Marketing Glossary
Understanding Fundamentals of SEO Benchmarking
SEO benchmarking involves analyzing your website’s performance against industry standards and competitors to identify strengths and areas for improvement. It helps refine strategies, track progress, and optimize visibility in search engine rankings.
Search Engine Land contributor Laura Nguyen has published an article on benchmarking your SEO performance in 2025.
She says, “SEO measurement is a detailed performance snapshot that guides your SEO strategy decisions. These measures help you assess how your website matches industry standards and competitors.
SEO KPIs act like compasses to show goal progress, while benchmarks become yardsticks to measure against others.
Setting these measurement benchmarks helps:
- Establish realistic improvement targets.
- Understand your competitive position.
- Make analytical strategy adjustments.
Remember, this is not a one-and-done exercise. Regular monitoring and comparison help spot trends early.
You can identify issues before they become problems and strategically adjust to remain competitive.”
Understanding Marketing Funnel Automation
Marketing funnel automation streamlines customer journeys by automating lead nurturing, engagement, and conversion processes. It boosts efficiency, ensures consistent messaging, and optimizes campaign performance at every funnel stage.
MarTech contributor Nichola Stott has published an article on the anatomy of marketing funnel automation.
She says, “By using advanced martech tools, you can effectively streamline and optimize your entire customer journey. But to be effective, you need to understand what makes up the anatomy of a successful marketing funnel automation.
Understanding how you automate your funnel
What is marketing funnel automation?
Marketing funnel automation is when you replace manual work with code to serve up content and gather data from every touchpoint a customer has, spanning discovery through purchase. Instead of spending hours manually analyzing and optimizing each step, automation empowers you to leverage big data 24/7.
The benefits of this automation for your marketing efforts run deep.
- You get efficiency by cutting down time spent on repetitive tasks, and eliminating the need to adhere strictly to business hours.
- You unlock personalization since you can set rules and messaging, then watch your tech deliver highly targeted messages in response to user behaviors and individual preferences.”
Unifying your offline & online marketing [Podcast]
The Wix team says, “Are offline marketing efforts a lost art in the digital age? What’s the SEO connection of it all?
Wix’s Mordy Oberstein and Crystal Carter talk with Mike Blumenthal and Greg Sterling from Near Media to tackle the intricate balance between online and offline marketing strategies.
Find out where common offline marketing mistakes play a critical role in your digital presence and SEO strategy.
Dive into how word-of-mouth marketing translates into online growth for businesses.”
Useful Marketing Insights for 2025
The future of marketing in 2025 will revolve around AI-driven insights, hyper-personalization, and immersive technologies like AR/VR. Ethical practices and sustainability will also shape consumer trust and brand loyalty.
MarTech contributor Ryan Phelan has published an article featuring useful marketing insights for 2025.
He says, “I don’t do predictions or trend-spotting. Predictions have become worthless given the pace of the 24-hour news cycle, technology, consumer adoption, and market fluctuations in marketing technology. Trend-watching is too often motivated by self-interest.
What’s more important is identifying what we must attend to in 2025. These aren’t trends. Instead, these are areas where we might need to rethink, reprioritize, budget or re-budget.
I’ll answer that in two ways: What I learned in 2024 and what I’m watching for in 2025.
3 lessons from 2024
Plan a fallback business plan if things fall apart
My company had a great 2023. Then 2024 turned into a rerun of 2020, the year we had to trash our playbooks thanks to an unexpected turn of events. This time, it was an unanticipated slowdown in client and customer spending.
My team could have rushed into fear-driven tactical changes. Instead, we took a step back and worked together to retool our strategy to accommodate the changed landscape.
This is where the “strategy before tactics” mindset pays off. It gives you muscle memory, a starting point to start over. You’re less likely to make mistakes or run your company off-course.”
Unlocking AI for Marketing: End 2024 Strong, Start 2025 Ahead, December 4 [Webinar]
Using AI in marketing enhances efficiency by automating tasks like data analysis, customer segmentation, and personalized content creation. It enables businesses to deliver targeted, real-time campaigns that improve engagement and maximize ROI.
Content Marketing Institute is hosting a webinar ‘Unlocking AI for Marketing: End 2024 Strong, Start 2025 Ahead’ on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 2.00 pm ET.
The CMI team says, “Discover how to seamlessly launch and accelerate your AI initiatives before the year is over. This high-impact live session is tailored for marketing leaders facing immense pressure to integrate AI into their strategies.
