As you start with Facebook ads, you’ll face a common question: Should you use a ‘bid cap’ or ‘cost cap’ to control your ad expenses? This choice can greatly affect how well your ads work. So, without further ado, let’s discover which one should you use to have better Facebook ad results.
What's a Bid Cap?
A bid cap is one of Facebook’s bid strategy options, providing guidance on how to allocate your budget effectively within the ad auction. It represents the maximum you’re willing to spend for each user’s interaction with your ad. These interactions could include clicking on your ad, viewing it, or taking actions like making a purchase on your website.
But, let’s explain it a little better. For example, you have a product ad, and you want people to make a purchase when they click on it. You decide that you won’t pay more than $5 for each purchase.
So, you set a bid cap at $5. Now, whenever someone clicks on your ad and completes a purchase (the “purchase event”), Facebook will try to keep the cost per purchase below your specified $5 limit.
This bid cap is like setting a strict budget for each purchase you want people to make when they see your ad. It’s a way to control your advertising costs and ensure you don’t overspend on individual purchase events triggered by your ads.
Advantages of bid cap
Next, let’s see why is good to use a bid cap. Well, using a bid cap can be a smart choice for a few important reasons:
Control Over Costs: Bid caps give you control over how much you spend for each click or action. It’s like setting a budget for each part of your ad campaign.
Budget Predictability: They make it easier to predict how much you’ll spend. Think of it like planning your expenses so you don’t overspend.
Achieving Goals: If you have specific goals, like getting a certain number of people to buy your product, bid caps help you work towards those goals effectively.
Drawbacks of bid cap
However, a bid cap has some cons for using it. Here are not-so-great sides of bid caps:
Less Budget Flexibility: Bid caps can restrict your flexibility in moving your budget around. It’s a bit like having less room to maneuver your money.
Fewer Ad Views: Your ads might not be seen by as many people.
Regular Monitoring Needed: Using bid caps means you need to keep a close watch on your ads all the time.
To sum up, using a bid cap can be effective for budget-conscious advertisers with well-defined goals but may come with limitations in flexibility and reach.
What's a Cost Cap?
Now, let’s dive into cost cap. Cost cap in Facebook advertising is a bid strategy that empowers you to set a maximum Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) for your purchase events. Facebook will work to keep your average CPA at or below this set cap.
Essentially, you instruct Facebook to ensure that your CPAs do not exceed a specific amount. This allows you to concentrate on boosting your conversions and improving your conversion rate at that target CPA.
Cost cap bidding proves particularly valuable for managing your ad spending effectively and guaranteeing that your CPAs remain profitable for your business. It’s an especially handy approach if you have a fixed budget.
Here’s how it goes: Let’s say you’re okay with spending an average of $5 for each conversion. Facebook gets you 10 conversions. Some cost you just $1 each, while others go up to $10. But when you look at the average, it’s still $5 per conversion.
Advantages of cost cap
But what are the benefits of using a cost cap? Let’s dive a little deeper:
Control Over Cost: Unlike some other bid strategies that optimize for cost efficiency without a specific limit, cost cap empowers you to set the maximum Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) or Cost Per Install (CPI) you’re willing to pay for results. This level of control ensures you don’t overspend while pursuing your campaign objectives.
Reduced Complexity: By specifying your maximum CPA or CPI, cost cap simplifies the bidding process. You don’t have to navigate the complexities of real-time bidding adjustments, allowing for more straightforward campaign management.
Maximized Results: Cost cap helps you maximize your campaign results. It allows you to strike a balance between cost control and achieving your desired volume of conversions, making it a valuable choice for advertisers with specific performance targets.
Drawbacks of cost cap
While cost cap can be advantageous, it also comes with some considerations:
Limited Bid Flexibility: Cost cap’s primary focus is on controlling costs within your specified CPA or CPI. This can limit your flexibility in adjusting bids for individual actions or audience segments, which could impact the reach and efficiency of your campaign.
Algorithm Dependency: To achieve optimal results within the set CPA or CPI, you rely heavily on Facebook’s algorithm. While generally effective, this reliance may require trust in the algorithm’s decision-making and may not suit all advertisers’ preferences.
