Marketing Glossary

Advertising
A paid form of communication used to promote an organization, product, service or idea.

Advertorial
An advertisement that has the appearance of a newspaper article or contains editorial content. Advertorials are placed in print and online publications.

Affiliate Marketing
A method of promoting websites in which the affiliate site displays an ad for the original site and is rewarded for every visitor and/or sale the original site receives from the affiliate.

Agency of Record (AOR)
Technically only applies to agencies that buy media time and space for large corporations, but has become a common term used for a more permanent (usually contractually binding) relationship between agency and client.

Analytics
The sophisticated gathering and reporting of statistical data. For online marketing, analytics might involve tracking unique visitors, clickstream data, website usability and survey data.

Awareness Marketing
Advertising designed to saturate the media in order to gain awareness throughout the entire marketplace. Awareness marketing is often passive, requiring no response from the individual. This type of marketing reaches the largest possible audience, but also carries the highest cost per sale.

B2B Marketing
Business-to-business marketing. Marketing directed at other businesses instead of consumers.

B2C Marketing
Business-to-consumer marketing. Marketing directed at consumers.

Blacklists
All messages from addresses on these email lists are automatically blocked. Blacklisting is a form of access control on the Internet. Conversely, a whitelist blocks everyone except those approved as “safe.” Email marketers use these terms to explain the filtering of email addresses.

Brand
The values, emotions and other qualities people perceive a company or product representing.

Brand Attributes
A specific set of characteristics that identify the traits of the brand, in the same way that a person's attributes allow us to consistently identify them.

Brand Identity
A set of associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain. Companies try to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity.

Brand Image
The perception of a product or brand by the customer.

Brand Mark
A name, term, design, symbol, icon or any other feature that identifies one seller's products or services and is intended to distinguish them from those of other sellers. The legal term for brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item, a family of items, or all items of that seller.

Brand Platform
A brand platform, or corporate image, is the set of associations that customers make with a brand. A good platform ensures a brand is demonstrated consistently across all mediums, so that there is an instant association between the brand and the desired feeling or message.

Buzz Marketing
A term similar in concept to word-of-mouth marketing in that the idea is to create a feeling of a unique, spontaneous personal exchange that will then be passed on to others. This sort of communication has a reputation for being an honest source of information because of its appearance as being unsolicited.

Campaign and Campaign Management
A planned set of activities designed to increase the sales of a product or service or to promote awareness.

CAN-SPAM
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 established requirements in the U.S. for sending commercial emails, and defines penalties for those who send non-solicited emails. A good marketing firm can help create an email campaign that complies with these regulations.

Channel of Communication
The means of conveying the advertising message (eg. magazine ads, television commercials, email, websites, etc.).

Click-Through Tracking
Counting how many recipients of an email clicked on an embedded link.

Community
A group sharing an environment, intent, belief, resource or other characteristic.

Content Management System (CMS)
Software that organizes, publishes and manipulates digital content, often for websites.

Conversion
In marketing, a conversion occurs when a prospective customer takes the marketer's intended action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

Conversion Rate
The percentage of customers who take the marketers desired action.

Consumer Generated Content
The actual message contained in consumer-generated media (see below).

Consumer Generated Media (CGM)
Media created by the consumer such as a review, commentary, blog, etc. This content can have a positive or negative effect on a brand's image, but it is seen as unsolicited and therefore reputable (like word-of-mouth). Some see this as a new alternative to traditional marketing because consumers become willing participants in the communication.

Cookies
A small file that is saved on your hard drive by a website to record your preferences and activities on that site. This tracking can violate privacy, and can be blocked, but disabling cookies sometimes makes websites unusable.

Copyright
A legal concept giving the creator or purchaser of a body of work the right to use or sell it.

Copywriting
The art of writing sales and marketing materials.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
All aspects of interaction between a company and its customers, including information acquired from sales, marketing, and customer service. CRM systems are software packages that track and analyze these interactions.

Direct Mail
Printed materials (leaflets, letters, catalogs, flyers, brochures, etc.) that are mailed or delivered directly to customers.

Direct Marketing
Sending a promotional message directly to customers, rather than via a mass medium. Includes methods such as direct mail and telemarketing.

Direct Response
An advertising method used to elicit a direct response from customers, such as responding by mail, telephone, or email. Some practitioners use this as a synonym for direct marketing.

Double Opt-In
A two-step process that requests new email subscribers to confirm (via email) that they want to be added to an email list.

