25x faster than pre-2020. Changing at unprecedented speed comes with inherent risk, and in this case, digital transformation is largely treated by leadership and operations teams as a series of independent IT projects instead of realizing its full potential as a driver of competitive advantage.
Topics: Change and Innovation Positioning Strategic Planning Change Management Digital Transformation
5 min read
Mergers & Acquisitions: Communication Strategy for a Smooth Transition
By Alison Arnold on Mon, Dec 06, 2021
Mergers and acquisitions present challenges to even the most seasoned leadership teams. Executing a strong and organized communications plan—one that delivers the right messages to the right constituents at the right time—can help a merger or acquisition go smoothly and establish unity and profitability. Yet, despite the best-laid plans, change management is always hard and you’re sure to encounter challenges along the way.
Topics: Business Insights Internal Communication Positioning Sales Strategic Planning Marketing and Sales Alignment Change Management Digital Transformation
3 min read
CRM – Not just for Sales, How Your Executive Team Can Utilize This Tool
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Nov 24, 2021
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a place for businesses to collect data that can help increase productivity, internal communication, and training support within your sales team. It can also help to create a bridge of information for marketing to use for optimizing campaigns. But, your CRM can reach beyond these two teams, providing valuable information for many other departments at your company that can help your executive team make decisions.
Topics: Sales Strategic Planning CRM implementation
2 min read
Let's Talk about Privacy
By Mary Crowley on Wed, Nov 17, 2021
The online world can be a scary place, and more and more companies are cracking down on privacy protections for users. However, with those rollouts of changes happening, it ultimately will affect the marketers, advertisers, and web developers on the other side. So, what exactly is happening and how might it affect you?
Topics: Business Insights Change and Innovation
4 min read
Launch Retreat 2021: How We Improve For Our Partners
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Oct 08, 2021
After a year of off-site and hybrid accommodations, we've all come to miss each others' faces. And as we approach 2022 and reflect on the changes these past years have brought to our clients and industries, our team took the chance to bring everyone back together in person and organize an insightful retreat on the shore of Canandaigua Lake. This team-building experience gave us the opportunity to reflect on market trends, growth, and how we can best support and improve on our external and internal communications.
Topics: Company News
3 min read
Best Practices for Tradeshows in Today’s Environment: A look at FABTECH
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Oct 01, 2021
Tradeshows are back, but the best in class aren't back to 'business as usual'--conference organizers and exhibitors are rethinking tradeshow goals and approach post-pandemic. FABTECH was one of the first big industrial conferences to return. What was it like? Who did it well? In-person attendance, by casual observation, felt slightly lighter, but exhibitors were pleased with the booth traffic and quality of leads. FABTECH organizers were committed to a safe, inclusive experience, with hybrid streaming content and pre-recorded educational sessions. As much of the show is capital equipment, exhibitors were faced with a costly decision: live equipment demo or video?
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
2 min read
We're Back: Meet Launch Team at FABTECH 2021
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Sep 09, 2021
After last year's cancellation, FABTECH 2021 is back live and coming at full speed on September 13-16 in Chicago, Illinois! A lot has happened since FABTECH 2019 — from a dramatic shift to an all-remote environment for over a year, to now a period of re-opening and navigating hybrid workforces and employee engagement. One thing is for sure, we are happy to be back and present at live events.
Topics: Trade Show Strategy Manufacturing
2 min read
Getting More From Your People in a Hybrid or Remote Workforce
By Sarah Holland on Tue, Aug 31, 2021
Employee engagement is important all the time, but we are in a period where its importance has
become paramount. COVID-driven location dispersion, general anxiety, and employee dissatisfaction have made engagement even more challenging. 77% of US employees are currently reporting burnout and 52% of employees intend to look for a new job. In addition, nearly two-thirds of US-based employees that McKinsey surveyed said that COVID-19 has caused them to reflect on their purpose in life. And nearly half said that they are reconsidering the kind of work they do because of the pandemic.
Topics: Internal Communication employee engagement
4 min read
5 Shifts in Customer Behavior That Are Driving Organizational Change
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Aug 19, 2021
With the dramatic shift to an all-remote environment for over a year, and now a period of re-opening, Launch Team President, Michele Nichols, and Red Argyle CGO, Ron Wille, catch up on changing customer behaviors and the future of sales and marketing.
Topics: Change and Innovation Client Relations Transformation
3 min read
When Should You Outsource? How to Identify Core Competencies
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Aug 02, 2021
In a high-growth economy and tight labor market, understanding your company’s core competencies can help you quickly and effectively seize opportunities and improve financial performance. These are the foundation for:
Topics: Positioning Strategic Planning
3 min read
Clear is Kind: The Role of Dashboards and Reporting in Leading Change
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Jul 01, 2021
Organizations in every industry are undergoing change initiatives, whether market-driven, customer-driven, or operational. To succeed, you’ll need employee engagement and support for well-defined, measurable goals. That’s where dashboards come in.
Topics: Marketing Strategy
2 min read
Building Employee Engagement Through a Period of Change or Growth
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Jun 21, 2021
Employee engagement has been top of mind for business leaders for years and has only grown in importance after a year of most workers operating remotely. The topic made headlines with the WeWork CEO’s controversial comments recently at the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival, stating that more engaged employees want to come back to the office. “Those who are least engaged are very comfortable working from home,” Sandeep Mathrani said. The debate about his comments shows how strongly many feel about the concept of engagement.
Topics: Internal Communication Transformation employee engagement
6 min read
Launch Marketing and Sales Tech Series Recap
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Jun 09, 2021
Utilizing all of the resources in your existing toolset is imperative for your company’s day-to-day success and growth. In the Lunch and Learn, Maximizing Your Toolset Series, Launch Team’s Account Manager Alex Ormond talks about how you can align your team and processes in a remote work environment. Alex walks through the best ways to get the most out of your existing toolset while arming you with actionable next steps to apply these best practices.
Topics: Marketing and Sales Alignment Tech Marketing Automation
3 min read
Market Outlook: How to Maximize Results this Year and Prepare for 2022
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Jun 01, 2021
What’s next for the markets your technologies serve? It’s hard to get a clear read. There’s a dichotomy right now that is challenging for C-level leadership to interpret and declare a clear direction. With a broad perspective on markets like biotech, biopharma, diagnostics, instrumentation, medical device, aerospace, manufacturing, and industrial, we notice:
Topics: Business Insights Strategic Planning
3 min read
Organizational Change in M&A: Coffee, Culture, and Communication
By Michele Nichols on Fri, May 21, 2021
Years ago, we worked with an entrepreneur to help him prepare his company for an exit. He did all the right things: built and developed a talented team, grew his bench of successors, and partnered with us early to build a scalable sales and marketing competency that increased his valuation. He anticipated that it would take three years to complete a successful transaction. Instead, it was done in just 18 months.
Topics: Internal Communication Change Management
3 min read
Replacing Trade Show Leads
By Alex Ormond on Wed, May 19, 2021
In the medical device, optics and photonics, consumer electronics, and many other industries, a single first-quarter trade show can generate a significant portion of the year’s leads. Well, 1Q 2021 has come and gone, and many are finding that the virtual events have not been a sufficient replacement.
Topics: Lead Generation Trade Show Strategy
8 min read
Digital Transformation: A Discussion with President Michele Nichols and Red Argyle CGO Ron Wille
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Apr 29, 2021
Michele Nichols, President of Launch Team, and Ron Wille, Chief Growth Officer for Red Argyle, which specializes in Salesforce development, consulting and administration, sit down to trade stories and best practices in digital transformation. Let's listen in.
Topics: Digital Transformation
3 min read
Leveraging Existing Technology to Enhance Virtual Events
By Alex Ormond on Thu, Apr 29, 2021
Although many people are waiting to get back to the real trade show floor, virtual events are here for a while longer. In fact, many shows may even maintain hybrid or virtual formats even after floors open back up given the significant cost difference. However, we are repeatedly hearing about the difficulty associated with virtual events. Common challenges include:
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
1 min read
Change Management Expansion
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Apr 23, 2021
We know that change is good, that's why we are expanding our change management support! Like you, we recognize how critical this is to the success of your organization's initiatives. In the companies we work with, the pace of change, employee fatigue, and the need for our support has grown over the last year. We are proud to announce that we are expanding:
Topics: Internal Communication Change Management Digital Transformation employee engagement
1 min read
Embracing Digital Marketing for Engineering-Based Companies
By Alex Ormond on Fri, Apr 23, 2021
Michele Nichols, President of Launch Team, joined the AZO Network podcast to discuss current engineering marketing trends and challenges, as the industry makes shifts to virtual event marketing and adapts to digital transformation.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Digital Transformation
4 min read
3 Things to Consider When Creating Personalized Marketing Messages
By Alex Ormond on Mon, Apr 12, 2021
Personalized marketing messages add value. According to McKinsey, marketing’s holy grail is digital personalization at scale because “personalization can reduce acquisition costs by as much as 50%, lift revenues by 5-15%, and increase the efficiency of marketing spend by 10-30%.”
