Cybersecurity Association of Maryland

An alumnus of the State University of New York Maritime Academy, Wayne Schepens earned a BS in electrical engineering and has worked in cybersecurity for two decades. For more than six years, Wayne Schepens has served as managing director of LaunchTech Communications, a high-technology and cybersecurity PR agency that was recently recognized as a finalist in the category of Cybersecurity Industry Resource by Maryland Cybersecurity Awards.

In 2020, the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland named LaunchTech Communications a finalist in its Cybersecurity Industry Resource category. A renowned Baltimore-based cybersecurity PR agency, LaunchTech Communications provides public relations solutions (including corporate credibility, go-to-market strategy, content development, and media relations) to cybersecurity and high-technology corporations worldwide. LaunchTech pursues promotion through leadership content of its clients to analysts and reporters in the middle of the crowded newscycle.

According to LaunchTech's managing director Wayne J. Schepens, the organization is delighted by the recognition. Almost at the same time, LauchTech, for the third consecutive year, earned a position in the Expertise's list of Best PR Corporations in Baltimore.

LaunchTech Communications in Baltimore

Wayne Schepens holds a master’s degree in engineering from Virginia Tech. He serves as the managing director of LaunchTech Communications in Baltimore, Maryland. LaunchTech, under the direction of Wayne Schepens, has been an award wining agency to include CAMI's Maryland Cybersecurity Award, Baltimore's best PR Agency, Information Security Product Guide's best Cyber Security PR Agency, and more!

LaunchTech is a marketing and public relations company that focuses on the technology industry and helps launch and maintain tech companies. LaunchTech does this by using aggressive strategies that promote their clients in the right target markets.

LaunchTech provides four essential categories of services. The go-to-market category obtains market credibility and a foothold as quickly as possible. The public relations category is for companies that need to develop brand awareness and credibility in their target demographics.

LaunchTech also offers clients a strong content management program. The company creates and posts high-quality content and directs it to the target markets in which it will make the most impact. LaunchTech also offers social media services because a social media presence is essential in the Internet age.

Writing Technical Content

A resident of Severna Park, Maryland, Wayne Schepens possesses more than 20 years of cyber security experience which he has loaned to his marketing and public relations agency. Wayne Schepens focuses on the tech industry and is the managing director of LaunchTech Communications.

Part of marketing in the tech industry is making technical information readable and enjoyable for the average person. Writing content to engage and interest people can be difficult when it is based on technical information that may be difficult to understand. Writing technical information in a way that nontechnical readers understand is essential to marketing and public relations.

Technical writing should be performed as if the writer were having a conversation with a friend. This automatically makes the writing easier to follow and understand. Also, too much hard data can be overwhelming, and it is better to explain the reasoning behind the data than the data itself.

Using analogies is a common way to explain concepts to people with no prior knowledge. Additionally, as with all content, the structure is a crucial part. Short, easy-to-read paragraphs with subheadings and lists break up the writing and make it easier to read.

The Global Excellence Awards from Info Security Products Guide

A Maryland-based business leader with extensive experience in cybersecurity, marketing, and product positioning, Wayne Schepens has served as managing director of LaunchTech Communications since 2015. In this role, he oversees a company that assists tech and cyber brands to enhance their visibility and credibility among potential customers. Recently, Wayne Schepens and LaunchTech announced that the company was named Agency of the Year for Cyber and Info Security in the 2020 Global Excellence Awards program.

Now in its second decade, the Global Excellence Awards program is presented by the Info Security Products Guide (ISPG). With categories highlighting top companies, products, and people, the awards cover all facets of cybersecurity and information technology and stand out among the top recognitions in the IT field.

The Agency of the Year for Cyber and Info Security award highlights the work of the world's top IT marketing and public relations firms. ISPG also presents Global Excellence Awards in related categories, including Communications or PR Team-Department of the Year and Achievement of the Year in Video, Commercial, Advertising, and Short-Film.

All the winners of the 16th annual Global Excellence Awards were announced in early March 2020. The Grand, Gold, Silver, and/or Bronze winners in each award category have been invited to attend the 2020 Global Excellence Awards Dinner and Ceremony, which will be held Monday, October 19 in San Francisco.

Nominations for the 17th annual Global Excellence Awards are currently open and will be accepted through December 20, 2020. More information about the awards and the nominating process is available at www.infosecurityproductsguide.com/global-excellence-awards.

Creating a Sales Deck That Closes Corporate Deals

Sales professional
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash

A long-standing presence in the Maryland entrepreneurial community, Wayne Schepens serves as managing director of the PR and marketing agency LaunchTech Communications, where he delivers results-focused services for established and emerging technology companies. Recently, Wayne Schepens wrote an article for the LaunchTech website titled “Perfecting Your Sales Deck.”

The article describes an all-too-common situation that can occur when you find and connect with an outstanding prospect. After consulting with decision-makers, you stand in a corporate conference room delivering a sales pitch that seems virtually guaranteed to result in an engagement. With the meeting seemingly just a formality, you present an overly wordy sales deck that includes old visuals from 2018. At this moment, you lose your audience.

