In March 2023, technology was the industry with the cost-per-mille (CPM) for Facebook ads worldwide, at 9.98 U.S. dollars. The lowest CPM was recorded for manufacturing products and services, at 2.4 dollars.

The cost-per-mille of advertising on social media was **** U.S. dollars in the fourth quarter of 2024. In other words, advertisers had to pay this much to have their ads viewed by a thousand potential customers. Social media CPM is usually higher in the final quarters of each year. The surge in costs is prompted by increased demand for advertising space during pre-Christmas time, as brands compete for a share of the typically high consumer spending. Is social media advertising profitable? According to recent calculations, social media impression numbers have improved year-on-year by close to ** percent, which means that more and more advertising is viewed by social network users. However, this is mainly true for more passive types of ads such as video or stories. When it comes to traditional forms of advertising on social media the situation is reversed – clicks and clickthrough rates are decreasing. It might be because of this ever-changing environment that global marketers are divided on whether or not they are able to measure social media marketing ROI.

Among the countries/territories presented in the dataset, Facebook’s highest advertising cost-per-mille (CPM) was in the United States, valued at 35 U.S. dollars in the third quarter of 2021. For comparison, the lowest CPM, one U.S. dollar, was recorded in Pakistan.
What are other Facebook advertising costs and metrics?
Cost-per-click (CPC) is another popular metric when it comes to advertising on the social platform. Globally, the average CPC on Facebook stood at 63 cents at the end of 2018 . Certain studies reveal that CPCs vary depending on the marketing campaign objective. This means that campaigns aiming at app installs, lead generation and product catalog sales are the most expensive, whereas campaigns targeting post engagement, messages and video views are on the opposite side of the spectrum. How does Facebook compare with other social media among marketers?
The majority of marketers indicate that Facebook is the most important social platform for their business, with a staggering 40 percent lead over LinkedIn and even Facebook’s own platform - Instagram. However, with recent data breaches Facebook has seen some decrease in growth. Its position is still strong enough that marketers increase their spending on the social network. However, Instagram seems to be overtaking the older brother, and more industry professionals are planning to increase investments in the photo sharing platform than in Facebook.

According to the source's analysis based on more than 26 thousand advertising accounts and more than 211 thousand ad campaigns worldwide in January and February 2024, the cost-per-mille (CPM) rate was highest in the United Kingdom - at 5.98 U.S. dollars. Germany followed with a CPC rate of 5.33 dollars, while the United States rounded the top three with 4.29 dollars in CPC.

In the first half of the financial year 2024, the cost per mille incurred by advertisers on gaming platforms was the highest across all sectors, with the beauty and personal care sector paying a CPM of 430 Indian rupees. Meanwhile, the cost of advertising on over-the-top platforms and short-form video (SFV) platforms was comparable. The e-commerce sector spent 320 Indian rupees on SFV platforms surpassing the CPM of OTT platforms during that period.

Cost per mille or cost per thousand refers to the cost paid for 1,000 views or impressions by an advertiser.

Between May 9 and July 14, 2024, cost-per-mille (CPM) on Facebook and Instagram in the United Kingdom (UK) oscilated between 4.35 U.S. dollars and 9.82 U.S. dollars. UK to emerge as third largest market As of 2022, the UK was the third largest market globally - behind the United States and China - for social media advertising. By the end of 2023, the industry is expected to generate approximately 14 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, the United Kingdom and Germany were two European markets to be featured in the top five within the industry globally. Mobile advertising takes the lead Annual revenue growth has also been forecast for the industry until 2027. The average revenue generated per internet user for social media ads in the UK was recorded at nearly 223 U.S. dollars in 2022. By 2027, this is expected to reach approximately 265 U.S. dollars. Most of this will be generated through mobile advertising, which is forecast to make up a significantly larger share of advertising each year over desktop.

Global Internet Advertising Market size valued at US$ 556.16 Billion in 2023, set to US$ 1445.91 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of about 11.2% from 2024-2032.

The size and share of this market is categorized based on Campaign Management (Automated Campaign Management, Manual Campaign Management, Bid Management, Ad Creation Tools, Performance Tracking) and Analytics and Reporting (Real-time Analytics, Custom Reporting, Conversion Tracking, Attribution Modeling, ROI Analysis) and Ad Optimization (Keyword Optimization, Ad Copy Testing, Landing Page Optimization, Audience Targeting, A/B Testing) and Integration (CRM Integration, Social Media Integration, E-commerce Platform Integration, API Access, Third-party Tool Integration) and Pricing Models (Cost Per Click (CPC), Cost Per Impression (CPM), Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Flat Rate Pricing, Dynamic Pricing) and geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle-East and Africa).

