What this is
Campaigns targeting the UK can be more sensitive to delivery settings and targeting strategy due to differences in available inventory and competition.
While these factors can impact campaigns in any region, they may be more noticeable in the UK. This article outlines common factors that can affect campaign performance and provides guidance based on observed campaign behavior.
When to use this
Use this guidance if your campaign targeting the UK is experiencing:
Low impressions or reach
Low engagement
Limited delivery despite being active
These symptoms typically indicate that the campaign is not entering enough auctions or is not winning placements consistently.
Key factors that impact performance
These factors often work together and can compound their impact on delivery and performance.
Frequency cap
The frequency cap controls how often an individual contact can see your ads within a given time period.
Setting a low frequency cap can limit how often ads are shown, reducing delivery and participation in auctions. This can also reduce the number of opportunities for your campaign to enter auctions.
In some cases, restrictive frequency caps have been observed to significantly reduce the number of winning bids.
Bid price
Campaigns rely on bidding to win ad placements.
If the bid price is too low, the campaign may lose auctions more frequently, resulting in fewer impressions and reduced delivery. In more competitive environments, lower bids may prevent your campaign from consistently winning placements.
Increasing the bid can improve the likelihood of winning placements and expand overall reach.
Creative coverage
The number and variety of creatives used in a campaign affects how widely ads can be delivered.
Using a limited set of creative sizes can restrict access to available inventory, as different placements support different formats. This reduces the number of opportunities where your ads can be served.
Expanding the number of creatives and supported sizes can increase available inventory and improve delivery.
Audience inventory
Available inventory may vary by region.
In the UK, differences in available inventory may make campaign performance more sensitive to configuration settings. Expanding available inventory increases the number of placements where your ads may be eligible to appear, which can improve impressions and engagement.
Targeting strategy
In the UK, relying on a single targeting approach may limit available reach.
Using a combination of targeting strategies (such as contact-based, account-based, and contextual campaigns) can help expand coverage and increase the number of opportunities for your campaign to reach your audience.
Recommendations
In the UK, improving performance is often driven by increasing auction participation and expanding delivery opportunities.
To improve results:
Increase bid price to improve auction competitiveness
Expand creative coverage (sizes and formats) to access more inventory
Increase frequency cap to allow for more consistent ad delivery
Consider expanding available audience inventory where possible
Use a combination of targeting strategies to maximize reach
Start by adjusting one or more of these factors and monitor performance over time.
Important notes
Campaign performance is often influenced by configuration and targeting strategy, especially in more competitive or limited inventory environments
Adjusting delivery settings can significantly improve results
Improvements may not be immediate, as performance can take time to adjust after changes are made
Performance may vary depending on campaign setup, audience, and channel