Comprehensive Social Media Lexicon: Familiarize Yourself with 59 Key Social Media Terms

Are you aiming to master the realm of social media? Begin your journey by acquainting yourself with essential social media terminology in this comprehensive glossary!

That’s precisely why we’ve developed this social media lexicon—to assist you. Within this compilation, you’ll find a catalog of 59 social media terms commonly encountered as you navigate marketing your business across various social media platforms!

A

Ask Me Anything (AMA):

AMA, short for Ask Me Anything, denotes an interactive session where individuals can pose questions to someone and receive real-time answers. This term is prevalent in social media marketing, particularly on platforms like Reddit, where numerous celebrities and companies conduct AMAs to foster better connections with their fans and followers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Artificial Intelligence (AI) utilizes machine learning to emulate human thought processes, exemplified in applications such as chatbots or home assistants like Alexa. This technology aims to enhance customer experiences more efficiently for businesses. See Chatbot.

Avatar:

An avatar visually represents an individual in a digital context, typically depicted through computer-generated images and often as a profile picture on social media platforms. See Bitmoji.

B

B2B Social Media Marketing:

B2B social media marketing entails strategically promoting a B2B (business-to-business) company on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The objective is to attract businesses to the page, engage them with content, and ultimately drive them to convert to the company’s website.

B2C Social Media Marketing:

B2C social media marketing encompasses digital marketing strategies to promote a B2C (business-to-consumer) company on social media platforms. The goal is to increase visibility on users’ feeds, engage with audiences, and familiarize them with the business, ultimately driving traffic to the company’s website.

Bio:

Bio refers to a section on social media platforms where users provide information about themselves. It may be labeled as an “about” section on specific platforms.

Bitmoji:

Bitmoji represents a personalized avatar that users can add to their social media profiles, frequently utilized on platforms like Snapchat. This term is often used interchangeably with “avatar.” See Avatar.

Boosted Post:

A boosted post entails taking a social media post and promoting it as an advertisement to individuals who do not follow the brand’s account but may be interested. It is a straightforward form of advertising, allowing brands to showcase posts from their profile to new audiences. See Native Advertising.

Brand Awareness:

Brand awareness involves creating recognition and recall of a brand among its target audience. Many companies leverage social media to increase awareness and educate new audiences about their brand.

C

Carousel:

Carousel denotes a format option for advertising on social media platforms, allowing multiple cards with images and text that users can navigate through. This format is prevalent across various platforms, allowing advertisers to showcase products or services effectively.

Chat:

A chat is an online conversation between individuals through social media platforms. Businesses typically chat with prospects via the direct messages feature on each platform. See Direct Messages.

Chatbots:

Chatbots are automated bots capable of answering questions and performing simple tasks using artificial intelligence (AI). They are often utilized on platforms like Facebook Messenger to provide customer service, offer product recommendations, and more.

Clickbait:

Clickbait refers to social media content with a misleading headline intended to entice users to click on the link, often leading to content that does not fulfill the promises made in the headline. This term carries a negative connotation and is not desirable in association with content.

Clickthrough Rate (CTR):

Clickthrough rate (CTR) measures the proportion of users who click on an advertisement after viewing it. This metric is crucial in evaluating the performance of social media ads and is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by total impressions.

Community Manager:

A community manager is responsible for nurturing relationships between brands and followers to maintain their interest in the company. These managers engage with followers, monitor their interactions with content, and seek new opportunities to engage with the community.

Conversion Rate:

Conversion rate measures the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as purchasing or signing up for an event. This metric is essential for assessing social media growth and campaign effectiveness.

Crisis Management:

Social media crisis management involves handling significant issues regarding a brand that arise on social media platforms. It encompasses strategies for managing crises and mitigating damage to the brand’s reputation.

Crowdsourcing:

Crowdsourcing solicits information, content, or ideas from an online community. It is an effective tactic for building a more interactive and engaged community that aligns with their preferences and expectations.

D

Direct message (DM):

Direct message (DM) denotes sending a private message directly to another user’s social media inbox. DMs allow prospects to interact with your business privately and ask pertinent questions. Integrating chatbots can aid in managing your DMs efficiently.