Less Strict Bid Limits: If you require strict bid limits for various actions, Cost Cap may not provide the fine-tuned control you need. It’s primarily designed for managing overall CPA or CPI limits rather than precise bid adjustments.
So, a cost cap is useful for advertisers who want to stick to their budget while getting the most out of their ads. But it might not suit you if you need to control each bid very precisely.
Bid Cap or Cost Cap
The choice between bid caps and cost caps in Facebook advertising depends on your campaign goals and how you want to manage your ad spend. Let’s break down the differences between the two:
1. Bid Cap:
- Bid caps allow you to set a maximum limit on the bid amount you’re willing to pay for a specific action, such as clicks, impressions, or conversions.
- They provide more control over your bids, ensuring you don’t pay more than a predetermined amount for each action.
- Bid caps are beneficial when you want to manage your bid costs tightly and maintain a strict budget.
2. Cost Cap:
- Cost caps are a bid strategy in Facebook ads that allows you to set the maximum CPA you’re willing to pay for a purchase.
- Facebook’s algorithm works to maintain the average CPA at or below your specified cap while optimizing for conversions.
- Cost caps are particularly useful when you have a specific CPA target in mind and want to ensure that your average CPA remains at or below the set cap.
Which one to use depends on your campaign objectives:
Use bid cap when you want to control the cost of each individual action (e.g., cost per click or cost per conversion) and are less concerned about the overall campaign budget. This is ideal when you have specific performance targets for each action.
Use cost cap when you operate with a fixed budget and aim to maximize results within that budget. Cost caps are particularly useful for campaigns where you need flexibility in distributing your budget across different ad sets or campaigns while ensuring your average CPA remains within your budget constraints.
In short, choose between bid caps and cost caps based on your goals and budget. Both work when used right, and you can even use both in one campaign for specific goals.
Budget Optimization: Best Practices
However, if your campaigns are optimized following Facebook ad’s best practices, you have broad targeting, don’t have placement restrictions and you’re focused on the purchase event in the e-commerce business, it can be beneficial to let Facebook’s algorithm do its job. That means don’t use bid cap or cost cap.
Here’s why:
Algorithm Optimization: Facebook’s algorithm, especially with the purchase event optimization, is designed to find the most valuable customers who are likely to make purchases on your e-commerce website. It takes into account a wide range of signals and user behaviors to optimize ad delivery.
Machine Learning: The algorithm continuously learns from user interactions and adjusts ad delivery in real-time. This means it can adapt to changing market conditions and user behaviors more effectively than manual bidding.
Efficiency: Facebook’s algorithm aims to maximize the return on ad spend (ROAS) by allocating your budget to the audiences and placements that are most likely to drive purchases. It can help you achieve better results with less manual intervention.
Scale: With broad targeting, the algorithm can identify potential customers you might not have thought of targeting manually, leading to increased reach and potential conversions.
Monitor your metrics
But, even when using the algorithm for optimization, it’s essential to monitor your campaigns regularly and make adjustments as needed. Here are some tips:
Performance Tracking: Keep a close eye on your campaign performance metrics, such as ROAS, click-through rates, and conversion rates. If you notice any significant drops in performance, investigate and make necessary adjustments.
Audience Insights: Check Facebook’s Audience Insights tool to gain a better understanding of who is engaging with your ads and making purchases. This can help you refine your targeting over time.
Budget Management: While the algorithm is efficient, it’s still essential to set a daily or lifetime budget that aligns with your overall marketing goals and financial constraints.
Creative Testing: Continue to test different ad creatives and messaging to see what resonates best with your audience. The algorithm can optimize delivery, but creative elements also play a crucial role in ad performance.
In summary, allowing Facebook’s algorithm to optimize your e-commerce campaigns with broad targeting and a focus on the purchase event can be an effective strategy. Still, ongoing monitoring, performance analysis, and occasional adjustments are necessary to ensure you’re getting the best results.
Summing Up
When it comes to choosing between bid cap and cost cap, your decision should align with your campaign objectives and budget.
Facebook’s algorithm, particularly when focused on the purchase event, can be a powerful ally for e-commerce businesses looking to expand their reach and drive conversions efficiently.
However, it’s essential to strike a balance by monitoring campaign performance, analyzing audience insights, managing your budget wisely, and continually testing ad creatives.
