The Ultimate Glossary for Social Media Marketers

Today, more than 50% of the world’s population are active users of social networks. Of course, the companies targeting them must do so as well. Therefore, modern businesses prioritize social networking, and more than 90% of them now incorporate it into their marketing mix.

Applying tools and services such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as social networking strategies is no longer a question, as marketing has adopted it. Whether it has years of experience or is a newcomer, marketing in today’s world cannot be imagined without studying social networks. And all this starts with the terms and definitions of social media marketing.
Here is a list of what we’ve found to be the most commonly occurring social media marketing terms as a first point of reference for deciphering the jargon around. If you are a marketer-in-the-making or someone interested in stepping up the corporate ladder, these 30 social media marketing terms below are something you should know by heart.
Therefore, handling the most basic and popular social media marketing terms and definitions is the best way to start. There are several terminologies and concepts that a social media marketer should be aware of in order to plan, implement, and evaluate social media activities. Here are some essential terms: Here are some essential terms:

1) Algorithm

The social media platform uses a set of rules to decide which post is provided to the user, as well as the order in which it is to be provided.

2) Analytics

Specific metrics concerning a social media platform account inclueincludent rates, follower growth, the number of impressions, and how far-reaching an account’s posts are.

3) Engagement Rate

This measures the level of engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.) a particular post or account has regarding its total followers.

4) Impressions

The total impressions a specific post receives irrespective of whether the users have Interacted with the post.

5) Reach

The aggregate of people who have viewed a post or an advert.

6) Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The number of users who reported having clicked on the link in any social media posts or ads is divided by the total number of posts or ad impressions.

7) Conversion Rate

Users who follow a given call to action within a period after clicking on the link or the advertisement.

8) Call to Action (CTA)

A specific call to action is embedded in social media content to convey the culture, encompassing words including ‘like,’ ‘follow,’ ‘subscribe,’ ‘click here,’ shop now,’ and other phrases that comprise the culture.

9) Content Calendar

A list that shows what social media marketing posts will be made and when they will be made.

10) Hashtags

Hashtags or words marked with the # symbol allow content to be disseminated by topic and located by clients searching for this topic.

11) Influencer Marketing

Marketing entails using key opinion leaders on social media to push targeted products or services.

12) Organic Reach

The number of people that view your content without the help of paid advertising.

13) Paid Social

Social media content posted on the platform is paid to reach the target audience’s maximum.

14) Social Listening

Using tools for tracking social media for any post related to the created brand, competitors, and keywords in sentiment analysis.

15) User-Generated Content (UGC)

Brands across social media channels can repost material that users, particularly consumers, develop.

16) Engagement

All reactions a user can make concerning a post on social media are liking, commenting, sharing, and saving.

17) A/B Testing

An approach to deciding which post or advertisement variant is optimal regarding the results it garners.

18) Shadowban

When a user’s post is either partially deleted or partially hidden from public opinion without any warning, this is mainly caused by a breach of the set protocols by the social media platform.

19) Influencer

It’s an influential personality with a large following that can influence people’s purchasing power.

20) Social Media Optimization (SMO)

Making a social media profile or post more viewable and shareable using specific actions.

21) Clickbait

In social media marketing, clickbait refers to any content (link or advertorial), either an article, image, or video, whose primary purpose is to lure users into clicking them.

22) Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing uses many social media users to provide ideas, services, and content for a brand or campaign.

23) Dark Post

A dark post is an advertisement placed on the social media platform of choice that cannot be seen on the advertiser’s timeline. It only exists in the target users’ newsfeeds.

24) Direct Message (DM)

A direct message is an individual message that the various social media users send to each other, and only the sender and the recipient can see it.

25) Ephemeral Content

Ephemeral content, or ‘storage’ content, is only available on social media platforms for a limited time.

26) Native Advertising

Social media paid placements are a method of presenting advertisements to individuals in a very natural manner. Some examples of native ads are promoted Facebook posts, which resemble regular posts of a friend on your timeline.

27) Curation

Curating means looking for the content your audience will find relevant and, in some cases, sharing content created by others. For instance, reposting blog posts from your brand influencers may be of value to your audience and foster brand loyalty.

28) Dark social

Dark social traffic goes to a brand’s site via an unknown link. This is usually when people share links through direct messages on one social network or another.

29) Listicle

This article has features of a list developed to be shared on social media. It would help if you tried listicles to address complex issues.

30) Geotagging

Geotagging is a situation whereby marketers reveal their geographical location within a social media platform. It can assist in targeting customers since it allows them to locate a particular business quickly.

At the very least, having this list of the top 30 social media marketing terms and understanding how they are used is beneficial for starting the journey as a marketing professional in social media. These terms are foundational for anyone looking to excel in social media marketing, helping them navigate the ever-changing landscape of social platforms effectively.

Need Help?
Scroll to Top