In the developing world of digital marketing, some of the lingo and lexicon you observe may appear daunting or hard to understand. Forge Apollo strives to simplify the budding marketer’s dictionary with 21 key terms that every digital marketer should know.
Social Media Marketing Terms
Social media presence has become a staple in any marketer’s mission. In order to navigate through the social media jungle, users must gain a deeper understanding of personal connection in a web-based world.
Clickbait
Content that uses crafty wording (typically in headlines or thumbnails) to entice users to click on it but is generally lacking in terms of meaningful copy. Its primary purpose is to attract attention and get clicks. The link is guaranteed to be tempting, but the content of the page tends to be inaccurate, ambiguous, and/or disappointing.
Cookie
Small pieces of data stored in a user’s device that are gathered and generated from their browser history. These bits of information are used for personalized promotions, like deriving tailored advertisements and auto-filling forms. Web hosts need consent from a user to track using cookies, which typically appear in the form of a pop-up CTA.
Crowdsourcing
The act of allowing a large audience to create or contribute to content through avenues like contests or follower feedback. For example, a brand may host a competition for videographers to share an original commercial featuring their product in exchange for exposure and a contract.
Narrowcasting
Essentially the opposite of broadcasting; the act of sending out content to a highly-targeted market or specialized segment. This technique allows marketers to configure more specific content aimed at unique audiences.
Newsjacking
An attempt by marketers to stay current by using the latest news and media events to prompt posts. For example, a blogger writes and boosts an opinion piece on the mask mandate relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Remarketing
A method of paid, specifically targeted advertising (aided by cookies) exposed to consumers after they view a website. The purpose of remarketing is to move the lead further through the buyer’s journey and into the next stage of the funnel.
Web Development and Design Terms
Typically, web design and development takes years of specialized training and a vast amount of computer knowledge. Today, however, modern tools allow even amateur marketers to develop their very own webpage with little to no schooling.
Canonical URL
The URL of the page that represents the master copy. It helps to prevent duplicate content and aids crawlers in identifying reference pages.
Crawler
Automated software components that scan and index sites in order to evaluate web page quality. These bots effectively “crawl” through a website’s code to determine its value in a search engine.
Friction
An element of your page that inconveniences the visitor, possibly causing them to leave; any aspect of your content that is unclear or disorienting. Examples of page friction are distracting colors, illegible fonts, or confusing paragraph structure.
Metadata
Relevant information in a website’s code that allows search engines to sort and filter it (using crawlers). The metadata of a website gives insight into its overall content, quality, and theme.
Slug
Slug is a slang term referring to the section of the URL following “.com” that directs users to specific pages within a website. For example, in the URL www.partner.com/contact-us, the slug is “Contact Us.” Slugs are also important for eCommerce SEO because it helps the user know which product they are visiting.
Snippet (Featured Snippet)
A highlighted element on a Google search result that provides a quick (but not always credible) answer to a question without the user having to click any links. Google crawlers index relevant findings and generate an answer which appears at the top of the search results. Visit Google’s info page to learn more about featured snippets.
Marketing Analytics Terms
What does it mean for your webpage to be successful? The performance of your brand’s site can be measured and evaluated in a variety of ways so that you can find the data needed to optimize your reach.
Buyer’s Journey
The three-step consumer path starts with awareness, is followed by consideration, and ends with decision. Good marketers aim to strategically move potential customers down this track and turn them into leads. The sales team is responsible for closing the sale after a consumer reaches the last stage and makes their decision (downloading an ebook, signing up for a tutorial, subscribing to the channel, etc.)
Closed-Loop Marketing
A hands-on approach in which the sales team constructively reports to marketing about lead status to determine the company’s overall ability to convert consumers. This practice uses analytics to specify how marketing efforts have led to new business growth.
Flywheel
Cyclical model of inbound marketing (developed by HubSpot) which uses momentum of success to encourage referrals and repeat sales. This approach focuses on sustaining repeat customers in order to facilitate growth.
Golden Circle
Model developed by Simon Sinek which centers on the “why” of selling a product or service, then the “how,” then the “what.” In other words, consumers are drawn to a brand with purpose, as opposed to simply what and how they are packaging and selling something.
Lead Nurturing
The act of presenting potential leads with the necessary knowledge to pursue further action on your page. Using techniques like email automation, marketers are attempting to keep potential customers engaged and interested.
Loss Aversion
This refers to the tendency of consumers to prefer avoiding loss to acquiring gain. Essentially, a loss has more of an impact than a gain of the same amount. Common loss aversion tactics in advertising include: “Buy now! Only 1 left in stock!” or “Storewide Sale – Today Only!” This methodology is meant to create urgency.
Metric
An element used to measure impressions, reach, and level of campaign success. Examples of these figures include churn rate, bounce rate, and customer acquisition cost.
Vanity Metric
A figure that appears to show a large reach but doesn’t assist in measuring actual post performance. A good example would be impressions because that rate may tell you how many people saw the post but doesn’t show you how genuinely engaging the content was.
White Hat SEO / Black Hat SEO
White hat SEO refers to honorable marketing techniques which follow ethical search engine policies. Examples include fast loading times and seamless navigation. On the other hand, Black hat SEO is the use of manipulative or deceptive methods to rank higher in results. Some examples include invisible text and adding unrelated keywords.
Let Forge Apollo Help
Still feeling lost in the digital marketing maze? Allow Forge Apollo to guide you through using our personalized methods of email marketing, SEO, and content creation. We’re committed to helping you streamline a unique and effective brand experience, while preparing you to capitalize on that expertise for the future of your business.
