Let’s remove barriers.
Like it or not, you have to get it to work it…
We’ve listed some of the more technical marketing terms, as well as apps and software providers, in a helpful context. Click on them for a simple explanation.
We’ve explained some of these terms in our words, but for most, we’ve sourced the easiest explanation to understand and provided hyperlinks to the expert source so that you can tap into their expertise and read their explanations in more detail.
Alphabetical order.
Jargon Unravelled
A +
-
Artificial Intelligence
The theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
-
In social media, algorithms are rules, signals and data that govern the platform's operation. These algorithms determine how content is filtered, ranked, selected and recommended to users. In some ways, algorithms influence our choices and what we see on social media.
Source - Spoutsocial
-
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company that revolutionized the technology sector through its innovation of computer software, personal computers, mobile tablets, smartphones, and computer peripherals.
One of the most recognizable brands in the world, Apple created the first commercially successful personal computer and was also the first to bring the graphical user interface(GUI) into mass adoption.
Source - Britannica Money
-
Apps is short for Applications.
Apps provide users with a convenient way to access information, services and entertainment, mainly through smart phones, but also through tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
Adapted from Source - Builder.AI
-
Similar to how you would view an audience at a concert or in an auditorium, your audience (in marketing terminology) is a group of consumers likely to want your offering.
You can define your audience in many ways such as; age, gender, location, interests, profession, the music they like, their values and hobbies.
-
What is audio? Audio refers to the sound we hear. It encompasses everything from music and speech to sound effects and environmental noise.
Source - Lenovo
B +
-
A regularly updated website or web page.
Source - Oxford Languages
Many websites include a blog to bring fresh updates and stories to those who visit their website.
Blogs help Search Engine rankings because of providing current, relevant content.
-
A brand is simply how a business is perceived in the mind of someone who has experienced it in some way. These experiences are known as brand touchpoints.
Brand touchpoints could be an online review, word-of-mouth referral from a friend, magazine article, piece of packaging, or a mention on social media.
Branding is the process of controlling how your business is seen and understood. It’s all about defining how you would like customers to think and feel about your brand.
Source - Mailchimp
-
In printing, bleed is printing that goes beyond the edge of where the sheet will be trimmed. In other words, the bleed is the area to be trimmed off.
Source - Wikipedia
C +
-
A chatbot (originally chatterbot) is a software application or web interface that is designed to mimic human conversation through text or voice interactions.
(Definition source - Wikipedia)
-
ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAIon.
A chatbot (originally chatterbot) is a software application or web interface that is designed to mimic human conversation through text or voice interactions.
(Definition source - Wikipedia)
Click here to sign up.
-
Cloud Storage is a mode of computer data storage in which digital data is stored on servers in off-site locations. The servers are maintained by a third-party provider who is responsible for hosting, managing, and securing data stored on its infrastructure. This is often free at a limited level and when more data storage is required, you can move to a premium, paid level.
Source - Google Cloud
-
Competitors can be other businesses that offer similar goods and services to your customers or fulfil a similar need, want or value.
-
Conversion, as it is defined in marketing, is the point at which the recipient of a marketing message ( email, digital ad, SMS, etc.) takes the desired action the message was intended to drive. In some instances this action could be a sale, in others it could be a newsletter sign-up or an eBook download.
Source - Emarsys
-
Cookies are small files of information that a web server generates and sends to a web browser. Web browsers store the cookies they receive for a predetermined period of time, or for the length of a user's session on a website. They attach the relevant cookies to any future requests the user makes of the web server.
Cookies help inform websites about the user, enabling the websites to personalize the user experience. For example, ecommerce websites use cookies to know what merchandise users have placed in their shopping carts. In addition, some cookies are necessary for security purposes, such as authentication cookies (see below).
The cookies that are used on the Internet are also called "HTTP cookies." Like much of the web, cookies are sent using the HTTP protocol.
Source - Cloudfare
-
Cropping or To Crop originates from cropping something short - like hair!
It has a few meanings in a marketing context but all relate back to that origin.
Photography or Design - the process of removing or adjusting the outside edges of an image to improve framing or composition, draw a viewer's eye to the subject, or change the size or aspect ratio.
Source - TechSmith
Print - Crop marks are two perpendicular (at right angles to each other) tick marks at each corner of a printed piece, and they instruct the printer where the final trim size ends.
Source - Ironmark
Video - trimming away the outer parts that you don't want to include in the final frame.
