digital marketing glossary

There are many inbound/digital marketing terms that most folks may not completely understand what they mean. Let’s break down some common terms.

Digital Marketing Glossary

Analytics

The discovery and communication of meaningful patterns in data is referred to as analytics. Analyzing trends and developing insights is part of an inbound marketers job in order to make smarter marketing decisions. Some of the data marketers will look at includes: website traffic, traffic sources, time spent on site (how long and where they went), goals accomplished and more.

Blogging

Blogging is a way for anyone to publish on the internet. Short for web log or weblog, a personal blog or business blog traditionally includes regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material, such as photos and video. Blogging is a core component of inbound marketing as it can accomplish several initiatives simultaneously, such as website traffic growth, thought leadership, and lead generation.

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Buyer Persona

Anyone making a purchase decision is called a Buyer. Part of an inbound marketers job is to understand current and potential buyers as best they can, this can be accomplished through the creation of a Buyer Persona. By gathering data about current customers, and acquiring data about potential customers, we can build out a real-life example of what your Buyer may look like, and how your product or service can help them. Buyer Personas are an important part of the inbound marketing process.

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Buyer’s Journey

Just as it’s important to understand WHO you’re marketing to, it’s also important to understand where they are in their buying cycle, this is referred to as The Buyer’s Journey. There are three phases: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision. In the awareness phase, the buyer has just determined there could be a need or desire. In the consideration phase, the buyer has begun exploring options to fulfill the need and in the decision phase, the buyer is comparing vendors.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

In order to entice a website visitor to become a lead, you’ll want to compel to them through a call-to-action. A CTA is a text link, button, image, or some type of web link that encourages a website visitor to visit a landing page and become of lead. Some examples of CTAs are “Subscribe Now”, “Schedule a Free Consult” or “Download This Awesome Guide.”

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Content

In relation to digital marketing, content is information that exists for the purpose of being absorbed, engaged with, and shared. Content typically comes in the form of a blog, video, social media post, photo, slideshow, or podcast. Some would say content is the MOST important piece of a digital marketing strategy – without it, how else will you attract prospects to your website?

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Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing. What the heck is THAT? Coined by Hubspot in 2006, it is a term created at the beginning of the shift in buyer behaviors – when buyers realized they could be in control of the sales process. So, instead of some of the “old school” methods of spraying and praying (you know, put it out there and hope they come – aka outbound marketing), inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that pulls people toward your company and product, where they naturally want to be. By aligning the content you publish with your customer’s interests, you naturally attract inbound traffic that you can then convert, close, and delight over time.

*I will interchange the terms Digital Marketing and Inbound Marketing.

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Keywords

Sometimes referred to as “keyword phrases,” keywords are the topics that webpages get indexed for in search results by engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. These are the words that your prospect will be typing into these search engines, and will therefore help you get found by your potential customers.

Landing Page

There can be many pages on your website, but A Landing Page is page containing a form that is used specifically for lead generation. This page revolves around a premium offer (sometimes referred to as a “marketing offer”), such as anything downloadable, a request for a consultation, or as a sign up for an online event. A landing page serves to capture visitor information in exchange for the valuable offer.

Lead Nurturing

In order to assist in guiding a website visitor from “prospect” to “customer” you may consider the practice of Lead Nurturing (sometimes referred to as “drip marketing.”) Lead Nurturing is the practice of developing a series of communications – typically emails – that seek to qualify a lead, keep him/her engaged, and eventually turn them into a customer.

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Workflow

A Workflow is a set of triggers and events that move a lead through the lead nurturing process. Slightly more sophisticated than Lead Nurturing, a workflow can also serve other purposes, such as adjust contact properties on a lead record based on certain conditions, or adding a contact record to a certain list. Workflows can be considered your Lead Nurturing workhorse, and can be very powerful in your overall digital marketing strategy.