Sell Online Marketing to Your Boss: 7 Euphemisms Everyone Needs

In the marketing world, there are two groups: those who are using and advocating for the use of online marketing and social media strategies and those who are still using traditional marketing strategies. If you are reading this post, you are likely the former. One of the main problems existing between these two groups is language. To someone unfamiliar with online marketing, terms like blogging, RSS, and social media not only sound strange but are also unclear in terms of how they connect to business objectives.

So instead of trying to sound like a “cool kid,” it's time to use some euphemisms to help new digital marketers and executives better understand online marketing strategies and tactics. 

7 Online Marketing Euphemisms to Help Sell Social Media

1. Instead of 'Blog,' Use 'Content Publishing Platform' - Blog is a strange word to those unfamiliar with online marketing. Instead, introduce it as something more descriptive and a little easier to understand when first explained, such as 'content publishing platform.'

2. Instead of 'RSS,' Use 'Syndication and Subscription Technology' - RSS is a term created by developers and used by developers and members of the online echo chamber. RSS powers much of the syndication and subscription that happens on the web today, so describe it that way when explaining it to someone who may be unfamiliar with the term.

3. Instead of 'Social Media,' Use 'Real-Time Media' - In David Meerman Scott’s new book, Real-Time Marketing and PR the word social media is strangely vacant from the title. On Twitter, Scott explained, “In many companies, the term 'social media' has a negative connotation, so I use 'real-time media' instead, and management pays attention.” Take this cue from Scott the next time you are trying to sell social media to a client or within an organization.

4. Instead of 'Search Engine Optimization (SEO),' Use 'Increase Unpaid Search Engine Traffic' - SEO is a term that is frequently mentioned on this and many other blogs but seldom makes its way into the corporate boardroom. By using 'increase unpaid search engine traffic' instead of SEO, you save a step of explanation and get straight to the value of the strategy you are advocating for.

5. Instead of 'Social Network,' Use 'Online Communities' - The term social network, like social media, can conjure visions of teenagers “playing” on the internet rather than a valuable marketing opportunity. Online communities or even online groups seem to generate more respect and attention within corporate walls.

6. Instead of 'Pay-Per-Click (PPC),' Use 'Click-Based Search Engine Advertising' - Many non-digital marketers are confused about the difference between paid and organic search engine marketing, and SEO and PPC are partially to blame for this. As an alternative, use more direct terminology like 'click-based search engine advertising,' and also use images to help demonstrate the difference between paid and organic search engine marketing.

7. Instead of 'Landing Page,' Use 'Lead Generation Page' - While landing page is a popular online marketing term, 'landing' doesn’t describe a business benefit. However, 'lead' describes a clear role in the customer acquisition process and will be better received by senior management.

Next time you are working to educate co-workers and management about online marketing, please keep in mind some of these euphemisms, and use them to your advantage. 

What other euphemisms would you recommend adding to this list?

Photo Credit: Search Engine People Blog

Posted by Kipp Bodnar on Tue, Oct 05, 2010 @ 07:00 AM