Blog Archives

ABC Glossary and Abbreviations for Online Marketing Automation

The world of online marketing is constantly in flux, subject to trends and constantly evolving. Although technical terms are necessary to describe the complex processes and mechanisms, they must not become a barrier to understanding. With this constantly expanding glossary on marketing automation, we make it easier to understand! Clear explanations also explain complex online marketing terms and give you a knowledge advantage to learn more about new online marketing strategies and measures to acquire new customers. The terms and mechanisms of lead management described here not only help to win new customers, but also to retain them in the long term. Such an approach offers the following advantages:

• Better prepared buyers
• Higher customer satisfaction
• Better understanding of customer needs
• Increased revenue through improved customer acquisition

We help you to find your way around online marketing and to generate even more sales with a marketing automation system.

A/B testing

Two or more versions of a web page or landing page are created to check which of the variants is more efficient. Values ​​such as the conversion rate, bounce rate and others are used here as comparison criteria. Since A/B testing illuminates the needs of customers very directly, this function is an important criterion when choosing a tool. How to find the ideal MA system.

Account Based Marketing (ABM)

Marketing strategy in the B2B segment, in which a highly specialized team of sales, marketing and other departments designs and executes a tailor-made campaign for a single customer or an entire buying center. Campaigns with ABM are characterized by their high degree of individualization, but this creates more opportunities for interaction and higher closing figures. Further information on ABM.

Al

Abbreviation of the English “Artificial Intelligence” (dt. “Artificial Intelligence”). Automating and mimicking intelligent behavior and human learning and thinking through software. AI-controlled software no longer has to be reprogrammed for each individual sub-task, but finds its own solutions based on self-learning algorithms. In marketing, software with AI supports the analysis of data and can calculate forecasts on this basis. More about AI.

Attribution

In the context of online marketing, attribution means the assignment of certain touchpoints of a customer journey of an individual customer. The concrete sequence of the touchpoints relevant to the purchase is the focus of attribution. Your goal is to find out which points of contact in which interaction ultimately lead to conversion. In this way, it can be determined which touchpoints are of the greatest importance. Various attribution models are available for this purpose.

B2B

Abbreviation from the English for "business-to-business". This term describes the business relationships that exist between two companies. More about B2B.

B2C

Abbreviation from the English for "business-to-consumer". This term describes the relationship between the company and end customers who are private individuals. More about B2C.

B2H

Abbreviation from the English for “business-to-human”. Describes marketing activities that give people maximum priority and interact with them on a personal level.

BANT criteria

List of criteria that a lead must meet before it can be properly evaluated. BANT is an acronym for Budget, Authority, Need, Time. Leads must be screened against these criteria before being handed off for sale.

Big data

This term describes the automated analysis of data volumes that, due to their size, can no longer be managed by human employees. Big data analyzes allow to recognize patterns within markets, user behavior and others. These findings can then be used for marketing purposes, for example. If intelligent algorithms are used to analyze this volume of data, big data becomes smart data.

Blog

Website on which articles by a person or a company are published in chronological order. Various publication formats such as text, image, audio or video files can be grouped thematically using keywords. The blog is an interactive medium and allows its readers to write comments and engage in direct exchange with the author or other readers. Learn more about blog.

Buyer persona

Concept of an ideal customer profile that includes the specific challenges, goals and preferences. A buyer persona is created based on several interviews with specific customers. More about buyer personas.

CDP

Abbreviation for Customer Data Platform. This software collects and consolidates unique customer profiles by linking different data sources. Non-cookie-based sources are also possible. CDPs may collect anonymous user data, but also obtain personally identifiable information. Further information on CDP and data management.

Chatbot

A chatbot is an intelligent dialog program that, thanks to AI, is able to chat with people. Chatbots can answer questions, help users find products and, if necessary, bring a human employee into the conversation. Chatbots are available to users on the website 24/7. More about chatbot.

Closed loop reporting

A function of MAP that measures the ROI of a marketing campaign. Closed loop reporting helps to assess the efficiency of marketing measures and their specific sales success, with sales and marketing having access to this data. More about closed-loop reporting.

Content marketing

Collective term for all content produced to entertain, inform or advise. Text, image, video, podcast and other formats are used for content marketing. In order to be effective, the content must be relevant to the target customer. If the sender communicates the expert status credibly, the content has advertising effectiveness for the products and services offered. Learn more about content marketing.

