Marketing glossary

Sales collateral is the material used to support conversations with prospects, customers, partners or stakeholders. It may include brochures, presentations, proposal documents, case studies, product sheets, comparison guides, technical notes, explainer documents and follow-up material.

Good sales collateral helps sales teams explain the offer clearly, answer questions, build confidence and keep the buying process moving after the initial conversation.

Sales cycle describes the time and process involved in moving from first contact or opportunity to a completed sale. It may include awareness, enquiry, qualification, meetings, proposal, negotiation, approval, procurement and final decision.

Understanding the sales cycle helps marketing plan the right content, proof, timing and follow-up to support buyers through the process.

A sales deck is a presentation used to support sales conversations, proposals, pitches or meetings. It can explain the business, opportunity, service, product, process, proof, value, pricing or proposed approach in a structured way.

A strong sales deck gives the conversation direction, helps decision-makers understand the case being made and provides a professional reference point after the meeting.

Sales enablement provides the content, tools, messaging, proof and support that help sales teams have better conversations with prospects and customers. It may include sales decks, case studies, proposal templates, comparison guides, product sheets, objection handling, training and follow-up material.

Good sales enablement connects marketing insight with sales reality, helping the business explain value more clearly and move opportunities forward with greater confidence.

A sales funnel describes the movement from initial awareness or interest through to enquiry, consideration, decision and sale. It helps a business understand how prospects progress, where they may need more information, and where marketing and sales activity need to support the next step.

In practical marketing, the sales funnel gives structure to campaigns, content, follow-up, conversion activity and measurement, especially where the buying journey takes time.

A sales pipeline is the structured view of prospects and opportunities moving through the sales process. It helps track where each opportunity sits, what action is needed, what value may be created and which deals are most likely to progress.

A strong sales pipeline gives management better visibility of future revenue and helps marketing understand where communication, content or proof can support the buying process.

Sales promotion uses short-term incentives to encourage purchase, enquiry, trial or response. It may include discounts, added value, bundles, competitions, vouchers, limited offers, samples or promotional events.

A strong sales promotion should support the wider brand and commercial plan while giving the audience a practical reason to act.

A sales qualified lead, or SQL, is a prospect that sales considers ready for direct follow-up or active opportunity management. It usually meets agreed criteria around fit, need, timing, budget, authority, intent or potential value.

A clear SQL definition helps the business focus sales effort on prospects with stronger commercial potential and gives marketing feedback on the quality of leads being generated.

Sales-led content is designed to support the buying process and help prospects make decisions. It may include case studies, comparison guides, objection-handling content, service explainers, proposal support, FAQs, pricing context, presentations and proof-led resources.

Strong sales-led content gives sales teams and buyers the information needed to move conversations forward with greater confidence.

Sample size is the number of people, organisations or responses included in a piece of research. It affects how confidently the results can be interpreted, especially in quantitative research.

The right sample size depends on the decision being supported, the audience being studied and the level of confidence the business needs.

Schema markup is a type of structured data vocabulary used to describe information on web pages in a way search engines can understand. It can support content such as organisations, articles, FAQs, local businesses, products, services, reviews, videos and breadcrumbs.

Well-planned schema helps the technical structure of a page reflect its real content, supporting search engines as they interpret the site.

A scope of work defines what will be delivered as part of a project or agreement. It may include services, deliverables, timings, responsibilities, assumptions, review stages, costs and approval points.

A clear scope of work helps both client and supplier understand what is included, how the work will be managed and what the agreed delivery should cover.

Scriptwriting creates the spoken, written or visual structure for a video, advert, animation, presentation or campaign piece. It may include narration, dialogue, scene direction, timing, captions, calls to action and the sequence of messages.

Strong scriptwriting connects the audience, message and format, giving the finished piece a clear communication structure before production begins.

Scroll depth measures how far down a web page visitors travel. It helps show whether people are seeing key messages, proof, calls to action or content placed lower on the page.

Understanding scroll depth can improve page structure by helping teams place important information where it has the best chance of being seen.

SDH subtitles are subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. They include spoken words and important sound information, such as music, sound effects, speaker changes or other audio cues that affect understanding.

They make video content more accessible by giving viewers the information needed to follow both speech and relevant sound.

