DFTBA when it comes to social media language!

by Nick Nebelsky

If the acronyms KPI and SOV have you perplexed, then you need to brush up on your social media lingo. Almost every industry has a language of acronyms that one must master in order to “sound” like you know what you’re talking about. If you’re privy to the meaning, you’re considered in the know, which helps you carry on a conversation without feeling isolated. It’s a funny thing how language can create both unity and division at the same time. At first glance, social media “language” can sound a little daunting and confusing. Take this hypothetical example of a conversation by two employees about their boss, as it relates to social media.

I sent an IM to my BFF to tell her I would be L8 for dinner bc my CMGR wants me to build a CMS to increase the CX of our company. OMG, as if I don’t have enough to do! BTAIM, I fired up my CRM to make sure the CX on our ESP is adequate.

After I arranged for a F2F with my CMGR, I told her that “Content is king and it’s uber important that we emphasize the CTA in every article we produce. This will increase our CR exponentially. We should also check the RTD and make sure that all of our content follows the best SEO. IMHO, by using an RSS our KPI would help with our ROI.” My CMGR was thrilled and told me our PV and PR should fly through the roof! Tomorrow I’ll check the SOV to see where we stand!

Although this may seem like an extreme example, this could be a real conversation between two marketers. (Scroll down to the end of the blogpost to read the translation.)

As you can see, the “language” of social media is very close to the language of texting; they’re like cousins, twice-removed. Yet, language and how it pertains to business isn’t that simple. As we’ve learned, acronyms used in texting are pretty simple to figure out for the most part; take the first letter of each word and an acronym is born. However, in social media marketing, it won’t do you any good if you don’t actually understand the practical application of the terms and how they apply to each circumstance. Content is king, but so is application of knowledge.

Recently, I found a job advertisement for a digital media analyst at the company Sitewire in Tempe, Arizona, on Indeed.com. The ad particularly caught my attention in that it specifically stated:

You not only know the difference between PPC and CPM, but you know how CPA can impact ROAS, and have ideas on how to get the highest CR out of a campaign’s CTR.

So in other words, you better know your stuff. The speed at which business moves has a lot to do with the language of social media. It evolves into everything we do, and if you can’t keep up, you might as well either learn about it or move out of the way.

Social media is everywhere because we are a social people. As long as Facebook, Twitter, and smartphones are still around, the language of social media will be prevalent in our lives. The language will evolve, and so must we if we’re going to make any sense of it.

In a blog post, How Social Media is Changing Language, Jon Reed says, “Some of us despair at how use of this informal medium can lead to an equally casual attitude to grammar. But the truth is that social media is great for word nerds. It provides a rich playground for experimenting with, developing, and subverting language.

“It can also be a great way keep up with these changes. Pay attention to discussions in your social networks and you can spot emerging new words, new uses of words – and maybe even coin one yourself.”

Suffice it to say, not all generations struggle with this issue. Millennials were practically born with social media language as their second language (LOL, BFF, and BTW). For some, it may have even been their first words! LTM (laughing to myself).

So what happens when you’re in a situation where someone starts blurting out acronym after bloody acronym? Help is on the way! In his article, “The Definitive List of Social Media Acronyms and Abbreviations, Defined,” author Kevan Lee shares more than 100 acronyms and their definitions relating to social media. His article is one of the better explanatory pieces I’ve found on social media language.  Like anything, the more you study and use the technology, the more it will benefit your needs when it comes to social media.

Social Media Acronyms translated:

I sent an IM (instant message) to my BFF (best friend forever) to tell her I would be L8 (late) for dinner bc (because) my CMGR (community manager) wants me to build a CMS (content management system) to increase our company’s CX (customer experience). OMG (oh, my god), as if I don’t have enough to do! BTAIM (Be that as it may), I fired up my CRM (customer relationship management) to make sure the CX on our ESP (email service provider) is adequate.

After I arranged for a F2F (face-to-face) with my CMGR, I told her, “Content is king and it’s uber important that we emphasize the CTA (call to action) in every article we produce. This will increase our CR (conversion rate) exponentially. We should also check the RTD (real time data) and make sure that all of our content follows the best SEO (search engine optimization). IMHO (In my humble opinion), by using an RSS (real simple syndication) our KPI (key performance indicator) would help with our ROI (return on investment).” My CMGR was thrilled and told me our PV (pageviews) and PR (pagerank) should fly through the roof! Tomorrow I’ll check the SOV (share of voice) to see where we stand!

If there is one thing you should remember through all of this, it’s this . . . DFTBA!*

*Don’t forget to be awesome!

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Children who are treated differently for being different need someone to take a stand for them, and Nick Nebelsky believes his books and apps do just that. Nebelsky seems to have found his niche in helping those children be heard. He’s an author, illustrator, and publisher of books, apps, and online instruction. He is offering a free online course on book creation available on his web site at IntenseMedia.com.