Basic Marketing Terms

Knowing basic marketing terms and definitions can come in handy for anyone in the business field. Whether or not you work in the field of marketing, you will find that understanding the advertising, public relations, and communications segment of your business can enhance your career and simplify your work.

Marketing is an essential part of any business. It does not matter whether or not you own a sole proprietorship, a limited liability corporation, or a Fortune 500 company. Knowing basic marketing terms can help you reach your potential in any industry.

As with several business terms, there is no single definition that encompasses everything marketing is. It is advertising, public relations, promotion, sales, and more. For the purposes of this article, however, marketing will be defined according to yourDictionary, as "The act or process of buying and selling in a market. The commercial functions involved in transferring goods from producer to consumer."

yourDictionary's Marketing Links

Because yourDictionary is not able to handle all of the technical terms and definitions of various industries, a listing of specialty dictionaries is available for your use. Consider using the following dictionaries in order to get your marketing term defined:

• Marketing Glossary: This marketing glossary is to be used in conjunction with the book Marketing: Concepts and Strategies published by Houghton Mifflin. Each chapter is organized alphabetically, but you may have to jump from chapter to chapter in order to find the term you need defined. Luckily, the chapter titles are at the top of the page, giving users a clue as to what terms may be defined within that chapter.
• MarcommWise Marketing Glossary: Search this glossary by letter or by term. If you cannot find the term you need and later learn its definition, you can even contribute your own definition and be credited for it upon its acceptance. For example, "psychological pricing" was contributed by Cabe Kline.
• Marketing Terms.com: This site has a dictionary of internet marketing terms searchable by letter or category, as well as a listing of marketing abbreviations for the internet, such as CPC and SEP. Since the number of companies doing business online continues to grow, this site is a definite must for any marketer.
• Glossary of Marketing Research Terms: With over 1,300 terms in the database, this is a great site to have bookmarked. Use it to look up a term by word, definition, or category. A listing of helpful hints helps make your search easier.
• Monash University Marketing Dictionary: Search by letter to find the marketing term for which you would like a definition. The explanations are short and to the point. For a few which need further explanation, however, you are directed to find another term.

Other Marketing Glossaries to Try

If the marketing glossaries within yourDictionary's listing of specialty dictionaries do not meet your needs, you can also try a few other websites. Because no dictionary can ever be considered complete, you may want to save a few different sites into your favorites" so that you can easily reference them when needed.

Additional web-based basic marketing terms are defined at these websites:

• Glossary of Marketing Definitions: This glossary offers a massive listing of marketing terms made from the American perspective. Although the last update was in 1998, a number of the terms are still relevant today. References given at the bottom of the page may provide additional insight.
• The Chartered Institute of Marketing's Marketing Glossary: This U.K. school provides a list of basic marketing terms that are relevant in Britain and elsewhere. Search by letter to find the term you need defined. If you find yourself doing business with a British company, it may be helpful to know their marketing terms (such as ACORN).
• American Marketing Association Marketing Terms Dictionary: With over 4,000 entries, this dictionary is the ultimate marketing glossary. Run by the American Marketing Association, it should be considered a foremost reference for any marketer in the United States. Search by term, definition, or by letter to find the explanation you need. The site also includes various U.S. laws that relate to the selling and purchasing of goods, such as the Robinson-Patman Act of 1936.

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