Disappearing content:

Disappearing content is content that automatically deletes itself after a predetermined period. The Stories feature on various social media platforms exemplifies this, as content disappears after 24 hours. It serves as an effective tool to instill a fear of missing out (FOMO) among your audience.

E

Emoji:

Emojis are small, cartoonish images that individuals include in their posts, ranging from basic smiley faces to objects and symbols. Incorporating emojis can enhance the relatability of your brand to your audience, particularly if they frequently use emojis themselves.

F

Facebook canvas:

Facebook canvas ads, also known as Instant Experiences, are advertisements on Facebook’s platform that, upon clicking, occupy the users’ entire screen. These ads are interactive and exclusively available for mobile devices.

Feed:

Feed is a generic term denoting the content users encounter when they log into their social media accounts. It comprises posts from individuals they’re connected with, suggested pages and posts, and social media advertisements.

Follower:

A follower is an individual who opts to subscribe to your account or page to receive regular updates from your business.

H

Handle:

Handle is social media terminology referring to a username on Twitter. Users can tag someone’s user handle in a tweet by utilizing the @ symbol.

Hashtag:

A hashtag (#) is a word or phrase employed by individuals to describe their content, thereby aiding its discovery in related searches. Hashtags assist users in finding trending topics and participating in discussions by utilizing the hashtag.

I

Impressions:

Impressions gauge the number of times your post has been displayed in users’ feeds. This metric counts every impression, even if your post is delivered to the same user multiple times.

Influencer:

Influencers are individuals with a large audience base (1 million+) who rely on them for information about products, people, places, etc. Many companies seek to collaborate with influencers to promote their products. See Microinfluencer.

Insights:

Insights furnish businesses with information about the performance of their pages. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer insights, enabling you to assess how your content resonates with your audience.

K

Key performance indicator (KPI):

Key performance indicator (KPI) is a crucial piece of social media terminology frequently mentioned by marketers. KPIs are metrics that indicate the success of your social media campaigns, aiding in tracking campaign performance and identifying areas for improvement.

L

Like:

A like is a means for individuals to express appreciation for your social media content. It typically manifests as a thumbs-up symbol on Facebook, while platforms like Instagram and Twitter utilize hearts.

Lurker:

A lurker refers to an individual who observes your content, messages, and other interactive elements but seldom leaves comments or feedback.

M

Meme:

A meme is a text, video, or image that goes viral and can be adapted by users to create their own versions of the joke. Memes often go viral due to user participation, as individuals personalize and share them with their followers.

Microinfluencer:

Microinfluencers possess a smaller audience ranging from a couple of thousand to a few hundred thousand followers. While their audience may not be as extensive as that of influencers, micro-influencers often have a more niche following, presenting opportunities for businesses to connect with the right audience.

N

Native advertising:

Native advertising denotes a type of social media advertising where your ad seamlessly integrates with the format and style of regular posts. While these ads are labeled as “sponsored,” they resemble standard content posts.

Newsjacking:

Newsjacking involves leveraging current events through your social media presence to engage with your audience. This social media concept entails brands spontaneously posting about events and connecting them to their brand without prior planning.

O

Organic reach:

Organic reach quantifies the unique individuals your content reaches without utilizing paid channels for promotion. It occurs when followers interact with posts or when individuals encounter shared or engaged-with content through their social media connections.

P

Pin:

Pin is a social media term specific to Pinterest, referring to individual content posts on the platform. Users have the option to create and save others’ pins to their profiles.

Pinned post:

A pinned post is a social media post at the top of a company’s Facebook or Twitter profile feed. This placement ensures visibility for important content beyond its initial posting.

Post:

A post encompasses any content shared on social media, including photos, videos, and status updates.

R

Regram:

Regram is a term unique to Instagram, involving reposting someone else’s image or video on one’s profile. It’s imperative to obtain the original poster’s permission before programming content. See User-Generated Content.

Repin:

Repin refers to the action of saving someone else’s Pin from Pinterest to one’s profile. Users typically organize these pins into boards for easy reference. See Repost.

Repost:

Repost is a comprehensive term encompassing sharing someone else’s content on one’s profile. This sharing may include regramming, repinning, or retweeting.