Topics: Marketing Strategy Marketing Metrics Email Marketing
4 min read
Increase CRM Usage & Sales Team Motivation with Sales Gamification
By Alex Ormond on Fri, Apr 09, 2021
Gamification has some proven benefits to increasing customer engagement, but what can it do for your sales team? In many industries, risk aversion and market volatility mean slower sales cycles, lack of clarity on how to sell in a changing environment, and general sales malaise. Adding an element of fun and competition might be the answer to jumpstarting your sales team’s activities and helping them hit sales quotas.
Topics: Sales CRM implementation
2 min read
Celebrating Our 35th Anniversary
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Apr 01, 2021
Michele Nichols, President of Launch Team, reflects on the company's growth and success on its 35th Anniversary while looking forward to future achievements.
Topics: Company News
2 min read
2021 Product Launches: 5 Tactics That Can Replace Trade Shows
By Cameryn Bugman on Wed, Mar 03, 2021
With so many product launch timelines tied to trade shows, it’s a good time to step back and consider how to add an element of excitement, unveiling, and engagement without a live event.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Trade Show Strategy Product Launch
4 min read
Virtual Tradeshow Recommendations: Photonics West is virtual…now what?
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Jan 26, 2021
Whether planned or a last-minute call, the vast majority of 2021 tradeshows will be virtual events. With a variety of offerings, platforms, and formats, it’s hard to know if this is a good investment or if you’re better off diverting the funds to your own marketing and events. Here, we break down one event, Photonics West, but our recommendations and ideas may be worth considering regardless of event or industry.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Change and Innovation Trade Show Strategy
3 min read
Leadership’s Commitment to Simplicity: A Priority for 2021
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Jan 18, 2021
I hope you have taken the time to recognize and reflect with pride on what you accomplished last year. The team you built showed resilience and grit in adapting to challenging circumstances. The hard news: your team members are now in danger of burnout. As leaders, it is our job to provide the structure and tools to help them prioritize and focus on the year ahead.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Change and Innovation Internal Communication Change Management
4 min read
Venture Capital Trends and Critical Success Factors in Tech, Photonics and Advanced Manufacturing
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jan 15, 2021
Traditional thinking dictates that a venture capitalist’s first step after investment is to strip out overhead cost and create efficiencies. But in recent years, we’ve noticed a shift in the conversation - new leadership is now focused on leveraging and positioning the existing brand. We are working with investors and CEOs to:
Topics: Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy
2 min read
2020 Standout Successes: Product Launch and Brand Transition
By Alison Arnold on Wed, Jan 06, 2021
Welcome to 2021! We’re rested, recharged, and ready for a fresh start. While last year didn’t go quite as planned, as we look back, by and large, clients we work with met or outperformed their targets. We can’t help but notice some standout successes. Let’s take a closer look at how some of our clients managed to thrive despite less-than-ideal conditions.
Topics: Lead Generation Product Launch Strategic Planning
3 min read
3 Ways to Approach 2021 Strategic Planning
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Dec 15, 2020
Well, 2020 didn’t go quite as planned. Even for those in essential businesses with products and services in high demand, some basic assumptions changed. WHAT you do may be a constant, but consider if the HOW, WHO, WHERE and WHY are now new variables.
Topics: Strategic Planning Transformation
2 min read
Hubspot Inbound 2020: A C-Level Perspective
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Nov 20, 2020
HubSpot, while quietly rolling out beta functionality all year, saves the big announcements for its annual Inbound conference. Even with the shift to virtual, there were over 250 sessions from global thought-leaders and big-name speakers, insightful case studies, and an awful lot of rah rah to help your marketing team embrace an inbound strategy. Whether you use HubSpot’s CRM, Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, or the full HubSpot growth suite, here’s a summary of the product updates:
Topics: HubSpot
2 min read
Launch Team, Inc. Now a Platinum HubSpot Partner
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Nov 03, 2020
Launch Team, Inc. is now a Platinum Tier HubSpot partner! Since the early days of HubSpot, we have been helping customers in advanced B2B technical industries get their marketing and sales teams aligned, and streamline their inbound marketing processes through HubSpot integrations.
Topics: Company News HubSpot
1 min read
Pro Bono Opportunity for Local Non-Profits
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Oct 13, 2020
Rochester, N.Y. (October 13, 2020) – Launch Team Inc., a Rochester-based marketing firm, is offering pro bono digital marketing services to local mission-driven non-profit organizations.
Topics: Company News
6 min read
FABTECH Canceled: Advanced Manufacturing Market Outlook 2020
By Nate Fuller on Mon, Aug 31, 2020
It's hard to imagine that we will be missing FABTECH 2020 this year, among many other cancelled trade shows. Last year, leading up to FABTECH 2019, we covered the market drivers, upcoming trends, and widespread changes in the advanced manufacturing markets. This year, despite the cancellation, sales and market growth continues.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Trade Show Strategy Tariff Manufacturing
3 min read
Moving Forward: Fall 2020 Update
By Michele Nichols on Wed, Aug 26, 2020
For a company who hires for ability to deal with ambiguity, 2020 has really put us to the test. I am incredibly grateful to work with clients and colleagues who put people first and move forward despite such unusual times.
Topics: Business Insights Company News Strategic Planning
4 min read
Resetting Your 2020 Priorities in B2B Markets
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Aug 03, 2020
Now that we’ve entered the second half of a challenging and unpredictable year, it’s time to re-look at 2020 goals, and begin the planning and budget cycles for 2021. But how? Maybe it’s the unknowns, maybe it’s concern for the impact goals can have on your team’s morale and motivation—this feels particularly hard this time.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Change and Innovation Product Launch Strategic Planning
5 min read
Increase CRM Efficiency: Fix These 5 Mistakes
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Jul 22, 2020
Whether you’ve been storing data in a CRM for years or your brand new to the tool, there are common challenges companies face that make their tool less effective. These challenges can impact your team’s efficiency, as well as your bottom line.
Topics: Sales HubSpot CRM implementation Salesforce Tech
4 min read
5 Ways to Get Smart With Your Marketing in 2021
By Sarah Holland on Tue, Jun 23, 2020
According to McKinsey, marketing’s holy grail is digital personalization at scale because “personalization can reduce acquisition costs by as much as 50%, lift revenues by 5-15%, and increase the efficiency of marketing spend by 10-30%.”
Topics: Business Insights Inbound Marketing Marketing Mix Email Marketing Digital Advertising
5 min read
Deconstructing the Marketing Tech Stack: What’s Critical & What’s Not
By Alex Ormond on Fri, May 22, 2020
Can your company relate to one or many of these scenarios? If so, read on!
- We have a tool, but no one uses it.
- We have tools that seem to be working, but no measurement of ROI.
- We have 5 tools, but I think we could consolidate.
- We want to do more, but we haven’t committed to spending the money on a tool to help.
Topics: Email Marketing Marketing and Sales Alignment CRM implementation Tech Digital Advertising Marketing Automation
4 min read
Pandemics and Product Launches: How to Effectively Go to Market in a Changing World
By Aimee Schenck on Fri, May 08, 2020
Effective product launches and rebrands are thoroughly planned out according to specific timelines – the best time to announce the name, events with the biggest audiences, tactics that get the most traffic. It's rare that product launch planning has a contingency plan for a global pandemic.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Product Launch Positioning Branding and Identity
3 min read
Innovation in Medical Device Manufacturing: AR/VR
By Alison Arnold on Wed, Apr 22, 2020
As augmented reality and virtual reality tools continue to edge into health care, it’s easy to see the advantages. Color overlays and 3D renderings help surgeons make more informed decisions during a sensitive operation. Medical students practice procedures in a safe, immersive setting. An ultrasound technician conducts a hands-free examination at the patient’s bedside with a lightweight, portable display. In the end, digital realities such as these are aimed at improving patient outcomes. AR and VR will become more commonplace in the health care industry and it’s up to the medical device manufacturers to help push innovations into this sector.
Topics: Business Insights Medical Device Tech
3 min read
3 Tips That Will Make or Break Your Marketing Technology Implementation
By Alex Ormond on Mon, Apr 13, 2020
As marketing experts and Marketing Automation (MA) consultants, we’ve noticed a vicious cycle that many companies fall into with their software toolset: companies buy a tool, hate it, and purge, buy a tool, hate it, and purge, buy a tool, hate it, and purge, and continue to wonder why there aren’t technology options available for their needs. This is obviously bad for efficiency, but what about the unnecessary costs? For example, the average cost of a full-scale Salesforce implementation can run an organization anywhere between $5,000 and $100,000! And for companies shopping for their first marketing automation (or marketing drip) platform, we continue to hear that all the options and the work involved in planning for a successful implementation is extremely overwhelming.
Topics: Tech Marketing Automation Digital Transformation
2 min read
COVID-19: Resources For Small & Medium Sized Businesses
By Sarah Holland on Fri, Apr 03, 2020
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), is a $2.2 trillion package to address the coronavirus crisis. There are many programs available to help small and medium sized businesses (SMB) adjust and survive during this time. The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship has put together a guide to the CARES act, which you can download here. Some of the resources available for small businesses include:
Topics: Strategic Planning
2 min read
Internal Communications: What Your Team Needs Right Now
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Mar 20, 2020
In the best of times, employees report “better communications” as their top suggestion for improvement on nearly every leader’s 360° survey. It has become a trope…and the scourge of every leader.
