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Marketing

The Top 35 Digital Marketing Acronyms You Need to Know

by Alice Gleeson

marketing acronymns

Digital marketing can be difficult to grasp at the best of times, especially with so many acronyms being used across the marketing landscape. With acronyms such as ‘DKIM’ and ‘SaaS’ being thrown around; it can be confusing to understand what people are talking about at the start of your marketing journey.  

So, to help you out we have put together a list of the top 35 common acronyms used in the digital marketing world. From basic terms to more detailed jargon, you will no longer be stuck guessing what API, SSL and PPV mean. 

The Top 35 Digital Marketing Acronyms

ABM (account-based marketing)- 

Growth strategy in which marketing and sales collaborate to create personalized buying experiences for a mutually identified high-value account, basing the marketing message on specific needs of the account. 

AIDA (Attention, Interest, Decision and Action)- 

A four-step purchase funnel where customers travel from attention to action. During the funnel, your content will ideally attract attention to your brand, generate interest, stimulate a desire, and prompt action to buy it. 

API (Application programming interface)- 

It allows one application to talk to another with ease. It acts as a digital middleman. 

B2B (Business to Business)- 

It is a communication between two different businesses, such as manufacturers and wholesalers. 

CLV (Customer lifetime value)-  

Shows the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer throughout their whole business relationship. It is an important metric as it costs less to keep existing customers than to acquire new ones.  

CPA (Cost per acquisition)- 

A model where a business only pays for an action taken, such as a click, an impression, or a sale. Several optimizations may be needed to your ad to ensure success. CPA can be competitive which in turn leads to high costs. 

CPC (Cost Per Click)- 

With this model, you pay each time a person clicks on your ads. A click is not unique to a person taking the action meaning if one person clicks on your ad three times, you will be charged for the three clicks.  

CPL (Cost per lead)- 

A business pays a pre-defined price for each lead generated from their ad campaign. Examples include: When someone subscribes to your blog or submits a form.  

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)- 

A system that helps manage customer data and can support both marketing and sales needs. It helps businesses build customer relationships and improve their customer service, leading to increased sales and profitability.  

CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)- 

A process by which you enhance your website to increase the number of leads you generate. This will lead to qualified leads and increased profits. 

CTA (Call to action)- 

The call-to-action button that prompts the user to perform a specified action. This is usually written as a command such as ‘Tell Me More’ or ‘Sign Up’.  

CTR (Click-through rate)- 

The number of clicks on your ad over the total number of people that viewed the ad. This can be used to see how your ads and keywords are performing.  

DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail)- 

An email authentication technique that allows the receiver of the email to check that an email was sent and approved by the owner of that domain. This is done by giving the email a digital signature. It is one factor that both inbox providers and spam filers consider when deciding what to do with an email that is received.  

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)- 

DMARC provides instructions to email providers on what to do if the email isn’t legitimate and doesn’t pass authentication.  

DNS (Domain Name System)- 

A system that will convert website domain names into IP addresses so they can load in your web browser.  

GA (Google Analytics)- 

A web analytics service provided by Google to give you detailed statistics about your website’s traffic. With this information, you can make improvements to your website. 

GTM (Google Tag Manager)- 

GTM gives users the ability to add and update their own tags for conversion tracking and website analytics and then sends this information to Google Analytics. 

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)- 

A standard markup language that is used to structure a web page and its content. It tells the browser how to display certain content. 

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)- 

An application transmitting hypermedia documents, such as HTML. It was designed for communication between web browsers and web servers, but it can also be used for other purposes such as transferring files- text, images, sound, video- over the web. 

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)- 

HTTPS is more secure than HTTP. It uses encryption for secure communication over a network.  

IP (Internet Protocol)- 

An IP address is a unique set of numbers assigned to each internet or network device. They contain location information, and it determines how information is moved over the internet.  

ISP (Internet Service Provider)- 

A company that provides individuals and businesses access to the internet and other related services. They have the equipment and the telecommunication line access required to provide access. 

KPI (Key performance indicator)- 

A quantifiable measure of performance over time for a specific objective. They provide targets for employees to aim towards.  

LTV (Lifetime Value)-  

An estimate of the average revenue that a customer will generate throughout their lifespan as a customer for the company. The LTV can aid with determining budget, resources, and profitability. 

MQL (Marketing Qualified Leads)-  

These are potential customers that has been reviewed by the marketing team and satisfies the criteria necessary to be passed along to the sales team who will then contact them. They have indicted interest in what the brand has to offer. digital marketing acronym

NPS (Net Promoter Score)- 

A single survey question for businesses to measure customer satisfaction. For example, they might ask respondents to rate the likelihood that they would recommend the company. The NPS question is usually a numbered scale, but you can also use emojis for this question type.  

PPC (Pay Per Click)- 

When a business pays a fee for each time one of their ads is clicked on. It is cost effective as you only pay when the user takes the action you wanted them to take. You can also choose your audience and decide to spend as little or as much as you would like.  

PPV (Pay Per View)- 

When a business pays for each view generated from their ad. You can target keywords of your choice so that you are more successful in receiving traffic to your ad.  

SaaS (Software-as-a-Service)- 

When software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. The majority of SaaS applications run directly in your browser, so you don’t need to download or install anything on your side. 

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)- 

A form of promoting and advertising websites to increase their visibility in search engine results pages through paid advertising. 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)- 

Improving the quality of your website to increase its visibilities in search engines such as Google or Bing. It targets unpaid traffic instead of paid traffic.  

SMM (Social Media Marketing)- 

The use of social media platforms to interact with customers to build brand awareness and drive traffic to website thus increasing sales.  

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)-  

An email authentication protocol used to stop phishing attacks and spam. By adding a SPF record to your DNS, your company can specify a public list of senders that are allowed to send email to your domain. 

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)-  

A networking protocol designed for keeping an internet connection secure. It safeguards any sensitive data between systems. 

USP (unique selling proposition)-  

The one thing that makes your business stand out from competitors. It is a clear benefit from using your product or service that makes your business superior to others.  

Once you familiarize yourself with these key acronyms, you will be on your way to becoming a digital marketing expert! Giving you the ability to identify and implement the best marketing strategies for your organization. Reach out to us for more information and guidance!  

To learn more about other exciting digital marketing topics, check out our blog for more marketing specific resources. 

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