Boosted Posts vs Facebook Ads: How am I supposed to choose?
We get asked quite often whether people should be boosting their previously made posts or coming up with a completely new, brand spanking Ad to serve out to their respective targets. Whilst it isn’t as simple as saying one is better than the other, in this article we hope we can shed some light on when and where you should be using each.
What is a boosted post and when should I use them?
Boosted posts act similar to Ads, in that you can put them in front of potential customers without those customers being connected to your Facebook page.
Thanks to the handy (and free) feature on Facebook pages, you can actually see how your post has performed with your Facebook followers without spending a cent. You can find these results underneath your organic posts on your page; they should look something like this:
*There are more advanced analytics in Power Editor and Ads Manager; however, if you’re new, it’s easier to just stick to what’s on the Facebook website for a while.
Facebook will explain to you how many people have been reached (views on the posts), and the engagement rates (people who have responded, liked, or click on your posts). Based on this information, you can figure out how likely it is that this post will be successful to a wider audience. If the reach to engagement percentage is high (15–30% is pretty good), then this is a post you should probably boost.
Boosting posts also allows the advertiser to include more words into the copy and the picture size and video doesn’t necessarily have to be altered as it would in Ads.
What’s a Facebook Ad and when should I use it?
Facebook Ads are much more customizable and include a heap of features that you can’t include on boosted posts. To begin with, when creating an ad, you are actually able to let Facebook know ahead of time what the Ad is trying to do. You may have seen the following screen before:
Clicking on one of these options will help Facebook put the Ad in front of people who are more likely to engage with that aspect of your post.
There are then options regarding the type of Ad you would like to run. These include; single image, single video, slideshow or carousel. Depending on which option you choose, engagement rates could increase. i.e. it is well documented that people are more likely to engage with a video than an image.
Facebook Ads also provides you with customised placement options. You can choose whether to run the Ads solely on Facebook, Instagram as well as the Audience Network (websites and blogs which are affiliated with Facebook).
As for the Ad itself, you can put more oomph into the post with Headlines, descriptions, destination URL’s and call-to-action buttons.
So what does all this mean?
It means that how you’re choosing to advertise needs to be considered on a case by case basis. If you’re a dynamo with your organic posts and getting a ton of engagement, it’s possible that a boosted post is more likely to help. Try creating a lookalike audience to find people just like the ones you’ve already attracted and your posts should fly!
If you’re offering deals for new customers, an Ad could be more beneficial. Sending them out to highly specific audiences, on or off Facebook should put a massive boost into your sales drive.
Hopefully this has helped you learn a little bit more about the benefits of boosted posts and creative Ads. If you have any more questions, or would like to bend our ear about your business marketing, you can contact us at oakavenuemarketing@gmail.com.
We also provide a FREE Skype/Facetime consultation. Please see our website for more information.
