Jet skis, Hoovers and Velcro all have one thing in common. They’re all brand names that have become shorthand for their particular categories. No-one asks for a personal watercraft, a vacuum cleaner or a hook and loop fastener. We all fall back to the brand name, and everyone understands. Owning a category as these brands do is a differentiation paradise that is tough to achieve. But differentiation shouldn’t be ignored: it can make or break a business. Getting it wrong can gradually eat away at your bottom line to the point that you’re only competing one way: price. The good news? Marketing can help.

This year’s SXSW and Mobile World Congress, two of the largest networking events in the world, have been cancelled due to the spread of coronavirus. Massive brands like Facebook, Adobe and IBM have also announced that their annual conferences will be happening online instead of in-person. This situation is constantly changing.

Marketing and sales alignment is all about creating a flawless customer journey that guides prospects through each stage of the marketing and sales funnel. It may sound simple enough, but this can be incredibly hard to pull off.  Getting it right requires a well planned approach for the top, middle and bottom of your funnel. As well as knowing how you’re going to transfer prospects from one stage to the next. Probably the most challenging of all, it requires sales and marketing to work closely together and be completely aligned.