Cost per Impression Calculator
To successfully gain revenue on one’s website or web content, one must run visual ads if their content does not preside behind a paywall. To account for ads and the revenue it will garner, it is imperative to assess the impressions of the content.
Every 1000 views create a good enough level of exposure and visibility for the content to generate revenue. CPI or Cost per Impression calculator is the most common form of visual digital advertising similar to billboards on the highway. Before pay per click became popular, CPI or CPM (which is the cost per mile, meaning 1 thousand in Latin) would have been the most common promotional technique.
What is Cost per Impression or CPI?
Simply put, CPI or Cost per Impression is the capacity an ad holds to create impressions and raise awareness. Even ads that can be skipped create impressions once viewed for at least 3 seconds. One may use a CPI calculator to evaluate the capacity their content carries for cost-effectiveness.
The average cost per impression rates technique is commonly used by brands who want to bulk market or advertise as it makes them aware of the cost of running advertisements. By knowing exactly how much one needs to put into the campaign, they can maximize the effectiveness of the ads per 1000 impressions.
The Cost per impression tool is a strategy for advertising online and is similar to traditional media advertising mediums such as television, print media, or radio, which generally sells advertising based on probable viewership or readership. Cost per Impression Calculator provides a comparable measure to contrast internet advertising with other traditional media.
The average cost per impression rates for Google (in the year 2018) was $2.80 Cost per Mille and $0.75 Cost per Click. The average click-through rate was 0.35 percent for websites such as Gmail, Google, YouTube, etc.
Each platform offers different CPIs. Facebook’s average CPI is $9.06, Twitter is at $5.76, LinkedIn is at $6.05 and Instagram is at $6.70, Twitter being the lowest of them all. Facebook’s Cost per Click is at $0.51, Twitter is at $0.53, Instagram is at $1.28 and LinkedIn is at $5.61, by far the most expensive one.
How to use a Cost per Impression or CPI calculator?
A Cost per Impression calculator easily assesses the prospective revenue one may garner from their ad. To get the cost per Impression, one must divide the total amount spent on their CPI campaign by the number of impressions.
The cost per impression calculator helps in understanding the cost-effectiveness and profitability of the online ad. It not only helps in improving the exposure of the brand but also helps in getting a detailed overview of the impressions on each running ad.
The formula for calculating the cost per impression ads on Facebook is as follows:
CPM = amount spent on ad ÷ impressions × 1000
So, for instance, one spends $50 on an ad and their reach or impressions are 10000, then the cost per impression is $5.
Calculating Google ads cost per impression for Gmail marketing campaigns is slightly different from Facebook ad campaigns. The costs are marked at 1000 readers on one’s email list. So, for example, if one were to run an ad for $250 for 10000 subscribers, then the cost per impression would be $25, but using the same campaign for 100000 subscribers would make the cost per impression fall to a mere $2.50.
Usually, it is observed that those who advertise tend to keep their email advertising campaigns CPM or CPI at about $30. To spend $30 to receive 1000 impressions, one must have an appropriate list of subscribers who would be interested in their ad to get good open rates and click rates.
Some email campaigns are sent out on rented lists which tend to have a more general audience, but unfortunately, these campaigns do not yield a lot of return as they might not fit the niche. They tend to have a lower open rate and target cost per mile. So, the usage of rented lists tends to be a more expensive option rather than using lists of one’s own with a guaranteed niche audience.
Subscribers are more likely to click on cost per impression ads from sources that they trust as is human nature. Thus, rented lists do not yield the same return that a curated reader list would with people interested in the said advertisements.
Why must one calculate their Cost per Impression?
There are a few advantages for calculating the average cost per impression rates on a running ad that helps a campaign. Firstly, it analyses and measures the effectiveness of the campaign.
One may truly understand if the amount they have spent on the ad ultimately adds value or reduces value, and how they can improve upon it. One may also know how much they spend on every 1000 impressions. Finally, a great factor is that it maximizes the output of one’s marketing budget by optimizing the placement of the ad.
Drawbacks of using Cost per Impression
Using the Cost per Impression calculator is a good option for one’s website as it may show a better click-through rate for a relatively lower cost. Unfortunately, this may not always be the case as fraudulent websites may view these ads too. Upon doing this, the impressions increase but it is a high possibility that it never garnered organic reach, as in, it did not ever meet human eyes.
One of the gravest drawbacks of using this tool is just this. Even though the impressions increase, it is ultimately a waste of capital as it does not reach anybody and human beings are not viewing the ads, who are the obvious target audience and not bots.
Another solution to this problem is using a combination of cost per Impression ads and cost per click ads or CPC, where revenue may be garnered from each click on the ad. This extra interactive step may add more organic value and yield a return on the initial ad investment.
On some occasions, the cost per click might be better than the cost per Impression and vice versa, and not a combination of both. It ultimately depends on the ad objective and target audience. To expand brand awareness, a combination of both may provide the best results.
In conclusion, the cost per impression calculator is important for any digital marketing venture as it helps determine a lot of probable circumstances that help advertisers effectively channel their funds towards ads. The knowledge of one’s cost per impression helps greatly in finding ways to lower the average bid thus maximizing the effectiveness of the ad.
It is not only a tried and tested method but directly is comparable to traditional media advertising techniques used in mediums such as radio, television, and billboards. Filtering out of bots remains the main focus in maximizing the effectiveness of the ad so it reaches as many organic potential clients as possible. As is in any marketing technique, it may not be perfect, but it is highly effective.
