Universal marketing glossary: essential basic terms

A useful marketing glossary: 45 terms you actually need to make decisions

This glossary is built for business, not for memorizing acronyms.

Each term includes a short definition and a practical use.

How to use this glossary

Quick rule

• If a metric doesn't change a decision, don't prioritize it.
• If a term doesn't connect to a business objective, it's noise.

Recommended order

1. Strategy fundamentals.
2. Acquisition metrics.
3. Conversion and profitability.
4. Retention and brand.

Core strategy terms

B2B

A company that sells to other companies. Longer sales cycle, more decision-makers, and a heavier emphasis on trust.

B2C

A company that sells to the end consumer. Shorter cycle and more sensitivity to creative, price, and experience.

Buyer Persona

A semi-fictional profile of the ideal customer, including their pain, goal, and buying context.

Value proposition

The clear reason they should choose you over the alternatives.

Target

The specific segment you direct your message and offer to.

Funnel (TOFU, MOFU, BOFU)

The discovery, consideration, and decision stages.

Traffic and acquisition metrics

Reach

The unique people who saw a piece of content.

Impressions

The total number of times a piece of content or an ad is shown.

CPC (Cost per click)

How much you pay for each click.

CPM (Cost per thousand impressions)

How much you pay for every 1,000 impressions.

CTR (Click Through Rate)

The percentage of people who click out of those who saw the ad.

CPV (Cost per view)

A typical model in video: you pay per valid view.

CAC (Customer acquisition cost)

Total marketing and sales costs divided by new customers.

Conversion and profitability

Conversion

The target action: a purchase, sign-up, lead, or call.

CVR (Conversion Rate)

The percentage of users who convert.

CPA (Cost per acquisition)

The average cost per conversion.

ROAS

Ad revenue / ad spend.

ROI

(Net profit - investment) / investment.

LTV or CLV

The expected economic value of a customer over their relationship with the brand.

Margin

What's left after covering direct costs. Without margin, growth isn't sustainable.

Channel and content terms

SEO

Search engine optimization without paying per click.

SEM

Search advertising and paid campaigns.

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Optimization for search systems powered by generative AI.

Social Proof

Social validation: reviews, case studies, testimonials, mentions.

UGC (User Generated Content)

Content created by users or customers.

CTA (Call to Action)

A specific call to action: buy, book, request a demo.

Landing Page

A page designed for a single conversion.

Copy

Persuasive text aimed at driving an action.

Operations, analytics, and management

KPI

A key indicator aligned with a business objective.

OKR

A framework of objectives and key results for aligning teams.

Dashboard

A visual panel of metrics for tracking.

A/B Testing

Testing two variants to decide with data.

Attribution Model

The rule for distributing conversion value across channels.

CRM

A system for managing the commercial relationship and the customer lifecycle.

Churn

The percentage of customers lost over a period.

Common mistakes with marketing terms

Mistake 1: confusing activity with results

More posts don't mean more revenue.

Mistake 2: looking at CTR without looking at CVR

Lots of clicks with little conversion usually points to a mismatch between the ad and the offer.

Mistake 3: using ROAS without margin

It can look profitable when it isn't.

Mistake 4: measuring everything at once

Pick 3-5 KPIs per objective.

Express mini dictionary (A-Z)

Brief

A foundational document with the objective, audience, message, and deliverables.

Branding

Building brand identity and perception.

Engagement

Meaningful interaction with content or a brand.

NPS

An indicator of customer recommendation.

Remarketing

Reaching users again who already interacted with you.

Local SEO

Optimization for geographic searches and maps.

UTM

URL parameters for tracking the source of traffic.

Frequently asked questions

Which five terms should I master first?

CAC, CVR, ROAS, LTV, and KPI. With those five, you can already make better budget decisions.

What's the difference between a KPI and a metric?

Every KPI is a metric, but not every metric is a KPI. A KPI implies a direct impact on an objective.

How often should this glossary be updated?

Every quarter. Platforms, attribution models, and operational language change.

Operational priority: the terms that most affect cash

• CAC: defines how much you can invest without breaking profitability.
• LTV: sets how much real margin you can capture per customer.
• CVR: tells you whether traffic turns into opportunities or gets lost.
• ROAS with margin: keeps you from scaling campaigns that generate revenue but no profit.