Why Frequency Management Is the Most Overlooked Programmatic Lever

Frequency refers to how often your ads appear to the same person in display and video campaigns. Beneficially, it is possible to set your frequency, allowing your team to identify manual limits for impressions or views. Working in Google Ads, you can also allow Google to optimize delivery to improve your campaign’s reach and the user experience. 

There are several reasons why you might want to do this. First, improper frequency can quickly and negatively impact your campaign’s performance. While it may seem like your campaign is well-funded and active because impressions are being served and reach is growing, you could have ads being shown to the same users or households repetitively, making that activity redundant. 

When you are able to control frequency and set it correctly, the right frequency supports awareness of your campaign and brand, recall, and conversion. When your frequency is too high, it can lead to unnecessary spending, creative fatigue, reduced reach, and a negative brand impression.

How Does Excessive Frequency Waste Media Spend?

Every campaign you run has to be repeated. Rarely is seeing an ad one time enough to lead to an instant conversion. There is a point, though, at which additional impressions will no longer add value.

When advertisers oversaturate the same group of users, each additional impression becomes less useful. 

And, in some cases, it becomes counterproductive. The user knows the brand. They might have already clicked on the ad or converted. Seeing the ads repeatedly after that can lead to a negative feeling about your brand. In fact, viewers were 48% more likely to find an ad “annoying” and 33% more likely to say it was getting in the way of their experience after seeing it six times.

Annoyance isn’t the only problem; it’s also a drain on your cash flow. On the financial side, these extra impressions burn through your budget with zero added performance. Cutting back on over-frequency instantly frees up capital to expand your reach and get your brand in front of fresh, uncapped audiences.

Measure Frequency Across Channels

Frequency management isn’t measured on a single channel anymore. Today’s consumers are found across social feeds, streaming audio, mobile apps, connected TV, and other digital environments. But frequency still matters for each particular user. If they see an ad on  Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, encountering it again on CTV or while they stream a song they like may simply be too much and leave a negative impression.

That’s why managing each platform separately is not the best approach. Cross-platform visibility does matter. Marketers need to consider cumulative exposure to ensure they have a household-level view and can be sure their campaigns aren’t being overplayed. 

How To Get the Right Level of Exposure

First, know that your goal isn’t to minimize exposure and make ad frequency as low as possible. Instead, you need to find the right number of exposures for your target audience. 

That number can vary based on your campaign goals, the product category, what the buying cycle is like, your brand’s creative strategy, and much more. For example, if you have a limited-time deal, you may want frequency bumped up in the short term, reminding customers that they have no time to lose. On the other hand, if you have a product that is expensive and always available, then regular, but not overwhelming, repetition of your ads might be the goal. 

Data helps you identify when frequency stops improving outcomes. Your marketing team should compare exposure levels against key performance signals to see exactly where conversion rates peak, including:

-Site visits & engagement
-Conversions & sign-ups
–Offline actions

…as well as other performance signals. See where conversion rates peak, and consider reducing frequency beyond that point.

Remember, better frequency management will improve programmatic advertising efficiency, reduce wasted impressions, and expand your reach to qualified audiences. This can have a meaningful impact on your budget and lead to a more positive ad season for your brand.

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