The term ‘Digital Marketing’ was first used in the 1990s which essentially means a whole new portfolio of ‘buzzwords’ has been introduced since then also. If you find yourself getting confused by clickbait and conversions, or perhaps SEO and PPC then you’re in the right place.
AOI
Area of Interest. This is the target area for your existing or potential customers. The more targeted and relevant you make your marketing, the higher your opportunity for results will be.
Algorithm
Who runs the world? Algorithms. Traditionally, an algorithm is a sequence of rules or instructions to be followed in calculations or problem-solving, usually by a computer. An easy ‘Social Media’ way of understanding algorithms is it’s essentially how Social Platforms decide who sees what content and when.
Analytics
Analytics is the interpretation of patterns in data, which allow you to gain insight from your results and make decisions on how to proceed with your marketing.
Benchmark
Benchmarking allows you to compare performance or processes to industry standards and best practices. This could be looking at price, time or results.
Bot
This is software that automatically runs task online, allowing less human interaction on the more repetitive work. An example of a bot could be a ‘Chatbot’ that your customers engage with to capture initial information before being put in touch with the right person.
Click-Through Rate / CTR
The ratio of users who have clicked on links compared with the total number of views. A high CTR will mean you’re reaching the right audience with interesting and engaging content.
This is calculated by:
Total Number of Clicks / Total Number of Impressions.
Clickbait
Content designed to attract attention from users and encourage them to click on the link. Although this sounds like it could lead to a high CTR, it will most likely open you up to negative comments and a decrease in followers/likes.
Conquest
An audience that you haven’t been exposed to before. These are ‘cold’ leads but could open up your reach to a whole new demographic and increase your sales and AOI.
Content
Within Marketing, Content is the word used to describe articles, videos, webinars and social media posts.
Conversion / Conversion Rate
Often used to describe a potential customer who ‘converts’ to a paying customer. Conversion rate is a way of tracking return on investment (ROI) from your marketing.
Cost Per Result / CPR
How cost-effective your marketing campaign has been. This is usually worked out as: Amount Spent / Total Results.
CPR could also be seen as:
- CPC: Cost Per Click
- CPI: Cost per Impressions
Cross-Device Tracking
This is the ability to track and reach users across multiple devices such as phones, computers and TV.
Data
Data could be your ‘Customer Data’ which is Customer details including Name, Address and Contact Details or ‘Results’ which can be analysed to make ‘Data-Driven’ decisions on your next Marketing activity.
Earned Media
Media that you don’t have to pay for. This could be Digital Word of Mouth such as Recommendations, Mentions, Reviews and Reports.
Engaged / Engagement
When users perform actions on your Social Media Account. This could be Likes, Comments, Shares or Retweets for example.
Ephemeral Content
Content that only lasts for a short amount of time such as a Snapchat or Instagram / Facebook Stories.
Exposure
Another word for visibility. This could be for your business and brand on Social Media as well as products or services.
Hashtags
Hashtags are most commonly used on Twitter and Instagram, but you will see them more on more on LinkedIn and Facebook too. Hashtags start with the ‘#’ symbol and the Social Media Platform will group all of the content that includes the same # to allow people to follow all conversations on a specific topic.
Impressions
An Impression triggers when your content appears on the audience’s screen. Your Total Impressions will likely be higher than your Total Reach as your audience may see your content more than once.
Influencer
Someone who ‘influences’ their audience to do something, whether it’s visiting a venue or purchase a product, for example. Businesses may use Influencers to endorse their products to increase their reach and exposure.
Micro-Influencer
A Micro-Influencer is someone who has a mid-size audience and usually focuses on one main Social Media Platform and a specific topic or niche.
Live-Streaming
‘Going live’ on Social Media has increased in popularity over the last few years, with platforms such as Twitter and Facebook making it super easy to reach your audience in real-time. This is a great tool to use for events.
Long-Form / Short-Form
Long-Form Content that is around 1,00 words or more, such as a Blog Post or an Article. Short-Form Content is more of a bite-size approach that is easy to read and consume quickly.
Mention
This is a tag on a Social Media Platform using the ‘@’ symbol and a user’s handle.
Metrics
Measurable values used within Marketing to determine success and make informed decisions on how to proceed.
Organic
Publishing content to any Social Media Platform is free, and therefore Organic. Your Organic posts will reach those that follow / like your accounts initially.
Paid Media
Paying to promote your content. This could be through Sponsored Posts / Ads, PPC and Pop-Ups to increase clicks and drive traffic.
PPC
Pay-Per-Click. This is a model of marketing whereby advertisers pay a fee when their Ad is clicked.
Remarketing
Does what it says on the tin. Remarketing is the method of advertising to those who have already engaged with the business. For example, once they have visited the website, they then see an advert designed to reengage. Remarketing should result in a higher conversions rate as the audience is ‘warmer’.
Return on Investment / ROI
The ratio between net profit and the cost of investment. This is used to measure marketing performance and will influence future marketing.
Scheduling
A great way to ensure regular content no matter what your daily to-do list looks like is to put aside some time to schedule posts in advance. There are several online platforms to help with this.
SEO
Search Engine Optimisation. This is the best way to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to your website from search engines such as Google.
Sessions
A group of interactions one user takes on your website within a single timeframe. This metric is often found on Google Analytics when analysing website traffic.
Stories
A fairly new feature on Social Media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook whereby you can update your ‘Story’ throughout the day and the update will only last 24 hours.
Targeting
A more strategic approach to marketing is when you ‘target’ segments of your audience to ensure the most relevant content is reaching each audience.
Voice Search
Hey Siri…
Voice Search is voice recognition technology enabling people to search verbally.
Webinar
Online seminars designed to reach large audiences and increase brand awareness. These could be on specific topics and include several speakers.
Gary is the Founder of Feedalpha. He has a background in AI, Data Analytics, SEO, Digital Strategy and Web Design.
