The Imperfection of Facebook Ads Frequency Capping

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I love to use Reach optimization. It's only an option for the right situation, only one reason I utilise it is for Frequency Capping. A small problem, though, that I recently uncovered: Frequency Capping is imperfect. Facebook doesn't enforce a strict cap.

In this post, we'll talk more well-nigh the following:

  • What Frequency Capping is
  • How it'due south supposed to piece of work
  • The imperfection
  • How to notice and control it
  • How much it matters

Frequency Capping

When you use Reach Optimization , advertisers have the ability to put a cap on the number of times a user can be reached. This feature is unique to this specific optimization method.

A Frequency Cap is fix from the ad set within the Optimization & Delivery section.

Facebook Frequency Cap

The default is 1 impression every 7 days, only you have full flexibility to set up it at whatever you want.

The Imperfection

I've used Reach with Frequency Capping for years, just I've never had doubts about its execution — at to the lowest degree until recently.

I'grand running a test that relies entirely on Frequency Capping running the fashion it should. My goal is to achieve all or most of my Facebook page followers with a single ad. To do that, I used a frequency cap of ane impression in 90 days.

When I created this advertising, the copy was clear about my goals and how it was created. I indicated that each user should only run into the advertizement one time.

And and then I received a comment from a user indicating they had seen information technology multiple times. At offset, I didn't worry much near information technology. But, it happened oft enough that it raised some doubts.

If you take a closer look at the settings for Frequency Caps, there's a message from Facebook that I believe is relatively new (I don't call back seeing it before).

Facebook Frequency Cap

The message:

As part of our efforts to regularly update our systems and processes, we've made changes that may issue in some people temporarily seeing your ad more times than the maximum frequency you set.

Facebook isn't clear why, but they won't always strictly enforce these caps.

It makes sense that it's incommunicable to guarantee perfect enforcement. For example, you could conceivably achieve a user in two places at the same fourth dimension on two different devices. I'm okay with imperfection.

Only this was sounding less precise than I'd like.

How to Observe and Control it

Recall that I set up this upwards with a frequency cap of 1 impression per 90 days. Since the entrada hasn't been running for 90 days, the average frequency should be somewhere around 1.00.

Instead, my overall frequency for this campaign is currently 1.fourteen. While that's certainly close to 1.00, it represents near 18,000 extra impressions that I didn't want to pay for.

Reach Impressions Frequency

That's an unfortunate waste material.

One of the first messages I received nearly this was from a user who said they were seeing the advertizement in the Instant Articles placement. Nosotros tin actually practice some earthworks to see if this placement is problematic.

Within Ads Manager, yous can run a Breakdown past Placement.

Facebook Breakdown by Placement

Some of the frequencies stuck reliably close to i.00:

  • Facebook Groups Feed (Mobile App): 1.00
  • Facebook Stories (Mobile App): 1.00
  • Facebook News Feed (Desktop): 1.00
  • Facebook News Feed (Mobile Spider web): one.00
  • Instagram Explore (Mobile App): i.00
  • Facebook Video Feeds (Mobile App): 1.01

Truthfully, all but ii placements were beneath the overall boilerplate of 1.14:

  • Facebook In-Stream Video (Mobile App): one.fifteen
  • Facebook Instant Article (Mobile App): ane.38

Not only was the Instant Article placement significantly higher than annihilation else, but it as well represents 12% of the advertizement prepare'due south impressions. Considering I turned this placement off some fourth dimension ago after figuring this out, that's a lot!

Does information technology Matter?

Ordinarily, I wouldn't even notice this considering I wouldn't care about reaching people more than than one time. And then, this is unique.

Ultimately, yous volition need to decide whether it matters. Does it truly affair whether you lot attain people with 1 impression every 7 days or whether y'all reach some people twice? Granted, that's waste material that volition exist charged to your account, merely my feeling is that in that location are bigger problems to worry near.

The main thing is to be aware of information technology. Information technology does appear to be a new issue, based on the message from Facebook. Maybe information technology'due south something that is in the process of beingness corrected. Regardless, you can utilize Breakdown by Placement to spot whether it's an issue for specific placements. At that point, you could choose to turn those placements off.

Is in that location something unique to in-stream video and Instant Articles that make frequency difficult to command? Maybe. Or it's entirely possible that what I'one thousand seeing is random and non unique to those placements.

Your Turn

Exercise you use Frequency Capping? Have you seen this effect earlier, and does it matter to you lot?

Let me know in the comments below!