Business - Marketing

Marketing jargon

Above the line

Used to describe 'traditional' marketing activities that do not require a direct response but instead build awareness of goods or services, e.g. television and radio, posters and press.

Advertorial

A paid advertisement that is designed in such as manner that it gives the impression of being an editorial rather than advertisement.

Appointment Setting

The process of arranging qualified sales meetings.

Awareness

Advertising or other promotional activity (e.g. public relations) whose primary purpose is to increases general knowledge of the company, and to make people feel more positive towards it.

Below the line

A term applied to marketing that carries a response mechanism. This includes coupons, DRTV and telemarketing (verbal responses).

Brief

Written instructions given to the supplier or suppliers before commencement of a project. This document details the project objectives, reporting procedures, timescales etc.

Business to business

Marketing activity directed from one business to another (as opposed to a consumer).

Business lists

Lists of business contact details used for marketing purposes, e.g. telemarketing. These lists are available in either electronic format or on labels.

Cold call

The process of contacting a person (known as a prospect) that has no prior relationship with you, e.g. a telemarketing bureau calling from a previously uncontacted database.

Cold list

A list (database) of people who have no prior relationship with the advertiser. Cold lists are used as a method of generating sales leads.

Consumer lists

Lists of names (address and telephone number) of private individuals. These lists are available in either electronic format or on labels.

Cross-selling

Using a customer's buying history to select them for related offers, e.g. a car alarm for new car buyers.

Database

This can range from a simple list of names and addresses (on paper or in electronic format) to detailed profile data.

Data capture (also known as data entry)

The process of keying-in or scanning data into an electronic format.

Database cleaning

The process of telephoning an individual / business to verify the contacts name, job title and address prior to a mailing.

Deduplication (de-dupe)

The identification and removal of duplicate names and addresses from a database.

Direct Mail

A personally addressed advertising piece sent through the post.

DMC Associates Ltd

DMC Associates are a specialist outbound telemarketing company in the business-to-business environment.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | P | R | S | T | U

Enclosing

The physical folding and insertion of printed materials into an envelope. This process can be carried out by hand or by machine.

Follow-up call

A telephone call made after the initial mailer has been sent with the objective of increasing impact and the response rate.

Fulfilment house

The place where the processing of an order takes place. This usually includes the acknowledgement of the order, dispatching of goods and the collecting of payment.

Gone-away

The term used to describe that a person mailed has moved address.

Handed-overs

A term used by telemarketing agencies to describe when hot sales leads are passed on to the client for them to pursue.

Headline

Large text carrying the main selling message.

Incentives

'Extras' designed to increase response rates to a marketing message, e.g. a prize draw.

Lead generation

The process of finding people (consumer or business) with a qualified interest in a certain product or service.

List (mailing list)

This can range from a simple list of names and addresses (on paper or in electronic format) to detailed profile data.

List broker

A specialist who acts as an intermediary between the list owner and the list buyer.

List building

The process of gathering names and addresses and compiling them into a database for direct marketing purposes (e.g. telemarketing)

List Cleaning/ List Cleansing

The process of telephoning an individual / business to verify the contacts name, job title and address prior to a mailing.

List rental

The process of renting a list of names from a broker or list owner.

Lapsed Customer Rejuvenation

The process of re-contacting 'former' customers and following up on 'lost orders/old quotations' with the objective of generating new leads.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | P | R | S | T | U

Mailer

A personalised advertisement sent through the post.

Mail merge

Merging a mailer template with contact details in order to personalise a mailer.

Market research

The Market Research Society defines research as follows:

The collection and analysis of data from a sample of individuals or organisations relating to their characteristics, behaviour, attitudes, opinions or possessions. It includes all forms of marketing and social research such as consumer and industrial surveys, psychological investigations, observations and panel studies.

Prospects

A list of contacts who have been identified and/or qualified as being a potential customer.

Response rate

The level of replies to a particular campaign. Usually portrayed as a percentage.

Salutation

The addressing of a mailer to a particular individual, e.g. Dear Mr White.

Seeds

The list owner's own details placed into a mailing list in order to identify whether a rented list is being used more than the agreed level.

Telemarketing

Outbound telemarketing is the process of telephoning potential customers from a targeted list of names (database).

Inbound telemarketing is where respondents reply to a telephone number, usually as a response to a mailer or an advertisement.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

The defining reasons that provide a competitive advantage over the competition.

ADD YOUR OWN JARGON TO THIS SECTION:-