Here’s a list of 100+ social media marketing terms and glossary that every marketer should be familiar with:
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A
- A/B Testing
- Experimenting with different versions of a social media post or advertisement to determine which performs better.
- API (Application Programming Interface)
- A set of tools and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other.
- Advertainment
- Creating advertisements that are entertaining or engaging to capture the audience’s attention.
- Advocacy Marketing
- Encouraging and empowering loyal customers to become brand advocates and promote products or services.
- Algorithm
- The set of rules used by social media platforms to determine what content is shown to users.
- Algorithmic Feed
- A social media feed that is curated and ordered based on the user’s behavior and preferences.
- Analytics
- The collection and analysis of data related to social media performance and audience engagement.
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Technology that overlays digital elements onto the real world, enhancing user experiences.
- Avatar
- A digital representation or profile picture used to represent an individual or brand on social media.
B
- B2B (Business-to-Business)
- Marketing strategies and activities aimed at targeting and engaging other businesses.
- B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
- Marketing strategies and activities aimed at targeting and engaging individual consumers.
- Bio
- A short description or summary of a person or brand’s profile on social media platforms.
- Bio Link
- The single clickable link often found in social media profiles, used to direct users to a specific website or landing page.
- Boosted Post
- Paid promotion of a social media post to increase its reach and visibility.
C
- Carousel
- A type of social media post that includes multiple images or videos that users can swipe through.
- Chatbot
- An AI-powered automated messaging system used to interact with users and answer their queries.
- Click-through Rate (CTR)
- The percentage of users who click on a specific link or call-to-action (CTA) out of the total number of impressions.
- Clickbait
- Content or headlines designed to attract attention and encourage users to click, often misleading or sensationalized.
- Community Manager
- A person responsible for managing and engaging with an online community or social media audience.
- Content Calendar
- A schedule or plan that outlines when and what type of content will be posted on social media platforms.
- Conversion Funnel
- The series of steps a user takes from first interacting with a brand to becoming a customer.
- Conversion Rate
- The percentage of users who take a desired action (e.g., make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter) out of the total number of website visitors or social media users.
- Cost Per Click (CPC)
- The cost incurred each time a user clicks on a paid advertisement.
- Crisis Management
- Strategies and actions taken to handle negative situations or PR crises on social media.
- Cross-promotion
- Collaborating with other brands or influencers to promote each other’s products or services.
D
- DM (Direct Message)
- Private messages sent between users on social media platforms.
- Dark Social
- Refers to private sharing of content through channels like messaging apps and email, making it difficult to track.
E
- Emoji
- Small digital icons used to express emotions or ideas in social media communication.
- Employee Advocacy
- Encouraging employees to promote a brand or its content on their personal social media accounts.
- Engagement Pod
- A group of individuals or brands who agree to engage with and promote each other’s social media content.
- Engagement Rate
- The percentage of people who engage with a social media post (likes, comments, shares) out of the total number of people reached.
- Evergreen Content
- Timeless content that remains relevant and valuable long after it’s published.
F
- Facebook Business Manager
- A tool that allows businesses to manage their Facebook pages, ad accounts, and marketing activities in one place.
G
- GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
- Animated images or short video clips often used to express emotions or reactions on social media.
- Gamification
- Incorporating game-like elements, such as challenges or rewards, into social media campaigns to increase engagement.
- Geofencing
- Setting up a virtual boundary around a physical location to deliver targeted content or advertisements to users within that area.
- Geotagging
- Adding a location tag to a social media post to indicate where it was created or shared.
- Growth Hacking
- Strategies and techniques focused on rapidly growing an audience or user base through innovative tactics.
H
- Handle
- The username or account name used to identify a person or brand on social media platforms.
- Hashtag
- A keyword or phrase preceded by the “#” symbol to categorize and organize content on social media.
I
- Impressions
- The number of times a social media post or advertisement is displayed to users.
- Impressions
- The number of times a social media post or advertisement is displayed to users.
- Influencer
- An individual who has a significant following and influence over their audience, often used for brand collaborations and promotions.
- Influencer Marketing
- Collaborating with influencers to promote products, services, or brands to their followers.
- Insights
- Data and analytics provided by social media platforms that offer deeper understanding of audience demographics, engagement, and performance.
J
K
- KPI
- Key Performance Indicator, a measurable value used to evaluate the success of a social media campaign or strategy.
- Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
- A measurable value that indicates the success of a social media marketing campaign or strategy.
