Q1 Industry Lookback, and How to Capitalize in Q2

“Gangbusters.” 

That’s how one photonics industry client put their Q1 results. Leads are up, quoting and bookings are up. While life sciences and medical device market growth was a bit more tempered, veterinary health demand remains high.

What's driving market demand?

In photonics, AI/datacenter growth, semiconductor and aerospace are the fastest moving. Quantum is big business for those with a heavy research customer base, with lots of investment and interest.

The life sciences and research markets have been remarkably resilient, but R&D underfunding on new technologies for these markets will likely see a lot of ‘relaunching’ of existing or iterative technologies this year.

Veterinary medicine continues to outperform, with prices rising faster than inflation, taking a bit of pressure off veterinary practices. Price sensitivity has risen with costs, so new technologies entering the space will have to demonstrate real ROI, particularly in time savings for over-burdened veterinary offices. For spectroscopy and diagnostics, veterinary is an often overlooked but growing market.

Cashflow pressures are up across the board, as Big Tech and other public companies are sharing the growing pains with their supply chain, extending payment terms and causing a cashflow ripple effect. It may be a great time to revisit your receivables policies.

Energy costs and concerns are also on the rise. For technologies with an energy efficiency advantage, play it up! 

Looking to learn more about these insights? Each quarter, we break down B2B marketing trends in our workshop series. Catch the replay of our Q2 session and join us for Q3.

Q1 2026 Marketing Trends

Every quarter, Launch Team looks across all client metrics, looking for shifts and opportunities to improve marketing ROI. 

• Growing need for targeted leads and sales enablement. Sales team gaps, lack of clarity on who owns leads and what’s expected are driving the need for new efficiencies.

• Increased coaching & training demand. Channels and toolkits are getting more complicated—teams need a thought partner to tie activities to business goals and optimize ROI.

• Widening gap between engineering and marketing. Channel and product complexity and company changes make alignment a priority.

• Social algorithms are changing. It's time to rethink your posting schedule and mix of content. Content engagement is changing as well—emphasize brand-focused and authentic. “Inside influencers” are winning, and offer the opportunity for more authentic, personal content.

• Google Ads Overcharge Recovery DOJ antitrust case—mass arbitration may be worth a look if 10-year spend is >$100k. Contingency-only claims. Eligible businesses that purchased Google Ads August 2016 to date could receive up to 30% of spend. Google engaged in anticompetitive practices and engineers artificially inflated CPCs.

Organic traffic continued to erode modestly (expect 6-8%), as AI referral traffic increases. Email marketing benchmarks held steady, as did a strong Q1 tradeshow presence. 

What should you be considering in Q2?

Here are our priorities:

1. Targeted campaigns: Well timed, with a narrow audience, specific value proposition, and multi-channel presence, including an in-person opportunity. ABM, or account based marketing, is driving real results in many of the fast growing markets.

2. AI optimization: If you haven’t already, it’s time to retool your web presence to appear in AI chats.

3. Sales process updates: Is your current process clear and working? Does it still match your prospect needs? Are roles and next steps clear? From there, you can find CRM efficiencies to help your best salespeople get back to meaningful conversations. 

The future of B2B marketing is focused on strategic positioning, clarity, and trusted partnerships.  These trends are already shaping how deep tech companies are winning. Is your marketing keeping up? If you are ready to evolve your strategies for what’s next, talk to Kylee.