Conversion rate

Also known as conversion rate or conversion rate. The conversion rate describes the relationship between visitors and actual conversions, i.e. conversions. It is one of the most important metrics in online marketing. How the conversion is defined is flexible. It can be a registration, a download, a transaction or a completely different action.

Cookie

Cookies are nothing more than very small text files that are stored by websites in the user's browser. The data stored therein can provide information about user behavior and surfing habits. They allow marketers to more precisely personalize advertising measures.

CRM

Abbreviation from the English for "Customer Relationship Management" (dt. "Customer Relationship Management"). Both a strategic approach and a software system that supports the company in every interaction with its customers. It collects all available customer information, controls processes and communication. More about CRM.

Cross selling

Cross-selling, also known as cross-selling, aims to offer and sell other products from the product family to existing customers who have not yet explicitly asked for them. These can be accessories or consumables. Unlike upselling, no products are offered in a higher price segment. For companies, cross-selling means the opportunity to sell products without having to invest acquisition costs.

CTA

Abbreviation for "call to action", a request for action with which the reader is specifically addressed. The CTA should, for example, call for a product test or to register for a newsletter or a consultation appointment. In contrast to sales texts or journalistic texts, the UX writing of CTAs focuses on optimizing texts on buttons and similar elements. A typical CTA contains no more than five words and is often combined with a click on a link or button. Conversions can be optimized with A/B testing. More about CTA.

CTR

Abbreviation of "click-through-rate", or click rate. This describes the relationship between the number of impressions and the number of clicks on this advertising medium. A high click rate is generally considered a sign that the advertising material is being accepted positively by the target customers. CTRs are determined by analytics software and are one of the most important measures of advertising success. It can be collected for a number of advertising media, such as banner or text ad advertising, but also for organic links in the SERPs. More about CTR.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Describes the total cost of acquiring a customer from new customer acquisition to closure. The CAC is determined as the quotient of all costs by the number of customers acquired in a specific period. Together with the CLV, a precise picture emerges of how economical customer relationships are in the long term.

Customer Experience (CX)

This term stands for the sum of all experiences and interactions that customers accumulate with a company. In order to create positive customer experiences and thus strong emotional customer loyalty, the customer experience must be carefully designed and monitored. More about CX.

customer journey

Model to describe the highly complex development of the customer from initial interest to purchase and beyond. This exact purchase process analysis enables the creation of an individual communication strategy for each lead and takes into account all physical and digital touchpoints. Optimized the customer journey for each buyer persona and the devices used. More about customer journeys.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Term for the average value that a customer represents for a company over the entire duration of their customer relationship. CLV is therefore also referred to as customer earnings value. Historical revenues and future sales that are still to be expected can also be included. Determining the CLV helps companies to determine what value a customer relationship has for the company and will have in the future. This allows companies to make their investments in business relationships more targeted. A distinction is made between possible (including competitors) and actual CLV.

DAM

Abbreviation for Digital Asset Management. This software allows data to be saved with the extension of other files, such as images, videos, text modules and more. With such software, data can be archived, versioned and segmented using self-defined characteristics.

Data driven marketing

Analytics are at the core of this marketing approach. Based on the analysis data, advertising measures can be adapted even more precisely to the needs of the target customers and continuously optimized. Marketing automation is essential for implementation in data-driven marketing.

DMP

Abbreviation for Data Management Platform. A DMP uses anonymized cookies for segmentation, with website interactions being a key criterion. DMP primarily supply the digital market and also enable data trading.

Double opt

The double opt-in procedure describes a confirmation method that consists of two steps. It is mandatory, for example, when registering for the newsletter in accordance with the GDPR. The user gives their express consent in a two-stage registration process by not only registering, but also receiving an e-mail with which they must also confirm their registration.

Drip Marketing

With automated, perfectly timed messages, leads receive the optimal amount of marketing for best maturation and nurturing. These advertising messages are created in advance and can be sent to the recipients at the right time over a certain period of time with automated campaigns.

DSP

Abbreviation for Demand Side Platform. With these software products, advertisers find the right advertising space for the previously defined target group at the fixed bid price. DSPs run automatically and are used by companies and agencies.

DWH

Abbreviation for data warehouse. A software that acts as a central database for analysis purposes. It brings together data from multiple sources, which can be heterogeneous. A uniform definition of DWH does not yet exist, individual attempts at definition differ in terms of purpose, scope and handling of data stored in the DWH.

