Industry buzzwords (and what they actually mean…)
Written by Managing Director of Accounts, Emma Prendeville
let’s synergize
Do you ever finish a call with your agency and think, “What the heck did they just say?” We get it—it’s frustrating and we’re all guilty of it. The industries in design, marketing, and advertising are renowned for using cringeworthy slang terms when communicating. And while the goal might be brevity, that doesn’t guarantee clarity.
We know it can be hard to stop a conversation mid-sentence to say, “Could you define that word for me,” so we figured we’d share some commonly used advertising and marketing “buzzwords” below, glossary-style, that can help you confidently navigate those conversations.
We like to think of buzzwords like sweet treats: they’re OK in moderation, but if you consume too many, you’ll make yourself (or your fellow colleagues) sick. We recommend using buzzwords sparingly to avoid sounding over-indulgent. Aim to speak plainly whenever possible.
As you move forward with your agency, don’t hesitate to ask questions.
So, to circle back, let's plan to take a deep dive into the glossary terms below and ensure we can use them to pivot towards a value-add for synergistic conversations moving forward, ensuring a cohesive brand identity that moves the needle for all. See what we did there?
You’re welcome. —Trampoline Design
23 agency-speak phrases to know
A/B testing: also known as split testing, refers to a randomized experimentation process where two or more versions of a variable (advertisement, web page, page element, etc.) are shown to different segments of viewers at the same time to determine which version offers the best impact. (i.e. click through, time on screen, etc.)
Analytics: the process of marketers using data to understand their audience. This data may include information about who, what, when and where individuals interacted with marketing materials. (i.e. Google Analytics)
Brand Identity: a combination of (1) what your brand says, (2) what your values are, (3) how you communicate your product, and (4) what you want people to feel when they interact with your company.
Brand Awareness: the familiarity of consumers with a particular product or service.
Circle Back: Indicates to another person that you want to continue or finish the discussion at another time.
Content is King: Often used in conjunction with content marketing and SEO, it implies that unique, high-quality, interesting and relevant content contributes significantly to the success of companies on the Internet.
Content Strategy: Planning, development, and management of content.
Data-Driven: Strategic decisions are based on the analysis and interpretation of data.
Deep Dive: Conduct a thorough investigation and analysis of it.
Growth Hacking: Any technique that helps a business to expand, whether or not it be marketing related.
Low-Hanging Fruit: Tasks that can be completed easily to demonstrate quick progress.
Influencer marketing: This marketing strategy focuses on working with major internet personalities and famous individuals to help promote your brand.
KPIs: This stands for Key Performance Indicators, which are quantifiable measures of success that a marketer can use to evaluate their performance.
Move the Needle: To make a change that is noticeable, to alter or modify something so that the effect of your action is measurable.
Micro-influencer marketing: This marketing strategy involves working with slightly lesser-known internet personalities to promote your brand.
Mobile Optimization: Process of adjusting your website content to ensure that visitors that access the site from mobile devices have an experience customized to their device.
ROI: Return on Investment, calculated by dividing the profit earned on an investment by the cost of that investment.
Organic reach: How many people see your content without any paid marketing involved.
Performance Marketing: A form of advertising in which the purchaser pays only when there are measurable results.
Pivot: Completely change the way in which one does something.
Scalability: The capacity to be changed in size or scale.
Synergy: The combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.
Value-Add: Special features or improvements added to a product or service to increase its desirability and monetary value to consumers.
10 acronyms you’ll hear from an agency
· CRM: Customer relationship management is a process that companies may use to improve their interactions with customers. Many companies use CRM software.
· CRO: Conversion rate optimization is the improvement of the rate at which marketers can help turn casual viewers into paying customers.
· CTA: A call to action is a set of instructions that marketers encourage users to follow. "Click here" and "subscribe" are both examples of calls to action.
· CTR: Clickthrough rate is the measure of how often viewers click on a particular advertisement.
· DM: A direct message is a piece of content sent directly and privately from the sender to the recipient.
· ROI: Return on investment is the money you make from investing in a marketing campaign.
· SEO: Search engine optimization is the practice of improving your website traffic and how high your website ranks on the list of search engine results.
· SERP: The search engine results page (SERP) is the page that lists all the results for a particular search. Marketers use SEO techniques to move higher on the SERP.
· UGC: User-generated content is when marketers use content created by customers or viewers as part of their marketing. Fan art and testimonials are two examples.
· UI: The user interface is the website or app through which customers interact with a brand.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Concept, for insights, advice, and anecdotes on agency life, client relationships, and branding/advertising at large.
Resources: