Facebook Boosted Posts vs. Ads: What’s the Difference?
by Ascedia - June 7, 2017 - 2 minute read
Facebook admits less than 1% of organic posts make it to their fans. That is a negligible amount for all the hard work t
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 news feeds of your audience. Creating a boosted post doesn’t take any extra preparation or knowledge – you simply make a post from your page and Facebook will encourage you to try boosting it. It’s also inexpensive. You can boost a post for as little as $5 a day. Facebook can even connect to your PayPal account, ensuring a seamless user experience.hat 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.
Boosted posts help your content get in front of your ideal fan. When you boost a post, you will get a chance to define your target audience, set your budget and determine how long the ad will run.
Because boosting posts is so easy and intuitive, I often discover social advertising strategies that only incorporate boosting. If this is your strategy, you are missing out. Facebook offers a robust set of options that can elevate your social media advertising strategy.
Creating an ad through Facebook Ads Manager takes a little more time and preparation. The Ads Manager walks you through the creation of your ads by first identifying your business objective. Then, you can strategically pick images and copy to deliver your message to your audience as seamlessly as possible.
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.
With the Ads Manager, you have more ad formats to choose from and can configure more sophisticated audience targeting. You also have the option to define your ad placements. If you decide to implement a Facebook Pixel, you can also send your ads directly to people who have recently been on your website.
Facebook then collects the results. Through Ads Manager, you can see the number of times your ad achieved the outcome based on your business objective. You can also see its reach, which is the number of people who saw your ad. The most interesting analytic information though is the Cost per Result, which gives you the average cost per action and indicates how cost-efficiently you achieved your desired objectives.
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.