Email Marketing

Advertising measure in which the communication between the company and the customer initially takes place via e-mail. E-mail marketing can only be carried out if the recipient has given their express opt-in, i.e. their consent. Leads can be informed about products, offers and services via e-mail marketing, which can, among other things, take the form of newsletters. Further information on email marketing.

Referral Marketing

Referral marketing is the opposite of traditional word of mouth, even in virtual space. Ratings and references from satisfied customers make it possible to attract more customers in this way. For this reason, it is also important for companies to maintain existing customers and to reward loyalty. Referral marketing can take the form of such a personal recommendation as well as user-generated content, for example as a recommendation on rating portals. Product ratings, seals of quality and of course free trial versions can also be sources of recommendation marketing.

Engagement marketing

Should strongly encourage the target group to interact through marketing measures and in this way make them part of the advertising campaign themselves. In contrast to conventional marketing campaigns, the recipient in engagement marketing is not a passive addressee, but an active participant. Users deal particularly intensively with the brand or product, which not only promotes stronger loyalty, but also leads to positive experiences. Engagement marketing is not limited to sweepstakes and contests on social media. Blog posts that encourage sharing also include an engagement component. However, engagement can also mean creating a long dwell time on a landing page. More about engagement marketing.

Engagement rate

The engagement rate is an online marketing indicator that measures the interaction and activity of content. This metric is particularly important for marketing in social networks. A different formula is suitable for each platform, which takes into account the specifics of the respective system. A special engagement score is used in e-mail marketing, which measures the interaction of a campaign with its recipients. However, which values ​​indicate campaign success depends on the industry. More about engagement rate.

ERP

Abbreviation for Enterprise Resource Planning. This software works across departments in all processes of a company and enables the administration of all existing resources. All business processes can be uniformly controlled via the ERP.

Funnels

The funnel concept sees the sales process as a process that is comparable to a funnel in terms of form and function. It consists of at least three parts, with the highest number of leads being found at the top level, the entry level into the sales funnel. The lowest level contains only a few leads that are ready to buy. At each stage of the funnel, leads have their typical information needs. Funnels can be used not only for sales, but also for other purposes. An automation platform can also automate funnels and sequence leads through different funnels to completion. More about funnels.

Gamification

Gamification is a marketing method in which typical game elements are transferred to the advertising context. Motivation-enhancing actions and elements bind the lead's attention and make longer processes appear pleasant. Progress bars, reward badges, ranking lists and other elements increase motivation. In marketing, gamification is used to increase interaction. Advertising content conveyed in a playful manner is perceived more positively and is better remembered. More about gamification.

Geotargeting

With geotargeting, the location of a user can be determined relatively precisely through technical processes, such as evaluating the IP address. If a company wants to use location-based marketing, geolocation or geotargeting is an important prerequisite for designing suitable advertising measures.

Identity resolution

This method uses a wide variety of identification features in order to obtain a coherent picture of the individual user. Information across devices, platforms and touchpoints is compared with each other and combined to form a 360° view of a user.

Inbound marketing

Marketing strategy with value-added content aligned with the sales phase that attracts leads like a magnet. The content used for inbound marketing usually draws attention to a product or service. In contrast to content marketing, inbound marketing is strongly sales-oriented. More about inbound marketing.

Landing page

Thematically precisely adapted target page to which a targeted link is provided via an advertising medium. Primarily contains the offer described in detail with an action (e.g. buy button or e-mail for download) and no navigation.

Live chat

Live chat is a communication solution in which a company employee can be contacted via a chat window for questions for website users. This low-threshold contact option enables quick contact with users and a correspondingly direct answer to their questions and concerns. In order to understand the customer journey even better, companies can save the questions obtained via live chat and automate them with chatbots. More about live chat.

Lead

Describes an interested party, the potential customer. Leads often leave their data to the company due to an existing basic interest in order to learn more about their products and services. More about leads.

Lead management

A company's individual catalog of measures to turn leads into enthusiastic customers from the very first contact. Customer data in the form of a contact card as a central storage location plays a prominent role. Based on this data for the lead management process, each individual lead through the stages and levels of its customer journey. Leads receive individually adapted marketing measures early in the lead management process. More about lead management.

