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.
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:
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.
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?"
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.
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.
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:
