Social Media Glossary for Functional Medicine Practitioners

With terms like reach and impressions, social media management can get confusing. So we’re here to demystify some of the top terms in social media today.

Reach

The number of unique users who have seen a social media post.

Impressions

The total number of times a post has been viewed.

Likes

A type of engagement on social media platforms.

Reactions

A type of engagement on Facebook and LinkedIn that’s similar to likes, but includes love, surprised, laugh, and anger.

Comments

Any time someone adds a text response to a post.

Shares

When someone adds a post to their own profile.

Hashtags

The pound sign (#) followed by a word or short phrase designed to increase reach and categorize posts.

Strategy

A plan designed to grow an account on social media, including the type of content, how frequently one posts, and how it relates back to the company posting.

Follow/Unfollow Method

A way some users grow their accounts. It involves following a couple of hundred accounts and unfollowing those who don’t follow back within 24-48 hours.

This is not a recommended strategy, as Instagram (and other platforms) can penalize the account. It also typically doesn’t result in valuable followers.

Follow for Follow

Another unrecommended strategy where users comment on a post, stating that they will follow if the account follows them.

Boosted Posts

A method on Facebook and Instagram designed to increase engagement and reach by paying $5, $50, or more.

Organic Social Media

Any social media post that isn’t boosted or an ad, e.g., doesn’t have a budget behind it.

Non-Organic Social Media

Any boosted post or ad.

We hope this glossary helped demystify some of the finer points of social media terms! Any questions? Let’s connect on Facebook and Instagram.