Lead nurturing

Helps a prospect to make further decisions and gain more knowledge about a product or service. In return, you slowly build up knowledge of your customer profile and thus a relationship with them. The term “nurturing” in this context stands for the further development of a lead from one phase of the sales funnel to the next. Aims to provide leads with the information relevant to them at the right time to support or advance the purchase decision. Requires knowledge of the current stage of the lead's customer journey. Learn more about lead nurturing.

Lead routing

Lead transfer from marketing to the responsible future sales employee.

Lead scoring

Tool for lead evaluation based on a behavior-based point system, among other things. Also measures the maturity of a lead based on the completeness of its profile in CRM and its communication behavior. In the meantime, mainly artificial intelligence is used. Lead scoring takes into account the respective stage of the customer journey on which a lead is located and, to a certain extent, maps its journey through the sales funnel. More about lead scoring.

Lead generation

Synonym for new customer acquisition or acquisition of qualified prospects. Lead generation creates new customers for a product or service in the B2B and B2C segments with various marketing measures. Among other things, inbound/outbound marketing measures and content marketing are used for this purpose. The actual measures are individual depending on the product or service offered. More about lead generation.

Lead quality

Consists of the interaction of various characteristics. These include factors such as completeness of profile, authority in purchasing decisions, communication behavior, current customer journey phase and many more.

Marketing Automation

A comprehensive software that automatically performs repetitive marketing tasks and captures analytics in the CRM. It uses trigger-based and smart all communication channels. This personalization attracts more customers faster. In combination with lead scoring and lead nurturing, marketing automation achieves sales growth of between 10-20%. Find out more now in our detailed Marketing Automation Definition and our direct comparison with email marketing software. Further information on marketing automation.

Marketing funnels

The marketing funnel is the visualization of the purchase process in funnel form, in which the various touchpoints are assigned to different phases of the purchase process. Funnels are designed individually and usually have three to seven different phases. More about marketing funnels.

MAP

Abbreviation for Marketing Automation Platform. Further information on the introduction of marketing automation.

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

Leads with a noticeably greater interest/willingness to buy that are not yet considered a full-fledged opportunity. Content from the lower part of the sales funnel, such as product demos, is suitable for MQL.

Marketing Technology or Martech Stack

Term for the individual selection of martech software that is used in a company. The composition of this “stack” of software is decided based on the functionality of its components. The tools of the martech stack are intended to improve marketing activities or specifically support complex processes. Since these tools are in flux, the martech stack is also subject to change at greater or lesser intervals. More about Martech Stack.

MPM

Abbreviation for Marketing Performance Management. Such software products allow consolidating campaign KPI and financial metrics. Depending on the product, budget reports break down data in great detail.

Multistep campaign

Multi-stage marketing campaign that can react to the behavior of the recipient, eg an e-mail series that is triggered by a click from the recipient. Further information on the strategy of multistep campaigns.

Multi-experience

New concept to replace the term omnichannel. Unlike omnichannel, the multiexperience concept focuses on the coordination of the individual touchpoints of the respective customer journey. The aim of the multiexperience is to give the customer the most friction-free path to his product or solution. This requires real-time data via CDP and CRM/Marketing Automation. More information about Multiexperience can be found here.

Omnichannel

Omnichannel means cross-channel communication. In the digital area, these are mostly e-mail, SMS, mobile messengers, push messages, live chat and chatbot. For marketing automation software, histories are an important criterion when choosing a tool. Companies also use this function to identify the channel preferred by the customer and use it for communication. Learn more about Omnichannel.

Opt in

Statutory permission granted by the consumer to the business to be allowed to contact for promotional purposes. Possible channels: email, SMS and phone. Double opt-in refers to the renewed, explicit confirmation of the entry on the subscriber list by the consumer.

Persona

In marketing, a persona is the avatar of an ideal-typical user. This persona has all the typical characteristics and behaviors of a specific user segment. With a carefully developed persona in mind, marketing measures can be adapted much more precisely to the relevant target group. More information about Persona.

Predictive Lead Scoring

This term refers to the data-driven possibility of creating a predictive model of lead evaluation. Based on historical and behavioral data, AI-supported software can calculate closing probabilities for each lead. Corresponding features are now used in some automation platforms and allow real-time optimization of conversions as well as cost optimization for SEA and much more. More about predictive lead scoring

Progressive Profiling

Ongoing data collection based on form entries that the lead must fill out. Dynamic generation of form fields relevant to the lead based on their current profile.

