Sometimes we are guilty of throwing around words that are not clear to everyone who’s listening. And in the ever-changing world of social media for business, this is definitely true.

So, we thought it might be prudent to bring some clarity to a handful of these terms that you are sure to hear regularly—but maybe not have a firm grasp on.

And if you ALREADY understand these at an even higher level than what we share here, we invite your feedback. Send a helpful tip our way!

Analytics

Analytics are the data points that help track the PERFORMANCE of your social media content. It can include the number of page views, time spent on your page, engagement rate, time of day when your audience is looking, etc.

Analytics are tracked on your webpage AND social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.

Even if the left side of your brain (responsible for analytical thinking) is not your strong side, these numbers still have value, because while you are busy stimulating the right side with your creative efforts in content creation, it’s critical to be STRATEGIC in your work.

Knowing your audience and what clicks with them is a number one rule of successful marketing. And that’s where analytics can put you ahead of the crowd.

Beginner Pro-Tip: A good place to start is from your FB business page, scroll down to the INSIGHTS tab on the left and click on it. This will pull up some helpful info from the last week of posts (or click on 28-day view.) As you create new content make note of what type of posts got the most engagement and what time of day they were posted. The analytics from this section alone should give you some good direction for future posts.

Call to Action

Call to Action, also referred to as a CTA is the NEXT step you want a visitor to take.

According to Copyblogger, a call to action is “the most effective tactic to convert random traffic into loyal readers and paying customers.” It’s THAT important!

So what are some examples of effective CTAs? Here are some of our favorites to get you started:

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Follow Us for More Great Tips
Tag a Friend
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Reserve Your Spot
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Like, Comment, & Share
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Pro-Tip: Be specific in your calls to action. Yes, the more specific you get the fewer people you might be speaking to, but research shows that a specific task is more likely to be acted upon than a general one. That’s why we like something like, Follow Us For More Great Tips rather than Learn more.

Engagement Rate

Your engagement rate shows you the number of people who are connecting with your brand and how often. A high engagement rate tells you that people are liking, sharing, commenting, and mentioning your brand and its content.

But before you start high-fiving everyone, realize that the engagement rate goes beyond the immediate gratification.

Engagement rates can help companies determine Return on Investment (ROI). A lack of engaged followers shows you that it’s time to change your messaging and do a better job of targeting your audience.

Pro-Tip: The method of determining engagement rates is complex and certainly more than my math-averse brain can unravel—but the takeaway at a basic level is to make note of the posts that are getting traction and those that aren’t—and create accordingly.

Hashtag

Hashtags are essentially a way to categorize and label your content on Instagram. Then, they are used by Instagram to help get your content to those most interested.

They are still (in 2022) one of the most effective ways to get more eyes (and more eyes=more engagement) on your posts.

So how do you know the best hashtags to use for your posts?

Going with the uber-popular, trendy hashtags will get you lost among the masses. A better strategy is to find smaller, more niche hashtags (aim for hashtags between 10k-200k posts).

Five main types of hashtags to consider are:

Location: Places, cities, countries, neighborhoods
Branded: Your brand, campaigns, events
Your business niche
Community: A specific group of people
Descriptive: The specific content of your post

Pro-Tip: As far as how many hashtags to include in a post, there are many schools of thought. Instagram now suggests 3-5 since the platform has moved towards searchable keywords from captions and video topics. We believe there’s room for experimentation here—CCM typically tries to use 11 specific and relevant hashtags for each post.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO

Search Engine Optimization involves taking steps to improve the amount and quality of traffic to your website. Although this isn’t specific to social media management you are sure to hear this term get thrown around in the realm of growing your brand.

Optimization is more than just jamming a bunch of keywords onto your web pages or into your posts. You need to understand the pain points of your customers AND work within the guidelines of search engines like Google and Bing, or in the algorithms of your social media platforms.

If you’re a small business, trying to reach customers in your area, SEO is a REALLY big deal because you want to appear on the first page of a potential client’s search. (75% of users never go past the FIRST page of Google search results.)

Google’s Near Me type searches have grown over 150% since 2019 and so optimizing your ability to show up in that search is crucial.

Pro-Tip: Think about the types of problems (or pain points) that your brand has solutions for. Be sure your website copy and social media messaging respond to those specific issues.

For example, if you have a dog walking business be sure that your messaging says something like, “We know you can’t always be home to care for your BEST friend (pain point) but we love filling in that gap by checking in and taking him for a fun walk” (solution.)

So how did you score?

Did you know all the answers or is your head spinning? Maybe somewhere in the middle? We get it! There’s a lot to the social media marketing game and the rules are changing every day. We’re here to help.

Give our team a call today for a free consultation.

321-228-1345

Trying to Manage Your Business’ Social Media? Know & Understand These Terms