Chapter 1

branded content (BC):

content that is created by a business for the purpose of establishing ownership and consistency in brand identity and
reputation.

informed decision making:

a term coined by Rich Calabrese of Fizziology that focuses on taking creativity, data, and insight into account for
social media practices.

online reputation:

the collective perception of attributes assigned to an individual or brand based on digital and social media activities,
actions, and conversation exchanges.

Return on Relationship (RoR):

a term coined by Ted Rubin that focuses on establishing a currency on relationships and human connections between
businesses and their audience members.

social media:

a personalized, online networked hub of information, dialogue, and relationship management. These new
communication technology tools allow individual users and organizations to engage with, reach, persuade, and
target key audiences more effectively across multiple platforms. Industry professionals, scholars, and social media
users have contributed a number of different definitions and conceptualizations of the concept of social media. Some
emphasize the role of social media as a tool kit that allows users to create and share content. Others focus on how
social media extend Web 2.0 technologies to bring communities together.

thought leadership:

being acknowledged by others in the community for having expertise and experience in the industry and specific
skills, insights, and knowledge.

user-generated content (UGC):

pieces of content created directly by a user.

virality:

rapid dissemination of information from person to person; one of the ways in which news, stories, and updates reach
across various networks in a short amount of time.
Chapter 2
bot:

a social media account that is automated to share and comment on posts.

ethics:

a set of moral guidelines and principles that influence our behaviors and interactions.

flame war:

an emotional and long argument streamed through a series of online messages that are focused on personal attacks
and voicing outrage to a specific person or parties.

going rogue:

going against the norm of expectations of society while initiating behaviors that are considered to be out of norm or
against social, personal, and professional expectations; going off script on social media without permission and not
in an official capacity.

influencer:

an individual who is able to persuade audiences to take action; someone who has built an audience, naturally and
over time, and is viewed as an authority figure on a certain subject, area, or perspective in the online space.

prosumer:

someone who writes reviews, posts comments, and shares content within a network of friends and followers.

reputation dissonance:

a disconnect that occurs when audience perceptions of a brand, person, or entity go against its actual behaviors and
actions.

trendjacking:

when brands try to jump on board with a trending topic, event, or situation on social media to generate buzz about
their own brand and interject themselves into the conversation; for example, Oreo in the “Can Still Dunk in the
Dark” tweet from 2013, or MoonPie and Hostess Cupcakes during the 2017 Solar Eclipse.

Chapter 3
audience strategy:

creating content that focuses on the relationships that you have made on specific platforms.

brand voice:

the overall tone and format in which you present your updates and other forms of communication.

community:

a place where a group of people with similar interests come together online.

content strategy:

how you go about sharing specific assets online depending on the audience, platform, and community related to your
personal brand.

customized strategy:

integrating specific pieces of content to send out related to your personal brand based on the relationships on the
platform you are communicating on (audience) while sharing content that is relevant and consistent with your brand
image (content strategy).

expertise:

having knowledge and authority in a certain area of social media.

finsta:

a fake Instagram account where you post “real” (aka “just for your friends”) pieces of content for no one else to see.

generalist:

someone who knows a lot about a lot of things at the macro level of social media, but does not have expertise in one
area.

influence:

the ability to shift people to take action or listen to what you have to say on social media.

personal brand:

the collection and strategic process of crafting and sustaining a specific image in hopes of establishing a clear
advantage in the minds of collective audiences on- and offline.

personal brand association:

recognizing specific attributes, events, settings, and interests as going along with your personal brand.
personality:

characteristics and attributes that are unique, memorable, and aligned with your personal brand.

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specialist:

an expert in one specific area of social media at the micro level.

Chapter 4
boutique agency or firm:
an agency or business that specializes either in one aspect of social media, such as analytics, or in a specific platform
channel.

content calendar:

a document that outlines, defines, and structures what pieces of content need to be created and disseminated at
specific points of time and on which channels for a brand, organization, or individual.

content creator:

someone who is well versed in the ability to create pieces of work that resonate with audiences.

consultant:

a specialist who provides counsel and advice on social media–specific projects and campaigns.

freelancer:

someone who is paid for specific projects, items to create, and products on a project basis.

social media community manager:

a professional who can add a personal take on the conversation and engagements with audience members.

social media coordinator:

a professional who focuses on the strategic planning and execution of the social media content for a brand or
organization.

social media strategist:

a professional who ties in the goals and objectives for the company or client in question, and focuses on how to get
these measures accomplished.

Chapter 5
advanced metrics:
calculations that dive into the actions and psychographics (attitudes, behaviors, and opinions of audience members)
of specific users (e.g., influencers and advocates).

advocate:

someone who shows support, appreciation, and dedication across all digital and social channels publicly.

amplification rate:

the average number of shares per post across a specific platform.

analytics:

the structured calculation of data and statistics collected from online sources to produce scientific and actionable
insights.

basic metrics:

metrics that can be collected easily either from the social media channel itself, or by a separate service or program.

behavioral metrics:

the measured calculations of the actions users take that are connected to specific strategic initiatives on social media
and communication objectives.

channel metrics:

specific calculations that are unique to specific channels.

click-through rate:

the rate at which people click to navigate to another website from your site.

conversion rate:

the percentage of users who initiate a specific behavior based on what is shown and presented to them on social
media.

follower:

an individual or brand account on social media that is keeping track of your activity on a designated platform.

influencer impact:

the percentage of users who actually initiate an action or behavior based on what the influencer has shared.

listening:

focused activities on social media to learn, explore, and uncover emerging trends, opportunities, 558

activities, and issues that could impact a company, individual, or brand either positively or negatively.
mention:

naming and tagging a brand handle and name on social media.

metrics:

data collected by a social media professional in a systematic manner.

microsite:

a specific digital page connected to a brand that is utilized for a short-term specific focus to accomplish strategic and
communication goals and initiatives for a brand.

monitoring:

the systematic process of understanding, analyzing, and reporting insights and conversations on reputation, brand
position, community health, and opinion of key audience members virtually.

research:

the systematic gathering of information in a scientific and objective manner to help answer questions; one of the
primary duties of social media professionals.

social media return on investment (ROI):

a common metric used to evaluate whether the investment (money) a brand or company put into a campaign
accomplished the set goals and objectives.

vanity metrics:

metrics that are pretty to view and report, but do not necessarily impact the business objectives or bottom financial
line for organizations and individuals.

