B2B Marketing Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms used across this site, from fractional CMO to demand generation, ABM and marketing infrastructure.
- Fractional CMO
- A senior marketing leader who embeds into a company's leadership team on a part-time, flexible basis. A fractional CMO owns strategy, manages execution and reports to the CEO, but at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. Best suited to scaling B2B companies that need senior marketing direction before they are ready for a permanent CMO.
- B2B Marketing
- Marketing aimed at other businesses rather than consumers. B2B marketing focuses on longer buying cycles, multiple decision-makers, higher contract values and trust-led messaging. Channels typically include LinkedIn, account-based marketing, content, email nurture and events.
- Demand Generation
- An integrated marketing programme that creates awareness, interest and qualified pipeline for a business. Demand generation combines paid media, content marketing, SEO, email, events and ABM with the goal of producing sales-ready conversations, not just leads.
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
- A B2B marketing approach that targets a defined list of named accounts with personalised campaigns and outreach. ABM works best for companies selling high-value, considered products into a narrow universe of buyers.
- Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy
- The plan for how a company will reach its target customers, position its offer, price it and sell it. Covers ICP, segmentation, messaging, channel mix, sales motion and commercial milestones.
- Marketing Infrastructure
- The systems, tracking and reporting that make marketing measurable. CRM, marketing automation, attribution, dashboards and the integrations between them.
- MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
- A prospect who has shown enough interest through marketing activity to be worth a sales conversation.
- SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
- A prospect that sales has accepted as a real opportunity, typically qualified against budget, authority, need and timing.
- Brand Positioning
- The decision about who a company serves, the problem it solves and why it is different from the alternatives. The foundation of every other marketing decision.
- Outsourced Marketing Director
- Another name for a fractional CMO or fractional marketing director. Provides senior strategic leadership on a flexible engagement rather than a permanent contract.
- Pipeline
- The sum of qualified sales opportunities a business is working at any one time, usually broken down by stage and value.
- Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
- A clear description of the type of customer most likely to buy, get value and stay. Defined by attributes such as industry, company size, geography and buying triggers.