We’ll guide you through the vital steps to execute your first AI-driven campaign, emphasizing the importance of metrics beyond revenue. Join us and hear:
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- Practical insights and lessons learned from those already doing it
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- How to make a compelling case for AI investment
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- How to manage this organizational change effectively
Get ahead of the curve with our predictions and actionable plans for 2025, ensuring you and your team stay at the forefront of marketing innovation”.
Use your Personal Brand to Build a Business [Podcast]
Building a business involves turning an idea into a structured, sustainable venture through strategic planning, hard work, and adaptability. It requires understanding customer needs, managing resources effectively, and staying resilient in the face of challenges.
The latest Digital Marketing Institute podcast is ‘Use your Personal Brand to Build a Business’.
The DMI team says, “In this week’s episode, host Will Francis speaks with Niamh Delaney, co-founder of TeamVirtual, who shares her journey from providing virtual assistant services to coaching others in building their own businesses. They chat about the role of different social media platforms and strategies, as well as email, in generating leads and maintaining strong relationships. Niamh is a great believer in the power of community support, especially when dealing with challenges and while working as a digital nomad between Ireland and Australia, and points inbetween. ”
Useful Tips for Email Marketing Teams
Teamwork is crucial for email marketing teams to ensure consistent messaging, streamline workflows, and meet deadlines. Collaboration fosters creativity and aligns strategies, resulting in impactful campaigns that drive engagement.
MarTech contributor Ryan Phelan has published an article featuring four tips for helping your email marketing team stay organized.
He says, “Check out four ways I’ve helped executives organize their programs so they have the numbers and the plans right at hand.
1. Have a daily stand-up meeting
Yes, adding a daily meeting can make you more productive! Our daily stand-ups help keep my team on track when we have tight deadlines and big projects. These short, focused catch-up meetings were a holiday season fixture in my retail days, too.
You need just 15 minutes or so for everyone to report on what happened yesterday, what’s happening today and what should happen tomorrow. What went well? What are your blockers? Your main goal is to keep people informed and accountable.
Have someone take notes and then circulate a quick update memo after the meeting. An AI notetaker can do this for you automatically. My team uses Fathom, which records meetings, sums up key points and sends an email with takeaways, the recording and a transcript to everyone on the call right after the meeting ends.”
Ultimate 85-Step Checklist for Successful Black Friday Sales Campaigns
Creating a successful Black Friday sales campaign requires strategic planning, targeted promotions, and engaging visuals to capture attention. Key elements include early customer engagement, irresistible offers, and seamless shopping experiences to maximize conversions.
MarTech has published an 85-step checklist for creating successful Black Friday sales campaigns.
The MarTech team says, “Black Friday is the highlight of the sales calendar, with many businesses taking advantage of the increased consumer enthusiasm and spending.
That means competition is rife, and offering discounts alone isn’t enough. With so many moving parts, executing a successful campaign can be challenging. That’s why Brevo created the Ultimate Black Friday Checklist — a comprehensive 85-step guide designed to take you from planning to profit.
The checklist offers more than just a roadmap. It’s a blueprint for maximizing revenue, growing your customer base and optimizing your marketing efforts across all channels.
Why strategic planning matters
A well-defined strategy not only sets clear and measurable goals, but also ensures a laser-focused campaign that resonates with your audience. This phase includes conducting thorough customer and market research, segmenting your audience based on behavior and preferences and effectively aligning your budget and resources. By building a solid foundation, you’re setting yourself up for success long before Black Friday arrives.”
Boost Black Friday sales with the ultimate 85-step campaign checklist
Understanding how users experience your website [Podcast]
A positive website user experience is essential for engaging visitors and guiding them smoothly toward desired actions, like making a purchase or signing up. It builds trust and credibility, increasing the likelihood of customer retention and conversions.
Google Search Central has published the latest episode of the Search Off the Record podcast titled ‘Understanding how users experience your website’.
The GSC team says, “In this episode of Search Off the Record, we’re learning all about user experience research (UXR) and how getting a better understanding of how your users interact with your website can help when you’re looking for ways to improve it. Tune in as Iva Barisic Hafner, a user experience researcher on the Google Shopping team, explains how to use UXR methods to get to the bottom of the “why” behind user behavior.”
Using Calendly with Your Email Marketing Platform [Video]
Email marketing helps attract new customers by delivering personalized offers and valuable content directly to potential leads. It fosters engagement and builds trust, turning prospects into loyal clients.
AWeber has published a new video ‘Using Calendly with Your Email Marketing Platform to Automate Lead and Customer Nurturing’.
It covers the following:
- Why is this integration so useful?
- Promote events and nurture leads
- Segment leads for more personalization
- Manage cancelations
- Reschedule invites
- Re-engage no-shows.
