Demystifying Social Media: A Glossary for Small Businesses
Social Media has become an integral part of modern business marketing, especially for Small Businesses. However, if you're new to the Social Media game, the jargon can sometimes feel like a foreign language.
But don’t fret because, as always, we’ve got your back. In this blog we'll break down some common terms you might encounter as a Small Business Owner venturing into the world of Social Media Marketing, so you can decode the lingo.
Algorithm
An algorithm is a set of rules or calculations used by Social Media platforms to determine what content is shown to users.
Each Social Media platform has its own unique algorithm and understanding how each algorithm works is essential for optimising the visibility of your content.
Engagement
Engagement refers to the interactions that your Social Media content receives, such as likes, comments, shares, and clicks.
Higher Social Media engagement often indicates that your content is resonating well with your audience, which will lead to more visibility in the algorithm for both your content and account. In turn, that will
lead to more followers and a larger online presence.
Hashtag
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the "#" symbol. It is used to categorise content and make it discoverable to a broader audience. For example, #SmallBusiness would be used by Small Businesses to help people find them and followed by people looking to support SMEs.
Hashtags will
help you find relevant communities for your business to interact with, helping to
increase your online presence and engagement. Using relevant hashtags on your posts will also help potential customers find your content, and in turn your products and services.
Impressions
Impressions represent the total number of times your content has been displayed on a user's screen. Your impressions will not only indicate how many people your audience has reached but how many times they have viewed it. One user viewing your post three times will generate three impressions.
A higher number of impressions indicates that your content is not only
highly visible and reaching a high number of people but is also
engaging and convincing people to come back to view it again.
Insights
Social Media platforms provide analytics and insights that offer data on your account's performance, including reach, engagement, and follower demographics.
Consistently monitoring these analytics and insights is essential for you to
understand how your audience is responding to your content and how it is performing in the algorithm. This will help you to
refine your Social Media strategy so that you can
more effectively target your audience.
Organic Reach
Organic reach refers to the number of users who see your content on Social Media without you utilising any paid promotion. Gaining strong organic reach on Social Media is a sign that you are creating compelling content and are effective at targeting the right audience.
This is the optimal kind of reach due to its
cost effectiveness and organic nature. The audience you gain from this kind of reach are also more likely to become customers as they came across your content by natural means.
Social Listening
Social listening is the practice of monitoring Social Media platforms to understand what people are saying about your brand, industry, or competitors.
This is an imperative part of building a strong Social Media presence, as it
helps you gather insights on your business, audience, industry, and competitors and
prompts you to respond quickly and effectively to current trends or issues.
User Generated Content
User Generated Content (UGC) is content created by your customers or followers, such as reviews, testimonials, or posts talking about your business or featuring your products and services.
It is essential that you encourage your followers to create UGC as it is
a cost and time effective way to promote your business. Sharing this UGC on your Social Media platforms is also a great way to
build trust with your followers as content created by their fellow followers will
feel much more authentic than content created by the brand itself.
Understanding these Social Media terms is a great starting point for enhancing your Small Business's online presence and we’re sure that in no time, your business will have a thriving online community. Happy posting!