Source - Lenovo
-
A customer is a person or business that purchases something from another business.
D +
-
In a marketing context, Design is short for Graphic Design.
Graphic design is “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content,” according to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA®). In simple terms, graphic designers make visuals to communicate certain messages. These visuals can be as simple as a business logo, or as complex as page layouts on a website.
Source - Rasmussen University
-
Desktop is short for Desktop Computer.
A desktop computer is one designed to be used in one fixed location. Unlike laptops or tablets, they do not have batteries or a touchscreen, but instead use traditional desktop components such as keyboards and mice.
They are typically connected to a monitor, printer, and other devices via USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports or cables.
Source - Lenovo
-
Someone whose job is to discover information about crimes and find out who is responsible for them.
Source - Cambridge Dictionary
I often joke about the main part of my job as a marketer is to play detective. It’s about finding out information and the most suitable person to be an authority or speak about it.
A lot of storytelling involves detective work - finding out enough to (1) Explain concepts well enough to remove barriers for consumers, and (2) to find out enough to tell a story, making that product more relevant interesting to the consumer.
As marketers we also play detective in technology which is rapidly growing and changing. We often have to investigate it to understand it.
-
The digital world is the broader context of digital technology's influence on society, while digital business focuses specifically on how companies leverage these technologies to operate and compete in the marketplace.
The digital world encompasses all aspects of life that involve digital technology and the internet - Online Communication, Information Access, Virtual Communities, Digital Entertainment, eCommerce, Digital Infrastructure.
Digital business refers to any business activity that utilizes digital technologies to enhance operations, reach customers, and drive growth - eCommerce, Digital Marketing, Digital Analytics, Automation and Remote Work.
Source - Quora
-
-
DNS - Domain Name System
DNS configuration sets up a Domain Name System server to translate domain names (URLs) into IP addresses. The configuration helps manage the DNS records for domains.
Source - PhoenixNAP
-
A domain name is a text string that maps to an IP address, used to access websites.
Source - Cloudfare
-
A download is a file you can acquire from a computer on a network and save to your local computer or device.
Source - Bobology
E +
-
EPS is a vector file format often required for professional and high-quality image printing. PostScript printers and image setters typically use EPS to produce vast, detailed images — such as billboard advertising, large posters and attention-grabbing marketing collateral.
Source - Adobe
F +
-
Facebook is a popular free social networking website that enables users to share information and photos and keep in touch with family and friends.
Source - Techtarget
-
A Favicon is the small icon users see in a browser tab. Square
Av dimensions - 64 x 64 pixels
-
To follow in social media or online, means to ‘like’ a business or person’s profile page or to provide an email address to receive email updates.
-
A brand foundation is the core identity of your enterprise, representing who you are, what you stand for, and what promise you're making to your customers. It's the base on which you'll construct your company's persona.
Source - Ron Sela
-
When you create a PDF from layered documents using software such as Adobe InDesign or Adobe Photoshop, your PDF can contain multiple layers with different content on each one.
If you print your PDF as is, you will only print the layer that is visible onscreen as opposed to all visual elements from various layers. To avoid this issue, you want to flatten your PDF file for print.
Adapted source - Printivity Insights
G +
-
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format and is a file type used for animation.
-
GoodBarber is a mobile ap builder for iOS & Android apps.
Through GoodBarber, you can create and launch your own app. The software is easy to use and not dissimilar from creating a website using software like Square or Squarespace.
Click here to have a look at what they offer.
-
Google is a popular search engine. It scans the internet to find web pages that are relevant to the words you have typed into a box on the screen.
Source - Collins Dictionary
When people search for something on the internet, they often refer to Googling it.
-
Graphic design is “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content,” according to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA®). In simple terms, graphic designers make visuals to communicate certain messages. These visuals can be as simple as a business logo, or as complex as page layouts on a website.
Source - Rasmussen University
-
This is a very useful FREE app to help you to ensure that the grammar, spelling and punctuation in your writing is correct. Keeping your business professional...
There is also a paid, premium version which can help you to refine a concise and consistent writing style across everything you do.
Grammarly can be applied to everything on your Desktop and Smart Phone or Device.
Grammarly's offer is 'Responsible AI that ensures your writing and reputation shine'.
Click here to visit their website.
H +
-
A hard drive is the hardware component that stores all of your digital content. Your documents, pictures, music, videos, programs, application preferences, and operating system represent digital content stored on a hard drive. Hard drives can be external or internal.
