The difference between Facebook Boost Ads and Paid Ads

Facebook launched in 2004 and over the years, a lot about the platform has changed. Beyond its features and benefits for people and businesses, the one change that has been the most frustrating for users is its algorithm. Specifically, the algorithm to get your organic content reaching and seen by the people you want to see it. Ever since Facebook strategically changed its algorithm a few years ago, organic reach is down 5.2%. The people who follow you or like your Page, are now only seeing some of your posts. To combat this, there are two things you can do to get in front of more eyeballs. The first is through Boosting and the other is by Advertising. What is the difference between the two and which way is best for you? Below will list the key differences and the Dos and Don'ts around Boosting a Post.

Facebook Boost Ads

Facebook's Boost Post allows you to spend some money to promote your regular organic posts. Using this feature, you can reach people you want to see the content. It goes beyond the people who already like your Page and it's a great way to reach people who'd be interested in what you have to offer.

Facebook Ads

When it comes to Facebook Ads, the main differences includes the campaign objectives which can be awareness, traffic, lead generation, reach conversions, click-throughs, views and so much more. The way you target is also a lot more in-depth in comparison to a Boosted Post. You can use language, geographical and behaviour targeting to narrow in on your audience, test parameters and make changes to the content as required.

The two key objectives for Boosting is visibility and engagement such as likes, comments and shares. If your goal is to stay top-of-mind, this can be a great way to start.

To get boosting you just need to know your goal, what your call to action is, the audience settings, the timeframe and your budget. You can also extend your reach to Instagram to gain more followers and new customers.

The content you can boost includes text, images or videos with a link.

The Dos:

• Be clear on what your objectives and expectations are when boosting. Are you hoping for more brand awareness or to increase your sales? Setting your objectives will allow you to measure your strategy and understand whether it's worked or what kind of changes you need to implement to improve.

• Boost a post that already has an above-average engagement. The ones with likes and comments serve as social proof for your brand so when others see this, they are more likely to trust your content and interact with it.

• Boost if you're looking to update people about a new feature, promoting new content, building brand awareness or sharing one-off events.

• Know your audience and narrow in on who you target. Will it be people who already like your Page or will it be friends or followers and their friends?

The Donts:

• Run the same boosted post for too long. The audience you're targeting may get fatigued from seeing the same content in their feed over and over again which might leave a bad impression on your brand. Monitor the performance of the boost and turn it off if it has reached a reasonably good number.

• Boost and forget. As mentioned in the previous point, it's important to monitor its performance, understand analytics to gauge if the ROI was worth it.

• Promote to just everyone. This will cost you money because the people who aren't right for the product will see it. Spend time in being specific to ensure that it's reaching the right people.

Whether you're trialling Boosting a Post or Facebook Ads, there are some things you must consider addressing before you press go:

• What's the purpose of the post?

• What's the call-the-action and is it clear?

• Where do you want the post to link to? Is it a strong landing page?

• Are your Ad Manager profiles set up?

• How much are you willing to spend to get results?

At the end of the day, Facebook has proven to be a powerful platform with an abundance of people it has access to. The advertising process for socials can be overwhelming if you haven't done it before. It's critical that you're set up correctly from the start and shown how to do it right. From there, it's not impossible for you to start managing it yourself (if you want to). If you're unsure about any of the questions above or where to start, seek an expert to help you because they will know all the updates and the best strategies to help you be more visible and reach your business goals.