Advertising On Facebook: Boosted Post Vs. Ad
Meta offers two ways to increase your content's reach, engagement, and effectiveness. Boosting posts on Facebook and creating ads are both smart ways to put the right messaging in front of the perfect audience, but not all users understand when one is the better option - or why. Find out the difference between boosting and Facebook ads and what kind of posts you can boost on Facebook.
Facebook Ads vs. Boosted Posts
Before you invest in an ad campaign or develop a boosted post strategy, know your goal. Boosting posts achieves different objectives than ads, and both have unique targeting features.
Related: Organic Search vs. Paid Search
What’s a Boosted Post?
A boosted post is created as a normal post on Facebook or Instagram. Users can boost a post while drafting the content or retroactively boost existing posts. When boosting a post, you’ll be able to make a few simple (but important) choices, including:
Set a boosting goal - You can choose from a list of goals, such as getting more messages, getting more engagement, driving traffic to your website, and maximizing impressions to get the post in front of a targeted by large audience.
Select the ad text - You can leave the the post’s original text, or create multiple text variations to show different versions of the ad and improve performance.
Set the spend - Choose how much you’ll spend per day and how long you want the budget to last. For example, you might tell Meta to spend up to $50 per day for seven days.
Choose the ad placement—You can choose where the boosted post appears on Facebook and Instagram, such as posts, stories, and more. Ads may be limited by dimension and format, which limits how effective this element of boosting can be.
What Kind of Posts Can You Boost on Facebook and Instagram?
You can boost almost any kind of post on Facebook and Instagram, as long as it doesn’t include an external link that isn’t your domain. You can boost:
Single image posts
Carousels
Videos (including Reels)
Events
So, which posts should you boost? We usually recommend spending money on what makes you money. Boost posts that include a link to a product or service, a landing page, or encouraging customers to call. Start by boosting posts that pick up momentum organically, with higher-than-average likes and shares.
There are some scenarios where boosting simply for awareness makes sense, but we often follow up on those kinds of posts with a more conversion-focused post or an ad.
What Is An Ad on Facebook?
Meta ads are created in the Meta Ads Manager and have greater flexibility in targeting the right audience and how ads display. Technically, boosted posts are also ads, and they’re actually called ads when you get your invoice or receipt from Meta. Meta considers their “ads” to be those created in the Ads Manager; it’s a little confusing.
Why Meta Ads Are More Effective: Placement and Objectives
Meta ads allow you to choose where your campaigns serve in much more detail. For example, you can choose whether ads appear on desktop or exclusively on mobile, on Facebook side ads and not in Messenger Ads. This allows for more testing, more optimization, and more efficient paid spend.
Creating Ads in the Meta Ads Manager also lets you choose more specific objectives. In addition to all the objections available with boosts, you can also target new lads, app downloads, and sales.
Perhaps the most important difference between boosting posts and ads is targeting. Ads have considerably more (and more complex) targeting capabilities based on interests, age, gender, and location.
Ads are best for conversions, but unlike boosting posts, they aren’t sett-it-and-forget it. Meta ad campaigns require management, optimization, and ad creation to really be effective—and we do that.
Social Campaigns Made Simple with Sovis Meda
Deciding to advertise on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram should be a strategic decision that fits into your budget and overall marketing strategy. Whether you need full-service social management or a social media consultation, we’ve got you covered. We’ve been helping Traverse City businesses for over a decade; contact us for a call today.