Facebook boasts over 2.5 billion users. The social media giant is used by people from across the globe. No matter where a person might be located, chances are that they use the platform. This is why it makes for the best platform to advertise your business.
If you are new to marketing on Facebook and do not know much about it, you might have come across the terms “boosted posts” and “paid facebook ads”. Facebook ads are known for being an incredible option as they allow you to precisely reach your exact audience based on location, behaviour, interest, and age.
Before you decide to market your brand on Facebook, it is crucial that you know what your options are. This is why it makes sense to consult with a social media marketing company. The company will help explain everything to you and take matters into their own hands.
This post takes a close look at the difference between a boosted post and a paid Facebook ad to help you understand what makes each option different.
What Is A Boosted Post?
In the simplest of words, a boosted post is a post which you invest a few dollars on to have it appear as a Facebook Ad for a targeted audience on the Facebook News Feed and also Instagram. What makes boosts so easy is the fact that you do not have to create anything new.
All you have to do is select a post which has already been created and pick a target audience, define how long the ad should run, and select your budget. It is also possible to create a new post and boost it. Keep in mind that boosted posts only offer limited optimizations which centres around shares, comments, and page likes, and overall brand awareness.
What Is A Paid Facebook Ad?
Facebook Advertising experts continuously talk about paid Facebook ads, but what are they exactly? They are the more sophisticated sibling of boosted posts. Paid Facebook ads are created as a separate entity using the Facebook Ads Manager. Companies have the option to optimize the ads for app installations, shop orders, video views, website conversions, and so on.
Boosted Posts Vs Facebook Ads: Key Differentiators
Advertising on Facebook is extremely cost-effective overall. With highly targetable advertising capabilities, it is an advertising platform that advertisers have to use. Including marketing on Facebook in the marketing budget of the company is of immense importance. It is vital that companies do not take the platform lightly as it has tremendous potential. However, it is important that you invest your money in the best way possible. Hence, you have to decide between boosting Facebook posts and opting for Facebook Ads. The following differentiators will help you make the right decision.
- Boosting provides you with the opportunity to target your desired audience on a basic level by using identifiers like behaviour, geography, demographics, and interest. On the other hand, Facebook Ads provide you with the option to target even more precisely.
- Boosting helps improve the overall reach of a post, whereas, Facebook Ads improve the reach of the post to a better targeted audience.
Should You Boost A Post Or Opt For Paid Facebook Ads?
Now that you know the difference between boosted posts and paid Facebook Ads, you must be wondering which option to select. It is not an easy task to decide between the two options. However, if you want to reach an entire specific demographic, geographic area, type of shopping behaviour, special interest to increase engagement, build brand awareness, or shopping behaviour. In such a case, boosting posts is the perfect option for you. However, if you want to look beyond these basic identifiers, it might be best to consider Facebook Ads.
For instance, it is possible for there to be thousands or even hundreds of thousands of single males aged 30 to 45 within a 50-square-mile radius of Alexandria, Virginia, who purchased a pair of running shows in 2020 and own a pet. If your target market does not include all of these males, Facebook Ads would make for a better option.
When you use Facebook Ads, you get to create a customized target audience by making use of Facebook Pixel. It is a code which is placed on your Facebook page to keep track of conversions from ads, targeted audience built for future ads, optimized ads, and the option to remarket to users who have taken some type of action on your Facebook page/ site.
In addition to the above, Facebook Pixel can even be utilized to create a complete lookalike audience by adding additional people who are not in your network at present but possess similar characteristics and behave in the same way as the current audience.
Why Opt for Facebook Ads Instead of Boosted Posts?
Besides better targeting capabilities and lookalike audience creation, Facebook Ads has a lot more to offer than boosted posts. The following reasons will help explain why Facebook Ads is a clear winner.
- Better Placement Options: Unlike boosted posts which have limitations on where they would show up, Facebook Ads allow you to select exactly where you want your ads to appear such as Messenger ads, instant articles, Instagram stories, Audience Network, Facebook news feed, and so on.
- Day Parting: When boosting a post, you do not have the option to select the time of the day when you want it to appear. On the other hand, Facebook Ads provide Ad Scheduling capabilities which let you to turn on the ads and off whenever based on your marketing needs.
- Custom Conversion Tracking: After you have downloaded Facebook Pixel, you can track activity on your site at a microscopic level.
- Specific Ad Objectives: With boosting, you can focus on page engagement, local business promotion, and website clicks. Facebook Ads allows you to select the specific objectives including lead generation, conversion, and store traffic.
Conclusion
Whether you want to boost your posts on Facebook or opt for paid Facebook Ads, it all comes down your end goal. To help you make the most of Facebook, it is best that you hire Magnet Digital as they are the social media marketing pros who will help you achieve your desired goals in record time.