Joining a digital agency from a nonprofit background was a bit of a shock. Most job descriptions point to the need for self-starters who can handle a fast-paced environment, but what tripped me up was the wide variety of acronyms and terms used in the agency environment. The first few conversations I had with coworkers were in a language I didn’t understand.
My coworkers’ words buzzed in my head as I tried to find anything recognizable. When I got back to my desk I frantically Googled what they said. The great thing about the agency environment is that it does indeed operate at lightning speed, so I was fluently using this language in a matter of weeks.
Acronyms*
- AM: account manager
- AR: augmented reality
- B2B: business to business
- B2C: business to consumer
- BizDev: business development
- CDA: content display/delivery application
- CMA: content management application
- CMS: content management system
- CRM: customer relationship management
- CTA: call-to-action
- Dev: developer (front-end / back-end)
- ECS: email campaign system
- GA: Google Analytics
- KPI: key performance indicator
- MarComm: marketing & communications
- MR: mixed reality
- NBD: new business development
- NDA: non-disclosure agreement
- PIM: product information management
- PM / PMO: project management (office)
- PO: purchase order
- POC: point of contact**
- PR: press release
- Prod: production
- QA: quality assurance
- RFP: request for proposal
- ROI: return on investment
- SaaS: software as a service
- SEO: search engine optimization
- SLA: service-level agreement
- SOP: standard operating procedure
- SOW: statement of work
- UI: user interface
- UX: user experience
- VR: virtual reality
- WIP: Work in progress
- WP: WordPress
- XR: extended reality
*I know these terms are also used outside of the agency environment, so if this helps you in your own industry, great!
**Many people (myself included) use this acronym to mean Person/People of Color. It’s also used for Proof of Concept. So you may get some looks unless the context is REALLY clear.
If you just joined an agency as a career shift, it’s going to be ok. You’ll be using these in no time, whether you like it or not. And just know that it’s always ok to ask for what you need- whether that’s from Google, a coworker, or me below in the comments!
KAYLA PENNOYER 