With businesses moving rapidly through quarterly cycles, you need to keep on top of your current successes and convey them accurately in your sales deck. The company profile that you present to the world must reflect recent accomplishments.

Companies such as LaunchTech Communications maintain a commitment to actively and effectively revisiting messaging and crafting it for today’s business environment. A key aspect of this approach involves designing messaging that allows emerging ventures and cybersecurity providers to break through the “noise” and draw attention for their merits.

After you formulate the right message and aesthetic for the sales deck, creating quarterly messaging updates designed to boost your bottom line will prove much easier.

TEDCO Entrepreneurial Expo Offers Opportunities to Learn and Network

Networking
Photo by HIVAN ARVIZU @soyhivan on Unsplash

Held at The Hotel at the University of Maryland in October, the TEDCO Entrepreneurial Expo brought together more than 900 entrepreneurs, legislators, business owners, and venture capitalists for a one-day event that provided learning and networking opportunities. In addition to workshops and roundtable discussions, the event featured a variety of speakers and panelists who discussed topics such as building a startup, boosting cyber sales and obtaining financing, and dealing with legal issues.

At the event, Wayne Schepens moderated a roundtable discussion on “Cracking the Code to Cyber Sales,” along with several other panelists. Mr. Schepens leverages over two decades of experience in the cybersecurity industry as the managing director of LaunchTech Communications in Baltimore, Maryland, where he advises clients on strategies to drive growth in competitive marketplaces. Wayne Schepens served as a subject matter expert and moderator at the 2019 TEDCO Entrepreneurial Expo, where he discussed the power of effective networking and the importance of building professional relationships and leveraging your network.

The event also included a keynote presentation by the managing director of AllegisCyber Capital about growing startups in Maryland and a lecture by the director of Hatchery Ventures on the effects of technology developed to assist with daily challenges. For additional information on the event, visit expo.tedco.md.

Top 8 Communications Tactics for 2020

With each new year comes company leaders’ reignited enthusiasm for collaborative and integrated communications and public relations. When it’s time to present your 2020 communications plan be sure to include these key trends and tips which cover social media planning, public relations, email marketing strategy and crisis communications best practices. 

Public Relations

Build your corporate resume with third-party validation 

You could scream from the rooftops, “My company is the best!” but that’s about as good as having your mom vouch for you. Comments in news articles and awards wins are just two ways to show that others (with authority) trust that your opinion and work is valuable. Third-party validation leads to the growth of thought leadership which helps grease the wheel when converting a lead into a customer. 

Get comfortable with public speaking

As our society’s attention spans continue to shrink, easy to consume audio and video are becoming ever more integral for an effective communications strategy. Public speaking, whether for a podcast recording or a panel, is not everyone’s cup of tea. That being said, it’s something that can be practiced and perfected, and it should be. 

Social Media

Social media profile selectivity

Social media for businesses is only as strong as the quality of content published. If you have limited resources for social, pick, and focus on, two key platforms that are popular with your target audience. For tech and cybersecurity companies, Twitter and LinkedIn are solid places to start. 

Use polls to crowdsource 

Whether you’re planning your next webinar topic and want to get an idea of what people would be most interested in hearing about or if you’re looking to prioritize new product updates, social media polls are a free way to crowdsource opinions. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (in Stories) are the main platforms that offer this feature. 

Email Marketing

Consistently stay in front of your audience

Everyone’s inboxes are inundated with messages these days. The last thing you need is for valuable prospects to associate your brand name with spam. Sticking to 2-3 marketing emails per month will keep you top of mind without going overboard. Share company updates, helpful information, and resources – use emails to show your value without being overtly sales-y.

Be authentic

Emails are a form of owned media that allows your company to showcase the faces behind the magic. Share pictures from team events, employee spotlights or new hires to put names and faces to your brand. 

Crisis Communications

HAVE A PLAN

You have likely heard that a crisis is no longer a matter of if, but when. It’s true. Just like in the world of cybersecurity where a cyberattack of some sort is inevitable, having a company crisis is to be expected. Have a contingency plan in place for everything from a data breach to a disruption of services. Communicating your plan across internal teams and stakeholders will make the crisis a little less stressful. 

Loop in your PR team immediately

Your company could handle a crisis with impressive grace but if you fail to take control of your public narrative before the media catches wind of it, you’re going to be left feeling like a celebrity reading a story about themselves on Page 6. By having a PR professional in the room when you’re making crisis-time decisions, appropriate messaging can be crafted for public distribution with accurate and approved information. 

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Many businesses in the emerging tech and cybersecurity industries are pressed for time and don’t have the bandwidth to handle communications initiatives cohesively and consistently. If this is the case for your business, it would be beneficial to engage with a vendor such as LaunchTech Communications to plan, coordinate and execute communications efforts to boost your brand’s share of voice and brand awareness.