Marketing

Increase visibility for Michigan photonics and your organization

What this benefit covers

Marketing through MI-Light is meant to extend your reach without replacing your own sales team. The association pools stories, data, and meeting channels so members can point customers, students, and site selectors to a single credible source on Michigan optics and photonics activity.

That pooled work matters because photonics buyers often compare several states on the same checklist: university lab capacity, supplier density, and whether a trade group can convene technical reviewers quickly. MI-Light answers those questions in one place instead of leaving each company to rebuild the same slide deck from scratch.

Member marketing here is also practical for workforce messaging. When you recruit technicians or interns, you can reference association programs alongside your own training budget, which helps families and counselors see a career path that does not depend on a single employer. The sections below list concrete deliverables, then describe how teams usually roll them out with staff and volunteer leaders.

Here is how we support your marketing and communications work:

  • Provide a unified voice and accurate information for customers, educators, workforce partners, and public agencies
  • Strengthen recognition of Michigan photonics in regional and national channels where the association already participates
  • Links to your company through the MI-Light website, printed literature, member and sponsor directories, and selected trade show materials
  • Participation in, and summarized results from, the annual industry pulse survey members use in planning and grant discussions
  • Paths for your team to join state and national outreach when MI-Light co-promotes photonics capabilities
  • A curated reference list of local and regional photonics resources you can hand to new hires or visiting customers
  • Research summaries and approved talking points you can adapt for proposals, tours, and customer briefings
  • Job postings and resume listings focused on photonics-related roles in Michigan, including paths from Jobs & Internships

Putting the marketing package to work

Most members start by updating their directory listing and logo so outbound links from mi-light.org stay accurate. When you release a product or expand capacity, send a short summary to the association contact line so it can be queued for the newsletter, news index, or meeting readouts where appropriate.

Survey slides and PDF excerpts are intended for internal planning and customer education, not as competitive intelligence about named peers without their context. For trade co-marketing, confirm dates and booth numbers with staff before you cite MI-Light participation in your own ads.

For staff recruiting, pair directory visibility with a live Events Calendar entry when you plan to interview on site, and cross-link to Networking so candidates see how members connect between meetings.

When you need policy or grant language that mentions the broader Michigan cluster, coordinate with the Advocacy page so dates and sponsor names stay aligned with what the board has approved for external use.

Our Mission Statement

Mi-Light serves as the focal point for the photonics industry in Michigan, bringing together professionals from companies, academia and organizations, dedicated to mutually supporting, promoting and growing Michigan's photonics industry.  Mi-Light’s mission is to promote and grow our internationally-recognized talent pool and leverage our strong industrial and academic capabilities in order to expand the photonics industry, attract funding and stimulate innovation in Michigan. Learn more.