In an ever-changing digital world, it is common to feel like you are falling behind on your knowledge of frequently used marketing terms. We have curated a quick guide to some of the more common jargon you may run into when navigating the world of marketing and advertising.

There are a few different categories to consider when defining marketing terminology. For easy identification, we have broken up our master list into three categories:

• General marketing

• Content marketing

• Digital marketing

General Marketing:

For a brief overview of some phrases that are used most regularly in the marketing field, refer to this condensed list as a quick cheat sheet. Marketing as a concept deals with several different aspects of promotion, design, and customer engagement. Before we begin to break marketing down into simplified chunks of information, we have to understand it in the broader sense.

• Brand Positioning

Brand positioning is the element of your company that allows it to stand out among competitors. This is the process of deciding which identifiable traits-brand colors, images, and logos- your company will be recognized by. This process also deals with the way your company presents its brand on social media.

• Flywheel

This term has been developed very recently among marketing professionals and represents the change in the way marketers think about success for business-to-business marketing. This strategy is centered around the customer and focuses on relationship building to promote repeat business.

• Demand Generation

This process uses technology to generate demand for a business and its products or services by analyzing data. An important step in this process is building a brand identity, or a way for customers to easily recognize your brand and your desired image.

• Inbound/Outbound Marketing

Inbound marketing focuses on drawing in customers who are more inclined to be interested in your business rather than marketing to the general public. Outbound marketing, on the other hand, relies heavily on pushing the message out to an audience, through devices like conferences, cold calling, and TV/print advertisements.

• Sales Funnel

This is the overarching term that refers to a customer’s process of completing a purchase. First, they must identify a need, conduct research on potential solutions, and finally, make a purchase decision. There are several different stages to this process.

• Top of the Funnel

This is the first phase of the sales funnel in which consumers are beginning to recognize their problem and need for a solution.

• Middle of the Funnel

This represents the stage of the marketing funnel in which buyers are officially aware of their problem and the need to solve it.

• Bottom of the Funnel

This term refers to the last step in the process. This means that a buyer’s problem has been identified, they have chosen a solution, and they are about to make their final purchase decision.

• Return on Investment

This is data that helps a company understand how well their tactics are working by analyzing profitability and efficiency, or how much the organization gained from their project or investment.

Content Marketing:

Content marketing deals with the creation and management of digital material such as videos, blogs, photos, and graphics. Social media is also an integral part of this process. Content marketing is dependent upon consistency and creativity, reaching its desired audience through thoughtful and valuable visual advertisement.

• Content Marketing

This type of marketing focuses its efforts on creating and sending out quality content with the goal of earning profitable action as a result. This content should attract a target audience and keep customers engaged and wanting to return business.

• Content Marketing Funnel

Similar to a sales funnel, a content marketing funnel represents the steps that content strategies provide for their potential customers, from education to final purchase.

• Content Management System

A content management system is a device used to track and plan when and how to deliver content on a certain schedule. Content management systems come in a few different forms for different businesses depending on what they are looking for.

• Infographics

This form of content creation provides a visual for data and diagnostics that can be used as a good form of education for potential customers. Infographics often display charts and graphs that are easily understood.

• On-Site/Off-Site Content

Content a business hosts on their personal website and social media accounts is considered on-site, while content posted on other businesses’ websites is considered off-site.

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Tracking interactions with customers is a vital aspect of content marketing, and CRM is a device that allows businesses to do so. This technology is used to organize and create the business’ interactions with their audience, such as sales calls and emails.

• Earned Media

This idea refers to when businesses receive media attention in an organic way, such as by doing something considered news-worthy. Distributing press releases, word-of-mouth, and receiving press mentions are all examples of earned media.

Digital Marketing

This section of marketing typically refers to the strategies that appear on tablets, phones, computer screens, and other technological devices. It is often considered the opposite of “traditional marketing”, which typically is thought of as print ads and television commercials. Digital marketing has become a major player in marketing over the last decade or so.

• Bounce rate

When tracking digital marketing analytics, companies tend to pay attention to a site’s bounce rate, or the percentage of visitors who navigate away from the site after viewing one page.

• Lead

This word is used often in the marketing world to describe a potential client or customer for a business.

• Search Engine Optimization

SEO is crucial to digital marketing and is used to promote a website’s visibility when certain search-engine searches are conducted. This is done through consistent content posts that contain relevant keywords, and other strategies to improve the spot a website is presented at when leads are looking for information online.

• Keyword

This term describes the specific words people type into search engines when looking for information. Predicting what these words might be in relation to your business and including them in content can help to attract potential clients.

There are several ways to simplify and improve the way your company markets its business. To ensure you stay on top of marketing trends and news, keep yourself educated on common marketing jargon. This will allow your business to flourish and reach your desired audience.