Digital Marketing Acronyms and Terms: The Basics
Digital marketing is a complicated business. Few topics are as heavy on terms and acronyms as they are light on basic explanation. No matter how new you are to the subject, you probably know that you need a digital presence. And you may already be aware that there’s a process involved in elevating your visibility. You want to ensure that your website, for instance, goes beyond that of a nebulous entity floating around the Internet, undiscovered by consumers. But how does that happen and what does it mean for your business?
Here we do our best to provide some clarity amidst the chaos by first defining common digital marketing acronyms, and then the essential digital marketing terms – in a way that doesn’t boggle the mind.
Digital Marketing Acronyms
Table of Contents
SEO - Search Engine Optimization
SEM - Search Engine Marketing
PPC - Pay-Per-Click
SMM - Social Media Marketing
CTR - Click-Through Rate
ROI - Return on Investment
CPM - Cost Per Mille (Cost Per Thousand)
CRM - Customer Relationship Management
KPI - Key Performance Indicator
CTA - Call to Action
SEO - Search Engine Optimization: Involves optimizing your website and its content to improve visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is typically done through keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and other strategies to increase organic (non-paid) traffic.
SEM - Search Engine Marketing: Refers to the process of promoting websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages through paid advertising. This primarily involves pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns such as Google Ads or Bing Ads, where advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their target audience.
PPC - Pay-Per-Click: A model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. It's a way of buying visits to your site rather than attempting to earn those visits organically through SEO.
SMM - Social Media Marketing: Involves using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., to promote products or services. It includes activities such as posting text and image updates, videos, and other content that drives audience engagement.
CTR - Click-Through Rate: A metric that measures the ratio of users who click on a specific link to the number of total users who view a page, email, or advertisement. It's commonly used to gauge the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns and email marketing efforts.
ROI - Return on Investment: Measures the profitability of an investment relative to its cost. In digital marketing, ROI is often used to assess the effectiveness of marketing campaigns by comparing the revenue generated to the amount spent on advertising or other marketing activities.
CPM - Cost Per Mille (Cost Per Thousand): A pricing model used in online advertising where advertisers pay a fee for every one thousand impressions of their ad. It's commonly used in display advertising and is a way for advertisers to reach a large audience without necessarily driving clicks or actions.
CRM - Customer Relationship Management: Refers to practices, strategies, and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions throughout the customer lifecycle. In digital marketing, CRM systems are often used to collect and organize customer data for targeted marketing campaigns and personalized communication.
KPI - Key Performance Indicator: Measurable values that indicate how effectively a company is achieving its key business objectives. In digital marketing, KPIs can include metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, and customer lifetime value, among others.
CTA - Call to Action: A prompt that instructs the audience to take a specific action, such as "Sign Up Now," "Learn More," or "Shop Now." CTAs are essential in digital marketing because they guide users towards desired actions and help drive conversions.
Digital Marketing Terms
Table of Contents
Digital Marketing
Strategy
Content Strategy
Content Creation
Social Media Marketing
Influencer Marketing
Engagement
Analytics
Conversion
Digital Marketing: Digital marketing is the overarching process of promoting products or services using digital “channels” such as search engines, websites, social media, email, and mobile apps.
Strategy: Strategy encompasses the planning phase of digital marketing, where considerations such as audience targeting, goal setting, and channel selection take place. It involves defining objectives, identifying target audiences, and outlining the approach to achieving marketing goals using various digital platforms and tactics.
Content Strategy: Content strategy is the planning and development of content to support digital marketing objectives. It involves defining the types of content to create, identifying key messaging, and determining the distribution channels to reach target audiences effectively. Content strategy ensures that content aligns with business goals and resonates with the intended audience.
Content Creation: Content creation is the process of producing and publishing valuable, relevant, and engaging content across various digital platforms. It includes creating blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and other media to attract and retain the attention of target audiences and drive desired actions, such as website visits or conversions.
Social Media Marketing: Social Media Marketing focuses on leveraging social media platforms to connect with audiences, build brand awareness, and drive engagement. It involves creating and sharing content, running advertising campaigns, and interacting with followers to foster relationships and promote products or services effectively.
Influencer Marketing: Influencer Marketing involves collaborating with influential individuals or content creators on social media to promote products or services to their followers. It leverages the credibility and reach of influencers to increase brand visibility, generate leads, and drive sales among target audiences.
Engagement: Engagement refers to the level of interaction, involvement, or connection that users have with digital content or platforms. It includes actions such as likes, shares, comments, clicks, and time spent interacting with content, indicating audience interest and participation in marketing efforts.
Analytics: Analytics involves collecting, measuring, analyzing, and interpreting data to evaluate the performance of digital marketing campaigns. It includes metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and user behavior to assess the effectiveness of marketing strategies, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimize marketing efforts.
Conversion: Conversion is the desired action taken by users in response to digital marketing efforts, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. It represents the culmination of successful marketing strategies and indicates the achievement of business goals and objectives.
Pierpont Creative would welcome the opportunity to share more with you. Let’s talk about your brand’s digital marketing strategy and the right tools to get you noticed and build a loyal customer base. We promise not to overwhelm you with digital marketing acronyms and terms. After all, it’s our job to speak your language.