Drip Marketing
The method of sending promotional pieces on a scheduled basis to current and potential clients in order to keep your name in front of your client base and increase their readiness to make a purchase.

Dynamic Content
Dynamic content is the collection of images, videos and text on a web page that changes automatically in response to user interaction.

Database Marketing
Using collected data about past, current and/or potential customers to communicate with them in a more personalized manner. Database marketers must ensure this information is collected willingly and knowingly from customers.

Email Marketing
A form of direct marketing that uses email to send messages, promotions and information.

Ezine
Short for “electronic magazine,” an ezine (pronounced “e-zeen”) usually consists of news, updates, articles, opinion sections and incentives. Often an ezine is an electronic copy of a printed magazine.

Focus Groups
A group of potential customers that fit the target demographic of the marketing campaign, and who are questioned in order to collect information or test the likely effectiveness of an advertising strategy.

Greylists
Greylisting is a method of protecting email inboxes from spam by offering a temporary rejection of emails from unknown addresses. If the email proves to be legitimate, the server will attempt to resend the piece of mail.

Guerrilla Marketing
Low-budget marketing that largely employs word-of-mouth and other publicity efforts.

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
Marketing in which all aspects of a company's promotional efforts work together to deliver a consistent message and maximize the promotional budget.

Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
A not-for-profit association that oversees general practices and establishes guidelines for Internet advertising. Its membership is composed of publishers, advertisers, agencies, and service associates in the interactive marketing industry. IAB Canada is the association’s Canadian organization.

IP Address
Each device connected to the Internet has an address known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address, which uniquely defines that device and enables machines such as computers to find each other.

Industry Generated Media (IGM)
Media generated by businesses, news reporters, competitor websites, etc., that can have either a positive or negative effect on customer's impressions of a product or service. Just like consumer-generated media, businesses must consider the impact of industry-generated media and plan accordingly.

Key Messages
The strategic communication messages that most reinforce the positioning of a company.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
The quantifiable data that managers have identified as the most important variables reflecting operations, which is then used to analyze results and measure performance in specific areas.

Key Success Factors
The factors that are a necessary condition for success in a given market, and which an organization must focus on in order to achieve its vision.

Lead Generation
An essential business process of consistently acquiring new customers or contacts that can be used as sales leads.

Lead Nurturing
The process of developing “cold” leads into “hot” leads that are prepared to make a purchase.

Linking Strategy
This is a method of attracting traffic to your website by deciding who to form associations with, and where to post information and links about your site.

Loyalty
Loyalty is the behavior customers exhibit when they make frequent repeat purchases of a brand.

Market Profile
A summary of the characteristics of a market, including information of typical purchasers and competitors.

Market Research
A systematic collection and analysis of market data regarding customers, competitors, and the commercial market to aid in decision making regarding the marketing and production of a product or service.

Market Segmentation
To divide a market into smaller segments based on common needs or interests in order to directly market to those ideally suited to a specific product or service.

Marketing Automation
The use of technological solutions to automate the marketing process.

Marketing Mix
A blending of marketing elements into a marketing program. This usually includes the traditional 4P’s – product, price, place, promotion.

Media Mix
The use of a variety of media (eg. magazines, television, websites, etc.) to execute a marketing campaign or plan.

Media Relations
Involvement with various media representatives (typically reporters and editors) to inform the public of the company's mission, policies and practices.

Messaging Platform
The components of a company's platform, such as a positioning statement, key messages, supporting proof points, and customer value propositions.

Microsite
A small website, usually hosted by a larger site, which can be easily edited to match the current marketing campaign.

Opt-In
When a visitor to a website signs up or registers to be added to an email distribution list.

Online Communities
Online communities are groups of people interacting via Internet communications such as discussion boards, forums and social networks, rather than face-to-face. These communities often establish followings for products and services and can be useful for marketing through word-of-mouth.

Out of Home (OOH)
Advertising created specifically to reach customers while they are outside the home.

Paid Placement
This refers to an advertising program in which a website pays to have their link appear at the top of a search results page.

Podcast
A podcast is a digital recording hosted on a website. It can be audio-only or video based, and is delivered for download to a computer or other mobile devices such as MP3 players.

Position
When customers have a certain idea of the perceived benefits of a product or service compared to competing products or services, that is its position in the market.

Positioning
Developing a position in the market where the product or service will have the greatest chance of success.

Product Differentiation
Highlighting unique product differences in order to make the product stand out from its competitors.

Product Life Cycle
A marketing theory in which products or brands follow a sequence of stages: introduction, growth, maturity and sales decline.

