The ABC’s of Social Media: Marketing Terms Defined

Social Media can be an overwhelming and ever-changing place. We have put together a list of all the terms to know from A to Z. Ready to level up your knowledge of the latest industry terms? Read on…

A. Audience- when creating for your social media accounts, make sure to tailor your content to your fans and customers. Knowing the demographics of who you are talking to will provide insight into the time of day that they are most active online and what content your audience consumes most. Tailoring to your followers will help to maximize engagement and pique the interest of potential and existing clients. 

B. Branding- to help your clients build a relationship with your business, it is important to brand yourself consistently. Branding allows you to create a unique identity for your business and help you stand out from competitors. This goes beyond just your logo, incorporating your website, brand voice, values, and products. It is helpful to talk to a branding expert to fully execute your vision for your brand and ensure that everything is cohesive and professional. 

C. Consistency- some businesses post three times a week, others post every other Friday, but what we encourage is to be consistent in whatever it is you choose. It’s better to stay consistent with a schedule you can stick to than posting randomly or taking time off. 

D. Direct Messages- make sure to be aware of any direct messages sent to your inbox. Answering these messages in a timely manner shows that you care about your clients and their concerns and is a simple way to increase engagement with your followers! 

E. Engagement- while not as exciting as a diamond ring, tracking engagement allows you to measure the amount of interaction that others have with your account. This encompasses likes, comments, reposts, and shares which can be used to gauge what performs best and what content your followers are enjoying. 

F. Following- your goal on social media is to grow your following while dodging bots and fake followers. You are bound to occasionally encounter them but keeping them at a minimum and working to gain an organic following will benefit you in the long run. 

G. Giveaways- a giveaway offers your followers, old and new, the chance to win a prize for engaging with your content. Giveaways are often organized to celebrate reaching a goal on social media which will then increase your exposure to potential new clients. Contests should consist of rules in which participants will tag others, follow your account(s), and repost your content to enter. Everyone loves free stuff, so make the prize worthwhile for your audience! 

H. Hashtags- implementing hashtags on your social media posts is a great way to increase your reach and engagement. On Instagram, the advised number of hashtags is constantly changing, but the latest belief is to use 20-30 per post and seek out tags that are not loaded with millions of posts. Let the first few pertain specifically to the content being posted, and the following can be about the services that your business provides On Facebook and LinkedIn, limit your hashtags to no more than five relative tags per post. 

I. Influencers- utilizing someone whose platform can influence the attitudes and behaviors of others to promote your product will increase your exposure. Choosing influencers that are relevant to your business will maximize potential benefit and increase your brand’s credibility while also exhibiting a connection between your brand and a real person. 

J. Just Start- we know that social media marketing can seem intimidating, but we advise you to just start! Implementing your businesses’ presence on social media can lead to more benefit than detriment, so don’t shy away from trying something new. Use what you’ve learned and try applying it to your brand, it will only get easier with time!

K. KPI (Key Performance indicator)- KPI tracks specific metrics to measure your growth and success. To know your social media marketing is improving, you need to learn what metrics to track. This can look like recording your sales, followers, engagement rates, or conversion rates over a period of time and analyzing what worked and what didn’t. KPI also helps to paint a picture of what targets to aim for and realistic goals to set for your business. 

L. Links- links tend to work differently on specific social platforms. On Facebook and LinkedIn, links are easily clickable when posted, allowing for you to directly call your followers to action. On Instagram and TikTok, links cannot be opened when in the caption of your posts, so most advisable is to instead put these links in your bio. Using a service like link tree provides a way to organize a list of all your links to aid in user accessibility. 

M. Mention- a big part of being on social media is actually being social and interacting with others online.When you tag another account in a post whether in a photo tag, comment, or including their link shows that you connect with other businesses and encourages others to share your content when you share theirs. It is very important to remember to credit others if taking inspiration or reposting content. 

