How to generate brand awareness using Meta ads

For businesses looking to increase their visibility and recognition, understanding how to measure brand awareness on Meta ads is crucial – as it remains the dominant platform for reaching the masses across Facebook and Instagram. But, just because someone has seen your ads (technically) on their screen, doesn’t mean the ads have generated valuable awareness. You’ll know this if you’ve ever spent budget on brand awareness just to see absolutely no longterm impact on your traffic, conversions or whatever other KPIs you’re monitoring. So, how do you know if your brand awareness is actually making and impact, and what metrics are important to measure to assess this in digital marketing? That’s what we’ll explain here! 😄

Key metrics to measure for brand awareness

Reach and Impressions

These metrics are often confused for one another and not often understood to be very different! Reach is the total number of accounts that have been shown your ad, while impressions are the number of times your ads have been shown. Because of this difference in definition, you’ll notice that your impression count will always be the same or higher than your reach count.

Frequency

Frequency is, on average, how many times a single user will see your ad within your set timeframe. So, for example, if you have a frequency of 3 and your date-range is set to 7 days, that means that on average your users will have seen your ad 3x within 7 days. In fact, ad frequency is a measurement calculated using reach and impressions! To calculate frequency, you simply divide the number of impressions by the reach. So if you have a reach of 2 and 4 impressions, you’ll have a frequency of 2.

If you would like to learn more about frequency and best practises, you can read more about it here.

Estimated ad recall lift

Ad Recall measures how well an ad has made an impression on the viewer. It indicates whether the user can remember the brand, product, or message associated with the ad. Essentially, it’s a measure of the ad’s memorability and effectiveness in capturing the audience’s attention.

Meta states that, traditionally, this metric was measured using ad recall lift surveys hosted on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram).

meta ads ad recall lift survey — *Source: meta.com*

Meta also lists the following methods of tracking this metric: Behaviour. We measure more than a thousand signals including the existing relationship that someone has with your Page, their likelihood of interacting with the ad and demographic characteristics.

Behaviour. We measure more than a thousand signals including the existing relationship that someone has with your Page, their likelihood of interacting with the ad and demographic characteristics.

Polling. We are constantly calibrating our predictions by running thousands of polls on a random sample of campaigns each day that ask people if they recall an ad.

We use machine learning to project the results of a full ad recall survey from our data for this approximate metric.

Estimated ad recall lift (people) is defined as the incremental number of people that would answer “Yes” to “Do you recall seeing an ad from [brand] in the last few days?” The incremental number is calculated by asking both an exposed group (who have seen the ad) and a control group (who haven’t seen the ad) the same question and then calculating the difference between the two groups.

Estimated ad recall lift (people) is labelled as an ‘estimated’ and ‘in development’ metric. This means that we are continuously improving our calculation methodology and, as a result, we recommend that you should only compare this metric across campaigns running simultaneously.

Engagement on-ads

Likes, comments, shares etc.

If people are commenting, liking and sharing. your ads, then it’s likely they’re resonating with the ad itself.

Hookrate/thumbstop rate

Hook rate isn’t a standard metric in Meta ads, but one that you can program in to give you depth of insights into how eye-catching your ads are for users.

You can read more about how to improve your hook rate here!

Getting your setup right for maximising brand awareness

Now that we understand the key metrics to measure brand awareness, let’s dive into how to optimise your Meta ad campaigns to truly achieve the desired impact:

Campaign objective:

First things first – choose the right campaign objective! When aiming for brand awareness, you’ll want to select “Brand Awareness” as your primary objective. This ensures your ads are shown to people most likely to recall your brand later, maximising reach and impressions. Do not chose “Reach” if you want people to actually remember your ads.

Creative optimisation:

Eye-catching visuals: Humans are visual creatures. Utilise high-quality images, videos, or carousels that captivate attention within the first few seconds. Remember, you’re competing for space in a crowded feed, so make your ad stand out! Tracking your hook-rate alongside your recall percentage and comparing across ads can help you understand which of your ads are most eye-catching and impactful overall.
Compelling copy: Craft concise, engaging text that complements your visuals. Clearly communicate your brand message and value proposition. Remember, don’t talk in jargon your audience won’t understand. Speak in their language.

Targeting:

Demographics: Tailor your audience targeting based on your ideal customer profile. Age, location, interests, and behaviours are all important factors to consider. Brand awareness is one of the only areas we don’t recommend going too broad with your targeting.
Lookalike audiences: Leverage Meta’s Lookalike Audiences feature to reach new users similar to your existing customers or website visitors. This helps to target people with a higher potential for brand recognition and resonance.

Budget & optimisation:

Campaign budget: Consider your goals and budget when setting campaign spending. Aim for a balance that allows consistent ad delivery while maximising reach.
Delivery optimisation: Choose the delivery optimisation option that best aligns with your campaign goals. For brand awareness, prioritise “Reach” to ensure your ads are seen by the maximum number of people.

A/B testing:

Creatives & targeting: Don’t settle for just one ad! Experiment with different creatives and targeting options through A/B testing. This allows you to identify the variations that resonate best with your audience, ultimately leading to higher brand awareness.
Frequency capping: Utilise frequency capping to control how often a single user sees your ad within a specific timeframe. This helps to prevent ad fatigue and maintain a positive user experience.

Patience is key:

Don’t stop too soon: Brand awareness is a long-term builder. It can take up to 6 months before it starts to have noticable impact. So, plan your budget over at least 6 months to a year if you’re planning a brand awareness boost.

Remember, building brand awareness takes time and consistency. By understanding the key metrics and implementing the optimisation strategies mentioned above, you can leverage Meta Ads to effectively reach your target audience and increase brand recognition for long-term success. Happy advertising!

Meghan Semple

Digital 24's Performance Marketing Director with expertise in paid advertising, SEO, ad design, email marketing and analytics