108 of the Most Popular Content Marketing Terms and Definitions

What is a call to action (CTA)?

A CTA is a word or phrase that urges a visitor to do something. It’s your way of telling someone what they should do next as they engage with your content.

Why are CTAs important?

CTAs are crucial in converting visitors into clients. Without a clear CTA, visitors won’t know where to find the information they’re looking for, resulting in missed opportunities, lost cases, and wasted marketing efforts.

When should I use a CTA?

You should use a CTA any time you want a visitor to act. Use one at the end of blog posts, newsletters, social media posts, and website pages.

What are examples of CTAs?

Common CTAs include:

• “Read More”
• “Contact Me”
• “Subscribe”
• “Swipe Up”
• “Download”
• “Continue”

What is a click-through rate (CTR)?

A click-through rate (CTR) is used to determine how well a website or particular digital campaign performs. It tells you if viewers are connecting with what you’re showing them.

It’s a percentage of how many clicks an ad, email, or link received compared to the total impressions or number of times visitors saw it in their search results.

Why is a CTR important?

A CTR is important because it’s a key marker in determining whether you understand your potential client's wants and needs – and if you’re speaking to them.

A low CTR means time and money spent on less-than-successful content. A high CTR leads to more calls and more cases.

When should I think about a CTR?

You should think about a CTR when you’re not getting the desired or anticipated responses. CTRs are vital in figuring out what works and what doesn’t.

What’s an example of a CTR?

If a law firm sends an email with a boring subject line, recipients aren’t likely to click on the email. The firm might identify that they only have 1 out of every 100 viewers clicking on their email, resulting in a 1% CTR.

However, they might jazz up the subject line in the following email, resulting in 6 out of every 100 recipients clicking on the link, yielding a 6% CTR.

What is a client relationship management (CRM)?

A client relationship management (CRM) is software that organizes interactions with clients and potential clients.

Why is a CRM important?

A CRM allows you to cultivate client relationships and personalize your content marketing. With a CRM, leads will stay intact.

When should I use a CRM?

You should use a CRM to keep track of all your client information.

Specifically, use a CRM to follow up with clients and leads-- keep track of every call, comment, and meeting with each person and reach out to them regularly to deepen your relationships and remind clients you’re there for them.

What are examples of CRMs?

Some popular CRMs include:

• Salesforce
• Monday.com
• Zendesk
• Pipedrive

What is a competitive review?

A competitive review involves researching your competitors to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Why do a competitive review?

Competitive reviews enhance your marketing strategy by pinpointing marketing opportunities your competitors aren’t leveraging. You can then focus on using different marketing tactics that make you stand out.

You can speak to people’s unmet needs and cultivate stronger relationships. (Plus, grab their cases out from under your competitors.)

When should I do a competitive review?

You should do competitive reviews regularly to identify ongoing marketing opportunities.

Specifically, you should do a competitive review when creating your Voice of Customer (VoC). It provides necessary insight into how well your competitors meet people’s needs.

How do I do a competitive review?

To do a competitive review, follow these steps:

1. Identify your top competitors.
2. Describe each competitor.
3. Analyze their competitive offering.
4. Summarize their online presence.
5. List their strengths and weaknesses.
6. Identify competitive opportunities.

What is content?

Content is all the material you create to promote your firm and share information.

Why is content important?

Content is important because it drives traffic to your website, builds recognition for your firm, and gets you more clients.

Without content, you’ll struggle to compete with your competitors and stress over finding new leads.

When should I use content?

You should use content to communicate and build relationships with your audience.

What are examples of content?

Examples of content include:

1. Website pages
2. Articles and blog posts
3. Postcards and pamphlets
4. Videos and podcasts
5. Social media posts
6. Infographics and printable worksheets

What is a content audit?

A content audit is a comprehensive evaluation of your website’s content to see what’s working and needs improvement. It points you to content you need to update and identifies new posts or pages you should create.

Why are content audits important?

Content audits ensure you don’t have low-quality content holding you back. This information keeps your site ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs) and makes your website easy to find for potential clients.

You’ll miss out on settlements if your content isn’t in its best form.

When should I do a content audit?

You should do a content audit at least once a year to see how fresh content performs and if it needs adjustments to help you reach your goals.

How is a content audit done?

A content audit involves taking stock of current content, determining if it’s relevant and up-to-date, and identifying what gaps need to be filled.

Content audits involve assessing these game-changing factors:

• Traffic analysis
• Keyword gaps
• Website's speed
• ​​Organic search ranking positions
• Competitor success

Where can I get a free content audit?

