case study

Being a “well-established” company can be a double-edged sword in some ways. Clients and prospects find comfort in knowing the people they hire can get the job done. But, company leadership can get into a pattern of doing things the way they’ve always been done.

This gets even more complex when a company, like Laitek, becomes well-known for one primary offering: archive data migration. In order to expand their market share, Laitek’s leadership had plans to expand their product offering, but they needed marketing support to elevate both their legacy offering and create a logical value extension to the new one.

Laitek is a pioneering company in the healthcare IT sector, specializing in innovative solutions for acquiring, processing, and presenting scientific and medical image information since 1980. The company’s foundation is built on the philosophy that in an ever-evolving technological landscape, ensuring the long-term permanence of information is only achievable through storage and communication that adheres to documented standards-compliant forms.

Laitek has established itself as a leader in medical imaging data migration, earning a reputation for its proven ability to handle the most complex situations. This reputation makes Laitek the go-to vendor for the most challenging and intricate data migration projects. They work directly with hospitals and often serve as subcontractors for replacement Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) vendors.

Their solutions ensure that healthcare records are preserved securely, maintaining patient information integrity for life while giving healthcare providers control over their data.

While Laitek had the technical prowess to expand its product offering, they were up against a number of challenges from a marketing lens.

One significant barrier was insufficient marketing depth. The existing marketing resources within Laitek did not have an extensive enough background in product marketing or the healthcare industry. This gap in expertise hindered their ability to effectively market their solutions and connect with potential clients in the healthcare sector.

Another obstacle was that the company had a reputation for presenting itself overly technically, which made its messaging inaccessible to a broader audience. This problem primarily arose from the inside. Internally, Laitek wrestled with clearly articulating its unique value proposition. The team was divided between highly technical individuals and those who only had the bare minimum of technical knowledge—resulting in an unfortunate disconnect in their messaging efforts.

The company was also perceived as a “one trick pony,” focusing solely on data migration services, which limited their appeal and market reach. That’s the nature of migration; once the project is complete, client engagement typically ends. While Laitek had a plan to expand their offering—to retain clients on a longer-term basis—they needed the right messaging and positioning to support this transition.

HSC’s approach to Laitek’s marketing predicament was both strategic and tactical. This holistic maneuver involved a number of new initiatives, including:

• Benefit-centric messaging strategy that could be implemented consistently across multiple marketing platforms (social media, email, website, sales collateral, trade show messaging, etc.)
• Public relations materials to promote the company’s new hybrid migration service, with multiple pieces preparing for Laitek’s attendance at a major trade show
• White paper development to highlight the problems solved by their new offering
• Multiple conversations with different internal stakeholders to help solidify the revised messaging
• Strategic direction when the internal marketing lead departed the company

The collaboration between Laitek and HSC allowed the company to “do what they do.” That is, focus on the technical portion of the business while confidently entrusting the product marketing to HSC’s proven expertise. Laitek went into RSNA with impactful and fully-formed marketing messaging to announce the company’s new offering—a crucial component given the event’s immense opportunity for exposure.

While the engagement between HSC and Laitek only lasted four months, it was a sufficient amount of time to build a strong messaging foundation from which to push forward.

Contact us if you feel your company could also benefit from improved positioning and a strategic marketing approach.