Marketing & Sales Vocabulary

When a prospect takes a desired action

“The new landing page doubled our conversion rate.”

Origin: From Latin `convertere` (to turn around, transform), from `con-` (altogether) + `vertere` (to turn)

The level of interaction with content or brand

“Social media engagement increased after the campaign launch.”

Origin: From French `engager` (to pledge), from `en-` (in) + `gage` (pledge)

Dividing a market into distinct groups

“Customer segmentation allows for targeted messaging.”

Origin: From Latin `segmentum` (a piece cut off), from `secare` (to cut)

How a brand is perceived relative to competitors

“Strategic positioning established us as the premium option.”

Origin: From Latin `positio` (placement), from `ponere` (to place, put)

Statistical characteristics of a population

“Demographics show our primary audience is millennials.”

Origin: From Greek `demos` (people) + `graphia` (writing, description)

Psychological attributes of consumers

“Psychographics reveal customer values and lifestyle choices.”

Origin: From Greek `psyche` (mind, soul) + `graphia` (writing, description)

The stages a customer goes through before purchasing

“We need to optimize the top of the funnel for awareness.”

Origin: From Latin `infundibulum` (funnel), from `infundere` (to pour in)

Keeping existing customers engaged

“Customer retention is more cost-effective than acquisition.”

Origin: From Latin `retinere` (to hold back), from `re-` (back) + `tenere` (to hold)

The rate at which customers stop using a service

“Reducing churn is essential for subscription businesses.”

Origin: From Old English `cyrnel` (to turn, churn); metaphorically, customers `churning out` of the customer base

Gaining new customers

“Customer acquisition costs have risen significantly.”

Origin: From Latin `acquisitio` (accumulation), from `acquirere` (to seek in addition), from `ad-` (to) + `quaerere` (to seek)

The number of times content is displayed

“The ad generated millions of impressions across platforms.”

Origin: From Latin `impressio` (a pressing into), from `imprimere` (to press into), from `in-` (into) + `premere` (to press)

The number of unique people who see content

“Our organic reach declined after the algorithm change.”

Origin: From Old English `ræcan` (to extend, stretch out)

Return on investment; profit relative to cost

“The campaign delivered an impressive ROI of three hundred percent.”

Origin: Acronym from modern English `return on investment`; `return` from Old French `retorner` + `investment` from Latin `investire`

Key performance indicator; a measurable value

“Our primary KPI is monthly recurring revenue.”

Origin: Acronym from modern English `key performance indicator`; component words from various Latin roots

The value premium a brand commands

“Strong brand equity allows for premium pricing.”

Origin: From Old English `brand` (burning) + Latin `aequitas` (equality, fairness)

The benefit a product promises to deliver

“Our value proposition emphasizes convenience and reliability.”

Origin: From Latin `valere` (to be worth) + `propositio` (a setting forth), from `proponere` (to set forth)

Strategy for launching a product

“The go-to-market strategy targets enterprise customers first.”

Origin: Modern English compound phrase describing the path or strategy to reach the market

Attracting and converting potential customers

“Content marketing drives our lead generation efforts.”

Origin: From Old English `lædan` (to guide) + Latin `generare` (to create, beget)

Identifying which touchpoints led to conversion

“Multi-touch attribution reveals the full customer journey.”

Origin: From Latin `attributio` (an assigning), from `attribuere` (to assign), from `ad-` (to) + `tribuere` (to give)

Comparing two versions to determine which performs better

“A/B testing showed the red button increased clicks by twenty percent.”

Origin: Modern English compound; named after comparing version A versus version B

The action of marking with a branding iron

“Effective branding creates a strong identity.”

Origin: From Old English `brand` (burning, torch); originally marking cattle with a hot iron

A person with the ability to influence potential buyers

“The brand partnered with a popular influencer.”

Origin: From Latin `influere` (to flow in), from `in-` (into) + `fluere` (to flow)