We Do Web offers free content audits so your content doesn’t weigh you down and your competitors don’t outrank you. (And, you avoid adding more to your schedule.)

What is a content calendar?

A content calendar is a schedule that helps you plan, create, publish, and promote your content. It’s a hub that keeps track of your content marketing efforts across platforms.

Why use a content calendar?

A content calendar helps you:

• Stay organized.
• Keep on track with your goals.
• Create content that’s timely and relevant to your audience.
• Avoid wasting time on content that won’t get visitors’ attention (or convert them to clients).

When do I use a content calendar?

Use a content calendar to plan all your content, including blog posts, social media updates, and email campaigns.

How do I start a content calendar?

To start a content calendar, follow these steps:

1. Define your content marketing goals.
2. Create a template.
3. Choose your marketing channels.
4. Decide on a publishing frequency.
5. Add your content across every platform.

What is content curation?

Content curation is researching an audience, generating topics, and crafting high-quality digital content that provides value.

Why does content creation matter?

Content creation is the foundation of content marketing. Relevant and engaging content introduces new clients to your firm and cultivates existing relationships.

Content leads to more clients, referrals, and bragging rights for your firm.

When should I use content creation?                              

You should use content creation when you want to connect with potential clients.

What are examples of content creation?

Examples of content creation include:

• Blog posts, articles, newsletters
• Infographics
• Answering questions and comments
• “How to” videos and virtual hangouts
• Podcasts

What is a content gap analysis?

A content gap analysis evaluates published content on a topic to identify any missing “gaps.”

Why are content gap analyses important?

Content gap analyses are important because they optimize your content marketing efforts. They can save you time and money by defining ways your content can outperform your competitors’.

A content gap analysis can bolster your search engine optimization (SEO). You can improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs) with valuable, unique information.

When should I do a content gap analysis?

You should consider a content gap analysis before writing your next blog post.

How can I do a content gap analysis?

To do a content gap analysis, search for a topic and look for content that’s:

• Outdated
• Lacking examples
• Missing information
• Hard to understand

Then, write your content with information that fills the “gaps” you identified.

What is a content inventory?

A content inventory is a list of all the content on a website. It's a helpful tool to track what content exists, its location, and how you use it.

Why do a content inventory?

A content inventory shows you what you have so you can decide what to do with it.

An inventory keeps team members on the same page and working toward the same goal. (And making the best use of your budget.)

When should I do a content inventory?

You should do a content inventory regularly to stay up-to-date on your content.

Specifically, use a content inventory before conducting a conduct audit. It will provide the information you need to assess your content.

What do I look for to do a content inventory?

To do a content inventory, identify these things:

• URLs
• Content type
• Metadata
• Media assets
• Documents and files
• Intended audience
• Time last updated

What is a content management system (CMS)?

A content management system (CMS) is software that enables you to create and manage your website content. It’s the interface you use to connect with clients online.

Why is a CMS important?

A CMS is not only important, it’s also necessary. It lets you control your content creation, manage workflow, review analytics, and cultivate client relationships.

A CMS increases organization, flexibility, and performance, so you’ll be ready to scale your firm as more people read and love your content. (Then you’ll just need more staff to keep up.)

When should I use a CMS?

You should use a CMS to manage your website, keep track of your content marketing efforts, and respond to clients’ comments.

What are examples of CMSs?

Some popular CMSs include:

• WordPress
• Joomla
• Squarespace
• Drupal
• Wix

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic and organic approach to attracting future clients by creating and sharing valuable and relevant content on a consistent schedule.

Why is content marketing important?

Content marketing is important because it builds authentic client relationships and establishes a community around your firm.

It’s cost-effective, long-lasting, and allows you to share information with people who need it. Once you post content, it lives on the internet, promoting your firm 24/7.

Content marketing is your “in” with people you would never have met, which means cases you wouldn’t have received.

When should I use content marketing?

You should use content marketing any time you want to gain more clients. (Which is most likely all the time.)

What are examples of content marketing?

Content marketing includes any content you create for your firm, including:

• Blog posts
• Podcasts
• Social media posts
• Pamphlets
• Newsletters
• Articles
• Promotional postcards
• Website pages

What is a content marketing framework?

A content marketing framework outlines the core elements you need to design a successful, scalable system for your content creation.

Why is a content marketing framework important?

A content marketing framework is important because it helps you understand where you are in your content marketing, where you’re going, and what you and your team need to do to get there.

A content marketing framework keeps everyone on the same page throughout the process, which means spending less time and money on ineffective planning.

When should I use a content marketing framework?

