At Quinlan, we believe that great communication starts with speaking the same language. That’s why we’ve broken down the following crucial advertising concepts into clear, digestible explanations – no jargon required. Think of this as your pocket translator for navigating the dynamic world of digital advertising.
A/B Testing: Comparing the performance of one digital asset to another. Which version of an ad do people click on more, A or B? One example you’ve probably seen of this is on Netflix, where they often create multiple thumbnails for the same show or movie.
Above the Fold: A term from the newspaper industry, something printed “above the fold” was still visible on the front page even when it was folded in half — this is where you’d want to print your best headlines. Nowadays, it’s used to describe the part of a webpage that’s visible on your screen before you start to scroll.
Ad Campaign: A coordinated series of advertisements that work together to promote a product and execute on a single theme or idea. Every piece works in harmony to tell your brand’s story and drive results.
Ad Inventory: The total real estate available for sale on a website, app, or digital platform. Some spots are beachfront property, others are deep in the suburbs.
Ad Rotation: This advertising strategy involves showing a specific targeted group a series of different ads over a set period of time. So instead of playing the same song on repeat, this strategy cycles through different ads to keep your audience engaged and interested.
Affiliate Marketing: A method of advertising where an affiliated person or party promotes a business’s products or services in exchange for a commission. This is similar to Influencer Marketing, which focuses more on an individual raising brand awareness for a business in exchange for free products or payment. Their success becomes your success.
Banner Ad: This refers to a rectangular or square graphic display that appears on a website or app. They’re the billboards along the internet highway.
Brand Awareness: This term is a measurement of how recognizable a brand is to consumers out in the wild. Brand awareness is really important because consumers are more likely to buy from brands they’ve already heard of.
Call to Action (CTA): Just what it sounds like, a CTA is a way of prompting someone to take action. CTAs are used to get people to sign up, buy now, read more, etc.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The digital handshake. CTR measures how many people see your ad and decide to connect.
Content Marketing: An indirect way of promoting a brand or product by creating digital content like blogs, videos, and social media posts. This content doesn’t promote the brand or product itself, it just promotes general interest.
Hint: you’re reading a piece of content marketing right now!
Conversion Rate: Of the total number of people who saw a “click here” button, how many actually clicked?
Copywriting: The craft of choosing words that don’t just inform, but inspire. It’s about writing messages that stick with people even after they’ve clicked away.
Cost Per Click (CPC): Also known as Pay Per Click (PPC), this is a measurement of how much an advertiser pays for each click they get on one of their online ads. It’s the toll booth of digital advertising.
Demographics: A segment of the overall population. A given demographic may be differentiated by characteristics like age, location, educational background, occupation, and so on. Understanding demographics is the art of knowing exactly who you’re talking to.
Display Advertising: These are visually appealing ads that appear online. They’re used to push viewers toward taking an action by catching their eye and making them want to learn more.
Frequency Cap: A feature that caps or limits the total number of times a viewer will see an ad over a given period of time. The fine line between “staying top of mind” and saying “enough already.”
Geotargeting: Location-smart advertising that ensures your message finds its ideal audience. For example, a company selling Buffalo Bills products would target people living near Buffalo.
Impressions: This metric measures the number of times an advertisement is shown to a viewer. Think of it as your ad’s attendance record.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI): The vital signs of your advertising campaign. For example, a KPI for a brand campaign designed to bring more users to its website may track the number of visitors the website receives over a given time period — these numbers tell you if everything’s healthy or if something needs attention.
Landing Page: A standalone web page where visitors land after they click on an online ad. It’s like stopping to look at a store’s perfectly arranged window display.
Media Buying: The purchase of advertising space from a media company, whether it’s a TV or radio station, newspaper, magazine, or website. Media buying means that your advertisements have a place to live in and be seen.
Native Advertising: A type of paid advertising where an ad is designed to resemble the style and format of the other content near it. It’s about creating content that fits so naturally into its surroundings, it feels like it belongs there.
Retargeting/Remarketing: These are terms that are often confused with one another, because they both boil down to keeping a conversation going. Retargeting is about turning first dates into relationships (potential customers into new customers), while remarketing is about rekindling old flames (turning old customers into repeat customers).
Return on Investment (ROI): A financial metric designed to measure the profitability of an investment by comparing it to its cost. ROI answers the question: was it really worth it?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM): A way to make a website more visible on a search engine. It’s how you ensure that your business shows up exactly where and when people are looking for what you offer – like having the biggest, brightest sign on the busiest street.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The art of making your website both search engine and human-friendly. By building content and structure, an SEO expert can make a website easier for a search engine to understand, thereby making the site more visible to users.
Target Audience: The specific group of people most likely to connect with your message. After all, the best conversations often happen when you know exactly who you’re trying to talk to.
Now that you’re fluent in advertising speak, you’re better equipped to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape. But knowing the terms is just the beginning – putting them into action is where the magic happens.
Ready to transform your digital marketing strategy with a team that knows how to turn these concepts into real results? Let’s talk. Contact Quinlan today to explore how we can help your brand stand out in the digital space.