Source - Seagate
Desktop and laptop computers or MacBooks have a certain amount of file storage space. However, photos, graphics and particularly videos, take up a lot of storage space. So external hard drives can be handy to store large files. They can also be useful to ‘back up’ the files on your computer.
-
A hashtag is a word or keyword phrase preceded by a hash symbol (#). It’s used within a post on social media to help those who may be interested in your topic to be able to find it when they search for a keyword or particular hashtag.
Source - Digital Marketing Institute
-
Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTTP is the standard “language” used to communicate between web browsers and website servers.
Source - wp engine
You'll notice it at the beginning of a URL or website address, especially if you copy and paste from the top of the web browser. Eg this is the actual URL for the source link above.
-
A hyperlink can be thought of as an a link a word, phrase or image in a digital document, to a the original or more detailed source. Clicking the hyperlink at the source will navigate to the target.
Adapted from Source - Techopedia
I +
-
There are a couple of different meanings of the word, image. However, usually, in marketing speak, it is referred to as a representation of the external form of a person or thing in art.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
When we talk about an image, it is usually the main focus point of a graphic design.
-
Instagram is a free photo and video sharing app available on iPhone and Android. People can upload photos or videos to our service and share them with their followers or with a select group of friends. They can also view, comment and like posts shared by their friends on Instagram. Anyone 13 and older can create an account by registering an email address and selecting a username.
Source - Instagram
J +
-
Special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
-
Also referred to as Jpeg.
JPG images have been the standard compressed format in digital photography for a long time. It is commonly used for online image sharing because it does a great job of balancing the size of the file and the quality of the image.
Source - Mailchimp
L +
-
The distinction between portrait and landscape orientations in graphic design artboards pertains to their respective directions: Landscape is horizontal.
Source - Want Stickers
-
LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the internet.
It can be used to find the right job connect and strengthen professional relationships.
You can access LinkedIn from a desktop, LinkedIn mobile app, or mobile web experience.
A complete LinkedIn profile can help you connect with opportunities by showcasing your unique professional story through experience, skills, and education.
You can also use LinkedIn to organize offline events, join groups, write articles, post photos and videos, and more.
Click here to connect.
-
A logo is a unique symbol that blends text and imagery to define and distinguish your business. It’s the visual heartbeat of your brand, capturing your company’s spirit and values in a way that’s instantly recognizable.
Source - Vistaprint
M +
-
Mac, short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple. The name Macintosh is a reference to a type of apple called McIntosh.
The product lineup includes the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops, and the iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro desktops.
Macs are sold with the macOS operating system which is a different operating system to PC’s (Personal Computers).
Source - Wikipedia
-
With Mailchimp, you can create personalised email marketing campaigns with professional graphics.
Discover MailChimp
-
the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet, that reach or influence people widely.
Source - Dictionary.com -
A key message is a specific idea you want your audience to understand and remember. It also explains the value and/or service you provide.
Source - Edify Beyond Words
-
A mission statement explains the type of organisation, what it wants to achieve and how it is going to achieve it.
-
MP4 is a widely used multimedia file storage format used for storing video and streaming. It is an international standard that works with a vast range of devices.
Source - Cloudfare
-
A DNS 'mail exchange' (MX) record directs email to a mail server. The MX record indicates how email messages should be routed in accordance with the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP, the standard protocol for all email).
Source - CloudFare
This is pretty techy, but depending on how you set up an email address associated with your website domain (eg info@madebymediymarketing.com associated with madebymediymarketing.com), you may need to share MX records to direct the email to the email server. You may also see a little of this when you’re adding DNS info to the backend of a website or when you’re setting up an email address on your PC, Mac or SmartPhone.
-
Orientation refers to the direction of lines. They could be vertical, horizontal or diagonal.
Source - Dictionary.com
Orientation in design is really about whether it is portrait (tall) or landscape (wide).
-
Offset printing, also called offset lithography, is a method of mass-production printing in which the images on metal plates are transferred (offset) to rubber blankets or rollers and then to the print media.
It was a more traditional form of printing and was typically known as way to produce good quality print.
However, as digital printing technology progresses, the quality of digital printing continues to improve and is more cost effective than offset printing, especially for small quantities (or print runs).
-
A specific and measurable outcome. It may take multiple actions to achieve.
O +
P +
-
Customer pain points are the issues customers experience when using a product or interacting.