You should use a content marketing framework to guide all your content marketing efforts. Your framework acts as a touchstone for your marketing plan and strategy.

Use your content marketing framework to determine your topic generation, content creation, editing, publishing, and promotion process.

How can I design my content marketing framework?

To design your content marketing framework, follow these steps:

1. Define your marketing goals and standards
2. Tailor your voice and tone
3. Understand your audience’s needs
4. Identify how you specifically can help visitors
5. Outline your workflow
6. Align processes across your team

What are content marketing goals?

Content marketing goals are specific, measurable objectives you want to achieve with your content.

Why are content marketing goals important?

Content marketing goals help guide the content creation process and ensure each piece aligns with your overall marketing and business goals.

They keep you focused and away from spending time or money on content that doesn’t deliver leads.

When should I set content marketing goals?

Specifically, you should set content marketing goals when designing your content marketing plan and content marketing strategy.

You should keep them in mind all the time and update them ongoing.

What are examples of content marketing goals?

Examples of marketing goals include:

• Build trust with your audience.
• Attract new prospects.
• Identify strategic partners.
• Develop new business ideas.

What is a content marketing plan?

A content marketing plan is a roadmap, clearly defining the steps to create and share content that helps you achieve your business goals.

 Why use a content marketing plan?

A well-crafted plan helps you track your progress and keep improving.

It ensures your content speaks to your audience and reaches them on their platforms, leading to more eyes on your content and clicks to your website.

When should I use a content marketing plan?

You should use a content marketing plan throughout your content marketing efforts. It’s a crucial part of executing your content marketing strategy.

How do I create a content marketing plan?

To create a content marketing plan, follow these steps:

1. Define your content marketing goals and objectives.
2. Identify your target audience.
3. Research your competition.
4. Choose what content will best suit your goals and target audience.
5. Plan your distribution strategy or how you’ll get your content in front of your target audience.
6. Choose your channels to define the platforms you’ll distribute your content.
7. Create a content calendar to plan and stay on track.
8. Set up a system for measuring success.

What is a content marketing strategy?

A content marketing strategy describes why your marketing efforts will help you achieve your business goals. It’s a blueprint used to guide your content marketing.

Why is content marketing strategy important?

A content marketing strategy is important because your messaging loses focus without it, leading to hours of troubleshooting, money spent on new content, and missed opportunities for your phone to ring.

When should I use a content marketing strategy?

You should reference your content marketing strategy any time you create content.

What’s an example of a content marketing strategy?

A common content marketing strategy is creating interest in something without directly promoting it; it increases awareness without being obtrusive and offers valuable information to those seeking it.

What is a content mission statement?

A content mission statement is a key component in a content marketing strategy. It’s the reason you’re creating each piece of content and answers the question of why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Why is a content mission statement important?

A content mission statement is important because it guides your content strategy and daily initiatives toward achieving your goals.

When should I use a content mission statement?

Your content mission statement should be in mind any time you create content.

How do I create my content mission statement?

To create your mission statement, follow this template:

“Our content is where [audience] gets [information] that offers [benefit].”

• “Audience” refers to potential clients and anyone you can help with your expert knowledge
• “Information” is the overlap of topics you can teach and the topics your audience wants (think: tips, advice, inspiration)
• “Benefits” are the ways your content helps people

What is a content operations framework?

A content operations framework is an overview of everything related to your content production process. It outlines your content strategy, creation, and management.

Why is a content operations framework important?

A content operations framework is important because it increases your team’s efficiency and saves your firm money.

When should I use a content operations framework?

You should use a content operations framework to define your marketing goals and objectives. Your content operations framework should determine each person’s role in reaching specific key performance indicators (KPIs).

How do I design my content operations framework?

To design your content, answer these questions:

• Who is involved in the creation process?
• What is their specific role?
• What’s your production timeline?
• How will you publish content?
• How can I improve and optimize this process?

What is content personalization?

Content personalization is the practice of tailoring content to better match people’s interests and needs.

Why does content personalization matter?

Content personalization is a powerful tool because it ensures visitors see content they find relevant. By personalizing content, you create more content that helps people looking for support.

This optimizes your content marketing efforts and enables you to convert more visitors to clients.

When should I use content personalization?                             

You should use content personalization when you want to take your content to the next level. You’ll gain more success from your content marketing by working “smarter” instead of “harder.”

How is content personalization done?

Content personalization is done by:

1. Researching your audience through analytics.
2. Identifying how they interact with your content.
3. Tracking how they interact with your competitors’ content with a competitive review.
4. Adjusting content by running A/B testing.
5. Answering client feedback in newsletters, blog posts, and social media posts.

