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Facebook Ads: CPC vs CPM

by InternetLover
25 replies
Hi,

I am advertising on Facebook. I usually go for CPC but have been told CPM might be better - no sure what the reason is?

Anyone experienced in using Facebook ads?

Please share what you think.

Thanks in advance.
#ads #cpc #cpm #facebook
  • Profile picture of the author explora
    I did it last year for Photography Salon Competition held by a Photographic Club where I am member of. The contest has international scoupe.
    I never advert at google or yahoo but I like advertising in FB and so do my chairman. We can choose to advert base on demography and the segment etc... etc.
    CPC or CPM that depends on what ur needs and type or advertising.
    I went for CPC coz I thought that the ad was intended being clicked by specific viewer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Becker13
    Banned
    I personally like CPM waaaay more.

    If you can find your targeted traffic on other sites, you can get click for 1/10th the price
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    • Profile picture of the author sith005
      This depends on a number of things. First off, the strategy USED to be go CPC, then when you get a good CTR, switch to CPM. Keep in mind that last year Facebook switched up how CPM ads are displayed, placing them in less prime spots. As such, you usually see a lower overall CTR, but that can STILL get you cheaper clicks.

      The short answer here is, it depends on a number of things. There is no 'this is better' or 'that is better' that covers the whole spectrum.

      Are you targeting internal (i.e. fan pages) or external (i.e. direct link, squeeze page) pages? Are you knee deep in a successful (or decidedly failed) campaign, or just testing?

      For external pages, CPM can definitely work, but I've found that when linking to fan pages and stuff you will get the cheapest traffic using CPM for sure. For external pages, it can depend. What kind of traffic are you looking for (what kind of offer, etc)? Don't be afraid to test both, budget permitting. If you are just testing the waters, CPM will give you a more predictable and cheaper (if you control it) spend.

      I've tested ads where the ctr were in the .4-.6% range on CPC for hundreds of clicks. The same ads were around .2-.4% ctr on CPM, but the initial costs were much less as the CPC ads burned through the initial high click costs fairly quickly. This can be managed by your bidding strategy, but still I've had good experience testing with CPM in many instances.

      I guess the true 'answer' here is, it depends on a lot of things. If in doubt and really unsure, test both with a small budget and see for yourself what's working best in your unique scenario. Hopefully this info helps you decide which direction (left, right, or straight) to go.
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      • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
        Originally Posted by sith005 View Post

        This depends on a number of things. First off, the strategy USED to be go CPC, then when you get a good CTR, switch to CPM. Keep in mind that last year Facebook switched up how CPM ads are displayed, placing them in less prime spots. As such, you usually see a lower overall CTR, but that can STILL get you cheaper clicks.

        The short answer here is, it depends on a number of things. There is no 'this is better' or 'that is better' that covers the whole spectrum.

        Are you targeting internal (i.e. fan pages) or external (i.e. direct link, squeeze page) pages? Are you knee deep in a successful (or decidedly failed) campaign, or just testing?

        For external pages, CPM can definitely work, but I've found that when linking to fan pages and stuff you will get the cheapest traffic using CPM for sure. For external pages, it can depend. What kind of traffic are you looking for (what kind of offer, etc)? Don't be afraid to test both, budget permitting. If you are just testing the waters, CPM will give you a more predictable and cheaper (if you control it) spend.

        I've tested ads where the ctr were in the .4-.6% range on CPC for hundreds of clicks. The same ads were around .2-.4% ctr on CPM, but the initial costs were much less as the CPC ads burned through the initial high click costs fairly quickly. This can be managed by your bidding strategy, but still I've had good experience testing with CPM in many instances.

        I guess the true 'answer' here is, it depends on a lot of things. If in doubt and really unsure, test both with a small budget and see for yourself what's working best in your unique scenario. Hopefully this info helps you decide which direction (left, right, or straight) to go.
        Thank you for the detailed explanation. Now it makes sense why it is cheaper!

        I will be linking my FB ad to an external website and this is a new niche for me, so yes, it will be a testing stage.

        Good idea re: testing both and seeing which one performs better.

        Is there a good guide about FB advertising on advanced techniques? Or do we all have to go through the trial and error stage by burning money at the beginning?
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      • Profile picture of the author RevClicksMedia
        Originally Posted by sith005 View Post

        This depends on a number of things. First off, the strategy USED to be go CPC, then when you get a good CTR, switch to CPM. Keep in mind that last year Facebook switched up how CPM ads are displayed, placing them in less prime spots. As such, you usually see a lower overall CTR, but that can STILL get you cheaper clicks.

        The short answer here is, it depends on a number of things. There is no 'this is better' or 'that is better' that covers the whole spectrum.

