When it comes to Facebook advertising, there are vast differences between the performance and effectiveness of the ads across different countries. According to a new report from Kenshoo, a social media advertising platform, Mexico, Turkey, India and Italy all offer very attractive opportunities for advertisers — with far more cost-effective, higher-performing Facebook ads than markets such as the United States or the UK.
The full report (registration required) looks at data for 100 countries, and then analyzed the performance of ads in those countries for which the data set included 100 million impressions or more. The resulting report includes fun stats for countries from Austria (mobile phone penetration of 146%!) to the United States (online advertising spending of $26 billion), and then compares each of those countries on three key metrics:
- Cost per thousand (CPM)
- Average cost per click (CPC)
- Average click-through rate (CTR)
- Average frequency for delivery of Facebook ads
- Average exposure rate for delivery of Facebook ads
- The maximum recommended bids for Facebook ads
Mexico won the gold in cost, with an average CPM of just under 7 cents, followed by Turkey at 7.3 cents, and Brazil at 13 cents. It also had the lowest cost per click, with a CPC of only 19 cents, followed by Turkey (25 cents) and India (33 cents). Mexican Facebook users also delivered the 3rd-best CTRs, and the country has the second-lowest maximum recommended bid of $.39, indicating low levels of competition for their attention.
Turkey couple low average CPMs and CPCs with the best exposure rates — the percentage of the entire desired target audience that a brand is actually reaching and exposing to its ads. Again, a low maximum recommended bid of $.36 shows that there are not (yet) a lot of brands leveraging Facebook advertising in this market.
India has the third-lowest CPC, the highest average CTR, the second-highest exposure rate (45%), and a low maximum recommended bid. Italy is notable for being a cost-effective European country with high levels of user engagement, so it’s a great entry point for advertisers who want to test European campaigns.
What if you’re targeting American Facebook users? You’ll pay a higher CPM, but Facebook ads in the United States see a relatively high level of engagement, with the 4th-highest CTRs in the lineup.
Kenshoo ends the report with a series of recommendations based on the data, including:
- Countries with high Facebook penetration represent great opportunity for advertisers.
- To compete effectively in countries with high CPM and CPC rates, such as the United States and the U.K., advertisers should use advanced targeting techniques, sophisticated bid algorithms, and refresh creative assets often.
Have you had a chance to test Facebook advertising across different markets?