Search intent describes the reason behind a search query. Someone may be looking for information, comparing options, finding a supplier, checking a price, solving a problem, researching a product or preparing to buy.

Understanding search intent helps a business create pages that match what the searcher actually needs at that stage, improving relevance, visibility and the chance of turning search traffic into useful action.

A search query is the word, phrase or question someone enters into a search engine or AI search tool. It gives an indication of what the person wants, how much they already know, and where they may be in the buying or research process.

Analysing search queries helps a business understand the language of the market and create pages, adverts or content that match real demand rather than internal assumptions.

Search visibility describes how often and how prominently a business appears when people search for relevant subjects, services, products, problems or suppliers. It includes organic rankings, paid search presence, local visibility, rich results, AI-led search features and the wider footprint of useful content.

Strong search visibility helps a business appear at more of the moments where potential customers are researching, comparing or preparing to act.

Secondary research uses existing information to understand a market, sector, audience, competitor or business issue. It can include published reports, industry data, government statistics, trade information, competitor websites, search data, academic material, media coverage and internal records.

Used well, secondary research gives useful context before deeper decisions are made, helping a business understand the landscape, spot patterns and identify where more specific investigation may be needed.

A segmented database organises contacts into defined groups based on useful characteristics such as customer type, sector, location, value, behaviour, buying stage, interest, relationship status or product use.

Segmentation makes communication more relevant because different groups can receive messages, offers, content or follow-up that better fit their needs and commercial importance.

Seminar marketing uses in-person or online seminars to attract, inform and engage an audience around a subject, service, product or business issue. It can support thought leadership, lead generation, account development, customer education and professional credibility.

A well-planned seminar connects the topic to a clear audience need and gives the business a natural opportunity to demonstrate expertise.

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is the work involved in improving how well a website can be found, understood and ranked by search engines. It can include technical performance, site structure, content quality, keyword relevance, internal linking, authority, user experience and the way pages answer real search intent.

Good SEO connects search visibility with commercial purpose, helping the right people find the right pages for the right reasons.

An SEO audit is a structured review of how well a website can be found, crawled, understood and ranked by search engines. It may examine technical performance, site structure, content quality, keyword targeting, internal links, page experience, indexation, authority signals and search intent.

The value of an SEO audit lies in turning search issues and opportunities into a practical improvement plan that supports visibility, relevance and commercial outcomes.

SEO content is content planned and written to help a page appear for relevant searches while still being useful to the reader. It should connect search intent, subject depth, page structure, internal linking, clarity and commercial relevance.

Strong SEO content gives search engines a clear page to understand and gives visitors a useful reason to keep reading, compare options or move towards action.

Service design plans how a service works for customers and the organisation delivering it. It considers the customer journey, touchpoints, processes, people, communication, systems, expectations and service experience.

In marketing, service design matters because the way a service is delivered affects reputation, retention, recommendation and the credibility of the promise made before purchase.

A service hub is a central page or section that organises content around a main service area. It may include the primary service page, subservice pages, related glossary terms, FAQs, case studies, articles, proof and enquiry routes.

A strong service hub helps a website present expertise with more depth while keeping the path to commercial action clear.

A service package groups a set of services, deliverables or support options into a defined offer. It may include scope, price, outcomes, timings, process, support level and what the client receives.

A good package makes a service easier to understand, compare and buy, especially where the underlying work could otherwise feel too open-ended.

A service page explains a specific service in a way that helps the right visitor understand relevance, value, process, proof and next steps. It should connect what the service is with why it matters, who it helps and how the business can support the buyer’s situation.

A strong service page has a clear sales role. It should inform, reassure and guide visitors towards enquiry without turning into a technical manual or a general article.

Service positioning defines the place a service should hold in the mind of its intended customers or clients. It considers the type of problem the service solves, the level of expertise involved, the service experience, the market alternatives, the commercial value created and the confidence the buyer needs before choosing.

Good service positioning helps make an intangible offer easier to understand, compare and trust.

Service-led content is content built around the services a business wants to be found for, understood for and chosen for. It may include service pages, glossary terms, FAQs, articles, case studies, comparison pages, guides and supporting resources.

A strong service-led content structure helps educational content connect naturally with commercial pages, making the website more useful for both search and sales.

