Whether you are new to using Facebook for your business, or your business has had a page for years, the advertising opportunities on the platform can be confusing. One thing that a lot of business owners struggle with is understanding the difference between a Facebook ad and a boost. While Facebook explains the difference in their help pages, we wanted to go into it a little more. We will also provide you with actionable tips and examples so that you can start using Facebook more effectively today.
What is the difference between a Facebook ad vs. a boost?
A boost is when you take a post and pay to have it promoted to a larger audience. You can boost a post as a way to get around the fact that the algorithm shows your posts to just 1% of your audience on average. You can also boost it to a new audience using simple targeting tools. The main goal of a boosted post is to increase engagement.
A Facebook ad is more advanced. You have more targeting options that you can use to narrow your audience. You also have the option to select different “call to action” buttons. A Facebook ad is best if you have specific goals in mind, such as getting people to contact you, or sending them to your website.
Is it better to boost a post or create an ad on Facebook?
It really depends on your goals. If you are a new brand without a large audience yet, boosting posts can be a way to get new followers. However, it is easy to waste a lot of money if you take this route because without an audience you don’t know what will resonate, or even who to target.
If you have a set campaign with pre-determined goals, a Facebook ad is going to be the better option. This is because Facebook ads have better tracking and analytics capabilities. Also, the formatting options you have available to you in Facebook ads are more robust.
The best strategy is to plan to use both. Boost posts to increase engagement and grow your audience, and create ads to convert.
What about boosting posts through the ad manager?
This feature is confusing for a lot of people. You can boost a post directly from your Facebook page, or you can boost it from the ad manager. The biggest difference here is that boosting a post through the ad manager will allow you to have greater control over the audience.
Example of how to use Facebook boost and ads effectively
Let’s say you are getting ready to launch a new product or service. You have a Facebook page with a decent-sized audience, and you want to drum up some excitement for the launch. So you post about the launch on your Facebook page and your fans respond with all the love. Because they love you, right? Then, after a day or so, you boost that post. You won’t have the same level of targeting as you would for an ad, but if the post already has tons of engagement, it will reach a wider audience than a boosted post without engagement.
Ok, now that you have spread the word through your page, it’s time to create an ad. This is when you go into the ad manager and create a beautiful ad with a perfectly customized audience that gets people to buy your product. Don’t you wish it was that easy?
The ability to target an ad on Facebook is unparalleled. Yet most business owners are not using the platform effectively. It can be a challenge to utilize all the tools Facebook has, especially when they keep changing. Hopefully, this article has provided you with some insight on tools you can use more effectively.
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