Table 1.
Facebook ad campaign inputs and results
| Schedule | Ad set name | Ad IDb/Variants | Budgetc | Reach (frequency)d | Ad objective (results)e | User comments on Facebook ads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–11 | Page like ads | Variable images | $4,125 (∼$375/week) | 142,571 (2.2) | Page likes (9,009) | 0 |
| Week 3 | Newborn screening video | $1,500 | 134,521 (1.66) | Video views (85,283) | 0 | |
| Week 4 | Web click ads (CPC bid)a | Ad a (variable images) | $2,250 | 342,516 (1.18) | Website clicks (9,563) | 99 |
| Week 5 | Map ad | Ad b | $375 | 121,966 (1.07) | Page post engagements (12,108) | 374 |
| Week 5 | Birthplace photo albums | “Where were you spotted?” Photo album (Ad c) | $125 | 30,798 (1.10) | Page post engagements (1,266) | 152 |
| “Where were your kids spotted?” Photo album (Ad c) | $250 | 57,249 (1.07) | Page post engagements (4,992) | 29 | ||
| Week 6 | Poster photo albums | “Today I learned” (Ad d) I hope” and “I’ll share” album variants (not shown) | $750 | 174,744 (1.18) | Page post engagements (16,413) | 37 |
| Weeks 7–8 | Biobank video | Biobank video (Ad e) | $2,250 (∼1,125/week) | 305,910 (1.54) | Video views (146,212) | 11 |
| Weeks 9–11 | Web click ad (CPM bid)a | Ad a | $3,375 (∼$1,125/week) | 1.2 m (4.52) | Web clicks (6,953) | 1 |
| Totals | $15,000 | 1.8 m | 703f |
aAll ad sets were set to incur costs based on clicks (CPC) except for the one noted, which incurred cost per 1000 views (CPM)
bAds a–e are shown in Fig. 1; these ran during a peak discussion period of weeks 4–8. During this time period, ads reached 788,362 Facebook users with a frequency of 1.66, for a total cost of $6000
cFigures are rounded to the nearest dollar
d“Reach” is the number of viewers who saw ads, and “frequency” is the average number of times a viewer saw an ad
e“Ad objectives” determine the function and format of an ad, and “results” measure the number of times an ad met the objectives, i.e., page likes, video views (3 s or more), web clicks, and page post engagements, which include shares, comments, and photo views
fThis total excludes user posts on the Facebook wall (21) and moderator comments (81)