Retargeting:

Retargeting is an online advertising strategy aimed at reengaging visitors who previously visited a website but left without completing a desired action. On social media, retargeting involves running targeted ads to encourage conversions.

Retweeting:

Retweeting involves sharing someone else’s content on one’s Twitter profile. This action ensures that the content appears in users’ timelines and on the profile of the individual who retweeted it.

S

Sentiment:

Sentiment denotes people’s collective feelings and attitudes toward a brand on social media. Unlike engagement metrics, sentiment focuses on perceptions and emotional responses rather than quantifiable interactions.

Shadowbanning:

Shadowbanning, also known as stealth banning or ghost banning, involves blocking or partially blocking users in a manner that’s not immediately apparent.

Social commerce:

Social commerce entails selling products or services directly through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Unlike traditional social media advertising, social commerce facilitates purchases without redirecting users away from the social media page.

Social listening:

Social listening involves monitoring discussions about a brand online, including mentions, comments, and conversations. It provides insights into audience perceptions and enables businesses to respond effectively to feedback and trends.

Social media management:

Social media management encompasses creating, publishing, and analyzing content on social media platforms and engaging with users. It can be facilitated through various tools and services to streamline these tasks.

Social media marketing:

Social media marketing refers to using social media platforms to promote products, services, or businesses. It offers an interactive and accessible channel for companies to engage with users and drive brand awareness.

Social media monitoring:

Social media monitoring involves tracking online conversations related to a brand to assess sentiment and engagement. While similar to social media listening, monitoring primarily focuses on gathering data about audience interactions with the brand.

Social selling:

Social selling utilizes social media tools to identify and engage with potential leads, ultimately converting them into customers. This strategy emphasizes personalized interactions and relationship-building.

Stories:

Stories are ephemeral content posts lasting 24 hours on a business’s social media page. They are prominently featured at the top of users’ feeds.

T

Tag:

Tagging involves mentioning someone else’s profile in a post or photo, notifying them of the tag. Businesses utilize tagging to encourage followers to engage with their content and expose new audiences to their brand.

Thread:

A thread comprises a series of posts or messages forming a cohesive conversation on social media platforms. Users contribute replies to a post or comments within it, creating a comprehensive discussion thread.

Troll:

Trolls are individuals who deliberately engage in offensive or disruptive behavior online to provoke reactions from others or target brands negatively.

TrueView:

TrueView refers to a type of ad offered by YouTube that allows viewers to skip the advertisement after five seconds. This feature ensures that ads are shown to an audience with genuine interest in the content.

Tweet:

Tweet is a term specific to Twitter, representing users’ posts on their timelines. Posting content on Twitter is referred to as “tweeting.”

U

Unfollow:

Unfollowing occurs when a user chooses to stop subscribing to a business’s content, which ceases its appearance in their feed.

User-generated content:

User-generated content (UGC) involves brands sharing content created by individuals, with their permission, on their social media profiles. It serves as a valuable tactic for showcasing user experiences and building brand authenticity. See Crowdsourcing.

V

Vanity metrics:

Vanity metrics are data points that appear favorable on the surface but lack meaningful insight into a business’s success, such as follower counts. It’s essential to avoid overemphasizing these metrics, as they do not accurately measure strategy effectiveness.

Verified:

Verified status indicates that a user has undergone identity verification by the social media platform, resulting in a checkmark displayed next to their name on their profile. Verification is typically reserved for celebrities, renowned brands, and public figures to mitigate interactions with fraudulent accounts.

Viral:

When content goes viral, it experiences a significant surge in engagement and shares across the Internet, often exceeding expectations. This term denotes rapid dissemination and increasing popularity of a post.

Vlogging:

Vlogging involves creating video content for online platforms, blending elements of traditional blogging with video format. Individuals who vlog are commonly referred to as “vloggers.”

Webinar:

A webinar relates to an online presentation to educate an audience on specific topics. Participants view the presentation from their devices and can interact with the presenter through chat or video features.

Boost your social media marketing initiatives now

Having acquainted yourself with all the essential marketing terms, you can confidently elevate your social media endeavors.

However, if you need further assistance with your social media marketing endeavors, CreaRank is here to provide support.