Chapter 6 brand voice:

the overall tone, personality, and entity that you want to present online.

demographics:
a basic way to categorize a group of individuals, involving the basic population data that are easily collected, such as
age, education level, ethnicity, and location.

environmental scan:

an assessment that helps the social media professional evaluate the current landscape within which a client or
organization operates.

goal statement:

a broad statement that captures the overall focus for your social media initiative.

key performance indicators (KPIs):

should be determined before the social media strategic plan is implemented; KPIs not only determine what has been
accomplished, but inform next steps and measurements for future campaigns.

mission:

the key elements of the overall purpose of an organization, brand, or person in the respective spaces.

objective:

a clear statement of what you plan to accomplish—probably one of the toughest parts of constructing a social media
strategic plan or campaign.

PESO model:

a model, created by Gini Dietrich, that focuses on outlining the key components of media for social media such as
paid media (P), earned media (E), shared media (S), and owned media (O). (See individual definitions in Chapter 9.)

primary audience:

people you want to target directly and who have a meaningful relationship and connection to the client.

primary message:

a broad statement that you want to communicate to your key audience members; it should be simple, concise, and to
the point.

psychographics:

a way to categorize audiences based on their attitudes, opinions, and values.

secondary audience:

people who are supportive and potentially viewed as influencers by the primary audience members.

secondary message:
a message that provides additional evidence to support the primary message; using facts, statistics, and additional
information to build on the point outlined in the primary message, these messages can incorporate evidence and
additional information regarding what the client has already done on social media.

SMART criteria:

an established way to categorize effective objectives into five different categories: specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic, and time-specific.

strategic mindset:

communicating in the brand voice rather than one’s own personal voice.

strategic plan:

a systematic, thorough, and aligned document that outlines from start to finish what a brand, individual, or
organization wants to accomplish to address a problem or opportunity or to explore potential new possibilities
through experimentation.

strategy:

how you will go about accomplishing set objectives and the heart of the social media strategic plan.

tactics:

the tools and applications within social media that you will be using to accomplish your objectives and fulfill your
strategies; the nuts and bolts of your social media plan.

vision:

characteristics and principles that an organization or individual values, which will guide its overall actions and make
an impact in the community; vision statements bridge various components together in a cohesive statement, tying in
brand personality, key attributes, core values, and present and future behavioral intentions.

Chapter 7
brand voice:

the strategic position for a brand to express specific attributes through written and visual exchanges interconnecting
the brand culture and community.

community:
a group of individuals who come together based on common interests, values, experiences, and characteristics.

connection:

a valued relationship individuals or brands could have that could link them together based on an experience, similar
interest, or other valued activities.

content:

anything that is published and presented on social media; pieces of original work that are distributed and consumed
by audiences.

content creation:

a mixture of content that is originally created.

content curation:

a mixture of content that was published from a different source.

conversation:

the exchange of words between two individuals or among a group of individuals online.

creativity:

approaching situations, ideas, and concepts in a unique and imaginative manner that resonates with audiences.

culture:

common practices, work life ethics and practices, professional experiences, and beliefs of a group

experiential media:

content that immerses audiences in the story and channel.

tone:

the overall voice characteristics you want to interject within the content you are writing.

Chapter 8
ambassadors:

individuals who advocate and promote your work based on their own personal interests and investment with the
brand, agency, organization, or person in question.

audience segmentation:
the process of categorizing people into certain groups based on specific criteria, which can be broad in nature (e.g.,
demographics and population data) or very specific and focused (niche) on certain characteristics (e.g., experiential,
visually driven, or industry and interest specific).

creators:

people who can be useful because of the talent of their creative insights and strategy.

emerging audience:

a group that is gaining traction to become a prominent community to reach.

influencer marketing:

a specialized area of marketing that focuses on targeting key audience members with strong reach and voice to carry
your brand message to the key communities targeted in a campaign.

micro-influencers:

similar to influencers, people who have a specific focus, community, and purpose that help resonate with audiences.

niche:

a specialized focused area or community surrounding a common interest, location, or characteristic.

omnichannel approach:

a seamless and effortless integration of content, messages, and experiences for the user that is linked to multiple
communication channels.

online persona:

the summation of all of the characteristics and attributes assigned to a person by engaged audiences in online
networks; an identity constructed by an individual online that may or may not represent who he or she truly is in real
life.

opponent/critic:

a person who does not have your best interest at heart and demonstrates this either publicly or secretly online.

Chapter 9
content marketing:

according to the Content Marketing Institute, a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing
valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience— and, ultimately, to drive
profitable customer action.

earned media:
content that is sometimes connected with public relations, but not controlled by brands, which in many ways makes
it more trustworthy and less biased compared to other types of content.

evergreen content:

information that is created that continues to be relevant regardless of when it was first published.

owned media:

content and the platform you control as a brand, organization, or person.

paid media:

social media advertising, or a “pay-to-play” model, in which the company (or advertiser/agency) pays for the
content to appear in the timeline for a certain amount of money.

shared media:

content that is associated with social media, but more of an interactive medium where conversations and dialogue
emerge as the result of the content being shared.