Topics: Change Management
4 min read
Extended Reality: An Overview of Augmented, Virtual, & Mixed Reality
By Matthew O'Donnell on Fri, Mar 13, 2020
Extended reality is the umbrella term for all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology. Over the last 20 years, augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies have seen mass adoption for consumer use due to new innovations in the semiconductor and photonics industries. While these extended reality (XR) technologies are heavily implemented in a creative economy, it’s predicted that ER technology will spread into more diverse industries with extensive near-term growth potential. As worldwide spending on XR products and services is predicted to be $18.8 billion in 2020, it is useful to understand this complicated market to better position your brand in the market.
Topics: Business Insights Positioning Tech
4 min read
Photonics Market Outlook: What's to Come in 2020
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Mar 06, 2020
This February, I was honored to present at SPIE Photonics West with other photonics industry experts. With business development (BD) and marketing tied up on the exhibition floor, sessions like our AR/VR Market Outlook, Photonics Outlook, and LFW’s Laser Marketplace, tended to attract C-level thinkers. Their strategies, experiences, and questions revealed some trends:
Topics: Optics Business Insights Strategic Planning Tariff China USA Manufacturing
4 min read
Some of Our Favorite Booths at Photonics West 2020
By Nate Fuller on Tue, Feb 11, 2020
Another year at Photonics West, the leading event for photonics and laser companies, is in the books! With over 5,000 presentations and 1,300 exhibiting companies, the consensus so far is that traffic was down and quality was up. After months preparing client booths, websites, collateral pieces, and campaigns, we're excited to share a few favorites!
Topics: Optics Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy Trade Show Strategy
3 min read
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): What Your Business Needs
By Jordan Gipson on Tue, Jan 21, 2020
The CCPA was created with the goal of enhancing the privacy rights of California residents. Going into effect on January 2020, the CCPA requires businesses to take several steps to be compliant. The law is comparable to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) but takes certain measures even further, like having a broader definition of what constitutes private data.
Topics: Business Insights Lead Generation Change and Innovation Client Relations Sales Tech Digital Advertising
2 min read
20 Sales Stats to Boost Your 2020 Sales Game
By Nate Fuller on Mon, Dec 23, 2019
In our planning and strategy sessions we always center the conversation around data-driven decision making. So, we decided to dig up 20 sales stats to help you build your sales plan in 2020. Want to talk to an expert about hitting your sales goals in the new year? Contact us for a free consultation.
Topics: Sales Strategic Planning Marketing and Sales Alignment
5 min read
Networking and Trade Show Tips For Introverts and Engineers
By Nate Fuller on Mon, Nov 04, 2019
Sandy Sloane | Solutions by Sloane
For this post we talked with Sandy Sloane, the President of Solutions by Sloane. Her business serves as an extension of her clients’ existing internal training, employee engagement, special events, and public relations teams, complementing and enhancing what they are already doing or what they simply don’t have time to do. Sandy works closely with Nextcorps Luminate, a 6-month intensive accelerator program located in Rochester, NY, the imaging capital of the world.
Topics: Business Insights Lead Generation Trade Show Strategy Beer & Blog (interviews)
3 min read
Manufacturing Market Update: Gearing Up for FABTECH 2019
By Nate Fuller on Tue, Oct 15, 2019
As we gear up for FABTECH 2019, we'd like to take a step back and look at the market drivers, upcoming trends, and widespread changes in the advanced manufacturing market. Our experience last year told us that we would see growth in additive manufacturing, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI). The jury is still out on the numbers for specific growth in these areas, but we have certainly seen some market indicators over the past twelve months.
Topics: Tariff Manufacturing
4 min read
The Next Gen Salesperson: How to Master the Demo
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Oct 11, 2019
The New Sales Process & The End of the Test Drive
Sales, at its worst, is exemplified by the stereotypical used car sales process. The high pressure, lack of pricing transparency, the awkward test drive, peering under the hood pretending you know what you’re looking for, and the hand-offs from department to department... it’s a game no one seems to enjoy.
Topics: Sales Marketing and Sales Alignment
4 min read
4 Ways to Make Your Chatbot More Than Just a Pop-Up
By Aimee Schenck on Wed, Sep 25, 2019
Chatbots and live chat technologies are transforming the customer service model and sales processes. Slowly but surely, chat systems have gone from the pesky little pop-up that interrupts your browsing experience (okay, there are still a lot of those ones) to the fast, 24-hour support we expect from brands in today’s digital world. By 2020, it’s expected that 80% of businesses will be using chatbots, and recent stats show that consumers support the move toward AI (artificial intelligence):
Topics: SEO HubSpot Marketing Automation
5 min read
How to Maximize Efficiency of a Small Sales Team | 7 Tips
By Nate Fuller on Sat, Aug 24, 2019
Whether you’re a startup working through a product launch, or a large enterprise operating a small division, there will probably come a point where find yourself in the catch 22 of business growth: You need more accounts to fund a sales team, but you need more sales from your current team to get there. It’s through these growing pains that efficiency is paramount in your sales process. We’ve been helping companies overcome challenges like this for over 30 years, and we’ve got some tips to share from this experience.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Internal Communication Sales
5 min read
Why Choose SharpSpring as Your Marketing Automation Platform?
By Alex Ormond on Fri, Aug 16, 2019
In a vast sea of marketing automation (MA) platforms, it’s hard to pick the right tool – let alone fully understand what you’re even getting from your tool. And let’s be honest, every tool has email marketing and at the right paid level some type of automation, so what else should you be looking for when evaluating MA platforms? While our team is platform agnostic and works in powerful tools like HubSpot, Pardot, and Marketing Cloud, this blog post will dig into a few key features SharpSpring has to offer and why we feel they are valuable!
Topics: CRM implementation Tech Marketing Automation
5 min read
2019 Second Half Outlook for the Photonics & Manufacturing Markets
By Mike Holihan on Fri, Aug 09, 2019
With more than half of 2019 behind us, we wanted to take pause and perform a status check on the markets we serve. It's important to understand the state of the market before we begin to plan for 2020 internally and for our clients. Here's a summary at a glance.
Topics: Business Insights
6 min read
Introductory Guide to Using Google Ads in HubSpot
By Nate Fuller on Mon, Aug 05, 2019
This year HubSpot improved the Google Ads integration by allowing users to upload contact lists for targeting, monitor the performance of ads, see improved reporting, and edit various ad settings, all directly in the HubSpot user interface. With this new level of integration comes a whole new level of questions about setting it up and making it run smoothly. See below for a basic overview of getting started or send us an email with questions. We’re always happy to help.
Not sure if you should be using Google Ads at your company? Check out our other post, Is Google Ads the right fit for your B2B Marketing Plan?
Topics: HubSpot Tech Digital Advertising
5 min read
Product Launch Guide & Communication Plan
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Jul 25, 2019
Product Launches with a Bang, not a Trickle
There are a lot of moving pieces to an effective product launch. Whether you're new to it or a veteran of product launch planning, there are a lot of moving pieces and business ramifications. As the launch date approaches, the activity increases, making it easy to overlook something or cut corners. Keeping track of who is responsible for what and when it must be done challenges even the most organized professionals. Many business leaders find it is in their best interest to seek external support to help organize and execute key activities.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Internal Communication Product Launch
3 min read
Creating a Marketing Model for Sustainable Growth | Webinar Recap
By Matthew O'Donnell on Wed, Jul 03, 2019
Developing a marketing plan that sustains steady, consistent growth is imperative for your organization's success. Building a strategy that yields double digit revenue growth every year requires putting the customer first, and building around their specific needs. In the webinar Marketing and Sales Models for Sustainable Growth, Launch Team’s President Michele Nichols talks about how a company can achieve this goal by focusing on the customer first, with a data driven, educational mindset at the core of their marketing efforts. Michele also touches upon how customer behavior is changing and how companies should be adapting to support them.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Marketing and Sales Alignment
2 min read
Launch Team is Expanding: New People in a New Place
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jun 28, 2019
Launch Team has recently expanded our team with two new valuable members to better serve our growing customer base and services. Additionally, to account for our new growth, we will be moving to a new location just down the road from our current location. Meet our new team members and our new home below!
Topics: Company News
3 min read
Defining Your Marketing Mix and Spend Based on Your Company’s Growth Stage | Webinar Recap
By Matthew O'Donnell on Tue, Jun 25, 2019
Whether you are in a start-up or second stage growth, taking your current size into consideration is important in evaluating and prioritizing marketing tactics and spend. In a recent webinar, Launch Team’s President Michele Nichols discussed the many approaches to developing your marketing mix and how companies in the technology space can help find leads and connect with potential customers. She also elaborated on:
- Specific types of tactics that are working for customers
- How to identify what tactics are advantageous and what are outdated.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy Marketing Metrics
4 min read
Applying the 80/20 Strategy in Advanced Manufacturing
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Jun 13, 2019
Topics: Marketing Strategy Manufacturing
3 min read
Salesforce Summer ’19: A Little Guide to the Big Updates
By Meghan Maloney on Fri, Jun 07, 2019
By now, you know that Salesforce is gearing up for its Summer ’19 release, which will arrive in North American orgs on June 15. As usual, the release notes for this update are very long, but they do include a number of exciting new features to explore. If you get a chance, we encourage you to go read them in full—but for those of you who simply don’t have time, we’re providing some especially notable highlights here.