In March 2023, apparel and footwear was the industry with the highest click-through rate (CTR) for Facebook ads worldwide, at 2.06 percent. The lowest CTR was recorded for technology products and services, at 0.93 percent.

How is ad success measured?

Click-through rate - the number of times an ad clicked divided by the number of total views - is a commonly used measure to gauge the effectiveness of an online advertisement. In the second quarter of 2023, CTR for social networks stood at 1.36 percent. This marked an increase of 13 percent compared to the previous quarter. Cost-per-mille (CPM) - the price of each 1,000 views of ads on one web page - is another noteworthy metric to examine the success of an advertisement. In the second quarter of 2023, global social media ads' CPM was 5.33 U.S. dollars.

The most click-worthy industry: apparel

The most valuable brand from the industry with the highest CTR in 2023 was Oregon-based giant Nike, which had a brand value of roughly 75 billion dollars. Apparel companies have spent heavily on advertising not only to build immense brand awareness and value, but also to cater brand loyalty. For instance, U.S. apparel and accessory stores ad spend amounted to 531 million dollars in 2022. In the same year, the average consumer spend just for female apparel in the United States was around 730 dollars. As long as consumers keep clicking on ads for clothing and footwear items, the apparel industry’s ad spend can be expected to grow proportionately.

The global Search Engine Marketing (SEM) solutions market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the increasing reliance on digital marketing strategies across various industries. The market's expansion is fueled by several factors, including the rising adoption of mobile devices, escalating e-commerce activities, and the growing sophistication of SEM technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for better targeting and campaign optimization. The market is segmented by pricing models (CPT, CPA, CPC, CPM), device type (desktop, mobile, tablet), and geographic regions. While precise market sizing requires proprietary data, a reasonable estimate based on industry reports suggests a 2025 market value of approximately $150 billion, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12% between 2025 and 2033. This growth reflects a surge in demand for comprehensive SEM solutions, from basic keyword research and campaign management tools to sophisticated platforms offering advanced analytics and automation capabilities. The competitive landscape is dynamic, with established players like Google and Bing alongside a diverse range of specialized SEM software providers. The market's future trajectory is further influenced by emerging trends such as the increasing use of voice search, the growing adoption of programmatic advertising within SEM strategies, and a focus on enhancing user privacy through increased transparency and responsible data usage. While challenges such as ad fraud and the evolving regulatory environment pose potential restraints, the overall outlook remains positive, driven by the inherent value SEM provides in connecting businesses with their target audiences. The regional distribution mirrors global digital adoption rates, with North America and Europe currently dominating the market, though Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth in the coming years fueled by expanding internet penetration and digital literacy. The competitive landscape will likely see continued consolidation and innovation as companies strive to offer increasingly sophisticated and integrated SEM solutions.

The size and share of this market is categorized based on Advertising Model (Cost Per Click (CPC), Cost Per Impression (CPM), Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Cost Per Action (CPA), Revenue Sharing) and Retailer Type (E-commerce Platforms, Brick-and-Mortar Stores, Omnichannel Retailers, Grocery Chains, Discount Retailers) and Product Category (Consumer Electronics, Fashion and Apparel, Groceries, Home and Garden, Health and Beauty) and geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle-East and Africa).

The size and share of this market is categorized based on Performance Marketing (Cost Per Action (CPA), Cost Per Click (CPC), Cost Per Impression (CPM), Cost Per Lead (CPL), Cost Per Sale (CPS)) and Affiliate Types (Pay-per-click (PPC) Affiliates, Pay-per-lead (PPL) Affiliates, Pay-per-sale (PPS) Affiliates, Influencer Affiliates, Content Affiliates) and Affiliate Programs (In-house Affiliate Programs, Affiliate Networks, Multi-tier Affiliate Programs, Referral Programs, Coupon and Deal Sites) and geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle-East and Africa).

In December 2024, the average monthly cost-per-click (CPC) in Google Ads search advertising in the United Kingdom stood at 1.17 U.S. dollars and was the highest among the 38 countries presented in the data set. Among countries from Central and Eastern Europe, Montenegro recorded the highest CPC with 52 U.S. cents.