Marketing Terms and Jargon

While planning marketing campaigns, strategists explain processes and activities using domain-specific words and phrases. Likewise, they refer to various acronyms and abbreviations while referring to marketing strategies and tactics. Seasoned marketers do not struggle to understand these commonly used marketing terms and acronyms. However, beginners and novice marketers decode the marketing jargon using online dictionaries. We are simplifying the process by discussing marketing terms and jargon used widely by marketing strategists and bloggers.

Decoding Commonly Used Marketing Terms

A/B Testing

As a digital marketing technique, A/B testing or split testing helps strategists compare the performance of different versions of the same digital asset. Marketers perform A/B testing to compare various versions of a web page, email, landing page, ad copy, or social media post based on key metrics. Also, they automate the split testing process using A/B testing tools.

Analytics

Analytics refers to the process of detecting important trends and patterns in raw data. Marketers simplify the collection, analysis, and reporting of large volumes of data using analytics solutions. For instance, they understand how visitors interact with a website using web analytics. Likewise, marketing analytics help them gain actionable insights and make informed decisions by analyzing marketing campaign data.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

As a set of rules and protocols, APIs make software applications communicate and interact seamlessly with each other. Developers use APIs to ensure real-time data exchange between various software applications. Likewise, APIs enable them to build integrated enterprise systems by combining related tech tools and solutions.

Business-to-Business (B2B)

B2B refers to the business model that makes companies generate revenue by selling products, services, or tech solutions to enterprise customers. The important characteristics of the B2B model are the involvement of multiple decision-makers, higher-value transactions, more informed customers, and longer sales cycles.

Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

B2B refers to the business model that makes companies offer their products or services directly to consumers without intermediaries. Many companies implement the B2C model by selling products or services through their websites or e-commerce marketplaces. However, companies still adopt the B2B model by setting up physical retail outlets.

Blogging

As a digital marketing strategy, blogging focuses on promoting a product, service, or brand through the creation and publication of content. Leading brands implement business blogging strategies to accomplish important marketing goals like generating leads, improving online visibility, establishing thought leadership, showcasing expertise, and driving sales. Also, business blogging helps businesses boost inbound marketing strategies like content marketing and search engine optimization.

Bottom-of-the-funnel (BOF) Lead

Before making the purchase decision, a lead or potential customer passes through a series of steps or phases. BOFL refers to the potential customers that are at the bottom of the sales funnel. Such leads are close to making purchase decisions. Salespeople convert them into customers by offering customer testimonials, case studies, personalized emails, and product demos.

Bounce Rate

Bounce rate helps marketers understand the percentage of visitors who abandon the website after viewing only a single page. They reduce the bounce rate by optimizing the website’s user interface and user experience. Likewise, they encourage visitors to access additional pages on the website by posting compelling and engaging content.

Buyer Persona

As the fictional representation of the ideal customer, buyer personas help marketers understand the needs, interests, aspirations, and concerns of potential customers. While making buyer personas, strategists combine customer and market research data. Likewise, they leverage marketing automation tools to create buyer personas based on thousands of data points using intelligence technologies.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

Marketers use CTA to prompt the specific potential customer to take a specific action. They usually encourage users to take the desired action by presenting CTA as a textual expression. However, users can take the specific action by clicking on a button or link. Marketers these days prompt user action with strong CTAs in landing pages and social media posts.

Churn Rate

Marketers use churn rates as a metric to measure the percentage of customers who have stopped doing business with a company over a specific period. Likewise, they minimize customer churn or attrition rates by giving incentives, improving customer support quality, and asking for customer feedback.

Clickthrough Rate (CTR)

Marketing strategists use CTR as a key metric to track the performance of ads and keywords. They measure CTR by dividing the number of times an ad is shown (impressions) by the number of clicks. Likewise, they increase CTR by narrowing audience targeting, replacing keywords, using negative keywords, and strengthening CTR.

Content Marketing

As an inbound marketing strategy, content marketing drives lead generation, nurturing, and conversion through the creation and distribution of content in various formats. While strategizing content marketing strategies, strategists focus on delivering content in multiple forms articles, blog posts, eBooks, case studies, whitepapers, infographics, videos, podcasts, and webinars. Also, they boost content marketing campaigns by delivering tailored content to leads according to their current positions in the buying journey.

Content Repurposing

Content repurposing enables marketers to share existing content in multiple formats. For instance, marketers repurpose existing blog posts into infographics, podcasts, videos, or newsletters. In addition to expanding customer reach, repurposing helps brands extend content lifespan and curb content creation costs.

