"Boosted posts" vs. Facebook ads
It's been a few years since organic content was sufficient to reach users who had liked your Facebook page. Just like you, Facebook is also interested in making money, and in most cases it has become necessary to throw money at your posts if you want to ensure that your followers and other users see them. Facebook offers two paid tools to help you reach beyond your current following: Boost and advertising. But what's the difference between the two tools? We take a closer look in this blog post.
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What is a "boosted post"?
Boost is a feature that spends money to promote an existing post on your timeline. If you're new to Facebook marketing methods, the boost feature is a good place to start as it's by far the easiest tool to use. It has far fewer customization features and can be initiated without the use of an ad manager, which you need to create a Facebook ad - but we'll come back to that later.
The only thing you need to decide is:
- The desired target audience.
- The maximum budget for the entire campaign.
- What period your ad should run.
The function aims to increase the visibility and engagement of the individual post and thus create brand awareness. When you boost a post from your page, it will appear as an ad in your followers' and potential followers' newsfeed. Facebook will automatically try to present it to users who may be interested in liking, commenting and sharing your post.
The Boost feature is useful when your primary goal is to increase visibility and engagement on a post. For example, it could be on an important update, news or special campaign that your company is launching. If your post is relevant, you may be lucky enough to convert your followers into customers - but conversions are not the primary purpose of boosting.
Increasing brand awareness and engagement on your Facebook page sounds like a great return on investment. It might even be tempting to boost every post from your timeline - but we don't recommend it. Facebook marketing is about striking a fine balance between encouraging engagement and being visible without saturating your followers' newsfeed and making them tired of you.
What is a Facebook ad?
Facebook ads are in many ways the better alternative to the boost function. This tool is far more powerful and specific, and in most cases, a Facebook ad will outperform a boosted post.
Facebook ads are created in Facebook Ads Manager, which you can find via Facebook Business Manager, where you have the opportunity to customize your ads based on different goals. For example, you may want to increase traffic on your website, generate more sales in your webshop or get more people to sign up for your newsletter. If you are interested in learning more about Facebook Business Manager and how to create an ad or campaign here, you can read our guide to Facebook Business Manager.
The difference between boosted posts and Facebook ads
Since there is a difference between boosting a post and creating an ad, it's a good idea to set some specific goals for your advertising before you start. Some objectives can be met by using the boost feature, while others require the creation of an ad.
Despite the boost feature being easy to use, it's not always the most relevant. Boosting is primarily relevant when you are looking to create visibility and engagement among users. If you are looking to drive conversions, you should use Facebook advertising.
The differences between ads and boosting a post include
Ad placements
When you boost a post, you can place your post on Facebook's feed on tablet and computer and on Instagram.
With Facebook Ads, you can choose to place the ad as a Page ad in Facebook's feed, as a Messenger ad, on Instagram feed or stories and in Audience Network.
Ad objectives
When you boost a post, your objectives are primarily limited to focusing on clicks to your website, interactions on your page and promoting your business.
With Facebook advertising, you have access to the full ad system, which allows you to choose between specific objectives. For example, generating leads and sales or promoting an app.
Control over ad content
With Facebook advertising, on the other hand, you have the opportunity to customize your ad specifically to your goals. For example, you can create carousel ads, specific descriptions or an action button that gets more of your target audience to perform an action. These are all features that are not available with the boost feature.
Advanced targeting options
When boosting a post, you can segment based on interest, age and gender.
With advertising, you have access to more advanced audience types based on interests or positions in companies.
Good reasons to opt out of "post boost"
The boost feature has a few good qualities, and it's particularly relevant if you want to drive more visibility and interaction for your post. However, it typically performs worse than ads on all other metrics, which doesn't make it the better choice if you want to focus on clicks, ad budget value and ROI. If you want to convert your leads into sales, you should instead spend your time creating relevant and effective campaigns in Facebook Ads Manager.
Learn more about advertising on social media
If you don't have the time to familiarize yourself with the more advanced Facebook Business Manager tool, or if you could use a sparring partner in creating campaigns on Facebook, don't hesitate to contact us. Amplify is an ambitious and data-driven digital marketing agency that specializes in creating online success. We can help with advertising on Google, Instagram and additional SoMe marketing.
Book a SoMe performance analysis and learn more about how your current marketing is performing! If you need help, you can always contact Amplify at 70 60 50 28 or info@amplify.dk.
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