[Beginner – 101] A Digital Marketing Glossary for Marketers Just Going Online

For those who aren’t familiar with all the terms and specializations of digital marketing, knowing where to begin can be daunting. The first thing that should be established is exactly what digital marketing is – digital marketing is simply marketing that’s done through digital means, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Essentially, it’s marketing that’s done using the Internet.

Digital marketing has replaced traditional marketing means as the most important way to reach an audience and attract new customers and potential buyers. For a full rundown on digital marketing terms you need to know, check out the following marketing glossary:

A banner is a form of advertising that’s typically displayed on the top of a website’s page above the page’s content. The banner is typically in the form of a graphic image, and encourages the user to do something.

A banner exchange, on the other hand, is an advertising strategy where two or more businesses agree to advertise for each other, or exchange (display) the others’ banner on their own website.

Business to Business

A business to business colloquially referred to as a B2B, is a business model where products are sold to other businesses rather than to consumers. An example of a business to business is American Express (which is actually a B2B and a B2C).

Business to Consumer

Just as a business to business is often called a B2B, a business to consumer is often called a B2C. A B2C is a business that designs a product specifically for consumer use, such as Chipotle or Starbucks.

Buzz

The term that’s used to describe online excitement or hot words/products, ideas is “buzz.” “What all the buzz about?” is a phrase that might be used to ask what’s happening in the online world.

Cost Per Action

Cost per action, or CPA, is an advertising strategy where the advertiser pays for each desired action that’s taken by a consumer. If the desired behavior is not achieved, the advertiser doesn’t have to pay for the ad.

Cost Per Click

Like a cost per action, a cost per click (CPC) is an advertising strategy where the advertiser only pays for the ad each time the ad is clicked by the viewer. If no clicks are received, no costs are accrued.

Google AdSense

Google AdSense is one of the best tools for businesses that need to advertise. The program provides publishers with the ability to earn revenue from their ads, and displays ads based on user preference.

Keywords

A keyword is the word or group of words that best describes your business and business purpose. Keywords are one of the most important aspects of great SEO strategy.

Mentions

Mentions are pretty self-explanatory and refer to the number of times that other people mention a business online. Usually, consumers make business mentions, but other businesses are also known for mentioning.

An organic search is when a search engine (like Google) provides search results that are based on quality content and relevance, not paid advertising or other paid means.

As opposed to an organic search, a paid search refers to paid ads that appear on a website or content page. Usually, these paid searches rely on CPC (or pay per click) advertising.

Pay Per Click

Essentially, pay per click advertising (PPC) is the same thing as CPC advertising. Both rely on a customer’s action (a click), and both charge the advertiser based on each click received.  PPC is one of the most basic digital marketing glossary terms, and one of the most important.

Return on Investment

ROI, or return on investment, refers to the amount of money that is made after a service is invested in. For example, if an ad campaign was purchased, the ROI would refer to the amount of the money that was made in profits minus the amount of money that was spent on the ad campaign. Improving ROI is one of the biggest goals of the majority of companies.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of creating content that search engines can easily find. A SEO-friendly piece of content will rank higher on a search engine’s display page.

Social Media Optimization

Social media optimization (SMO), is similar to SEO, in that it focuses on the optimization of a website. However, while SEO focuses on search engines such as Google, SMO focuses on optimizing content for social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter.

Viral Marketing

Finally, the last term you should review as part of your marketing glossary is the term viral marketing. When something “goes viral,” it means that it becomes a huge Internet sensation that’s viewed by millions of people in a very small amount of time. Therefore, viral marketing means that a message is spread quickly through the Internet, much as a virus is spread quickly from person to person, by word of mouth. Some things that are known to go viral are Internet memes and YouTube videos.

The Importance of a Digital Marketing Glossary

When it comes to the online and digital world, there are a lot of new terms out there that are essential for marketing. If you want to improve the marketing strategy of your business, thereby increasing your customer base, sales, profits, and overall ROI, then you need to familiarize yourself with this digital marketing glossary.

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