Share of search measures how often people search for a brand compared with competitors or the wider category. It can act as a useful signal of brand interest, awareness, market momentum and customer consideration.

In marketing, share of search helps a business understand whether more people are actively looking for it, comparing it or bringing it into the buying conversation.

Share of voice measures how visible or prominent a brand is compared with competitors across selected media, channels or conversations. It may consider advertising, search, social media, PR, content, reviews, mentions or other forms of market presence.

A stronger share of voice can support awareness, recognition and market confidence when it is linked to the right audience and message.

Shared media is exposure created through social sharing, community activity, comments, user participation, reposts, recommendations or collaborative online interaction. It sits between owned and earned media because the business may start the conversation, while the audience helps spread or develop it.

Shared media is valuable when people choose to engage with and distribute the message because it feels relevant, useful or worth passing on.

Short-form video is brief video content designed to communicate quickly. It is often used on social media, adverts, landing pages, email, campaigns and mobile-first environments.

Good short-form video needs a clear idea, fast relevance and a strong structure, because the viewer usually decides very quickly whether to keep watching.

A shot list sets out the specific shots needed for a video or photography shoot. It may include locations, people, products, actions, angles, details, interview setups, cutaways and priority shots.

A good shot list helps production stay focused and makes sure the footage needed for the final communication is captured efficiently.

Signage design creates signs used to identify, direct, inform or promote in physical spaces. It may include exterior signs, wayfinding, event signage, retail signs, office signs, exhibition graphics or vehicle graphics.

Good signage combines visibility, readability, brand consistency and practical placement.

A site map sets out the structure of a website and the pages it contains. It can be used for planning, user navigation, search engine crawling or internal review.

A clear site map helps a business organise content, identify gaps, plan page relationships and make sure important services, resources and conversion routes have a proper place.

A slug is the final part of a web page address that usually identifies the page. For example, the slug may describe a service, article, glossary term, case study or location.

A clear slug supports readability, search understanding and content management by making the page address meaningful rather than arbitrary.

Small business marketing focuses on helping smaller organisations attract, convert and retain customers with the resources, time and budget they realistically have. It often requires sharper priorities, clearer positioning, practical planning and stronger judgement about which activity will make the biggest difference.

Good small business marketing balances ambition with focus, helping the business grow without spreading effort too thinly across too many channels or ideas.

A social cutdown is a shorter version of a longer video edited for social media use. It may be vertical, square, captioned, shorter, faster-paced or focused on one key message.

Good cutdowns help a business get more value from video production by adapting content to the way people consume video on social platforms.

Social engagement describes the interactions people have with social media content. It may include likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, replies, mentions, messages, reactions and video views.

Engagement helps show whether content is attracting attention and prompting a response, especially when the interaction is relevant to the audience and campaign objective.

Social listening monitors social media and online conversations to understand what people are saying about a brand, market, competitor, product, issue or topic. It can reveal sentiment, questions, trends, complaints, opportunities and customer language.

In marketing, social listening helps a business understand audience response and adapt communication with better awareness of what is happening outside its own channels.

A social media audit reviews the current state and performance of social media activity. It may look at profiles, content, engagement, followers, reach, paid activity, competitors, brand consistency, platform fit and commercial contribution.

A good audit helps decide what should be improved, continued, reduced or developed across social channels.

A social media calendar plans posts, campaigns, themes, formats and timings across social platforms. It may include organic posts, paid campaigns, videos, events, seasonal content, product messages and reporting points.

A good calendar gives social activity structure while keeping it connected to marketing priorities and audience needs.

Social media community management is the day-to-day work of managing interactions, comments, messages and conversations around a social media presence. It may involve replying, moderating, encouraging discussion, handling questions, supporting campaigns and protecting brand tone.

Good community management helps the business appear active, responsive and human in the places where people interact with it publicly.

Social media content is the material created for social platforms. It may include posts, videos, images, carousels, stories, reels, polls, articles, links, live streams, comments and campaign assets.

Strong social content is shaped around the platform, audience and objective, giving people a clear reason to notice, engage or act.

Social media management is the ongoing planning, publishing, monitoring and improvement of social media activity. It may include content creation, scheduling, community management, campaign support, reporting, profile updates and paid social coordination.

Good management helps social media remain consistent, responsive and aligned with the wider marketing direction.

