The people who invented internet marketing must have loved alphabet soup growing up, because no group on earth this side of the U.S. military is as fond of acronyms. When we opened shop nearly more than 17 years ago, we were confused and intimidated when a marketing rep say things like, “You need to track SERPs on SEO and CRs on PPC for Q409 ROI.”
We quickly realized we had a lot to learn.
If you are trying to crack the code of internet marketing acronyms, read on. It’ll do you good, because internet marketers have been known to use jargon intentionally to make it difficult for clients to fully understand what’s going on. However, if you are going to invest in internet marketing, which is probably a wise thing to do, you should absolutely know what you’re getting into.
We’ll do our best to explain 10 high-level terms that are bound to come up in any serious conversation. You’ll notice I’ve peppered this post with acronyms so you can practice while you’re learning — believe me, it will help.
1. BR — Bounce Rate
No, it doesn’t mean Bleeding Resources.
In SEO (we’ll explain that one shortly), BR is the percentage of website visitors who enter and exit on the same page. In email marketing, BR refers to the number of emails that could not be delivered as a percentage of total emails sent. Short version: High BR, bad; low BR, good.
2. CR — Conversion Rate
No, it doesn’t mean Can’t Recoup.
CR is a widely used KPI (we’ll explain that one shortly) in many types of internet marketing campaigns but is most often associated with PPC (we’ll explain that one shortly). CR is the number of conversions (e.g., placing an order, making a phone call, submitting an online form) as a percentage of total user interactions. So, if your marketing campaign produces 1,000 interactions (e.g., users seeing your ad on a search engine) and you get one conversion … you need a new agency.
Now, a word about the supreme importance of conversions. I could have thrown tons of acronyms at you describing important campaign metrics, such as CTR, CPA. CPC, CAC, CPL, CPV, EPC, and LTV, but I’ll resist the temptation. Why? Because in the end, nothing matters more than conversions. In internet marketing, conversions are like wins in sports. You can rack up more yards, throw more complete passes, get more turnovers, get more sacks, and commit fewer penalties — but if you lose the game, none of that matters. Same with conversions in a marketing campaign: if you don’t get enough of them, it’s a loss.
3. KPI — Key Performance Indicator
No, it doesn’t mean Kernel of Possible Interest.
Within the context of a given marketing campaign, KPIs are the most important measures by which to evaluate its success or lack thereof. So, for example, the CR of a PPC campaign is a true KPI, as common sense would suggest. Back to the previous example, if you had 1,000 interactions and 999 conversions, you’d be rich enough to retire and not reading this article.
4. PPC – Pay-per-Click
No, it doesn’t mean Poorly Performing and Confusing.
PPC advertising is a multi-billion-dollar industry where companies buy ads on Google, and possibly other search engines. Ads are displayed when Google users enter a relevant search phrase; if the user clicks on your ad, you pay, hence the description, pay per click. The more popular a search term is, the more your ad will cost when someone clicks on it. PPC revenue has made Google the corporate juggernaut it is today — but Google PPC campaigns have made lots of money for businesses as well. Small-scale PPC campaigns can often be managed by a company internally, but when the goals are ambitious, you’ll definitely need an agency to develop a strategy and manage the day-to-day details. It’s a very complex and competitive business.
5. ROI — Return on Investment
No, it doesn’t mean Ridiculously Complicated Information.
ROI is an acronym hardly unique to internet marketing, but internet marketers have a habit of throwing the term ROI around like rice at a wedding, or like confetti at a White Sox World Series victory parade. The thing to watch out for is to make sure you understand the definition of ROI that marketers are applying to your marketing campaign. Sometimes you will find ROI as defined in a marketing campaign to be inconsistent with what you define as ROI. If that’s the case, you can find yourself in a situation where the agency thinks its succeeding and you think its failing, or vice versa.
6. SEM — Search Engine Marketing
No, it doesn’t mean Spend Endless Money.
SEM is an umbrella term covering any type of paid advertising conducted on search engines. PPC is the mainstay of SEM, but other types of ads, such as shopping and video ads, can be displayed in sections of search engine pages other than where PPC ads are displayed. Basically, every square millimeter of space on a SERP (we’ll explain that one shortly) is dedicated to ads, except for that (ever shrinking) space reserved for … (see #7).
7. SEO — Search Engine Optimization
No, it doesn’t mean Super Expensive, OHMIGOD!
SEO is the art and science of getting links to your relevant web pages to appear high in Google’s organic rankings when people are searching for what you sell. SEO is described as “organic” marketing because the links appear naturally, in accordance with the search engine’s algorithm, rather than as ads that you pay for. But surprise, there’s no free lunch: Almost every company pays for those organic rankings because the complexity of SEO is such that professional management is required. Indeed, the rules for what you can and can’t do to help Google find and rank your content are quite complicated; do it wrong and you’ll get nowhere or even punished by Google; do it right and you can generate an enormous amount of website traffic, orders, and inquiries. To illustrate the complexity, check out Google’s Starter Guide for SEO.
8. SERP — Search Engine Results Page
No, it doesn’t mean Squander Every Remaining Penny.
Finally, something simple: A SERP is the page that displays on a search engine after you type in a search query. The acronym is worth explaining though, because no PPC or SEO marketing specialist can complete a sentence without using it.
9. SM — Social Media
No, it doesn’t mean Sour Meanies.
SM is an acronym you’re more likely to read in a proposal than hear in conversation. When we first encountered it in a proposal, we thought the agency was into something kinky, but in reality, they, like so many overworked marketers, just didn’t have time to type out “social media.”
10. SME — Subject Matter Expert
No, it doesn’t mean Short on Meaningful Explanations.
As an example, an SEM SME is an expert on search engine marketing. SMEs have a leading role in content marketing campaigns because they are often the only people within a company who can write or collaborate on content good enough for publication on popular blogs and websites. SMEs are an online rarity, people who know what they’re talking about. As a result, their content is highly respected, influential, and persuasive. By the way, though he is too modest to say so, our co-founder Dennis Salazar is an SME in both sustainable packaging and ecommerce packaging design, with his articles appearing on the world’s leading websites from as early as the mid-00s.
That’s it: Now you are an IM expert, and by that, I mean internet marketing, not instant messaging. Boy, this is a confusing business.
Let’s Talk!
Your custom corrugated containers and packaging should not only protect your products, but also support your marketing, even your internet marketing! We can help you do this — and possibly reduce your packaging costs at the same time.
Call us at 630-551-1700 or contact us through the website to discuss options.
Related posts:
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/blog/6-things-to-look-for-in-a-new-packaging-supplier/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/blog/how-a-good-packaging-design-can-reduce-your-3pl-costs/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/blog/best-marketing-options-for-b2b-and-b2c/