Human communication has always involved the tendency to want to get messages across as tersely as possible. Think about the first person who shortened “Goodbye,” to just, “Bye!” We know acronyms serve that same purpose, and in digital communication, specifically social media marketing, it’s no different. Use this quick guide to common social media marketing acronyms to better understand those letters you’re seeing online!

UN

Let’s start with an easy one and head in reverse alphabetical order. UN stands for username—as in a social media username. Usernames are significant to social media marketing in regard to tagging other pages, social page URLs and more.

UGC

The “u” means the same, but what about the rest? User. Generated. Content. That’s UGC! User generated content is any content created by a social media user.

SMP

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok—these are all examples of SMPs, or, social media platforms.

SMO

You’ve probably heard of SEO, or search engine optimization. But what about SMO? That’s social media optimization. SMO involves using social media to boost your brand, which is exactly what we help businesses with!

SMM

Similar to SMO, SMM is the blanket acronym for social media marketing.

PM

Does this comment look familiar? “Sent you a PM.” That means, “Sent you a personal message.” Personal messages on social media are ones that are between two individual users, or an individual user and a business page. They are not visible to the public.

RT

Ever read something so funny, important, thought-provoking, or otherwise wonderful that you thought it bears repeating? Then that calls for an RT, aka, a retweet!

ROI

Anyone who has ever taken a business class knows this one among our social media marketing acronyms. ROI = return on investment. Essentially, what results are you getting compared to the amount you invested in a social media marketing campaign?

KPI

Another business term now relevant in the social media marketing world is KPI, or, key performance indicator. KPIs are gauges as to how well your content is performing. They could include, but are not limited to, engagement, shares or the number of page followers your business has.

DM

The DM is a twin to the previously-discussed PM. It means “direct message,” which is exactly the same thing as a personal message on social media.

CTR

Typically represented as a percentage, the CTR is the number of people who click through one section of a paid social media campaign to another.

CTA

CTA stands for call-to-action. It’s any sort of messaging that encourages social media users to complete an action, which could include clicking a link, playing a video, sharing a post, etc. Learn more about crafting a successful call-to-action.

CR

A percentage of people who complete a desired action in a social media marketing campaign, such as clicking a link, playing a video, following a page or more.

CPC

The majority of social media platforms structure ads using a CPC, or, cost-per-click model. That means an advertiser is charged each time a social media user clicks on their ad, up to a preset budget amount.

CMS

A CMS, or, content management system, is a web-based application that manages your social media content posting and editing.

In a “nutt” shell

Abbreviations don’t have to be scary. Understanding these acronyms is one more drop in the bucket toward a better comprehension of social media marketing in general.

Do these common social media marketing acronyms leave you wanting more? Check out our blog, “25 Marketing Terms Defined.”

McNutt & Partners is a full-service advertising and digital marketing agency. Contact us today for your marketing needs! Call 334-521-1010, or visit our contact page.