Social media marketing uses social platforms to communicate with audiences, build visibility, support campaigns, create engagement and move people towards a commercial or relationship goal. It can involve organic posts, paid social, video, community activity, customer communication, employer branding and content promotion.

A strong social media approach connects the content to the wider marketing direction, so posts, campaigns and interactions have a defined purpose beyond simply keeping the channels active.

Social media reach measures how many individual people or accounts saw a post, advert, video or campaign on social platforms. It helps show the scale of exposure within a platform or audience.

Reach becomes more useful when assessed alongside engagement, audience quality, clicks, enquiries and the campaign objective.

Social media strategy defines how social platforms will support marketing and business objectives. It considers audience, channels, content themes, tone, paid activity, organic activity, community management, campaigns, measurement and resource.

A strong strategy gives social media a clear role within the wider marketing plan rather than treating posts as isolated activity.

A social profile is the public presence a person, brand or organisation has on a social media platform. It may include biography, imagery, posts, links, contact details, highlights, followers, reviews, videos and public interactions.

A strong profile helps people understand who the business is, what it offers and why it deserves attention or contact.

Social proof is evidence that other people, customers, organisations or recognised names trust, use or approve of a business, product or service. It can include testimonials, reviews, case studies, client logos, awards, media mentions, accreditations, user numbers or public endorsements.

In marketing, social proof helps reduce uncertainty by showing that confidence already exists outside the claims made by the business itself.

Social video is video created or adapted for social media platforms. It may be short-form, vertical, square, captioned, animated, live, promotional, educational, behind-the-scenes or campaign-led.

A strong social video is shaped around the platform, viewing behaviour, message and intended action, rather than simply cutting down a longer film.

A soft launch introduces a product, service, website, campaign or offer to a limited audience before wider promotion. It may be used to test market response, gather feedback, check systems, refine messaging, train sales teams, assess demand or build early confidence.

A well-managed soft launch gives a business practical learning before committing the full weight of marketing, sales and operational support.

Sound design shapes the audio experience of a video, advert, animation or piece of content. It may include music, sound effects, ambience, transitions, voice treatment and audio balance.

Strong sound design helps the content feel more polished, engaging and emotionally controlled.

Spam protection helps stop unwanted, automated or low-quality form submissions, comments or messages reaching a website or marketing system. It may use filters, CAPTCHA, honeypots, validation, moderation or security tools.

Good spam protection keeps enquiry routes cleaner and helps teams focus on genuine prospects and customers.

Split testing divides an audience between different versions of a marketing asset to compare performance. It may be used for landing pages, emails, adverts, forms, offers, subject lines or creative routes.

Strong split testing helps improve campaigns by showing which version creates the better response from a real audience.

Sponsorship is a marketing arrangement where a business supports an event, organisation, team, activity, cause or platform in exchange for visibility, association or commercial benefits. It can support awareness, reputation, hospitality, community presence, content, sales access and brand positioning.

A strong sponsorship should create a meaningful connection between the sponsor, the audience and the values or interests associated with the sponsored property.

An SSL certificate helps secure the connection between a website and its visitors. It enables HTTPS, supports trust, protects data in transit and shows users that the site is using a secure connection.

For marketing websites, SSL supports professionalism, search expectations and confidence when visitors complete forms, make enquiries or share information.

A staging site is a private or test version of a website used before changes are made live. It allows teams to test design, content, updates, plugins, functionality, forms and technical changes in a safer environment.

A staging site helps protect the live website while giving teams room to develop and review changes properly.

Stakeholder communications focuses on the messages, channels and engagement used with people or groups who influence, support or are affected by a business decision, project, organisation or campaign. Stakeholders may include customers, staff, partners, investors, public bodies, suppliers, communities or senior decision-makers.

Effective stakeholder communication helps build understanding, confidence and alignment around important activity.

Stakeholder mapping identifies the people, groups or organisations that can influence, support, block, approve or be affected by a decision, project, campaign or business activity. It considers their interest, influence, attitude, information needs and role in the process.

In marketing and communications, stakeholder mapping helps shape messages, priorities, channels and engagement activity so important relationships are managed with greater clarity.

Start-up go-to-market planning defines how a new business, product or service will reach its first meaningful customers. It considers the target market, early adopter profile, proposition, pricing, route to market, sales approach, launch activity, proof, messaging and resource limits.

