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Digital marketing terms and

Get familiar: digital marketing terms every business should know

CPC? KPI? Bounce rate? Evergreen content???

A major part of the reason why most businesses in Trinidad and Tobago don’t take full advantage of digital marketing is that it might feel daunting trying to understand the nuances of it. 
The digital marketing world is, well….a world of its own, complete with its own language. There are a number of terms and acronyms out there, each with its own meaning and purpose.   

I get it: how can you buy into something you don’t fully grasp? Don’t worry, that’s why I’m here! 

This mini glossary is perfect if you’re a marketer that wants to improve your marketing vocabulary. It’s also essential if you’re a business owner who either has a very small team or is thinking of outsourcing your marketing efforts; you should be better equipped in having more informed conversations.  

Here are the top digital marketing terms and acronyms you should know and what they’re used for. Let’s get into it!

Table of Contents

Digital marketing

This is an umbrella term used to describe any type of online marketing including search engine optimization, social media marketing, and email marketing.

Online Presence

What it is: This encompasses everything that represents your business online—your website, social pages, mobile apps, and any and all content.

How to use it: In today’s digital world, having a strong online presence is critical. You’ll naturally build this while you grow, and as you do, remember to keep your brand messaging consistent. This includes using proper logos, fonts, colors, and voice.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

If you did a Google search for “cars in Trinidad”, you’ll see a list of websites for car dealerships in Trinidad, right? That’s SEO! It’s a multi-pronged approach and  process of using the right keywords that you want your business to organically rank for in search engines. Done right, SEO will  ensure that your business is at the top or close to the top of web search engine results which then increases traffic to your website. With the implementation of a good SEO strategy (link to services) you alert Google (Bing, Yahoo, etc.) that you not only have a quality website but also your business is what people are looking for.

Long tail keyword

While a keyword is a single term that search engines use to categorise search results and rank pages, long tail keywords are usually three to four words or phrases that are hyper-specific to a. whatever you’re selling and b. what people are searching for. For example, a keyword can be “shoes”, while a long tail keywords can be “affordable shoes in Trincity” or “online shoe stores in Trinidad”.

Search engine marketing (SEM)

Search engine marketing  is the process of increasing the amount and quality of traffic to your website using SEO and paid advertisements. In simple terms, SEO + paid search results = SEM.

Search engine results page (SERP)

When you type in a query in Google (or any search engine), let’s say “restaurants offering delivery near me”, the subsequent list of sites you see are on what is called a search engine result page.

It’s widely known that most users don’t go past page 1 of search results so this is why it’s absolutely essential to have a good SEO strategy to ensure that your website shows up on the first page of search engine page results. Put simply, the higher your SERP rank for a given term, the more likely a user is to click on your result.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

KPI’s are measurable data points that help prove that your business is on track to meeting its goals. KPI examples social media engagement, email clickthrough rate, website bounce rate, website dwell time, etc.

Impression

An impression is an instance of a piece of online content being shown. Often, the term is used in the world of paid online ads. For example, clickthrough rate (CTR) is calculated using clicks and impressions.

Cost-per-click (CPC)

Cost-per-click or CPC is a digital marketing term used within paid search advertising. Whether you’re boosting a post on Facebook or using Google Ads, under the CPC model, you’re typically charged for the number of clicks on your ad. The more clicks you get, the more you pay. 

Clickthrough rate (CTR)

A clickthrough rate, or CTR, is the percentage of clicks a campaign receives relative to the number of impressions. A higher CTR often implies that campaigns are resonating more effectively with viewers. The formula for CTR is:

(clicks on a campaign ÷ total campaign impressions) × 100 = CTR

For example, if a given ad campaign has 5 clicks and 500 impressions, the CTR is 1%: (5 ÷ 500) × 100 = 1.

Content management system (CMS)

A content management system, or CMS, is a type of software designed to simplify the process of creating a website and publishing content. CMS software, such as WordPress, Drupal and SquareSpace, can help streamline everything from content management, to SEO, to user management and analytics.

Analytics

Digital marketing is useless if it isn’t backed by analytics. Any strong digital marketing campaign or strategy is guided by a data-driven approach. Whether it’s finding out how long users are spending on certain pages on your website, what was the top-performing post on your business’s Instagram, web surveys and other mediums, the insights gleaned from analytics should feed into future content or campaigns going forward because they directly tell you what’s resonating the most with users. 

Customer Insight

The behaviour patterns of your target customers that marketers can use to make a more compelling and tailored message.

Customer Journey

The path a potential customer takes to buying your product. This path includes every interaction that your customer has with your organization.

Engagement Rate

The average rate in which your following engages with your social media content. You can calculate your brand’s engagement rate by using this formula:

Total number of followers/total number of post engagements x 100 = engagement rate

Bounce rate

Used in relation to website traffic, a bounce rate is the ratio of how many users “bounce” or leave after visiting your website. To be more specific, a bounce is a single-page session on your site. They visited a single page on your website, took no further action and exited your website. If a significant number of users do this, it means that your website has a high bounce rate, which no one wants. If you have a high bounce rate, you may have to put some effort into determining what’s causing it as well as a plan for optimisation. Several things can contribute to a high bounce rate: slow website, content isn’t compelling enough, poor user experience (eg. difficult to navigate, find information), etc.

Buyer Persona

A buyer persona(s) is something that EVERY business needs before they can embark on any type of marketing effort. Keeping in mind that “everyone” is not your customer, buyer personas are prototypes of your ideal customer. It’s typically based on research into your target market, with their buying motivations, behaviours and goals are taken into consideration. 

Buyer personas usually include details like gender, location, age and interests. You should also include goals or fears that your potential buyer might have.  The secret to coming up with your buyer persona is keeping in mind your business’ unique selling points and how they can solve a problem or improve your ideal customer’s life. The more detailed your buyer persona is, the easier it is to know exactly how to market to them, as well as create content because you know the content you’re putting out speaks directly to their needs.

Unique Selling Point (USP)

The unique or distinctive selling characteristic/s that sets your business offers and what sets your business apart from your competitors.

Evergreen Content

This is any type of content (articles, videos, etc.) that’s not considered timely—it provides value any time of the year, for many years to come. In fact, this blog post is evergreen content!

Evergreen content is useful, easy to read and often covers basic topics. Once created, you can promote it whenever there are gaps in your distribution calendar or during times of the year when it’s seen as timely. For example, if you’re an insurance agent with a blog, a post on the benefits of having life insurance can be categorised as evergreen content because it will be valuable at any time of the year for anyone considering why they should get a policy. 

User-Generated Content

Content that has been created by fans and/or of your organization about your product or service. User-generated content is a useful way to build social proof and trust around your brand.

Let me know if you found this post helpful!

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