KEY MARKETING TERMS

A/B Testing:

A method of comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or other marketing asset to see which one performs better. For example, testing two different headlines to see which one gets more clicks.

ABM (Account-Based Marketing):

ABM (Account-Based Marketing): A focused strategy where marketing and sales teams work together to target a specific set of high-value client accounts, treating them as individual markets.

Accessibility:

Designing and creating websites and content that can be used by everyone, including people with disabilities.

Advocacy:

The final stage of the marketing funnel where loyal customers actively recommend your brand to others.

Affiliate Marketing:

A partnership where an individual or company earns a commission for marketing another person's or company's products.

Analytics:

The process of discovering, interpreting, and communicating meaningful patterns in data to understand and optimise marketing performance.

Attribution:

The process of identifying which marketing channels or touchpoints contributed to a conversion, such as a sale or lead.

Awareness:

The first stage of the marketing funnel, where potential customers first become aware of your brand or product.

Benchmarks:

Benchmarks: Standards or points of reference against which your marketing performance can be measured and compared.

Blog:

A regularly updated website or web page, typically run by an individual or small group, written in an informal or conversational style.

Bounce Rate:

The percentage of visitors to a website who leave after viewing only one page.

Brand Awareness:

The extent to which consumers are familiar with the distinctive qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services.

Brand Equity:

The commercial value that derives from consumer perception of the brand name of a particular product or service, rather than from the product or service itself.

Brand Voice:

The unique personality a brand takes on in its communications, which is then expressed through its tone of voice.

Brand:

The overall perception, identity, and reputation of a company or product in the mind of the consumer.

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost):

The total cost of sales and marketing efforts needed to acquire a new customer.

CLV/LTV (Customer Lifetime Value):

A prediction of the total net profit a company will make from any given customer throughout their entire relationship.

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition):

An online advertising pricing model where the advertiser pays for a specified action, such as a sale, click, or form submission.

CPC (Cost Per Click):

The actual price you pay for each click in your pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaigns.

CPM (Cost Per Mille):

The cost an advertiser pays for one thousand views or impressions of an advertisement. "Mille" is Latin for thousand.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management):

A technology system for managing all your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers.

CTA (Call to Action):

An instruction to the audience designed to provoke an immediate response, usually using an imperative verb such as "Buy now" or "Learn more".

Case Study:

A detailed story that shows how a customer successfully used your product or service to solve a problem.

Churn:

The rate at which customers stop doing business with a company over a given period.

Click-Through Rate (CTR):

The percentage of people who see your advert or link and then actually click on it.

Click-Through:

The action of a user clicking on a digital advert or link to reach a specific destination.

Cohort:

A group of users who share a common characteristic, such as signing up in the same week, often used for analysis.

Competitive Analysis:

The process of identifying your competitors and evaluating their strategies to determine their strengths and weaknesses relative to your own.

Content Marketing:

Creating and sharing valuable, relevant online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.

Conversion:

The point at which a recipient of a marketing message performs a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

Copywriting:

The art and science of writing text (copy) for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing.

Cross-sell:

A sales technique used to encourage a customer to buy a related or complementary product. For example, selling a phone case to someone buying a new phone.

Customer Journey:

The complete sum of experiences that customers go through when interacting with your company and brand.

Dashboard:

A tool used to visualise important marketing data and track performance metrics in one easy-to-read place.

Demo:

A demonstration of a product or service to a prospective customer to show how it works and what it can do for them.

Drip Campaign:

A series of automated emails sent to a specific group of people over time, designed to nurture them towards a specific action.

Ebook:

A digital book (longer than a blog post) that is used as a marketing tool to provide in-depth information on a topic and generate leads.

Email Marketing:

The use of email to promote products or services while developing relationships with potential customers or clients.

Engagement Rate:

A metric that measures the amount of interaction (likes, comments, shares) that a piece of content receives relative to its reach or audience size.

Event Marketing:

The process of developing a themed exhibit, display, or presentation to promote a product, service, cause, or organisation.

Freemium:

A pricing strategy where a company offers a basic version of its product or service for free, with charges for advanced or premium features.

Funnel (Marketing Funnel):

A model illustrating the theoretical customer journey from the moment of first awareness through to purchase and advocacy.

Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy:

An action plan that specifies how a company will reach target customers and achieve competitive advantage when launching a new product or entering a new market.

Hashtag:

A word or phrase preceded by a hash sign (#), used on social media to identify messages on a specific topic.

Heatmap:

A graphical representation of data where values are depicted by colour, often used on websites to show where users click and scroll the most.

Homepage:

The main or introductory page of a website.

Impressions:

The total number of times a piece of content, like an advert or a social media post, is displayed on a screen.

Influencer Marketing:

A type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator):

A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.

Keywords:

The words and phrases that people type into search engines to find information, which SEO and SEM campaigns target.

Landing Page:

A standalone web page, created specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign, where a visitor "lands" after they click on a link.

Launch Plan:

A detailed, step-by-step plan that outlines all the tasks and activities required to successfully introduce a new product or service to the market.

Lead:

A potential customer who has shown interest in your company's product or service in some way, such as by providing their contact information.

MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead):

A lead who has shown more interest than other leads and is judged more likely to become a customer based on their engagement with marketing efforts.

Market Share:

The portion of a market controlled by a particular company or product, expressed as a percentage of total sales in that market.

Marketing Automation:

The use of software to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns.

Media Mix:

The combination of communication channels a business uses to meet its marketing objectives.