- Keyword
- A word or phrase used to search for specific content on social media platforms.
L
- Lead Generation
- The process of capturing potential customer information, such as email addresses, to nurture and convert them into sales.
- Like
- A social media engagement action where users show appreciation or support for a post by clicking a “like” button.
- Live Streaming
- Broadcasting real-time video content to an audience on social media platforms.
M
- Meme
- A humorous image, video, or piece of text that is rapidly shared and often goes viral.
- Mention
- Tagging or referring to another user or brand in a social media post or comment.
- Metadata
- Descriptive information about a social media post, such as date, time, location, and tags.
- Micro-influencer
- An influencer with a smaller but highly engaged following, often focusing on niche topics or communities.
- Microblogging
- Posting short-form content, such as tweets or status updates, on social media platforms.
N
- Native Advertising
- Paid advertisements that blend in with the platform’s natural content and format.
- News Feed
- The constantly updating list of content displayed to users on social media platforms.
- Newsjacking
- Leveraging current news or trending topics to create relevant content and engage with the audience.
O
- Organic Content
- Non-paid content that is naturally shared or discovered on social media platforms.
- Organic Reach
- The number of people who see a social media post without any paid promotion.
P
- Paid Advertising
- Promoting content or advertisements on social media platforms by paying for increased visibility.
- Paid Reach
- The number of people who see a social media post as a result of paid promotion or advertising.
- Pixel
- A tracking code placed on a website to collect data about user behavior and measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
Q
R
- ROI (Return on Investment)
- The measurement of the profitability or success of a social media marketing campaign or strategy.
- Relevance Score
- A rating or score given to paid advertisements based on their relevance and performance on social media platforms.
- Retargeting
- Showing targeted advertisements to users who have previously interacted with a brand or visited a website.
- Retweet
- Sharing another user’s tweet on Twitter.
S
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Strategies and techniques to optimize a website or content to rank higher in search engine results.
- Scheduling
- Planning and queuing social media posts to be automatically published at predetermined times.
- Sentiment Analysis
- The process of determining the emotional tone (positive, negative, neutral) of social media mentions and comments about a brand.
- Sentiment Analysis
- The process of determining the emotional tone (positive, negative, neutral) of social media mentions and comments about a brand.
- Share
- The act of reposting or forwarding someone else’s social media content to your own network.
- Social Listening
- Monitoring social media platforms for mentions and discussions about a brand or specific topics.
- Social Media Influencer
- An individual who has a significant following and influence over their audience on social media platforms.
- Social Media Listening
- Monitoring social media platforms to understand and gather insights from conversations about a brand or industry.
- Social Media Policy
- A set of guidelines and rules that dictate how employees should behave and represent a brand on social media.
- Social Media Strategy
- A comprehensive plan outlining goals, target audience, content, and tactics to achieve desired outcomes on social media platforms.
- Social Proof
- The influence created when people see others engaging with a brand or endorsing a product on social media.
- Sponsored Content
- Paid content created in collaboration with a brand or advertiser and shared on social media platforms.
- Storytelling
- The art of conveying a brand’s message or values through a compelling narrative.
T
- Tag
- Mentioning or identifying another user in a social media post using their username or handle.
- Targeting
- Narrowing down the audience for a social media campaign based on specific demographics, interests, or behaviors.
- Trending
- Refers to topics, hashtags, or content that is currently popular and widely discussed on social media.
- Trending Topics
- Popular and widely discussed subjects or hashtags on social media platforms.
U
- UTM Parameters
- Tags added to URLs to track and analyze the source, medium, and campaign associated with website traffic.
- User Experience (UX)
- The overall experience and satisfaction users have when interacting with a website or application.
- User-generated Content (UGC)
- Content created by users or fans of a brand and shared on social media.
V
- Vanity Metrics
- Superficial metrics that don’t directly impact business goals, such as follower count or likes.
- Verified Badge
- A symbol or badge displayed on social media profiles to indicate that the account has been verified as authentic.
- Video Marketing
- Using videos to promote products, services, or brands on social media platforms.
- Viral
- Describes content that spreads rapidly and widely across social media platforms.
- Viral Marketing
- Strategies and content designed to quickly spread and gain widespread attention on social media.
W
- Webinar
- A live or pre-recorded online seminar or presentation delivered to an audience via the internet.
X
Y
- YouTube Creator Studio
- A platform that provides tools for managing, optimizing, and analyzing YouTube channels and videos.
Z
