Many times, clients ask me what is the difference between a Facebook ad and a Boost. Understanding that these not only work differently but have different results, will help you make a decision on which would serve your business goal.
Boosted Posts
Boosting one of the posts on your business page is a simple and relatively low-cost way to get your content in front of more people. And to initiate the boosted post feature, just post something as usual. Then once it’s posted, click the blue “Boost Post” button in the lower right corner of your post.
The goal here would be to receive more views, likes, comments and shares. You have an option to either boost your post so more of your page followers see it, or you can boost a post to those that are not a follower of your page to reach a new audience using target demographics.
Boosts are a great tool for a new business page to help you attract a following by letting people know that your page exists. With a boosted post you can target age, gender, location, and interests specific to your business.
Let’s say I have a new restaurant client. They are going to have live music and $10 off any entrée on a particular night. We could boost that post for as little as $30 the day before the event to generate new reservations. This really works, but obviously, the more you pay, the greater your audience potential.
Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are a more complex way of advertising for businesses. Compared to a simple “boosted post”, you would need to first create a Facebook Ads Manager account. With that account you can set up different campaigns with unique goals in mind. Campaigns could include: more page likes, website clicks and/or conversions, event responses, video views, offer claims, app installs and/or engagements.
You could do this on any budget. And it works on the same premise as the boost in that the more you pay, the more people you will reach. Similar to boosted posts you can target by age, gender, location and interests. Unlike boosted posts, you will have additional more advanced targeting options. Your Facebook ads have a call to action button that can say “shop now, sign up, contact us, etc.” They can also be shown on Instagram (which is owned by Facebook).
Your Facebook ads will not be shown on your own Facebook business page. The ad is only sent to your targeted audience. The Facebook Ads Manager walks you through the steps of creating an ad with pre-made templates. It’s very intuitive and user-friendly.
Another option with Facebook ads is running your message on Facebook’s ‘audience network.’ Your message can appear on multiple websites and apps, as well as Facebook and Instagram. Because people have their devices and computers tied into Facebook, you can still use the same targeting to get your message outside of Facebook. This gives you more bang for your buck.
The bottom line is if you need more engagement, likes and follows, boost a post. The result is more brand awareness. If you want to send leads to your website, sell a product, or get conversions or sign-ups, then create a Facebook Ad. The result is actual leads or sales.