Facebook Ads vs. Boosted Posts - Insider Tips

Facebook admits less than 1% of organic posts make it to their fans. That is a negligible amount for all the hard work that goes into building a fan base – not to mention the defeating feeling you have when a few thousand fans only amounts to 13 likes on a post! The secret to getting seen is this: to improve your visibility on Facebook, you need to advertise with them. 

Facebook Boosted Posts

The easiest way to get started with Facebook advertising is to begin boosting your posts, which sends your post from your page’s wall to the newsfeeds of your audience.

Pros of Facebook Boosted Posts:

• Simple process - create Facebook post, then Facebook will encourage you to boost it
• Inexpensive - can get additional reach with as little as a $1 a day
• Control of targeting - Facebook allows you to reach a wider, targeted audience
• Drive Traffic to Website - when your post includes a link, you can update your objective to increase website visits vs. engagement

Boosting posts is so easy and intuitive, I often discover social advertising strategies that only incorporate boosting. If this isn't in your strategy, you are missing out. Facebook boosted posts allow brands to make up for declining organic reach and implement social media advertising without the high cost. 

Facebook Ads

When planning on moving into the Facebook Ads space there is much more strategy involved and generally a bit higher cost. Overall, Facebook Ads Manager has evolved to create a simple user experience that guides you through the creation of your ad campaign.

To begin placing ads on Facebook, you’ll need to navigate to the Ads Manager. To do this, log in to the personal Facebook profile connected to your Business Page. Then, click the arrow at the top left and select “Create Ads” from the drop down menu. The Ads Manager will walk you through each of the steps to create an ad that will relate to your business goals. 

Pros of Facebook Ads:

• Choosing Objectives - Facebook has you decide between 10 different marketing objectives varying from lead generation to brand awareness to product sales
• Flexible Advertising Formats - Facebook allows your to pick between several different formats from single image to carousel to video
• Control of Placement - you have the ability to pick between Facebook and Instagram and where your ad will be shown within those
• Targeting Customization - Facebook allow you to have access to many different data points to build your audience varying from demographic to psychographic
• Strong Reporting & Analytics - you can several aspects of your campaign and share with peers easily
• Retargeting - if you choose to implement a Facebook Pixel on your site you will be able to remarket through Facebook to users that have previous visited your site 
• Conversion Setting - choosing to implement the Facebook Pixel will also allow you to set specific conversions to attribute back to your Facebook ads campaign

Even though your organic reach may seem defeating, it’s important to keep experimenting to see what resonates with your most engaged fans. Once you have identified the winners through organic posting, create ads with similar messaging to reach even more people.  

Facebook ads can be used to extend your brand messaging to the people who are most likely to respond and engage. Used strategically, these ads are a powerful tool to put into your arsenal.