Influencer Promoted Posts vs In-Newsfeed Ads on Facebook

As influencer-promoted posts continue to grow and work in tandem with in-newsfeed ads, Mediakix decided to see how these two types of ads work on Facebook and break down the few core advantages and disadvantage of both within the platform.

Influencer-Promoted Posts

A social media influencer creates an influencer ad from their personalized account. Like any other native post, it will appear on their timeline and be shared with their followers. It is important for the marketer to disclose the nature of the ad, i.e. sponsored, in partner with, etc., as this type of ad cannot be branded with a “sponsored” tag on the platform.

As the opinion of influencers has become highly respected and trusted by consmers, it is natural for brands to build relationships and campaigns with influencers.

A few core benefits of influencer marketing on Facebook are:

Authenticity: As the audience has willingly chosen to follow this personality, they are naturally interested in the content this person posts. So when a follower sees an ad for a brand or product on their feed, their user experience is not interrupted nor do they feel they’ve been targeted for an ad that is irrelevant to them.

Segmentation: Working with an influencer allows a brand to reach a highly targeted and niche market. This allows you to build your brand awareness and relationship with consumers as you build relationships with influencers.

Relationship building: As noted above with niche segmentation, working with influencers helps build relationships with them for future partnerships and also sends your brand messaging in a way that resonates with your target audience, building trust in your brand and products.

The biggest disadvantage of working with an influencer is:

Fake accounts and engagement: With the popularity of influencers and brand partnerships, many profiles are created with purchased followers and inflated with comments that do not belong to actual brands. It is important to carefully vet the personalities you want to work with and the engagement on their profiles.

In-Newsfeed Ads

In-newsfeed ads on Facebook are any form of ad or promotion common to the platform itself. This ad type will appear in a user’s newsfeed tagged “promoted” or “sponsored” to indicate that it’s a paid ad.

Just like influencer ads, in-newsfeed ads have the capability to be highly targeted and there are various ad type formats available. The biggest difference with influencer ads and in-newsfeed ads is that native ads are associated with having a direct impact on purchasing decisions.

Though there are pros and cons to both in-newsfeed and influencer ads, the best way to determine which ad type is best for your campaign is to focus on the campaign goals.

In-newsfeed ads, while allowing audience targeting, have a larger reach as they are promoted throughout the platform based on searches previously done by the consumer. This results in a higher recall rate for a specific product or brand, increasing the likelihood of product purchase.

Influencer promoted posts are consumed in newsfeeds in an organic manner, as they are promoted within the influencer’s own page. This form of advertising entices potential audiences as they respect and follow the influencer, naturally leading the targeted audience to follow a brand or product.

In short, if your goal is to drive purchase decisions or download information, native ads will perform better. If you want to build relationships and awareness that create product or brand buzz, influencer ads will have a greater impact.

If you’re further interested in learning more about the difference about in-newsfeed and influencer promoted posts within the Facebook platform or other social channels, please reach out at hello@patientsandpurpose.com or visit our website and we can help you find the best mix for your next campaign.

To read more on the benefits and hurdles of influencer or native ads on Facebook, click here.