N. New Features- social platforms are continuously introducing new bells and whistles to enhance your experience. Some recent updates we love on Instagram include the countdown story sticker to alert followers of upcoming events, being able to share a post from two accounts to show your collaborations and putting clickable links in your story to make outside sources easier to access. It benefits you to keep up with the latest trends to explore new ways to share your content. 

O. Organic Reach- we are all aware of the meaning of the word organic in reference to food, and the same applies when it comes to reach. Organic reach pertains to the exposure received by a post that was not advertised with money but gained its traction “naturally.” This also presents as someone genuinely mentioning your brand without being paid to, which increases the number of eyes on your business through a more authentic lens. 

P. Paid Reach- in contrast to organic reach, paid reach consists of ads in which your business pays for to boost to a wider audience. This can be more effective than organic due to reaching more people, like a shoutout from brand ambassadors or a post from an influencer. 

Q. Quality- always ensure that the quality of your content is top-notch. This means making sure your images are high quality and color corrected, good design aesthetics such as clean and professional fonts, and thoughtfully written captions with proper grammar. Getting an audit on your current social media feed can determine if you could use help from a professional to upgrade your game. 

R. ROI (Return on Investment) - meaning return on investment, this examines what you have gained in exchange for your time, work, or money. Analyzing the result of what you have put into your business will help you determine whether the time/money/effort is worth it. Although social media is important, it isn’t everything. Inspecting the ROI of your social media will allow you to avoid wasting time and resources on a channel that isn’t showing results. 

S. Schedule- while one company may find that mornings work best, another might find evenings. Some should post every day while others are ok with a few times a week. Crafting your ideal schedule may be determined by testing the bandwidth of your team budget and other factors. 

T. Trends- taking advantage of trends is a good way to contemporize your content, which can look like making a TikTok with a trending sound or utilizing a trending hashtag in your next social post. Because trends are so short-lived, the key is to act on it as soon as you discover it. Don’t stress too much about contributing to every single trend, but your brand may benefit from testing them out every now and then.  

U. UGC (User Generated Content)- in addition to creating posts internally, it’s refreshing to incorporate authentic content created by customers, fans, and brand ambassadors. This is considered user generated content which saves you time when posting and allows a new angle of storytelling from the outside looking in versus simply talking about yourself. Obtaining this can either be organic like when fans share content without being prompted or can be collected through partnerships with brand ambassadors or contests you have hosted. 

V. Video- if content is king, video is the crown. In today’s world, videos are outperforming other types of content because everyone loves video. YouTube videos, story videos, Reels and TikToks can show more of your personality than a simple picture or weblink, allowing more insight into your business. 

W. Word of Mouth- digital marketing serves similarly to word of mouth, traditionally being referrals in conversation or digital referrals by sharing on social media. Whether it’s a client sending a link to a family member about a new product or a die-hard brand fan singing your praises from the rooftops, people enjoy sharing things they love. Especially in today’s digital world, social media is full of effective WOM which allows news of your brand spread through the public. 

X. X (cross) Platform- there exists different people on different platforms. You can save time if you are able to promote the same content across different platforms; for example, the same video you created on TikTok can be utilized as an Instagram reel while a blog article posted to your website can be shared to Facebook or LinkedIn. Because it is not always possible to cross promote your content, you should take advantage of it when you can! 

Y. Yearly View- it is easy to get lost in curating posts day-to-day but taking a step back and examining the year as a whole can be beneficial in creating content. Following the seasons and relative consumer patterns can serve as a baseline to scheduling. In addition, every day exists a unique national day that you can use as inspiration for posts and relate to your business. Like how IHOP gives out free pancakes on National Pancake Day, you can find your own National Pancake Day! You can also use these dates again in the following years when planning.

Z. Zest- don’t shy away from incorporating your personality into your business. People love knowing the person behind the business and hearing them in the brand voice. This adds uniqueness and individuality to your brand while setting you apart from your competitors. 

Did you learn something new? Let us know in the comments below! And remember if you need some help with social media strategy, content creation, or management you know who to call.