Retargeting

Retargeting is the simplest form of personalization that can be used to re-engage and convert anonymous visitors through targeted advertising. Abandoned purchases are among the most prominent retargeting situations. Retargeting is not only a popular strategy in eCommerce, it can also be used for lead nurturing for all other websites and services. The basic willingness to buy is used by retargeting measures to increase the incentive to buy. Special offers, discounts or other benefits can then make the final difference. Cookies are currently the technology that makes this possible.

Sales Accepted Lead (SAL)

Handover of a lead to sales according to previously defined criteria, with which the willingness to buy of the lead is determined. The lead quality for a SAL is previously defined by a service level agreement between sales and marketing. This can be a certain number of points in lead scoring, for example. A Sales Accepted Lead is then taken on by a dedicated sales team and brought to a close. Sales resources are thus bundled and concentrated on the leads with the highest probability of closing. More about Sales Accepted Leads.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

Leads that show clear intent to buy, making them suitable for direct sales follow-ups. They meet the marketing lead qualification criteria and represent a concrete sales opportunity.

Sales funnels

A sales management tool that takes into account the different stages of the sales process. The aim is to provide the leads with information based on their level of knowledge (see also "Lead Nurturing"). Also known as a sales funnel model, which divides the sales process into several stages and individual steps. Leads can be assigned to the individual stages of the sales process in order to be fed a communication strategy tailored to them. However, in reality, the sales funnel is not a linear process. More about sales funnels.

SRM

Abbreviation for Social Relationship Management. This software supports the company in managing and evaluating the content strategy on social media.

SSP

Abbreviation for Sell Side Platform, sometimes also Supply Side Platform. Website operators can use this software to find customers for their own advertising space. SSPs are the counterpart to DSPs and are played out programmatically using ad servers.

Day

As a marking element to make important information visible with labels/keywords. It is important to consistently adhere to the rules for the nomenclature used in order to maintain an overview and optimal results. These tags are not only visible on the contacts in the CRM/ Marketing Automation system, but can also come from integrated tools. More information about tags.

Technology stack

All applications that are necessary for business-critical tasks form the technology stack. The individual components are selected with a view to fulfilling the task and integrated as seamlessly as possible. Technology stacks are department-specific, and depending on the task, several technology stacks per department may be necessary. Since both companies and technologies are constantly evolving, companies should already keep scaling options and interfaces in mind when designing their technology stack. More about Technology Stack.

Tracking

With targeted tracking or web tracking, actions by Internet users in virtual space can be tracked. In addition to pages visited, app usage and product purchases, physical locations and more can also be tracked. Tracking information is particularly valuable for marketing activities as it allows marketing activities to be tailored to individual users. Behavior-based tracking is also possible, as is cross-application tracking. The most well-known tracking technology is web tracking via cookie. More about tracking.

Trigger email

These e-mails are only sent to their recipients when a specific, clearly defined reason has occurred. A trigger e-mail can be triggered, for example, by a discount campaign or a newsletter subscription, but also by a birthday. Behavior-based trigger e-mails are also possible, based on the customer history or an analysis of surfing behavior. If the previously defined case occurs, the system automatically sends the trigger email to the recipient. To do this, it is imperative to work with a marketing automation platform. More about trigger email.

Upsell

Upselling is a sales method in which an existing customer is offered a higher-quality and higher-priced product than what they were actually looking for. Since the existing customers are already convinced of the quality of the products, upselling is successful for sales psychological reasons when selling better and more expensive products.

UTM parameters

The abbreviation UTM (“urchin tracking modules”) is a tracking method with which each individual link can be made measurable. A parameter is added to the link URL, which makes it uniquely identifiable. For example, all links within a newsletter can be tracked separately. URLs with UTM parameters can be created using tools.

Web tracking

Software tools that can be used to collect and evaluate behavioral data from website visitors. Personalized tracking information can only be saved with the consent of the website visitor. Marketing automation software is characterized by the fact that web tracking is available as standard.

White Papers

Closed representation of a procedure on a topic including problem solving. Subject-related information such as specific case studies, market research analysis, application descriptions and much more offer the reader a high level of utility.

Workflow

Precisely defined sequence of work steps with IF/ THEN queries. With goals and conditions, the customers and leads are guided through an automation.

Are you looking for more words? We would be happy to support you personally and add more words so that interested parties can get to the topic more quickly.