Conversion Rate (CVR)

As an important marketing metric, CVR helps strategists measure what percentage of website visitors are being converted into leads, subscribers, or customers. The metric helps them understand how potential customers are engaging with content and ads. Also, they implement conversion rate optimization (CRO) tactics like A/B testing, landing page optimization, and CTA prioritization.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing refers to the strategies that promote and sell products/services using digital devices and channels. Companies run digital marketing campaigns that appear on desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Likewise, they drive promotion and sales activities using top digital marketing channels like websites, mobile apps, search engines, social media, emails, and paid advertising.

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing allows brands to reach out to existing and potential customers without any third party. Brands these days run direct marketing campaigns successfully using digital marketing channels. In addition to enhancing customer reach, digital marketing channels help them develop and sustain customer relationships without involving any marketing organization.

Display Advertising

Display advertising refers to advertisements that promote products/services by combining text, images, animations, videos, and other multimedia elements. Brands showcase their products/services to showcase their offerings visually on various online platforms. However, they accomplish marketing goals by showing multiple types of display ads – responsive ads, native ads, retargeting ads, banner ads, and social media ads.

Email Marketing

As an effective digital marketing strategy, email marketing helps brands connect with customers by sending emails. Brands build and foster customer relationships by sending personalized emails to customers. Also, they use email automation tools to send customized emails to customers at the right time.

Four Ps of Marketing

While planning marketing activities, strategists focus on 4 Ps – product, price, place, and promotion. They combine these key elements to form the marketing mix required to accomplish desired marketing goals. They consider the 4Ps while making an urban and rural marketing mix. However, strategists consider 4 As – availability, affordability, acceptability, and awareness while making the rural marketing mix.

Go-to-Marketing Strategy

The go-to-marketing strategy helps businesses drive the promotion and sale of a new product/service. While making a go-to-marketing strategy, strategists focus on several core components – market, customers, distribution channels, product positioning, and price. At the same time, they explore ways to drive customer engagement, create brand awareness, strengthen brand positioning, and outperform competitors.

Growth Marketing

As a marketing optimization strategy, growth marketing helps businesses achieve and sustain profitable growth. Growth marketing emphasizes growing revenue consistently by accelerating customer acquisition and fostering customer loyalty. It facilitates long-term growth by improving the performance of marketing campaigns through informed decisions made based on real-time campaign data.

Guerilla Marketing

Brands run guerilla marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness and revenue growth using unconventional marketing methods. Guerilla marketing focuses on simplifying brand awareness and strengthening brand positioning by targeting specific customers and personalizing brand interactions. Brands these days accomplish marketing goals by running guerilla marketing campaigns in various forms – buzz marketing, stealth marketing, ambush marketing, ambient marketing, and grassroots marketing.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing, unlike outbound marketing, does not increase customer reach through direct communication using traditional marketing channels. Instead, inbound marketing tactics focus on attracting and engaging potential customers by sharing content and creating experiences that resonate with the target audience. At the same time, inbound marketing creates opportunities for businesses to curb marketing costs and increase customer reach using popular digital marketing channels like search engines and social media.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing helps brands promote products/services by collaborating with popular social media influencers. The strategy focuses on creating brand awareness, establishing credibility, boosting sales, and generating backlinks through the influencer. Businesses these days accomplish desired goals by running different types of influencer marketing campaigns – brand ambassadorship, guest blogging, sponsored content, contests, product unboxing, and product reviews.

Leads

In marketing, leads refer to potential customers or prospects. Marketers consider any contact who has the potential to become a paying customer as a lead. In addition to generating leads regularly, they divide leads into various categories or segments – marketing-qualified leads (MQLs), sales-qualified leads (SQL), product-qualified leads, and sales-accepted leads.

Lead Generation

Lead generation refers to the process of making potential customers or prospects interested in the products/services offered by a business. Businesses these days accelerate lead generation by running multichannel or omnichannel digital marketing channels. Also, they gain potential customers’ interest in a product or service by delivering digital content in multiple formats.

Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing refers to the process of fostering and strengthening relationships with potential customers throughout their buying journeys. Marketers nurture leads in various ways – providing valuable information and answering key questions. Brands drive lead nurturing by delivering content tailored to the needs, interests, expectations, and pain points of leads.

Local SEO

Local search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the tactics businesses implement to increase their visibility on local search results. The increased local search visibility helps them attract more customers and generate more leads in the local area. However, marketing strategists implement several global SEO tactics and best practices while planning local SEO campaigns.

Market Analysis

Marketing analysis helps strategists make informed decisions by evaluating important components of the target market – target audience, competition, and potential. While conducting market analysis, analysts identify trends, find opportunities, and minimize risks by considering both qualitative and quantitative data. In addition to quantifying the customer base, they assess the industry environment and evaluate the competitors.

Market Research

Market research or marketing research refers to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of information about a product/service/market. Companies conduct market research to understand the needs, preferences, behaviors, and concerns of potential customers. Also, market research data helps them refine marketing strategies by detecting emerging trends and changing customer preferences.