Topics: Sales
10 min read
Guest Post: What is Affected by USTR and Chinese Tariffs, and How to Avoid Unnecessary Costs
By Casey Holder on Thu, May 30, 2019
The following blog post is a client alert created by Mike Snarr, a Partner, and Casey Holder, an Associate, at Baker & Hostetler LLP. You can find the original posting here, and you can contact Mike or contact Casey with any regulatory concerns or questions. It is recommended that you view the following primers prior to reading this article:
Topics: Tariff China Import USA
9 min read
Breaking News: Critical Salesforce Issue for Current or Formerly Connected Pardot Organizations
By Meghan Maloney on Fri, May 17, 2019
FIX ISSUED: Update as of 12:00pm EST, 5/21/2019:
Salesforce is now stating that a fix has been implemented and the incident is being declared over for users outside of NA53, 57 and 59. Anyone still experiencing issues should submit a support ticket if there are any left-over permission issues discovered.
Topics: Sales
5 min read
Tariffs and Other Troubles: How to Craft a Response Strategy for Tough News
By Meghan Maloney on Wed, May 15, 2019
Talk of a full-scale trade war between the US and China may sound dramatic, but the latest tariff applied to Chinese goods will have a major impact on the costs of materials coming to the US. The full list of affected goods, available here, includes fresh food and dry goods, consumer goods like hats and handbags, as well as a large list of manufacturing materials such as glass, aluminum, gold, electrical parts, and machinery.
Topics: Company News Internal Communication Strategic Planning Tariff
4 min read
CRMs and ITAR Compliance: Which Software Do I Choose?
By Meghan Maloney on Sat, May 11, 2019
Several of today's popular CRMs offer a variety of services all within the cloud. Cloud computing can do wonders for efficiency, allowing for more data storage, faster data retrieval, and ultimately higher satisfaction for end users and customers. But, with more companies across all industries moving sensitive information into the cloud, data security is becoming a greater concern.
Topics: CRM implementation ITAR Compliance
4 min read
The Next Gen Salesperson: What to Expect in B2B Complex Sales
By Michele Nichols on Wed, May 01, 2019
Imagine a salesperson—what comes to mind? We all likely picture the cliché car salesman who is pushy, "all-knowing", always closing, and solely commission driven. We may even suspect that this is appropriate behavior for a salesperson. Now consider the last time you purchased a car. How much research did you do before interacting with sales? What did you want from that salesperson? Did you care most about the expertise to answer your questions or the willingness to move at your pace?
Although expertise is necessary for a salesperson's success, the strongest next gen salespeople understand where the customer is in the buyer's journey and how to help them continue on that journey. Customers have changed and it is important that your organization keeps up with new buyer needs—whether that means engaging the help of a sales consultant, integrating new sales technologies, or revamping the sales process all together.
Topics: Sales Marketing and Sales Alignment
4 min read
5 Tips for Better Business Meetings
By Aimee Schenck on Mon, Apr 08, 2019
Whether virtual or in person, we’re spending our work lives in meetings that aren’t working. Research shows that 67% of meetings are ‘failures’, and have lost their primary reason–getting things done.
Where have our meetings gone wrong? Over time, the amount of time spent in meetings and number of meetings held has increased significantly. Daily, upwards of 11 million meetings are held in American businesses, averaging a time frame of 31-60 minutes. These longer meetings have led to a 10% increase in the time employees spend in meetings since 2000.
Topics: Business Insights Internal Communication Branding and Identity Strategic Planning
6 min read
6 Annoying Tactics to Avoid When Creating Your Marketing Plan
By Nate Fuller on Fri, Mar 29, 2019
It's safe to say that in 2019 we are exposed to thousands of ads per day. Because of this, many Americans implement an ad blocker into their browser, causing an estimated $9.1 billion in missed revenue in 2019 alone. Getting inundated with intrusive advertisements is bad enough for consumer trust and attention, but when you add on annoying marketing tactics, it's clear why 72% of people dislike online popup ads, and 43% dislike native ads.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Metrics SEO
4 min read
Reviewing Q1: What Metrics Matter to Your Marketing Plan?
By Aimee Schenck on Mon, Mar 18, 2019
You kicked off 2019 with a well-developed and detailed marketing plan, but now that Q1 is over and revenue numbers are in, it's time to take a look at performance. Your first quarter marketing metrics are essential to answering the questions that will help you have a successful Q2. Key questions to ask include:
Topics: Marketing Metrics Strategic Planning
4 min read
It’s Time: Switch to Salesforce Lightning or Get Caught in the Storm
By Meghan Maloney on Thu, Feb 28, 2019
Follow our 3-step process to make the switch to salesforce lightning.
Topics: Sales CRM implementation
2 min read
Launch Team's 2019 Commitments
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Jan 24, 2019
Here’s a few of our long-standing commitments, and what’s new for 2019:
Topics: Company News Meet the Team
5 min read
Salesforce Spring 19 Release: A Little Guide to the Big Updates
By Meghan Maloney on Tue, Jan 22, 2019
The Spring ’19 release of Salesforce is less than a month away. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to browse through the official release notes, here’s a quick rundown of the most important new items for this first update of 2019.
Topics: Sales CRM implementation
4 min read
CRM Implementation: Preparing Your Team for CRM Adoption
By Aimee Schenck on Tue, Jan 08, 2019
Whether you’re choosing your first CRM or transitioning to a new one, it’s a big decision — one that will lead to even bigger impacts on your team. Training your team to use a CRM efficiently is as important as the data that will be kept in it. If they don’t know how to use it comfortably, the transition into a new CRM tool can be a difficult one.
Topics: Internal Communication CRM implementation
3 min read
B2B Corporate Positioning: Start at the Beginning
By Aimee Schenck on Thu, Jan 03, 2019
Corporate positioning is one of the most important ingredients in establishing a company’s position in the marketplace. However, it’s often overlooked because most organizations believe they know what their target audience needs and wants. Strong positioning starts from the beginning and creates a clear path highlighting your product or service in the market.
Topics: Positioning Strategic Planning
3 min read
No Elves Needed: Using Salesforce Campaigns to Build Your Holiday Card List
By Meghan Maloney on Sun, Dec 16, 2018
Client relationships are an incredibly valuable resource for businesses of any size, and the holidays are a perfect time to reach out with warm wishes to all of your contacts. But wrangling a huge mailing list can get overwhelming during a hectic yearend. So what’s the best way to check off your holiday “nice” list? Channel your inner St. Nick and get it all done in a wink using a full-featured CRM like Salesforce!
Topics: Marketing and Sales Alignment CRM implementation
3 min read
Advanced Manufacturing: State of the Market at FABTECH
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Dec 11, 2018
Returning from 2018 FABETCH, which spanned 3 exhibit halls and attracted over 30,000 attendees, we’ve had the opportunity to see and hear the concerns and market drivers US advanced manufacturers are facing. FABTECH was an excellent opportunity to take a step back from our work with advanced manufacturing clients throughout the US, for a broader, forward-thinking perspective.
Topics: Business Insights
3 min read
Seen & Heard at FABTECH: The Latest in Advanced Manufacturing
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Dec 07, 2018
FABTECH 2018, which spanned 3 exhibit halls and attracted over 30,000 attendees, is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event—and offered a fascinating and forward-looking view at advanced manufacturing.
Topics: Business Insights
6 min read
When Should A Small Business Add a CRM System?
By Meghan Maloney on Mon, Nov 26, 2018
Your company is small but growing. When should your team consider implementing a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM)? A better question may be, how far do you want to go?
Topics: Strategic Planning CRM implementation
6 min read
Is Google Ads the right fit for your B2B Marketing Plan?
By Sarah Campagna on Mon, Nov 05, 2018
Google recently renamed one of its more powerful marketing tools (AdWords, now Google Ads). As with anything like this, we saw a spike in conversation over the new name and how old habits die hard. However, for many small to medium businesses in the science and technology space, the tool itself is still a mystery, regardless of the name.
Topics: Strategic Planning
4 min read
Breaking Down Marketing Automation: HubSpot vs. Pardot
By Alex Ormond on Thu, Oct 18, 2018
As the digital landscape expands, more and more small to medium-sized businesses are utilizing marketing automation tools to take their sales process to the next level. Most often it seems that companies this size narrow their choices down to competitors HubSpot and Salesforce’s Pardot. We had two of our team members compare and contrast the two tools. Sarah Campagna and Sarah Holland break down both tools’ offerings and share tips to consider for integrating marketing automation into your sales process for 2018 and beyond.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Strategy HubSpot
2 min read
Diversify Your Revenue Base by Increasing Sales in New Optics Markets
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Oct 12, 2018
As the bull market continues and proposed defense budgets are growing, most optics and photonics companies are reporting strong sales and a general sense of optimism. With that comes a new challenge, though: when your revenue base becomes too concentrated on a single industry or customer, your risk of market pull-back or decreased demand increases.
2 min read
Maximizing 2018 in the 4Q: Tips to Optimize Your Revenue and Profits
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Oct 08, 2018
Quick Wins for the Last Quarter
Welcome to 4Q, where we’re planning for 2019 while trying to close out 2018 strong. Especially in sales and marketing for manufacturing, where we’re balancing capacity, booked revenue and shipped revenue targets, it’s a challenging time. For better sales and marketing alignment and a stronger close to the year, here are some key questions to ask your team:
Topics: Sales Strategic Planning Marketing and Sales Alignment
3 min read
5 Tips for Pitching your Product Launch or Start Up to Investors
By Damon Diehl on Thu, Sep 20, 2018
A launch plan that takes a product from concept to commercialization almost always involves acquiring external funding. Pitching your business is a specialized form of B2B brand positioning, as the product is yourself and your ideas. Giving a good pitch is a combination of research, preparation, and presentation.
