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Glossary of Marketing Terms

Written by Jeremy Duncombe | Jul 17, 2023 9:01:00 AM

Originally Published on 04/07/2022

Marketing is a wide-ranging discipline, full of techniques, strategies and jargon that can seem overwhelming and confusing at first.

That’s why we’ve put together a handy guide for you to consult, so you can easily find out what many of the key terms you’ll hear day-to-day actually mean.

 

A

A/B Testing

The process of comparing two variations of a specific variable to see which one performs best and delivers the best results. For example, you can test two different call-to-action texts, such as “Download now” and “Download your free guide”, to see which one gets the biggest response.

Analytics

Data relating to an element of your marketing campaign that can highlight patterns, trends and insights that could inform what decisions you take next.

 

B

Backlink

A hyperlink from one web page that takes the user to another website.

Brand positioning

The values, qualities and attributes that help customers connect with your brand and help you stand out from other companies in your industry.

Brand awareness

The extent to which customers connect your brand with a particular product and service and recognise key attributes, such as its logo and colour scheme.

B2B marketing

The marketing of a product or service from one business to another business.

B2C marketing

A marketing strategy targeting individual consumers rather than businesses.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of people who view a page on your website and leave without clicking elsewhere or viewing any other pages.

Buyer Persona

A fictional representation of your typical customer or client, based on real-life data. This can help give you a clear idea of the type of person you want to attract and how best to engage with them.

Buyer Journey

The process that people go through when deciding whether to purchase a product or service. There are three stages to the buyer journey - awareness, consideration and decision. Understanding this can help you create a marketing campaign that reflects the consumer’s problem or situation, show how you can help and convince them to purchase your product or service.

 

C

Case study

A real-life account of a happy customer’s experience with your brand, showcasing how you helped them, the difference you made and the results you achieved.

Call-to-action

A button, image or link that prompts a website visitor to take a particular step. Examples can include “Get in touch”, “Subscribe to our mailing list” or “Download our latest guide”. You can include these in any digital communications that you send.

Churn Rate

The rate at which you’re retaining customers over a particular length of time.

Click through Rate (CTR)

The number of visitors who click on a specific link in an email or ad which takes them through to another site.

Content Marketing

The creation of original content, such as blogs, podcasts and videos, designed to help you attract new customers, strengthen your relationships with existing clients and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

Content Management System (CMS)

An online application that allows you to add and edit content on your website.

Conversion Rate

The proportion of visitors to your website who take a desired action, such as downloading a guide or completing an online form.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Technology that helps you manage your business relations and customer interactions, nurture leads and streamline elements of your marketing activity.

Content Calendar

A document outlining key information about the content you’re planning to publish, such as article titles, the primary keywords you plan to target, the persona it is aimed at and the planned publication date.

Copywriting

Creating text-based content, such as a blog article or the words in an advertisement.

 

D

Digital marketing

Using digital technology and communications, such as emails, your website or social media, to raise the profile of your brand and persuade people to purchase the product or service you offer.

 

E

Engagement Rate

The amount of interaction your social media posts receive, such as likes, comments and retweets.

Evergreen Content

Content that isn’t time-specific, so can be valuable to readers even if it is read long after its publication date.

 

F

Form

A page on your website where you can gather useful customer data and feedback and convert them into leads.

 

I

Inbound Marketing

Marketing techniques and content designed to draw potential customers in, such as search engine optimisation and content marketing, with a view to converting them into actual clients and retaining them after your initial transaction.

 

K

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

A measurement that tracks the performance of a marketing activity, so you can see whether you are making progress and on course to achieve your goals.

Keyword

Popular words and phrases that the people you want to attract will be putting into search engines to find companies like yours.

 

L

Landing Page

A web page that a customer will arrive at after clicking through from an advert or email that will showcase your proposition and your product or service.

Lead 

A person who has expressed an interest in using your product or service, perhaps by subscribing to your mailing list or filling out a form.

 

M

Meta Description

A tag that summarises what a web page is about for search engine users, which should persuade them it contains the information they are looking for.

Mobile Optimisation

Designing your website so it’s just as easy to read and use on a mobile device as it is on a computer.

 

O

Outbound marketing

A traditional marketing approach in which your firm pushes its message out to a mass audience, perhaps by advertising on TV, radio or by attending industry events and trade shows.



P

Pay-per-Click (PPC)

A model where companies pay money to a platform hosting their ad every time somebody clicks on it.

 

Q

Qualified Lead

A person who has expressed an interest in learning more about your company after choosing to receive your marketing communications.

 

R

Responsive Design

An approach to website design that ensures pages render well and can be easily navigated on any device.

Return on Investment (ROI)

A metric that helps you assess the profitability and efficiency of your marketing investment.

 

S

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Building and populating your website in a way that helps to improve or maintain its rankings in search engine results pages, thereby boosting your visibility to people carrying out online searches.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

An agreement that clearly states what a customer will receive from a service provider, or what one department in a company can expect from another, such as sales and marketing.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Applications and software that are hosted by another company, rather than on a company server, such as Salesforce and HubSpot.

 

U

Unique Visitor

A person who has visited your website at least once, so you can discount repeat visitors when working out how many individual people have viewed your pages.

URL

The address of a web page.

User Experience (UX)

A wide-ranging term covering how a customer rates their interactions with your firm, such as whether they found it easy to use your website or get in touch. A customer with a positive user experience is more likely to be a repeat customer or recommend you to others.

 

W

Word-of-Mouth (WOM)

Often regarded as the most powerful type of marketing, this involves happy and satisfied customers recommending your brand, your product and your service to another person.

For more insights on how to market your company, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our GS Live Marketing Masterclass.