Messaging:

The specific, consistent language and narrative a brand uses to communicate its value and connect with its audience.

Microsite:

A small, separate website with a unique URL that is created for a specific campaign or purpose.

Mobile-First:

A design and development approach that prioritises creating a good experience for users on mobile devices before designing for larger screens like desktops.

Multivariate Testing:

A method similar to A/B testing but used to test multiple variations of multiple elements on a page simultaneously to see which combination works best.

Nurture:

The process of building relationships with potential customers at every stage of their journey, providing them with relevant information to guide them towards a purchase.

Omnichannel:

A marketing approach that provides customers with a completely seamless and integrated experience across multiple devices and touchpoints.

Onboarding:

The process of helping new customers get started with your product or service and showing them how to get value from it.

Open Rate:

The percentage of recipients who opened a specific email out of the total number of emails successfully delivered.

Organic:

Traffic, leads, or reach generated from unpaid search results or social media posts, as opposed to paid advertising.

PESTLE Analysis:

A strategic framework used to analyse and monitor the macro-environmental factors (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) that may have an impact on an organisation's performance.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click):

A model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their adverts is clicked.

PR (Public Relations):

The professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company or other organisation.

Paid:

Traffic, leads, or reach generated from paid advertising, such as search engine adverts or sponsored social media posts.

Partnership:

A collaborative relationship between two or more businesses with the goal of achieving mutual benefits, such as expanding reach or sharing resources.

Personas:

Fictional, generalised characters that represent the different user types that might use a site, brand, or product in a similar way.

Pipeline:

A visual representation of the sales process, showing where prospects are in the journey from first contact to closing a deal.

Positioning Statement:

A concise internal statement that explains how your brand or product fills a particular consumer need in a way that your competitors don’t.

Positioning:

The process of creating a distinct and valued place in the minds of the target market for a brand, product, or service.

Press Release:

An official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, making an official announcement, or making a statement.

Pricing Strategy:

The method a company uses to price its products or services, considering factors like cost, competition, and perceived value.

Product Marketing:

The process of bringing a product to market and promoting it, which includes defining its positioning, messaging, and launch strategy.

Prototype:

An early, interactive sample or model of a product, website, or app built to test a concept or process.

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend):

A marketing metric that measures the amount of revenue earned for every pound spent on advertising.

ROI (Return on Investment):

A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment, calculated by dividing the net profit by the cost of the investment.

Reach:

The total number of unique people who see your content.

Responsive Design:

A web design approach that ensures web pages render well on a variety of devices and window or screen sizes.

Retention:

The activities and strategies companies use to reduce customer defections and keep them engaged with the brand.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing):

A digital marketing strategy used to increase the visibility of a website in search engine results pages, primarily through paid advertising (PPC).

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation):

The practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic (non-paid) search engine results.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page):

The page displayed by a search engine in response to a query by a user.

SQL (Sales Qualified Lead):

A prospective customer that has been researched and vetted by both marketing and sales teams and is deemed ready for the next stage in the sales process.

SWOT Analysis:

A strategic planning technique used to help an organisation identify its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

Sales Enablement:

The process of providing a company’s sales team with the resources they need to close more deals, such as content, tools, and training.

Segment:

A subgroup of a larger market where individuals share similar characteristics, needs, or behaviours.

Segmentation:

The process of dividing a broad consumer or business market into sub-groups of consumers (known as segments).

Share of Voice:

A measure of the market your brand owns compared to your competitors, often used to gauge brand awareness and visibility.

Social Media:

Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. Key platforms include Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Social Proof:

The idea that people will conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of the correct behaviour. Examples include testimonials and user reviews.

Sponsorship:

A marketing technique where a company provides financial or other support to an event, person, or organisation in exchange for exposure.

Style Guide:

A comprehensive document that outlines a brand's writing and design standards to ensure complete consistency in its communication.

TAM/SAM/SOM:

Acronyms for different subsets of a market: Total Addressable Market (the total demand for a product), Serviceable Available Market (the segment of the TAM you can reach), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (the portion of the SAM you can realistically capture).

Target Audience:

A particular group of consumers at which a product or service is aimed.

Testimonial:

A written or recorded statement from a satisfied customer that commends the value of a product or service.

Tone of Voice:

How a brand’s personality is expressed in its writing. For example, it could be professional, friendly, or witty.

Trial:

A period during which a potential customer can use a product or service for free to evaluate it before making a purchase decision.

UGC (User-Generated Content):

Any form of content—such as images, videos, text, and audio—that has been posted by users on online platforms.

UI (User Interface):

The series of screens, pages, and visual elements—like buttons and icons—that enable a person to interact with a product or service.

UX (User Experience):

The overall experience a person has when using a product, especially a website or app, regarding how easy or pleasing it is to use.

Unsubscribe Rate:

The percentage of email recipients who opt out from a mailing list after receiving an email.

Upsell:

A sales technique where a seller invites the customer to purchase a more expensive item, an upgrade, or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale.

Usability Testing:

A technique used to evaluate a product or website by testing it on real users.

Value Proposition:

A statement that clearly communicates the unique benefit a customer will receive by using your product, service, or brand.

Webinar:

An online seminar or other presentation that takes place on the internet in real-time.

White Paper:

An authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution.

Wireframe:

A basic visual guide used in interface design to suggest the structure of a website and the relationships between its pages and content.

Workflow:

A series of automated actions that you can trigger to run based on a person’s behaviours or contact information.