Topics: Product Launch Strategic Planning
4 min read
What Does a Changing Customer Base Mean for Your Marketing Tactics?
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Sep 13, 2018
For the first time in over 100 years, there are four generations in the workforce. Differences in communication styles among these groups can have real implications for your marketing.
Topics: Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy Email Marketing
3 min read
Beer & Blog: Constant Learning in an Innovative Optics Industry, with Josh Cobb
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Aug 16, 2018
Josh Cobb, Senior Optical Engineer with Corning (Tropel), has spent years in the optics industry learning, teaching, and learning more. We sat down with him to hear more about his work in the classroom and in the field with the Advanced Optics division of Corning.
Topics: Optics Beer & Blog (interviews)
2 min read
Launch Team, Inc. Granted Women Business Enterprise (WBE) Status
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Aug 08, 2018
Launch Team, Inc. has been granted status as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) by the New York State Department of Economic Development, Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development (DMWBD).
Topics: Company News
3 min read
Creative Designs & Adventures with Dogs: Meet Madi
By Alex Ormond on Fri, Aug 03, 2018
Madi Jacobs | Graphic Designer
While at work, you will most likely find Madi working through every last detail of a project in Photoshop. When she's not at work, Madi is most likely off adventuring with her dogs.
Topics: Meet the Team
2 min read
Implementing your CRM: Sales Process & Stage Alignment
By Ron Wille on Mon, Jul 09, 2018
Considering all the decisions you have to make in setting up a CRM, closely aligning your sales process with your stages should be at the top of your priority list. In a healthy pipeline, the two will work together to help your entire team communicate effectively. Alignment also helps sales managers efficiently oversee the sales process, pipeline and staff.
Regardless of which CRM application you use, some denotation of deal status will exist. You may just need to dig your way through the jargon to get there. For example, Hubspot CRM calls this “Deal Stage,” while Salesforce.com just calls it “Stage”. Either way, it's important not only to understanding the role of a stage, but also to make sure it's clearly defined.
Topics: CRM implementation
3 min read
How HubSpot and Technical Content increased marketing ROI by 10x
By Sarah Campagna on Thu, Jun 28, 2018
Lumetrics: A Case Study in Content Success
Not too long ago, Lumetrics, a Rochester N.Y. based company who makes high-precision thickness measurement and gauging systems, was spending around $3,000 per month on Google AdWords. The clicks were there but the leads weren’t. With only 2-3 new leads per week, Lumetrics’ leadership knew that their marketing strategy had to change. At the advice of Launch Team, Lumetrics began using the HubSpot Marketing Platform for an inbound rather than outbound marketing approach. Lumetrics’ engineering team began developing technical application notes meant to drive not just web visits but new leads as well.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Content Development
5 min read
Head Up Displays: Product Development from an Engineer’s Perspective
By Nate Fuller on Tue, Jun 26, 2018
With the rapid advancements in head up display (HUD) technology in the automotive industry, the futuristic Hollywood depictions of holographic windshield screens are quickly becoming reality. Augmented reality (AR) windshield HUDs are becoming a large focus for mainstream automakers and suppliers to the point where it is expected that the market for HUD components market is expected to grow more than $5 billion in the next four years, becoming an $8 billion industry.
Topics: Business Insights Product Launch
2 min read
Marketing Your B2B Tech Company from Startup to Exit
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Jun 18, 2018
Whether you’re launching your first product or expanding internationally, a strong marketing plan is essential. Ensuring continued growth requires new perspectives and new strategies in many areas of the business. We’ve created a guide with sales and marketing best practices for five different stages of growth. Here are some highlights:
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Change and Innovation Product Launch
2 min read
Luminate Demo Day: The Latest in Optics and Photonics Development
By Damon Diehl on Fri, Jun 01, 2018
Join us on Demo Day during the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.
Topics: Optics Business Insights Company News
4 min read
How to Launch a Product Quickly: What to do When You Don't Have Enough Time
By Sarah Campagna on Wed, May 23, 2018
Though it would be ideal to have a full six months to prepare for a product launch, this is not always a reality. Delays in funding, licensing, or product development challenges can put a product manager into a challenging situation where the window between product viability and revenue expectations is extremely narrow.
Topics: Product Launch
3 min read
Emerging Market Outlook: UAV
By Michele Nichols on Fri, May 18, 2018
Report from XPONENTIAL 2018
With more than 8500 attendees, the AUVSI XPONENTIAL show is the largest event worldwide for drones, robotics, and unmanned systems spanning over 20 different industries. In our second year of attendance at the show, we noticed significant shifts in the market makeup, exhibitor’s strategy, and the unmanned industry as a whole.
Topics: Business Insights Change and Innovation Trade Show Strategy
3 min read
5 Biggest Marketing & Sales Challenges for Engineers
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Apr 12, 2018
Customer Experience Sells
We’ve spent over 30 years helping tech companies create marketing and sales strategies that reach new customers. Although the word “sales” typically conjures images of overzealous, comb-over-sporting used car salesmen, sales are a necessary part of your business’s profitability and growth. Sales funds innovation, which in turn fuels more sales.
Topics: Optics Business Insights
6 min read
Sales and Marketing for Business Growth: Q&A from SPIE Photonics West 2018
By Damon Diehl on Wed, Mar 28, 2018
Though Launch Team has been presenting at Photonics West for the past five years on the topics of sales and marketing, the questions that we are asked are a bit different each year. Many of these questions relate back to the topic of inbound marketing. This concept addresses the tremendous increase in online research that is done by the buyer before they engage with your company on an individual level. In order to be found by or attract leads who are searching for technical information, and to nurture these leads to a point of readiness and beat out the competition for the sale, technical content has become almost essential to success.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Content Development
8 min read
Beer & Blog: Commercialization and Product Launch Strategy, Paul Tolley
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Mar 20, 2018
Paul Tolley, founder of Stretford End Solutions, a technology and business development consultancy, and former CEO of ITC MEMS and VP/GM of Syntec Optics, sat down with us to talk commercialization strategy.
Topics: Product Launch Beer & Blog (interviews)
3 min read
A New Perspective on a Familiar Role — Meet Alison Arnold
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Mar 14, 2018
Alison Arnold | Program Manager
While at work, Alison is most likely collaborating with colleagues to identify how to best bring value to our clients. Outside the office, Alison can be found at a little league game or other sporting event cheering her kids on.
Topics: Meet the Team
3 min read
Answers to the Hard Questions: What I heard at the Laser Focus World Laser Marketplace Technology and Markets Panel
By Sarah Campagna on Mon, Mar 05, 2018

Though I was enjoying LFW's Laser Marketplace at Photonics West, furiously taking notes while Allen Nogee revealed the 2018 market forecast and geeking out over photobiomodulation as Praveen Arany shared his research, the final session of the day was a marketer's dream. A panel of highly respected individuals in the industry had been asked the question—"What do bioinstrumentation developers need to know from the photonics industry?"
Topics: Optics Product Launch Strategic Planning
4 min read
Trade Show Marketing: The Best of XPONENTIAL 2017
By Aimee Schenck on Thu, Mar 01, 2018
At a trade show that features the latest in the fast-developing field of unmanned technology, there is a lot of interest and noise. It’s the Wild West, and market leadership is up for grabs. So how do you make sure your company’s booth draws attention and traffic? Effective demos are key. Unique approaches to booth advertisement will get you noticed, too.
We noticed a number of powerful tactics at XPONENTIAL 2017. The following tactics are just a few your team could apply to any large trade show strategy.
Topics: Trade Show Strategy Branding and Identity
3 min read
Packing the Perfect Trade Show Shoe
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Feb 07, 2018
We all have our favorite pair of shoes. They might be the ones that look great but don’t feel as great, the shoes that match everything, or the shoes that are surprisingly comfortable. We have favorites for work, going out—any number of occasions. But what about trade shows?
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
3 min read
Fearlessly Leading and Learning by Example — Meet Michele Nichols
By Alex Ormond on Fri, Feb 02, 2018
Michele Nichols | President
While at work, Michele is most likely encouraging innovative and creative thinking among employees. While at home, she is likely doing the same for her children—setting the table for new ideas and conversation.
Topics: Meet the Team
2 min read
Trade Show Follow Up: Why Automated Lead Nurture Is a Must
By Sarah Campagna on Wed, Jan 24, 2018
Scenario: You’ve spent the past three days at a trade show. You were really good about not answering emails on your phone while on the exhibition floor. You ran a lead generation promotion that brought in double the leads over last year.
But now it’s Monday. You’re back in the office and your inbox is overflowing. You’ve downloaded the lead list, but there isn’t possibly enough time to do lead qualification research on all of them—and certainly not enough time to make calls. How will you ensure consistent lead follow-up?
Topics: Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Trade Show Strategy Email Marketing
2 min read
Internal Communication & Change Management: A Marketing Challenge?