Source - Zendesk
-
Depending on the context, this can mean a (PC) Personal Computer or politically correct!
-
PDF is an abbreviation that stands for Portable Document Format. It's a versatile file format created by Adobe that gives people an easy, reliable way to present and exchange documents - regardless of the software, hardware or operating systems being used by anyone who views the document.
It is usually used for professionally designed documents and can be a low resolution (res) pdf that is easy to email because it is a small file size.
It can also be a high resolution document used for printing.
Source - Adobe
-
Pinterest is a visual discovery engine for finding ideas like recipes, home and style inspiration, and more.
Source - Pinterest
-
A minute area of illumination on a display screen, one of many from which an image is composed.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
It is also the way graphics that are primarily designed for screen or digital use, are measured (instead of mm or cm).
-
PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics
PNG is often the default file option if you take a screenshot, as PNG images can give you a pixel-for-pixel representation of whatever image you are working with.
They were designed as an alternative to Graphics Interchange Format (GIF).
When exporting or downloading an image, particularly from Canva, downlaoding a PNG format is the most effective way to transport the focus of the image with a transparent background.
Source - Mailchimp
-
The distinction between portrait and landscape orientations in graphic design artboards pertains to their respective directions: Portrait stands vertically.
Source - Want Stickers
Portrait Mode in Apple iPhone
The camera creates a depth-of-field effect. This lets you capture photos with a sharp focus on the subject and a blurred background. If you’re fortunate enough to have one of the later iPhone models which include Portrait Mode, have a go at using it. It takes a fantastic photo!
Source - Apple
-
Point of Sale
The place where a transaction takes place between a customer and a merchant.
Source - Touch Bistro
-
The publicising of a product, organisation, or venture so as to increase sales or public awareness.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
A promotion can often involve giving away a product in return for awareness building.
-
A4
A3 etc
-
Pay money $ in exchange for receiving a product or service.
-
An article or substance that is manufactured or refined for sale.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
Q +
-
A machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares, typically used for storing URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
R +
-
A reel is a short creative video usually made for brand awareness and promotion. Generally, a reel is a 60-second video that can be posted on your social media feed and story. Facebook and Instagram are two social media platforms that offer reels.
Source - Socialchamp
-
The path or road to purchase refers to the journey that a consumer takes from initial awareness of a product or service to making a purchase decision.
Source - QuestionPro
-
ROI is a calculation of the monetary value of an investment versus its cost.
Source - Mailchimp
S +
-
Search Engine Optimisation
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic.
Source - Mailchimp
-
A mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded apps.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
-
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation, sharing and aggregation of content amongst virtual communities and networks.
Source - Wikipedia
-
SoundCloud allows you to upload, promote and share audio tracks. This can be audio files to add to websites or apps, podcasts or music. You can also listen to a variety of podcasts and music by subscribing.
Click here to check it out.
-
-
SSL: Secure Sockets Layer
SSL is standard technology for securing an internet connection by encrypting data sent between a website and a browser (or between two servers). It prevents hackers from seeing or stealing any information transferred, including personal or financial data.
TLS: Transport Layer Security
TLS is an updated, more secure version of SSL.
Source - DigiCert
SSL is usually included with domain (website address) purchase, but it’s worth checking this out with the website software you use to build your website or your website developer. Sometimes it can take a few days to kick in after publishing a website.
-
Marketing strategies are the general game plan that a business has for reaching prospective consumers and turning them into customers of their products or services.
Source - CoSchedule
It is helpful to include a strategy each for the four P’s' - product, price, place (how it’s distributed) and promotion.
More specific actions are called Tactics. Each strategy will likely have a few specific tactics linked to the strategy.
-
Strengths define what you’re good at and the best parts of your character.
Click here to take a free VIA Strengths survey.
-
A brand style guide is a rulebook containing specifications on everything that plays a role in the look and feel of your brand–everything from typography and color to logos and imagery.
Source - Venngage
-
-
The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is a technical standard for transmitting electronic mail (email) over a network. Like other networking protocols, SMTP allows computers and servers to exchange data regardless of their underlying hardware or software.
Source - Cloudfare
T +
-
Tablets can be thought of as small, handheld computers. They're smaller than a laptop, but larger than a smartphone.
The primary difference in a tablet and other devices is that they don’t include all the same hardware components as a full desktop computer or laptop. There’s also usually a special mobile operating system built-in that provides menus, windows, and other settings meant specifically for big-screen mobile usage. The iPad is one example of a tablet; it uses an operating system called iPadOS.