        Are you targeting internal (i.e. fan pages) or external (i.e. direct link, squeeze page) pages? Are you knee deep in a successful (or decidedly failed) campaign, or just testing?

        For external pages, CPM can definitely work, but I've found that when linking to fan pages and stuff you will get the cheapest traffic using CPM for sure. For external pages, it can depend. What kind of traffic are you looking for (what kind of offer, etc)? Don't be afraid to test both, budget permitting. If you are just testing the waters, CPM will give you a more predictable and cheaper (if you control it) spend.

        I've tested ads where the ctr were in the .4-.6% range on CPC for hundreds of clicks. The same ads were around .2-.4% ctr on CPM, but the initial costs were much less as the CPC ads burned through the initial high click costs fairly quickly. This can be managed by your bidding strategy, but still I've had good experience testing with CPM in many instances.

        I guess the true 'answer' here is, it depends on a lot of things. If in doubt and really unsure, test both with a small budget and see for yourself what's working best in your unique scenario. Hopefully this info helps you decide which direction (left, right, or straight) to go.
        Agreed here. Just watch your ass literally like he said. Perform split tests on both bidding strategies but with small budgets. Don't kill your wallets with long extensive tests. Generally, it takes less then $80 to gain enough data to see if your strategy is working. TESTING TESTING TESTING IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. But document and learn from every test. You will see some pleasing results in time. Just be patient.
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    • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
      Originally Posted by Becker13 View Post

      I personally like CPM waaaay more.

      If you can find your targeted traffic on other sites, you can get click for 1/10th the price
      I like the price part. Great tips re: finding targeted traffic. Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    I personally like CPM better, but to do CPM, you really need to make sure you have a good ad copy and make sure your CTR is good
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    • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
      Originally Posted by ChrisBa View Post

      I personally like CPM better, but to do CPM, you really need to make sure you have a good ad copy and make sure your CTR is good
      Hey ChrisBa, how can I learn about writing good ads? This is probably a little different from a good salesletter copywriting skill since the space is limited?
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      • Profile picture of the author RevClicksMedia
        Originally Posted by InternetLover View Post

        Hey ChrisBa, how can I learn about writing good ads? This is probably a little different from a good salesletter copywriting skill since the space is limited?

        Put your thinking cap on - do some extensive research on particular offers that are constantly showing. Don't copy their ad copies as this almost always gets you no where, but write and deploy a few better ones ( perform multivariate testing to find the best results )
        Make the ad copy attention grabbing and personalized. Don't just focus on the ad copy - the image is what pulls in the users eyes, while the title and ad copy are what causes the user to click on your ad and hopefully convert into a sale/lead. Always remember this - Images are about 70% of the attention grabbers, while body text is next at 20% and then title is at 10%

        Just a few Different types of Titles/Headlines that work well:

        Call out the users Attributes - make sure it's related to the offer
        Perform Testimonial styles - ex - " How I got Buff" or " How I lost Weight"
        Ask a Question - ex - " Looking for a date tonight?" - question marks - if used right can yield a good click through rate.

        There's quite a bit more different type of headlines or body texts that you can test, but you need to conduct a few split tests to find the perfect match of image, title, and body text that will yield you your desired results, which is ultimately a higher CTR, sending your CPC's down and hopefully achieving conversions bringing your campaign to a profitable level.

        There are quite a few aspects of running a successful profitable facebook campaign then just simply writing a good ad copy. The above is just a small general concept of what you need to do.
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        • Profile picture of the author jeffrey73
          Nice explanation! I particularly like the "question" style titles.

          I'd also like to note that using "geo-targeting" works well when it's allowed too. So does using "scarcity" and "statistics".

          "Hurry.. Only xx Left!"
          "43% of Experts agree that _____"

          Originally Posted by RevClicksMedia View Post

          Put your thinking cap on - do some extensive research on particular offers that are constantly showing. Don't copy their ad copies as this almost always gets you no where, but write and deploy a few better ones ( perform multivariate testing to find the best results )
          Make the ad copy attention grabbing and personalized. Don't just focus on the ad copy - the image is what pulls in the users eyes, while the title and ad copy are what causes the user to click on your ad and hopefully convert into a sale/lead. Always remember this - Images are about 70% of the attention grabbers, while body text is next at 20% and then title is at 10%

          Just a few Different types of Titles/Headlines that work well:

          Call out the users Attributes - make sure it's related to the offer
          Perform Testimonial styles - ex - " How I got Buff" or " How I lost Weight"
          Ask a Question - ex - " Looking for a date tonight?" - question marks - if used right can yield a good click through rate.

          There's quite a bit more different type of headlines or body texts that you can test, but you need to conduct a few split tests to find the perfect match of image, title, and body text that will yield you your desired results, which is ultimately a higher CTR, sending your CPC's down and hopefully achieving conversions bringing your campaign to a profitable level.