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jan 12, 2018
Sometimes changing your brand demands real change internally. Your customer’s perception is reality, and a true brand can be seen and felt in every part of the organization.
Topics: Marketing Strategy Internal Communication Change Management
5 min read
5 Apps to Help You Capture Leads at Trade Shows
By Katie Steelman on Fri, Jan 05, 2018
CES, Photonics West, and other industry trade shows are just around the corner. Deciding how you will collect and manage leads is an important part of trade show planning, but the methods of lead capture vary. The most foolproof method of lead collection is using the official scanner provided at the event; however, due to the cost, many professionals are now relying on their phones to collect leads. Just be sure to test out any app you plan on using to work out any technical issues and make sure it will serve your needs.
Here are smartphone apps to try at your next trade show:
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
1 min read
Launch Team Inc. to Present Small Business Marketing and Sales Strategies at Photonics West 2018
By Katie Steelman on Tue, Jan 02, 2018
Launch Team Inc. is pleased to announce that we’ll once again be offering a free marketing class at the 2018 SPIE Photonics West conference.
Topics: Company News
2 min read
Your Source for Salesforce Tips and Book Recommendations — Meet Sarah Holland
By Alex Ormond on Wed, Dec 20, 2017
Sarah Holland | Account Manager
At the moment, Sarah is settling into her new role as Account Manager, but outside of work you’ll likely find her at one of her children’s sporting events.
Topics: Meet the Team
2 min read
Building Your Team through New Capabilities in Sales Process & B2B Marketing Strategy
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Dec 12, 2017
You may have seen our recent announcement that Launch Team has acquired One Down Consulting Group. It has come together fast, but was a long time in the making.
Topics: Company News Sales Marketing and Sales Alignment CRM implementation
5 min read
Trade Show Planning: FAQ
By Katie Steelman on Fri, Dec 08, 2017
As we approach the year’s end and begin helping our clients map out next year’s marketing activities, one aspect we consider is their presence at trade shows. Trade shows and conferences are expensive, so it is important to make the most of the time and dollars that you spend there. Here are some common questions emerge from these discussions, and some tips that can help you maximize trade show ROI:
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
1 min read
Launch Team Adds One Down Consulting to Provide Full Marketing and Sales Support
By Katie Steelman on Wed, Nov 29, 2017
We are pleased to announce that Launch Team Inc. has acquired One Down Consulting Group to strengthen customers’ sales channels.
Topics: Company News Marketing and Sales Alignment
2 min read
3 Best Practices for Increasing Medical Device Market Penetration
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Nov 28, 2017
Recent research predicts that R&D expenditure for medical devices will grow to $34 billion by 2022, but top line growth is slowing. And while this increase in R&D investment is a positive sign, uncertainty in healthcare reform is causing some paralysis in the market. How can companies overcome this risk aversion and really sell?
Topics: Marketing Strategy Product Launch Medical Device
2 min read
Trends in the Medical Device Market: Accelerating Product Launch, Managing Risk
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Nov 17, 2017
As we do each year, Launch Team has paired up with Novatek to take a close look at the current trends, changes and technologies that are impacting the medical device industry. From product launches to new sales models, we're examining the 2018 outlook and sharing our insights.
Topics: Business Insights Medical Device
3 min read
Product Launch & Inbound Strategy: Is the Blog Dead?
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Nov 14, 2017
Is the blog dead? Marketing gurus have predicted the death of blogging on and off since 2009. In niche industries like optics and photonics, advanced manufacturing, and medical devices, many companies were slow to adopt a content-driven strategy because they believed their customers didn’t read blogs. Now that they’ve seen the ROI of blogging, we question how long it will remain viable. Let’s explore.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Product Launch
3 min read
Reaching Your Customers' Customers: Market Outlook in Additive Manufacturing & Automation
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Nov 10, 2017
FABTECH in Chicago represents some of the fastest growing segments in U.S. manufacturing today, including laser marking and automation. Attendees are the ultimate users of many of the technologies we work in: laser diodes, optical assemblies, laser steering systems, coating technology, and capital equipment. Yet many of these companies know little about the end application and the users’ needs.
Topics: Business Insights Positioning
1 min read
Coping with Q4 Pressures: Sell More, Spend Less
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Oct 31, 2017
It's the fourth quarter, and everyone is under pressure to close the year strong. For most companies, that means a mandate to cut spending and close more deals. However, one of those instructions often undermines the other. Marketing budgets are often the first to experience cuts, and these cuts can feel self-defeating. Marketing creates sales, and a healthy marketing and sales pipeline is key to sustainable growth.
Making this argument may not change your Q4 reality, though. Instead, we offer some practical suggestions of marketing and sales activities to stop, and some to start, to meet your budget and sales targets.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy
2 min read
Marketing Metrics Play a Role in Marketing & Sales Alignment
By Sarah Campagna on Fri, Oct 27, 2017
I often hear from companies that their marketing team collects data for data's sake—that they are mired in the minutia of marketing analytics, which have little to no impact on the sales team. The marketing team in turn complains that the sales team doesn't take the time to put the data into the CRM, nor do they learn to use the CRM well enough to make use of the available data. The finger pointing is cyclical and can leave leadership in a quandary. In this case, I believe it is up to the marketer to prove the value of the data to the sales team.
Topics: Marketing Metrics Sales Marketing and Sales Alignment
5 min read
7 Tips on Crisis Communication Every Business Should Know
By Katie Steelman on Tue, Oct 24, 2017
Lessons from Upstate Social Sessions 2017
Last month I attended Upstate Social Sessions, a day-long conference in Rochester, NY focused on social media. The event, now in its third year, included presentations by national and local professionals who have used social media successfully in their fields. A favorite session among attendees was “Don’t @ Me: Navigate Controversy, Conversation and Comments.”
Topics: Social Media Internal Communication Branding and Identity
4 min read
Organization and a Little Chaos: Ingredients for Success in Work and Life ― Meet Aimee Schenck
By Alex Ormond on Fri, Oct 20, 2017
Aimee Schenck | Program Manager
While at work, you are most likely to find Aimee bouncing between projects, organizing different client activities, or writing content―all while listening to music so loudly it takes 5 minutes to get her attention. When she's not at work, Aimee might be doing a DIY project, hiking, or playing basketball. She also plays the role of #1 Aunt to her niece.
Topics: Meet the Team
1 min read
Do You Need a Salesforce.com Implementation Partner or a Consultant?
By Ron Wille on Tue, Oct 17, 2017
One of the main decisions an Executive has to make regarding Salesforce.com is who is going to implement and support your solution. I have been in this space since 2001 and, in general, I see two different types of implementation partners: firms that lead with tech and firms that lead with consulting. The question is, which is right for you?
Topics: Sales CRM implementation
1 min read
Are You Ready for Salesforce Lightning?
By Sarah Holland on Wed, Oct 11, 2017
Salesforce.com has been talking about Lightning for over a year. It is on the way, and now is the time to start planning for it.
Topics: Sales CRM implementation
3 min read
INBOUND 2017: Marketing Strategies that Keep Up with Changing Customer Behaviors
By Michele Nichols on Mon, Oct 09, 2017
Members of the Launch team trekked to Boston recently for INBOUND 2017, HubSpot's annual conference on inbound marketing best practices. It was a few team members’ first time attending, but it was a learning experience for all, as well as a chance to visit local Boston clients.
Topics: Inbound Marketing
2 min read
Salesforce Named #1 in CRM Applications
By Ron Wille on Wed, Oct 04, 2017
When Salesforce began in a San Francisco apartment 18 years ago, who would have imagined that today more than 150,000 customers would trust Salesforce to drive sales, service, marketing, and more every single day? In fact, every month, our customers facilitate more than 50 billion interactions powered by Salesforce.
Topics: Sales CRM implementation
2 min read
Inspiring Innovation: Lessons from Light and Sound Interactive
By Damon Diehl on Fri, Sep 29, 2017
Earlier this month I attended the Light and Sound Interactive (LSI) conference and expo, co-sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the University of Rochester. The conference highlighted light and sound-based technologies and their applications in emerging fields such as virtual and augmented reality, gaming, cinema, and music.
Topics: Business Insights Company News
1 min read
We're Hiring! Business Development / Project Manager
By Katie Steelman on Wed, Sep 27, 2017
We have an immediate opening for a full-time Business Development / Project Manager.
3+ years business development and project management experience required. Experience in the B2B / technology sector is preferred.
Work with prospective customers to explore solutions for product launch or market growth, and plan and oversee execution of marketing activities.
Join a strong, collaborative team that's focused on client results. We offer flexibility and great benefits.
Topics: Company News Careers
3 min read
Deep Dive into Emerging Markets: Opportunities for Optics in AR & VR
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Sep 26, 2017
While virtual reality promised and failed to hit 2016 expectations, market projections still show that augmented reality and virtual reality will reach $108B by 2021. Consumer electronics are a high-volume opportunity for U.S. optical manufacturers, but they often remain elusive due to cost constraints. Does augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) offer some optics and photonics companies a stronghold? Let’s break it down.
3 min read
Web Design Tips for Accessible Technical Content
By Katie Steelman on Fri, Sep 15, 2017
Your end user is changing, and so is the way they access information. Today's customers want easy, quick access to content such as product documentation, application notes, and white papers. The design of your website (mobile-first, clear navigation) as well as your content (visual, customer-focused) can help keep customers and prospects engaged with your company.
