Whether you are a business season champ or a new small business owner, it can be smart to freshen up on some marketing buzzwords! Think of this as your quick marketing crash course to add to your business vocabulary.
I don’t know about you, but there have been a few times where we have been guilty of pulling an Alexis “yeah totally,” when we had no idea what that industry term reference was about. Have you been there?
That’s why we have rounded up these 5 popular words and phases that have been circulating on social media.
1. A Call to Action (CTA)
This phrase gets thrown around a lot, especially on Instagram. Every piece of marketing collateral should really have a call to action if you want your audience or client to engage in your content. People will not make an action if they are not prompted to make one. Calls to action could be as simple as “leave a comment” or “purchase our digital course.” At the end of every piece of content, try to include a CTA so that your customers or clients engage more in that marketing piece.
2. Brand Identity
This term gets thrown around like a hot potato and can often get a confusing reputation. Often it can be mistaken for your color scheme, logo, fonts, and general “aesthetic.” But your brand identity is so much more than that. You may think your brand identity is one thing, but if your clients have a different interpretation, then that takes priority. So essentially, your brand identity is what your customers think of your business.
3. A Target Audience
A target audience, ideal client, customer profile, and key demographic is all essentially the same thing. It is the group of people who would find your product, service, or business the most valuable. So for example, if you were a brand who sold popsicles, you would probably want your target audience to be moms who have toddlers or small children. Your marketing and branding may have a more “fun child-like” feeling, but it is the mothers would actually be purchasing the product, and therefore, they would actually be your target audience.
4. Value Proposition
This term combination sounds a lot more complex than it actually is. What could your customers’ life look like if they bought your product or service? What value would they receive if they enter into a business relationship with you? How does it make their life better? Does it save them time? Are they going to make more money? Will they avoid an inconvenience? Spell it out for them. You can list these value propositions out on your website, or you can mention them again and again in your other marketing collateral.
5. Niche
Whether you pronounce it “nitch” or “neesh” it doesn’t really matter. But your niche is your specialized area in the market which you sell your product or service. The more specific and small this area is the better! For example, if you are a florist who specifically sells floral arrangements for elopement weddings, you are narrowing in on a less saturated area of the market.
Did you learn any new terms or freshen up on a forgotten one? Share this with a fellow business team member or friend who needs a little vocal crash course as well! (*Note this last sentence was an example of a CTA!)