Source - Lifewire
-
A tagline is a type of advertising catchphrase that reflects a company's marketing strategy. They are usually short and memorable phrases that represent a business's brand or values. Taglines are a type of slogan that remains consistent for a long period. A company can create a new slogan for each marketing campaign, but a tagline will probably stay the same for years or decades.
Source - Indeed
Click here for a few examples, courtesy of Glorify.
-
Short for Hashtag
A hashtag is a word or keyword phrase preceded by a hash symbol (#). It’s used within a post on social media to help those who may be interested in your topic to be able to find it when they search for a keyword or particular hashtag.
Source - Digital Marketing Institute
-
TikTok is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. The app is used by young people as an outlet to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, and lip-syncing, and allows users to create videos and share them across a community.
Since the early days of social media (in particular on YouTube,) lip-syncing videos have proved a popular form of user-generated content among teens. The popularity of TV shows such as Lip Sync Battle has also helped drive interest in this type of platform.
Teens also enjoy competing in the different challenges which can be entered via the trending hashtags on the app. The app has a very dedicated, young community of users. For many of these users, gaining likes, followers and getting their videos featured on the app are important priorities.
Creating and sharing their own content is now a big part of how teens spend their time online. Teens are moving away from being spectators online to becoming content creators.
Source - web wise.ie
Click here to check Tik Tok out.
-
TLS: Transport Layer Security
TLS is an updated, more secure version of SSL.
SSL: Secure Sockets Layer
SSL is standard technology for securing an internet connection by encrypting data sent between a website and a browser (or between two servers). It prevents hackers from seeing or stealing any information transferred, including personal or financial data.
\Source - DigiCert
U +
-
Updating a program to a newer version. Throughout their lifetime, every operating system and almost every application and control program are updated periodically. Software updates are either automatic and behind the scenes, or they require users to confirm the change.
Source - PC Mag
-
The address of a web page.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
-
Unique Selling Proposition
A feature or characteristic of a product, service, etc. that distinguishes it from others of a similar nature and makes it more appealing.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
Defining a USP for your business helps you to define key messages that you want to get across, which will help to sell your offering by making it more attractive and relevant.
V +
-
The recording, reproducing, or broadcasting of moving visual images.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
-
Not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
Virtual became a particularly common reference during COVID-19 restrictions when people were unable to meet face-to-face.
-
A vision statement outlines where an organisation would like to go in the future. Another way to ponder your vision is to consider why your business exists.
-
A picture, piece of film, or display used to illustrate or accompany something.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
W +
-
The Web is short for the World Wide Web (also known as www - the prefix of most website addresses).
It refers the public websites or pages that users can access on their local computers and other devices through the internet.
Source - TechTarget
-
A website is a set of related web pages located under a single domain name, typically produced by a single person or organisation, available through internet access.
Source - Google Dictionary provided by Oxford Languages.
-
A Word Cloud is a collection, or cluster, of words depicted in different sizes.
Source - Vevox helpsite
Choose a variety of words, sizes, shapes, colours and fonts.
Click here to create yours through worldclouds.com.
-
Word of mouth marketing is a form of marketing that is shared organically by consumers. It happens when people ‘spread the word’ about a brand or product.
Source - Digital Marketing Institute
-
www stands for World Wide Web and is the prefix (beginning) of most website addresses. It is also known as the web.
It refers the public websites or pages that users can access on their local computers and other devices through the internet.
Source - TechTarget
Z +
-
A Zip file uses the analogy of zipping something up to make it smaller or compress it.
Zipping a file reduces the storage space it takes and thus becomes an easier way to send it (usually by email).
This is often the case with files that contain artwork or graphics prepared by Graphic Designers, as these traditionally take up more space.
To unzip a zipped file, you simply double click on it and it will open as a folder of files that you can then access.
-
Zoom is a communications platform that allows users to connect with video, audio, phone, and chat.
Source - Zoom
Using Zoom requires an internet connection and a supported device.
It became a lot better known during the COVID-19 lock-downs when many people were unable to meet up or attend classes in a face-to-face setting, so relied on Zoom and other online interfaces to connect.
Click here to check it out.
Jargon Deciphered
Need help?
Email us and we’ll list it… in a helpful context. If any of the explanations that we’ve provided above, don’t make sense, please email us and we’ll have another go at explaining them.