Topics: Content Development
2 min read
An Introvert's Point of View: How Do You Maximize Trade Show ROI When You're Not Exactly a Social Butterfly?
By Aimee Schenck on Fri, Sep 08, 2017
Trade Show Planning for Introverts
Industry events such as trade shows and conferences are a great place to build sales opportunities and learn from fellow professionals. If you're a bold personality, it's easy to excel in these situations. However, if you’re a more introverted person, major events can feel daunting—speaking from personal experience.
Topics: Business Insights Trade Show Strategy
3 min read
Eating the Elephant: Marketing Tips for Product Managers
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Sep 01, 2017
More than a Product Manager
The role of the product manager is increasingly important in industries like medical devices, where time to market is accelerating, and optics and photonics, where emerging markets are driving demand for product innovation.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy
1 min read
The CEO as Sales Manager: Asking the Right Questions
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Aug 24, 2017
In growing small and mid-sized companies, the CEO is often the company’s best salesperson. As the company grows, so does the sales team, but the CEO seldom is able to totally abdicate a role in sales.
Topics: Sales
3 min read
Beer & Blog: Branding a New Product Category, with John Martin
By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Aug 15, 2017
John Martin is the CTO and cofounder of Martin Materials Solutions, a U.S. company that manufactures innovative glass products for the aerospace market. Martin, whose goal is to drive the technology necessary to support this unique industry, has coined the term “spaceglass”, a reference to this truly unique type of glass.
Topics: Product Launch Branding and Identity Beer & Blog (interviews)
4 min read
Using your HubSpot Dashboard to Make Smarter, Data-Driven Marketing Decisions
By Mandy Bly on Fri, Aug 11, 2017
I like to start each day by opening up the HubSpot marketing dashboards for each of my client accounts. I take a look at the numbers, the most honest assessment of how an account’s inbound marketing activities are performing.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Metrics HubSpot
3 min read
7 Considerations for (Re)branding Your B2B Company
By Katie Steelman on Fri, Aug 04, 2017
Whether you’re starting a new company, establishing a spinoff, or considering a total rebrand, your company name is an important decision that will drive a lot of other aspects of your business.
Topics: Change and Innovation Branding and Identity
4 min read
What’s Next in Medical Devices, and What Does It Mean for Optics?
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Aug 01, 2017
The medical device market continues its slow and steady growth—projected at 2.8% annually for the next five years—making it an attractive and sustainable space for optics companies positioned to fill emerging needs. But where exactly does your company fit?
2 min read
Product Launch in Emerging Markets: How One Entrepreneur Found Success after a Year and a Half of Flying Drones
By Sarah Campagna on Fri, Jul 28, 2017
Successful entrepreneur Brian Pitre became fascinated with the UAV market in 2012. With a business partner and enough capital to cover a discovery phase of six months, Pitre traveled the country flying drones, meeting other early adopters of this new technology, and looking for the right opportunity to invest in this new high-tech market. Six months turned into 18 as Pitre saw the tremendous growth potential of the UAV market.
Topics: Business Insights Product Launch Market Research
4 min read
5 Questions to Consider When Planning Your Marketing Budget
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Jul 20, 2017
There's a lot more to budget planning than deciding how much to spend where. For some, it's setting a right-sized investment in marketing to match their growth goals. For others, it's optimizing their marketing budgets by shifting resources to what's working best today—namely, online channels. This shift involves a broadened focus on bringing in leads through websites, targeted social media, regular blogging, opt-in email subscribers, etc.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy
3 min read
Making the Grade: How Print Ad Designs Win or Fall Short
By Sarah Campagna on Fri, Jul 14, 2017
There’s no doubt that inbound marketing strategies are critical to the success of today’s businesses. However, traditional outbound strategies can still play a role in capturing your audience’s attention.
B2B companies can drive buyer awareness and action with print advertising in highly targeted industry publications, but without good design, ads can go unnoticed.
Topics: Content Development Branding and Identity
2 min read
Entrepreneur to Entrepreneur: Scalable Sales & Marketing Models
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jun 30, 2017
At a recent panel discussion, I was asked to share experiences in sales and marketing with an audience of Entrepreneurs’ Organization accelerator founders, along with fellow panelists Don Davis of Empire Automation Systems and Ron Valentine of ITX.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy Sales
2 min read
Blogging: The MVP of the Marketing Short-Game and Long-Game
By Sarah Campagna on Fri, Jun 16, 2017
Bringing Customers to You
Blogging has been recognized for years as an important aspect of any marketing campaign. For Launch Team clients, the most immediate impact is in the short-game of lead generation. Blog posts are used as part of an inbound marketing program to direct readers to longer pieces of content like white papers, eBooks, and tip sheets that are form protected and used to generate leads. The blog post is designed to attract leads early in the buying process, those at the top of the sales funnel. Promoting blogs in strategic locations across the web is the most effective means we have of attracting new leads.
Topics: Content Development SEO
6 min read
Beer & Blog: Reinventing & Differentiating through M&A, with Ben Burton
By Mandy Bly on Tue, May 23, 2017
Ben Burton, president and CEO of iuvo BioScience, talks with us about his five-year strategic plan, targeting aggressive growth both organically and through mergers and acquisitions. The acquisition of Moog’s laboratory services business and recent divestiture of iuvo’s sterilization facility, LINK, in Erie, PA, will allow the company to focus on investing in expanding testing services.
Ben spent more than eight years at Bausch + Lomb as vice president of quality for its pharmaceutical business. We had the pleasure of tapping into his thought process on acquisition strategy—considering both cultural and branding implications.
Topics: Change and Innovation Strategic Planning Beer & Blog (interviews)
2 min read
Looking Back at XPONENTIAL 2017: UAV Market Trends and Implications
By Katie Steelman on Thu, May 18, 2017
Last spring, Michele Nichols and Aimee Schenck attended AUVSI XPONENTIAL, the prominent unmanned vehicle conference and exhibit, where some of our clients were presenting technical papers. Our team was also there for market intelligence, looking for market fit and viability for many of our component manufacturing clients. Even if you aren't ready to exhibit at a show, you can learn so much about the upcoming industry trends by simply walking the floor. Here are a few of our takeaways from last year's show:
Topics: Business Insights Positioning
4 min read
How to Sell to Medical Device Companies
By Michele Nichols on Fri, May 05, 2017
Opportunities and Challenges
For optics and other component manufacturers, medical devices represent a strong opportunity—especially for those who need to diversify their revenue base from DoD.
The US medical device market growth rate has slowed in recent years; it’s projected at 6.1% for 2017. There are several factors slowing growth and innovation in US healthcare, including:
- The repeal and reform of the Affordable Care Act, and post-election uncertainty
- Iterative product innovation to speed product launch, reduce FDA hurdles, and reduce risk
Topics: Medical Device Sales
1 min read
Commercial Autonomous Aircraft Market: Three Lessons on Customer Research
By Damon Diehl on Tue, Apr 25, 2017
In our last post, we discussed the growing interest in commercial applications for compact unmanned aircraft, or drones. Imaging, in particular, presents a real opportunity for optics and photonics component manufacturers. This emerging UAV market provides important lessons on the criticality of understanding and anticipating the needs of your target customers. Here are three things to remember:
Topics: Business Insights Positioning Market Research
3 min read
Emerging Market Strategy: Market Positioning for UAV
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Apr 20, 2017
Just back from SPIE’s Defense & Commercial Sensing (DCS) conference in Anaheim, and preparing for XPONENTIAL in Dallas next month, we’re noticing that the emerging drone market presents real promise as well as challenges.
The optics, photonics, and imaging exhibitors at SPIE DCS share a common challenge with XPONENTIAL’s component exhibitors—a great deal of unknowns in:
- UAV adoption curve
- UAV applications to invest in
- Requirements
- Regulatory environment
Topics: Marketing Strategy Positioning
2 min read
Gaining Traction in Emerging Markets: 10 Keys to Early Sales
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Apr 07, 2017
Marketing Strategies for UAV, LIDAR, and Emerging Automation Markets
With this year's show coming up, we looked back at the success of AUVSI Xponential 2017, the conference for unmanned technologies, drones, and robotics. The show featured more than 650 exhibitors and more than 200 courses covering the future of unmanned systems in energy, defense, automotive, wireless communications, and other industries.
Exhibitors and attendees, from optoelectronic component manufacturers to lasers and system integrators, had many common questions:
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy
1 min read
If You’re Treating Strategic Planning as an Event, You’re Doing It Wrong [Infographic]
By Katie Steelman on Thu, Apr 06, 2017
Effective strategic planning clearly establishes company goals and how you will meet them. It’s not something you discuss once in a meeting and then set aside; it’s an ongoing process with many moving parts. From regular budget checks to sales and marketing alignment to branding, you and your team should periodically revisit the different aspects of your strategic plan.
Topics: Business Insights Strategic Planning
1 min read
Launch Your Career! Graphic Design Position Available
By Katie Steelman on Mon, Mar 27, 2017
We have an immediate opening for a part-time or full-time Graphic Designer.
Print and digital experience required. Desired skill set: Adobe Creative Suite, template design for Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, HubSpot, among others. We offer flexibility, great benefits, and an interesting mix of work, from infographics to tradeshow booths, web to collateral.
