Ad Frequency

An increased ad frequency ensures that an ad has been shown to a user multiple times, which can be good for reinforcing brand awareness, increasing message retention, or driving conversions. However, if ad frequency is pushed too far, the ad may serve instead as a premium example of how not to engage an audience—essentially, people may start to ignore it.

For advertisers on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter (now X), it is crucial to understand and optimize ad frequency. Ad frequency is the number of times the average target audience sees an advertisement over a given period. On social media, ad frequency and ad spend go hand-in-hand. The average CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) on social media is significantly higher than on most programmatic or direct display buys, which makes it vital for advertisers to get as much visibility from each ad as possible.

Most advertising platforms furnish tools or metrics that allow marketers to track the frequency of their ads. This, in turn, enables the refinement of the ad campaign as a whole. When is it appropriate to target a different audience segment with the same message? What about using a different bidding strategy? Of course, if none of these refinements improve the ad campaign's impact, then the ad copy should probably be rewritten.

Basically, the right ad frequency is a matter of leaving a social media user with the sort of impression that lasts and of not driving that user to the point of frustration with too much in-their-face advertising. Said another way, perfecting ad frequency is a performance metric that, when nailed, yields better digital advertising.