A clear go-to-market plan helps a start-up move from idea or development stage into practical commercial action.

Start-up marketing helps a new business, product or service build early visibility, credibility and demand. It may involve market testing, positioning, launch planning, website development, content, direct outreach, paid campaigns, funding support, sales material and proof-building.

The priority is to create enough clarity and market traction for the business to learn, adapt and grow from a stronger commercial base.

A storyboard is a visual plan showing the key shots, scenes or frames of a video, animation or advert before production begins. It helps show how the idea will unfold and how the message will be presented.

A clear storyboard helps teams agree structure, visuals, timing and content before filming, animation or production resources are committed.

A strapline is a short phrase used to express or support the position of a brand, business, product or campaign. It can help make the brand more memorable, summarise a point of difference or carry a key idea across different communications.

A strong strapline works best when it grows from clear positioning and a real understanding of what the brand needs to communicate.

A strategic marketing brief defines the higher-level commercial and marketing challenge that needs to be addressed. It may include business objectives, market situation, customer insight, competitive pressure, positioning issues, growth priorities, route to market and the role marketing needs to play.

This type of brief gives strategy, planning and communication work a stronger foundation before individual campaigns, assets or tactics are developed.

Strategic marketing objectives define what marketing is expected to achieve at a higher commercial level. They translate wider business aims into marketing-specific goals, such as entering a market, increasing market share, supporting a product launch, changing market perception, strengthening the brand position or creating a clearer route to growth.

They give the marketing strategy a defined purpose before the approach, priorities, tactics and performance measures are agreed.

A strategy workshop brings key people together to explore objectives, market context, customer needs, positioning, options and priorities. It can help gather knowledge, challenge assumptions and create alignment before decisions are formalised.

A well-run workshop gives the business a more focused starting point for strategy, planning or campaign development.

Structured data is code added to a web page to help search engines understand specific information on the page. It can describe items such as articles, FAQs, services, products, reviews, events, organisations, people or breadcrumbs.

Good structured data supports clearer search understanding and can help eligible pages appear with richer information in search results.

A style guide sets out rules for how written, visual or brand communication should be created. It may cover tone, grammar, spelling, formatting, design rules, logo use, colours, typography, imagery and examples.

A good style guide helps teams produce consistent communication without having to make the same decisions repeatedly.

A sub-brand is a brand that sits underneath or alongside a parent brand while having its own identity, name, audience or market role. It may be used for a product range, service line, division, offer or specialist market.

A strong sub-brand should add clarity and commercial value, helping the business reach a particular audience or market without confusing the wider brand structure.

Subscription marketing supports products or services where customers pay on a recurring basis. It may focus on acquisition, onboarding, engagement, usage, retention, upgrades, renewal and reducing churn.

A strong subscription approach keeps marketing connected to the full customer relationship, because commercial value depends on continued use and satisfaction as well as the first sale.

A subservice page explains a more specific service within a wider service area. It helps people understand a focused offer, specialist application, problem area or use case in more detail than the main service page can provide.

Good subservice pages support search visibility and sales clarity by matching specific customer needs with relevant explanation, proof and next steps.

Subtitles are text displayed on screen to show spoken words or translated speech. They can support accessibility, international audiences, silent viewing, social media performance and clearer understanding of video content.

Good subtitles help more people follow the message, especially when sound is unavailable, unclear or in another language.

Supporting content helps explain, reinforce or add depth around a core service, product, campaign or topic. It may include glossary terms, FAQs, articles, guides, examples, case studies, videos and internal links to more detailed pages.

Good supporting content strengthens the wider website by giving visitors and search engines clearer routes through related subjects.

Survey design is the planning of questions, structure and flow for a survey. It considers the audience, objective, wording, answer options, length, order, sampling and how the results will be interpreted.

Good survey design helps gather clearer evidence and reduces the risk of confusing, leading or unusable answers.

SWOT analysis gives a structured view of the honest position facing a business, product, service or market opportunity. Strengths and weaknesses usually focus on the business or offer itself, while opportunities and threats look at the market, competition and wider environment around it.

Its value is in making the situation clear enough to act on: where strengths can be used, where weaknesses need attention, where opportunities can be developed, and where threats need to be reduced, avoided or planned for.