Topics: Company News Careers
3 min read
How to Use Internal Communication to Avoid Common Product Launch Traps
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Mar 24, 2017
New product launch is risky, even for established companies with a defined product development and product launch process. In our work with high tech B2B companies, we’ve noticed a few places where companies often stumble.
Topics: Internal Communication Product Launch
3 min read
Photonics West 2017 Survey: Back to Trade Show Basics, Focus on Business Connections
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Mar 09, 2017
It was all business at Photonics West 2017. The atmosphere was more serious and disciplined, with companies laser-focused on achieving specific marketing and sales goals and getting the most out of their trade show strategy. Our annual survey provides a look at these companies’ lead generation and follow-up success—check out the results to benchmark your own trade show performance. [Take this year's survey!]
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
4 min read
5 Tips to Improve Your Trade Show ROI
By Mandy Bly on Fri, Mar 03, 2017
Occasionally we hear companies say that attending or exhibiting at trade shows brought them little ROI. The first question we ask is, “How many appointments with prospects did you have set up beforehand?” Frequently the answer is none. Hoping that prospects with a need will drop by your booth during the show, whether or not they are familiar with your company beforehand, is simply not enough.
Topics: Trade Show Strategy Sales
1 min read
Launch Team Inc. Establishes New Leadership Roles
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Feb 23, 2017
Position changes reflect focus on coordinated marketing strategy
Launch Team Inc. is pleased to announce that three members of the team have taken on new roles within the company as it expands. Sarah Campagna has been named vice president of account services; Beth Shope, vice president of digital marketing; and Katie Steelman, content director.
Topics: Company News Careers
2 min read
Photonics West 2017: Marketing Wins for Optics Companies
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Feb 21, 2017
Our team had the honor to teach a course called “The New Sales Model” during this year’s Photonics West industry track. We shared sales and marketing “wins” from our clients in the industry and asked participants to do the same.
Topics: Optics Marketing Strategy
5 min read
Beer & Blog: Data-Driven Decisions in B2B Sales, with Tom McManus
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Feb 17, 2017
Tom McManus, CEO of KegWorks, has worked to build a global, multi-channel, multi-brand corporation committed to “everything in the bar except the alcohol,” including their Line Logic and Behind the Bar brands.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Metrics Sales Beer & Blog (interviews)
4 min read
Photonics West 2017: Inbound Marketing for Optics Companies Q&A
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Feb 14, 2017
Photonics West brings together more than 20,000 optics and photonics leaders from all over the world. SPIE’s industry track of courses is gaining momentum, and this year our team had the honor to teach “The New Sales Model.” There were some exceptional discussions among myself, Launch Team VP of Account Services Sarah Campagna, and sales and marketing professionals the industry. Couldn’t make the session? These attendee questions might provide some insight.
Topics: Optics Marketing Strategy Sales
5 min read
The Best and Worst of Photonics West 2017
By Sarah Campagna on Fri, Feb 10, 2017
Booth design isn’t the only thing that can make or break a company’s trade show presence. Engaged, knowledgeable staff members who are eager to share their expertise are a must-have. A cool demo doesn’t hurt either. Check out the companies and events we thought shined at this year’s SPIE Photonics West, and what could have been better.
Topics: Trade Show Strategy
2 min read
Define Your Strategic Plan in One Word
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jan 20, 2017
A Word to the “Whys”
You’re starting 2017 with a whole bunch of New Year’s resolutions for your business, gung-ho about your strategic plan. (Don’t have one yet? Download the one-page business plan.) A great plan has a clear vision and mission, a unique value proposition, measurable goals, and actions with accountabilities.
Topics: Business Insights Marketing Strategy
2 min read
2016 in Review: Marketing Tips that Mattered to You
By Katie Steelman on Fri, Jan 13, 2017
Most-Viewed Blog Posts
The data geeks in us love reviewing the year by the numbers. We identify what content was popular and useful to our audience so that we can continue to provide value in the new year. By views, here are the top 5 posts from 2016:
Topics: Marketing Strategy
4 min read
What Does Content Development Look Like for B2B Companies?
By Katie Steelman on Wed, Jan 11, 2017
Technical Writing that Generates Leads
One of the first things we discuss with clients after positioning is their content. Content includes blog posts, white papers, tip sheets, and any other pieces of writing or video that are educational in nature as opposed to sales-related.
Topics: Content Development
2 min read
Global Sales Growth: Consider Video for More Meaningful Customer Engagement
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Jan 06, 2017
Inbound marketing will inevitably expand your company’s geographic reach—the internet is global, after all. It’s important to qualify leads from countries that represent a good fit based on:
- Industry clusters
- Competitive pricing
- Cultural fit
Topics: Client Relations Sales
4 min read
Creating a B2B Marketing Plan that Works
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Dec 13, 2016
Elements of a Strong Marketing Strategy
In our work over the years, we’ve created many marketing plans and inherited dozens more. Most address the same basic components of a strategic marketing plan:
Topics: Marketing Strategy Strategic Planning
2 min read
Improving Optics Marketing & Sales: Photonics West 2017 Short Course
By Katie Steelman on Fri, Dec 09, 2016
Launch Team Inc. President Michele Nichols will present a short course at the 2017 Photonics West conference to discuss inbound marketing and sales strategies for optics companies.
Topics: Optics Inbound Marketing Company News
4 min read
Marketing a Medical Device 101
By Mandy Bly on Wed, Dec 07, 2016
With rising trends in the medical device market such as 3D imaging and telemedicine, the consumer need for information is higher than ever. This article explains the basics of medical device classification and how to make sure your marketing adheres to FDA regulation.
Topics: Business Insights Medical Device
2 min read
Better Internal Communication Prevents Product Launch Failure
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Nov 29, 2016
According to a recent study of new product development, 39% of new product launches failed. Often these failures occur when companies don’t have a clear marketing plan, but there are other reasons, too. Improved internal communications can head off a number of these causes.
Topics: Internal Communication Product Launch
5 min read
Building Better Customer Relationships: INBOUND Takeaways Part 2
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Nov 22, 2016
Last week we reported some of our findings from Hubspot’s INBOUND 2016 conference, including how to succeed using today’s sales model and how to overcome common inbound marketing challenges. This week we dive deeper into our favorite presentations and explore ways to improve email marketing, social selling, and conversations for a better customer experience.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Client Relations
3 min read
12 Content Marketing & Sales Lessons Learned at HubSpot's INBOUND 2016
By Michele Nichols on Fri, Nov 18, 2016
It was Michele, Aimee and Mandy’s turn to attend HubSpot’s INBOUND conference this year in Boston. Each year we send part of our team while the rest hold down the fort at the office. While every member has been through HubSpot’s extensive training and certification, the conference offers the chance to interact with thousands of HubSpot agency partners and customers and to hear their experience with inbound marketing. Here’s what we learned:
Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Strategy Content Development Sales
3 min read
Internal Communication for Product Launch: What Info Matters Most?
By Michele Nichols on Wed, Nov 16, 2016
Launching a new product or service is a significant undertaking for any business. You have invested considerable time, money, and resources in developing a new offering, honed your message and planned out your marketing activities, and you want those efforts to pay off. Although the ultimate goal is to engage your external audience and fuel sales, it’s also important to get buy-in from your team.
Topics: Business Insights Internal Communication Product Launch
2 min read
Product Launch Planning with the Marketing Roadmap
By Mandy Bly on Wed, Nov 09, 2016
Over the past several months, we’ve done some research into what companies identify as their biggest challenge when planning marketing activities for a product launch. Though a well-established marketing plan is a large part of the groundwork for a successful product launch, we’ve found that many companies simply don’t have one. Our resources can help.
2 min read
Effective Marketing for Manufacturers: The New Sales Model
By Michele Nichols on Thu, Oct 27, 2016
You asked—we answered.
Last week, we presented at an event for High Tech Rochester (HTR) and their manufacturing community, and at Optifest, Optipro’s annual manufacturing open house. Many companies like these, faced with overseas competitive price pressures and increasingly complex customer demands, struggle with what an effective sales model looks like now.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Social Media SEO Sales
2 min read
Is Voicemail Dead? Helping Your Sales Team Reach Today’s Customers
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Oct 25, 2016
How many times have you said “I saw you left a voicemail. Haven’t listened to it, but I’m calling you back.”? I have to admit there are a number of unheard voicemails on my phone, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested or have not responded.
Topics: Client Relations Sales
2 min read
Getting Early Wins from Your Inbound Marketing Strategy
By Michele Nichols on Tue, Oct 18, 2016
Many business leaders, particularly in manufacturing and high tech companies, are skeptical of inbound marketing; they think it’s “squishy” and question its value to the business. While it does take time to see significant growth, even those just starting to implement inbound strategies can achieve some wins relatively quickly.
Topics: Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Strategy
4 min read
11 Ways to Increase Sales in 1 Hour
By Katie Steelman on Tue, Oct 11, 2016
Ron Wille, CEO of two INC 5000 companies and newly launched One Down Consulting Group, a consulting firm focused on aligning technology, process and people to grow sales, recently sat down with Launch Team President Michele Nichols to discuss sales trends and tips for technology companies. Check out Ron and Michele’s 11 tips for improving sales in just 1 hour.