How to Create and Use Custom Metrics in Facebook Ads Manager

Facebook offers dozens of metrics to measure performance within Ads Manager. But, what if those metrics aren’t good enough? Facebook now allows you to add columns for your custom metrics in Ads Manager.

Until now, this was a feature in Ads Reporting, but that’s a section that many advertisers neglect. It made little sense, really, why this feature wasn’t already available in Ads Manager, but that’s luckily been corrected.

Let’s walk through where you’ll find custom metrics in Ads Manager, how to create them, and how you might use them.

Locate Custom Metrics

Within your Ads Manager, click the “Columns” drop-down and select “Customize Columns.”

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

To the right of the search box, click the link that reads “Create Custom Metric.”

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

Create a Custom Metric

You will now have a pop-over dialog that looks like this…

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

First, you’ll need to name your metric. Name it whatever you want, but make it descriptive so that you’ll know what it is later. You have up to 100 characters.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

Your custom metric can be numeric, a percentage, or currency. Select one (it’s numeric by default).

You have the option of adding a description of your metric, using up to 350 characters.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

Now you can construct your custom metric with a formula. Consider it like a simple math equation or a formula that you may construct in a spreadsheet. You can use existing metrics within this formula (once you start typing, it will search for an existing metric).

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

If you aren’t sure what existing metrics to use in your formula, you can browse metrics by category on the right.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

Next, you can determine who has access to this metric — either only you or “everyone in this business” (as set in Business Manager). If everyone, others won’t be able to edit or delete the metric. It will only be accessible to you by default.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

When you’re done, click “Create Metric” at the bottom.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

Access Your Custom Metrics

Now, you’ll see your custom metric within the list of metrics you can use when customizing columns (if you don’t see it immediately, close and refresh, then try again).

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

When you hover over that metric, you’ll see details like the formula, description, and who created it. You can click to edit your metric. When you do, you’ll also have the option of deleting it at the bottom.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

You can now add this metric as a column to your report by clicking on the box next to it, like you would any other metric.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

And, here it is in a new column…

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

Custom Metrics in Ads Reporting

Earlier I mentioned that custom metrics were previously available within the Ads Reporting tool. Note that any new metrics that you create in Ads Manager will also be found within Ads Reporting.

Facebook Ads Manager Custom Metrics

It works both ways. Whatever metrics you create in Ads Reporting will also be available in Ads Manager.

Custom Metric Usage Ideas

How you use custom metrics is really up to you. Do you find yourself manually calculating metrics that are important to you, but Facebook doesn’t provide? Do you export your results and use formulas to calculate information that isn’t available in the base report?

If so, custom metrics could be hugely valuable to you.

Your Turn

Will you be using custom metrics in Ads Manager? What metrics will you create?

Let me know in the comments below!