          There are quite a few aspects of running a successful profitable facebook campaign then just simply writing a good ad copy. The above is just a small general concept of what you need to do.
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          • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
            Originally Posted by jeffrey73 View Post

            Nice explanation! I particularly like the "question" style titles.

            I'd also like to note that using "geo-targeting" works well when it's allowed too. So does using "scarcity" and "statistics".

            "Hurry.. Only xx Left!"
            "43% of Experts agree that _____"
            That's a great tip, thanks Jeffrey73.
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          • Profile picture of the author RevClicksMedia
            Originally Posted by jeffrey73 View Post

            Nice explanation! I particularly like the "question" style titles.

            I'd also like to note that using "geo-targeting" works well when it's allowed too. So does using "scarcity" and "statistics".

            "Hurry.. Only xx Left!"
            "43% of Experts agree that _____"

            Yup, agreed.. those gain instant results as well. CTR will skyrocket if used properly and CPC's will diminish.
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        • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
          Originally Posted by RevClicksMedia View Post

          Put your thinking cap on - do some extensive research on particular offers that are constantly showing. Don't copy their ad copies as this almost always gets you no where, but write and deploy a few better ones ( perform multivariate testing to find the best results )
          Make the ad copy attention grabbing and personalized. Don't just focus on the ad copy - the image is what pulls in the users eyes, while the title and ad copy are what causes the user to click on your ad and hopefully convert into a sale/lead. Always remember this - Images are about 70% of the attention grabbers, while body text is next at 20% and then title is at 10%

          Just a few Different types of Titles/Headlines that work well:

          Call out the users Attributes - make sure it's related to the offer
          Perform Testimonial styles - ex - " How I got Buff" or " How I lost Weight"
          Ask a Question - ex - " Looking for a date tonight?" - question marks - if used right can yield a good click through rate.

          There's quite a bit more different type of headlines or body texts that you can test, but you need to conduct a few split tests to find the perfect match of image, title, and body text that will yield you your desired results, which is ultimately a higher CTR, sending your CPC's down and hopefully achieving conversions bringing your campaign to a profitable level.

          There are quite a few aspects of running a successful profitable facebook campaign then just simply writing a good ad copy. The above is just a small general concept of what you need to do.
          Awesome! I am starting to see a picture. Thank you for this useful post as it will definitely save me some money.

          $80 to see results is reassuring for me. Will take your advice and put thinking cap on. Hope to share some results soon.
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      • Profile picture of the author jeffrey73
        Which traffic source are you going to write your ad for?

        There are big differences between writing for say a Facebook ad than a POF ad. And the same could be said for AdWords.

        Originally Posted by InternetLover View Post

        Hey ChrisBa, how can I learn about writing good ads? This is probably a little different from a good salesletter copywriting skill since the space is limited?
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        • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
          Originally Posted by RevClicksMedia View Post

          Put your thinking cap on - do some extensive research on particular offers that are constantly showing. Don't copy their ad copies as this almost always gets you no where, but write and deploy a few better ones ( perform multivariate testing to find the best results )
          Make the ad copy attention grabbing and personalized. Don't just focus on the ad copy - the image is what pulls in the users eyes, while the title and ad copy are what causes the user to click on your ad and hopefully convert into a sale/lead. Always remember this - Images are about 70% of the attention grabbers, while body text is next at 20% and then title is at 10%

          Just a few Different types of Titles/Headlines that work well:

          Call out the users Attributes - make sure it's related to the offer
          Perform Testimonial styles - ex - " How I got Buff" or " How I lost Weight"
          Ask a Question - ex - " Looking for a date tonight?" - question marks - if used right can yield a good click through rate.

          There's quite a bit more different type of headlines or body texts that you can test, but you need to conduct a few split tests to find the perfect match of image, title, and body text that will yield you your desired results, which is ultimately a higher CTR, sending your CPC's down and hopefully achieving conversions bringing your campaign to a profitable level.

          There are quite a few aspects of running a successful profitable facebook campaign then just simply writing a good ad copy. The above is just a small general concept of what you need to do.
          Originally Posted by jeffrey73 View Post

          Which traffic source are you going to write your ad for?

          There are big differences between writing for say a Facebook ad than a POF ad. And the same could be said for AdWords.
          This time, I am going to write a Facebook ad but I have used POF too. What is the difference in writing ads at these two sites?
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          • Profile picture of the author jeffrey73
            PoF is alot more lenient about what they will accept. They also have a crazy amount of targeting options. You can use variables in your ads like {state:} and {age:} so it makes it beautiful for split testing ages. They have a good amount of traffic volume too. The only thing I don't like is their CPM bidding platform. You can find something running good and it's great, and as soon as it got great it can quickly tank. It's pretty rough testing too.

