How should you approach country targeting?

I don’t recommend a one-size-fits-all approach to this. There are several factors to consider, but you have options.

Split Up Countries By Ad Set

First, it depends on your budget. If you can get enough volume by separating countries by ad set, it can be beneficial. Allow the algorithm to be hyper focused on each country separately.

If you do split those countries up, it may make sense to use Advantage Campaign Budget. That way, your budget is distributed optimally between ad sets to get you the most results.

The concept is similar to combining countries in the same ad set to a point, but this makes it more likely that each country will get individual attention.

Combine Countries

If you’re not able to generate the volume you need to get optimal results by splitting them up, it’s perfectly fine to combine them. Especially if CPM costs and messaging are consistent between them. I regularly group the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.

At this point, you don’t care how much is spent in each country. You just want the algorithm to find you the most conversions possible, regardless of where they come from.

The CPM costs are especially important if you’re optimizing for top of funnel actions. If you combine countries with imbalanced CPMs, your budget is likely to be spent in the cheapest countries.

Worldwide Targeting?

Now, there’s an argument to consider worldwide targeting when optimizing for purchases.

It sounds crazy, but it makes sense that it can work in unique situations. Only for purchases, though. The algorithm should be focused on getting you the most purchases within your budget.

I’ve seen that this does a surprisingly good job, but it’s not perfect. While it will spend a big chunk of money in the US, UK, and other pricier countries, it can also waste more money than it should on cheaper countries (without getting the results).

How do you approach country targeting?