What is content segmentation?

Content segmentation is the process of dividing a given population into groups based on a shared characteristic. It leads to targeted content and more personalized messaging.

Why is content segmentation important?

Content segmentation is important because it helps you create content that resonates more deeply with people.

You’ll connect with visitors by speaking to their specific wants and needs, leading to more visitors choosing your firm over your competitors.

When should I use content segmentation?                                

You should use content segmentation when you want to cultivate relationships with a specific group of people.

What are examples of content segmentation?

Examples of content segmentation include:

• Blog posts for “parents” or “ride share drivers”
• “How to” videos
• An infographic for visitors who have never worked with a lawyer

What is a content guide?

A content guide is a set of rules for the writing and formatting of your content.

Why is a content guide important?

A content guide is important because it establishes consistency across your content marketing, making your content easier to understand for visitors.

It improves user experience, which keeps people engaged with your content and moving through the sales funnel until they hire your firm.

A content guide also keeps your team on the same page through planning, creating, and distributing content. This outcome keeps you from wasting time fixing mistakes and allows you to scale your content production.

When should I use a content guide?

You should use a content guide when writing content for your website, including blog posts, service pages, and long-form articles.

How do I create a content guide?

To create a content guide, follow these steps:

1. Define your content mission statement
2. Set your voice and tone
3. Identify basic vocabulary (examples: word preferences, phrases to avoid)
4. Determine stylistic guidelines (examples: header capitalization, using oxford commas)
5. Address each specific type of content
6. Document rules for graphics

What is a conversion rate?

In digital marketing, a conversion rate is the percentage of visitors that complete a desired action.

Why is conversion rate important?

Conversion rates are important because they indicate the success of your marketing channels. High conversion rates lead to more visitors turning into clients.

When should I think about conversion rates?

You should think about conversion rates when you’re not receiving the leads you want through a marketing channel. Conversion rates allow you to identify areas and tactics you need to improve to make more conversions.

How can I improve my conversion rates?

To improve your conversion rates, try these tactics:

• Add trust factors to your website
• Shorten your contact form
• Identify your bounce rates
• Track your click-through-rates
• Conduct A/B testing
• Edit your calls to action (CTAs)

What are conversions?

In digital marketing, conversions are actions that push a lead further down the sales funnel.

The main objective in conversion is turning website visitors into customers, but conversions include any time a visitor completes a desired action.

Why are conversions important?

Conversions are important because they’re steps toward bringing in new cases for your firm.

Tracking conversions allows you to maximize your marketing efforts and improve your conversion rate.

When should I think about conversions?

You should consider conversions when reviewing the quantity and quality of incoming leads. If you’re receiving few or low-quality leads, you should assess your user experience to identify ways you can optimize conversion potential.

You may change the fields in your contact form or relocate the form on your website.

What are examples of conversions?

Examples of conversions include:

• Signing up for emails
• Following you on social media
• Filling out a contact form
• Visiting certain pages on your website
• Scheduling an intake appointment

What is crawlability?

Crawlability defines how well search engines can scan and process your content. Search engines use “spiders” or “bots” during their indexing process to determine where to show content on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Why is crawlability important?

Crawlability is important because it impacts your online visibility. Search engines reward SEO-friendly content with a higher position in the SERPs, leading to more eyes on your content, clicks to your website, and calls to your intake team.

When should Iook at crawlability?                       

You should look at crawlability when creating, optimizing, and refreshing content.

Crawlability is crucial during content audits, highlighting areas you need to adjust to increase performance.

How can I increase crawlability?

You can increase crawlability by doing the following:

• Using more internal links
• Updating current content
• Adding new content
• Removing duplicate content

What is crowd-sourced content?

Crowd-sourced content is content that is created or collected by a large number of people. It engages a “crowd” or group in the content creation process.

Why is crowd-sourced content important?

Crowd-sourced content is important because it’s typically more diverse, authentic, and comprehensive than traditional forms of content generation. It taps into the collective knowledge and experiences of many different people.

Sharing crowd-sourced content can help you relate to visitors through your audience’s shared wants and needs. This cultivates trust and leads to landing more cases.

When should I use crowd-sourced content?

You should use crowd-sourced content when you have a solid question and a way to deliver it to your audience for their response.

To protect confidentiality, avoid crowd-sourcing when sensitive information is involved.

What are examples of crowd-sourced content?

Examples of crowd-sourced content include:

• Social media polls
• Online surveys
• Email questionnaires
• Intake surveys