If you’ve explored Facebook Ads, you've probably found yourself googling acronyms, abbreviations, and terminology that looks like some form of alien language. And, if you're not a marketing professional, it might as well be. For starters, it’s full of specialized terms that may be new to you, which is why we created this Facebook Ads glossary.
So let's get right to it. Here are jargon-free explanations of the most common digital advertising terms. By familiarizing yourself with these terms, you'll be able to better manage and optimize your campaigns, which is always the goal.
If we’ve missed something, please use the comment section below to call it out.
Impressions - The number of times your ads were on screen.
Reach - The number of people who saw your ads at least once. Reach is different from impressions, which may include multiple views of your ads by the same people.
Clicks (All) - The number of clicks on your ads.
CTR (All) - The percentage of times people saw your ad and performed a click (all).
Outbound Clicks - The number of clicks on links that take people off Facebook - owned properties.
Outbound CTR (Click - Through Rate) - The percentage of times people saw your ad and performed an outbound click.
Page Engagement - The total number of actions that people took on your Facebook Page and its posts, attributed to your ads.
Page Likes - The number of likes of your Facebook Page attributed to your ads.
Post Comments - The number of comments on your ads.
Post Engagement - The total number of actions that people take involving your ads.
Post Reactions - The number of reactions on your ads. The reactions button on an ad allows people to share different reactions to its content: Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry.
Post Shares - The number of shares of your ads. People can share your ads or posts on their own or friends' Timelines, in groups and on their own Pages.
Link Clicks - The number of clicks on links within the ad that led to destinations or experiences, on or off Facebook. For ads promoting Instagram profile views, link clicks include clicks on the ad header or comments that led to the advertiser's profile.
Oh, one more thing... Make sure to diversify your marketing strategy. Generally speaking, you need a healthy mix of online and offline marketing to optimize your customer acquisition and retention efforts. In addition to your Facebook ads, make sure to reach "every door" with
direct mail campaigns, too.