Why “Boosting” Facebook Posts is a Bad Idea
If you started a Facebook business page chances are the first action you found available was to “boost” your posts. This function was created by Facebook in 2012 because most people found the Business Page Dashboard way to confusing.† As an easy fix, they presented a Promote Post button which later evolved to Boost Post. It’s been a cash cow button for Facebook and a money-suck for small business. Here’s what to do instead.
Don’t click the button.
Determine The Objective For Your Facebook Ads
Facebook is an incredibly powerful marketing tool when used correctly. For instance, you can optimize your ads to perform based on specific objectives. If you want readers to visit your company webpage, you can optimize for Website Clicks. You can also optimize for Post Engagement, Video Viewing. This should be determined for every paid piece of content before you publish.
Specify Where Your Ad Will Display
As a general rule, I like to run Facebook ads specifically inside the center feed. Most people don’t even see ads in their sidebar anymore. This was proven earlier this year when Google, a company that generates more than 70% of its profit from AdWords, decided to end sidebar advertising.‡ If your ad is complex, run it only on desktop as opposed to mobile and tablet. This will give the targeted reader to have the best chance of seeing the entire ad on a larger screen. See example below.
Target Your Audience Thoughtfully
This is the value of Facebook. If you’re looking to target wealthy mothers in Nashville, who are likely to buy your running shoe, Facebook is the social network that can get you in front of that prospective audience. Take your time in determining who your most likely-customer is. Give them a name. And think about where they fit in your advertising targeting. But do this thoughtfully. You should ask yourself if you have their permission to market to them. Seth Godin, who coined the term, has written extensively about this.
If you can determine the right objective for your ad, where it’ll show within Facebook, and who it’ll be targeting (in a non-spammy matter), you will notice a much greater impact than simply “boosting” your post. This is the proper way to run a Facebook campaign.
Works Cited / Additional Notes
† Baltagalvis, Adomas. 2016. “Don’t Touch That Facebook Boost Post Button.” Agora Pulse. March 30. https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/boost-post-facebook-advertising
‡ McGee, Matt. 2016. “Confirmed: Google To Stop Showing Ads On Right Side Of Desktop Search Results Worldwide .” Search Engine Land. February 19. https://searchengineland.com/google-no-ads-right-side-of-desktop-search-results-242997
This post originally appeared on LinkedIn. Every Monday a more in-depth marketing related article with research backed studies.
