Don’t You Dare Hit That “Boost Post” Button

If you’ve been on the business side of Facebook, you know exactly what button I’m talking about. It’s that big blue beacon below your posts that claims to help your post reach more people. All you have to do is give Facebook a little extra money — but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

By hitting “Boost Post” you’re limiting many of Facebook’s advertising capabilities.

Here’s what happens when you click “Boost Post” on your company page.

1. Facebook automatically chooses the “Post Engagement” objective for your post. Normally, Facebook allows you to decide which objective correctly reflects the results you want to see from your ad and campaign.

2. Facebook will ALWAYS optimize for post engagement. If you decide to boost a post trying to get more website clicks you’re essentially telling Facebook you only care about getting likes, comments or reactions. This hurts your chances of reaching your original goal, which was more link clicks.

3. The option to use advanced detailed targeting is taken away. Detailed targeting gives you the ability to narrow down your audience and find people who are more likely to engage with your content. Without it, your boosted post is more likely to be shown to an irrelevant audience.

4. The ability to EXCLUDE page fans or custom audiences is also removed. This means your money may go towards people who are already fans of your page or are part of your customer list. Sometimes this is okay, but not having the option to choose who can see your “Boosted Post” is a disadvantage in the competitive Facebook advertising environment.

5. Placements are limited. Facebook usually gives you multiple choices when it comes to where you want your ads to be shown. With a “Boosted Post” your ads will only be shown on mobile news feed and desktop news feed. Want your post to show up on Instagram? Too bad.

So keep your hands off the “Boost Post” button and bring your advertising goals and business objectives to an expert so that they can customize a campaign for you. It may not be as quick or easy, but your results will be better and your money will be spent more effectively.

Optimize Social Media provides social media & reputation solutions that evolve with our clients. As social media experts we manage Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yelp, YouTube and Instagram accounts for our clients on a daily basis. We help the modern business owner implement a specialized social media strategy so that they can make more money in real life. Enjoy our blog.