            Facebook is much different as you can't do any of that stuff, but you CAN target them by "keywords". POF doesn't have that, yet. Facebook is much more worried about their user experience and their image, so their review teams are super strict. Your ad must be effective, yet tame, if that makes any sense. They've got massive VOLUME, but the CPCs are high if you don't direct *inside* of their space. Get a good FanPage builder!

            Originally Posted by InternetLover View Post

            This time, I am going to write a Facebook ad but I have used POF too. What is the difference in writing ads at these two sites?
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            • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
              Originally Posted by jeffrey73 View Post

              PoF is alot more lenient about what they will accept. They also have a crazy amount of targeting options. You can use variables in your ads like {state:} and {age:} so it makes it beautiful for split testing ages. They have a good amount of traffic volume too. The only thing I don't like is their CPM bidding platform. You can find something running good and it's great, and as soon as it got great it can quickly tank. It's pretty rough testing too.

              Facebook is much different as you can't do any of that stuff, but you CAN target them by "keywords". POF doesn't have that, yet. Facebook is much more worried about their user experience and their image, so their review teams are super strict. Your ad must be effective, yet tame, if that makes any sense. They've got massive VOLUME, but the CPCs are high if you don't direct *inside* of their space. Get a good FanPage builder!
              Thanks Jeffrey73 for the detailed explanation. I really appreciate your time. I am currently split testing the same ads on POF and FB ads so I will keep watching them and analyse the results.

              In terms of tracking FB ads, I read a post on Google saying we have to tag our links using this URL builder : Tool: URL Builder - Analytics Help

              Is this a good way to track FB ads? I managed to generate a link but then, it doesn't really say where to place it?

              How about using Prosper or Tracking 202? Can we use this instead of Google Analytics?

              I am still getting my head around setting all these up and would really appreciate some advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    I just started Facebook ads today for a couple of CPA offers, with a 5 dollar per day budget for each one.

    Both have had around 15,000 impressions, but 1 offer has had 9 clicks and 1 conversion, the other has had 8 clicks and no conversions.

    Boy oh boy do I wish the CPA network accepted Twitter

    I have to call MaxBounty tomorrow, they emailed me today. So hopefully they will allow Twitter traffic so I can start making some serious cash.

    But as for the FB ads, I've spent my 10 dollar budget and only made 1 conversion for $1.40

    So thats not good. lol I'll be tweaking my ads tomorrow and changing the daily budget to around 2 dollars until I find something that converts well.
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    • Profile picture of the author jeffrey73
      I've never known anyone who could pull any decent profits using Twitter. It's a pretty junk traffic source IMO, and users are immune to CPA and most affiliate ads.

      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      Boy oh boy do I wish the CPA network accepted Twitter
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    • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      I just started Facebook ads today for a couple of CPA offers, with a 5 dollar per day budget for each one.

      Both have had around 15,000 impressions, but 1 offer has had 9 clicks and 1 conversion, the other has had 8 clicks and no conversions.

      Boy oh boy do I wish the CPA network accepted Twitter

      I have to call MaxBounty tomorrow, they emailed me today. So hopefully they will allow Twitter traffic so I can start making some serious cash.

      But as for the FB ads, I've spent my 10 dollar budget and only made 1 conversion for $1.40

      So thats not good. lol I'll be tweaking my ads tomorrow and changing the daily budget to around 2 dollars until I find something that converts well.
      I have this problem too. If you lower your budget to $2, it means that you can't see much results too, and will take longer to test.

      Do FB ads work better with higher paying leads? Anyone knows?
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  • Profile picture of the author SonicSync
    Twitter traffic seems to be crap. I used it to promote videos, didn't get any results.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    Twitter works great, you just cant spam. When you start that they will block your URL

    Now for the FB, not sure I just woke up so we'll see how my stats for today are. Maybe I got some conversions overnight
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    • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      Twitter works great, you just cant spam. When you start that they will block your URL

      Now for the FB, not sure I just woke up so we'll see how my stats for today are. Maybe I got some conversions overnight
      All the best but keep up the good work. Good things take time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    Thanks, I created 2 more Ads this morning, I'm testing out 1 international offer with a payout of 9 bux, pixel fires once they click confirmation link in their email.

    Suggested bid for 1k impressions was only 2.70, and people say international offers perform better than domestic ones. So we'll find out shortly
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    • Profile picture of the author InternetLover
      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      Thanks, I created 2 more Ads this morning, I'm testing out 1 international offer with a payout of 9 bux, pixel fires once they click confirmation link in their email.

      Suggested bid for 1k impressions was only 2.70, and people say international offers perform better than domestic ones. So we'll find out shortly
      Exciting. Good luck.
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