Psychographics
The data describing the psychology of customers by classifying them according to lifestyle, wants, aspirations and values instead of by geography or demographics.

Psychological Segmentation
The division of a market into psychological characteristic categories.

Public Relations
A form of communications management used for generating goodwill toward a company and its products or services.

Publicity
A non-personal, indirectly paid presentation in the form of a news item or story that conveys information about a product, service, or idea in the media.

Qualitative Research
A research technique that measures subjective customer perceptions and attitudes through understanding people's beliefs, experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and interactions.

Quantitative Research
A research method that emphasizes empirical measurement of trends within a population.

Reach
The estimated number of individuals in the audience of a broadcast that is reached at least once during a specific period of time.

Real Simple Syndication (RSS)
RSS, also known as rich site summary, is an XML format for syndicating content across the Internet. Instead of searching the Web everyday, users can use RSS feeds to track updates on their favorite websites, companies, blogs or news topics.

Reciprocal Link
When one site creates a link to another site, and the other site then creates a link back to the original site. Reciprocal links serve to increase traffic flow.

Relationship Marketing
Relationship marketing focuses on the lifetime relationship with the customer rather than on the company, product or price. This method requires a higher upfront investment, but delivers the highest long-term return on investment of any marketing strategy.

Relationship Profiling
Collecting customer data that includes basics such as names and birthdays to more detailed information like favorite colors, and using that data to deliver highly personalized communications.

RSS Aggregator
Also known as a feed aggregator, this is software that compiles syndicated web content such as news, blogs and podcasts in a single location for easy viewing.

Return on Investment (ROI)
ROI is a financial term that describes a company's profit or loss resulting from an investment such as a marketing campaign.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Using a number of techniques to improve the visibility of a website or product when customers use a search engine to find specific keywords. SEM includes SEO, pay per click advertisements, multiple links leading back to your site and paid inclusion.

Search Engine Optimization - SEO
Using a number of techniques to improve the ranking of a website in search engine results. The ranking algorithms of the search engines are unknown and change constantly, so it is important to monitor your ranking.

Slogan
The verbal or written portion of an advertising message that summarizes the main idea in a few memorable words. Also called a tag line.

Social Marketing
The use of social media such as blogs and wikis to expand the awareness of the marketing message. Often social media content is intended as a starting point for contact.

Social Media
A term used to describe media developed by individuals through online outlets, including social networks, online communities, message boards, forums, blogs and more. Unlike traditional mass media, which is often restricted to the general public and heavily reviewed and edited for content, social media has the potential to reach the same audience with limited or no restriction on content and validity.

Spam
Spam is unsolicited email and is considered the junk mail of the online world. In recent years, many countries have passed legislation restricting spam.

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ)
A document outlining an agency’s or marketing firm’s qualifications to perform a customer’s work.

Stock Photography
Catalogs of images showing common objects, concepts and people that can be licensed for specific uses.

Strategic Marketing Plan
Outlines the specific activities required to reach the target market and where an organization should allocate its marketing resources.

Tactics
As it pertains to marketing, tactics are the executable elements of a marketing plan, campaign, or program.

Tagline
A slogan or phrase that instantly conveys the most important product attribute or benefit that the marketer wishes to convey. Often this becomes the theme for a campaign.

Target Audience
The demographic group that a marketer is trying to reach with a campaign or marketing program.

Target Market
The defined audience segment that is the intended recipient of a marketer’s message.

Target Market Identification
The process of using research information to determine the best audience to target with marketing campaigns and programs.

Transactional Marketing
Focuses on the immediate response and purchase of products. This type of marketing often carries the lowest cost per sale, but the lifetime value of the customer is also low.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
The unique feature that distinguishes a product or service, and that the competition cannot claim.

Value Proposition
The unique added value that a company offers; the what, how, and why a customer should buy the product or service.

Vehicle
A specific channel or publication for carrying the advertising message to a target audience. For example, a medium would be magazines, while a vehicle would be Time Magazine.

Vertical
A distinct industry, such as financial services or pharmaceutical, that a product, service or marketing campaign is targeted at.

Vertical Publication
A publication whose content is focused on a certain industry; often known as a trade magazine.

Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is word-of-mouth marketing that facilitates the spread of information exponentially, like a virus. This type of marketing encourages people to pass along a marketing message, and is thus low in cost. Messages delivered virally are often seen as reputable by customers because they are not perceived as paid advertising.

Web Analytics
Web analytics is the collection, measurement and analysis of user activity on a website.

Widget
Widgets are small applications on a website that hold data or present an interface to the user.