Marketing Analytics

Marketing analytics help strategists make informed decisions by sharing insights gained through the analysis of marketing data. The tech solutions gain actionable insights by tracking and analyzing large volumes of marketing data automatically. Strategists use marketing analytics software to boost campaign performance by understanding what is working and what is not.

Marketing Channel

Marketing channel refers to platforms or touch points businesses use for communicating with potential and existing customers. The marketing channels used by brands can be divided into several categories – traditional, digital, direct, indirect, free, paid, and loyalty programs. Modern businesses prefer digital marketing channels to traditional or offline marketing channels to expand customer reach without escalating costs.

Marketing-Qualified Lead (MQL)

MQL refers to a potential customer who has responded to the marketing campaigns run by a brand. This category of leads has shown interest in the product/service offered by the brand. However, they have not decided about purchasing the product/service. Marketers convert MQLs into sales-qualified leads by engaging and influencing them throughout the buying journey.

Marketing Funnel

A marketing funnel depicts the customer journey or buying journey visually. Marketers refer to the marketing funnel to detect the current position of a potential customer in the buying journey. Also, they boost lead nurturing by dividing leads into – the top, middle, or bottom of the funnel according to their current stage or phase in the buying journey.

Owned Media

Owned media refers to the digital resources created, distributed, and controlled by a company. A company’s owned media usually includes its website, mobile app, blogs, email lists, social media pages, self-hosted videos, and business profiles on external websites.

Paid Media

Paid media refers to the external platforms that allow companies to promote their content against payment. While using paid media, marketers have to customize and optimize the digital content according to the targeted platform. Also, paid media these days includes traditional marketing tactics like print ads and TV ads as well as digital marketing channels like paid search and social media advertising.

Paid Search

Paid search refers to a digital marketing tactic that enables brands to display ads on search engine results pages (SERPs) by making payments. Premium display ads usually appear on SERPs before organic search results. Hence, companies invest in paid search to enhance brand visibility and gain a competitive advantage.

Paid Advertising

Paid advertising helps brands display ads on various online platforms by making payments. Brands show up ads on various online forums by choosing from a variety of paid advertising options – pay-per-click, display ads, video ads, search engine ads, social media ads, and retargeted ads. However, each form of paid advertising requires advertisers to rent online space or slots by participating in a bidding process.

Remarketing

Remarketing or retargeting is a digital advertising model that enables a company to display ads to potential customers who have already interacted with its brands using its website or mobile app. The remarketing strategies influence the purchase decisions of such prospects by reminding them of the advertiser. Companies run remarketing or retargeting campaigns to encourage potential customers to take the desired action – make a purchase or return to the website.

Sales-Qualified Lead (SQL)

SQL refers to the potential customers who are currently at the bottom of the sales funnel. Such leads have already shown interest in a product or service and are ready to make a purchase. Sales teams identify SQLs using various criteria, including need, budget, authority, and timeline. Also, marketing teams convert MQLs into SQLs through the lead nurturing process.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

As a tried-and-tested digital marketing strategy, SEO helps companies increase organic website traffic by increasing the website’s visibility on SERP pages. Marketers boost a website’s search performance by implementing and integrating three major SEO strategies – on-page, off-page, and technical. Also, they keep SEO strategies flexible to accommodate the latest search engine algorithm changes proactively.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

SERP refers to the web page search engines show to searchers based on the search query entered by them. SERPs display both paid search results and organic search results. Brands make their websites rank higher on SERPs by running SEO campaigns.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing refers to digital marketing strategies that focus on achieving marketing and branding goals using social networking platforms. Brands run social media marketing campaigns to accomplish various goals – increase website traffic, generate leads, drive sales, and create brand awareness. Also, they boost SMM campaigns by posting digital content in multiple forms on various social networking platforms.

User Journey Mapping

As a user experience research technique, user journey mapping helps strategists understand how users achieve the desired goal by interacting with a product/service. The user experience visualization documents depict the series of steps customers take to accomplish the desired goal. Hence, it becomes easier for marketers to create buyer personas by understanding the needs and pain points of users.

User-Generated Content

Unlike brand-generated content, user-generated content is created by customers or end-users. Customers create and share user-generated content in various formats – blogs, reviews, testimonials, images, videos, and audio. Likewise, they publish user-generated content on various online platforms including websites, social media, review sites, and message boards. Brands collect and leverage user-generated content to influence buying decisions by winning trust and building credibility.

Conclusion

Strategists and bloggers use various terms, phrases, abbreviations, and acronyms while explaining marketing concepts, strategies, and tactics. Beginners and novice marketers often find it difficult to decode the commonly used marketing jargon. They should refer to this list of marketing terms and jargon to understand strategies and tactics without taking a guess or using a dictionary.