Boosted Posts vs Facebook ads: Which is Better For Maximizing Your ROI
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In today’s landscape social media is often an integral element of any business strategy. When consumers want to learn more about a product or service, a company’s social media platform may be the first resource. That’s why it is so important that your business has a presence on social media.
But mastering marketing on social media is easier said than done. You have to cultivate and maintain your following, grow your following and create great content. But even the best content may not reach your desired audience.
Social media algorithms dictate what your audience will see, so it is very unlikely your whole audience will see everything you post!
Are You Ready to Get Loved by Facebook?
Paid advertising on social media is a great way to reach your audience, convert new customers and grow your following.
But there are a lot of questions around advertising on Facebook that require you to find the right answer for your company.
So let's focus on answering one question.
When advertising on Facebook, are boosted posts or paid ads better for my company’s ROI?
This can be a hard question to answer, but we’ll break down the pros and cons of each so you can choose the right option for your business strategy.
Facebook ads are similar to native advertising, in that they try to blend in with the rest of the content on a user’s homepage. These ads are nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the content on your Facebook page apart from the fact that they carry with them a small disclaimer alerting the viewer that the content is sponsored. These are the ads you’d want to use if you’re looking to convert leads into customers right now. These are meant to be used to target viewers with an intent to buy. Facebook ads are created in Ad Manager and "can optimize for app installs, website conversions, video views, shop orders and more."
So let's get into what is great about Facebook advertising.
1. Specificity: Facebook Ads allows you to target an incredibly specific audience, which is great if you have developed a user persona. You can set key demographics for your audience, so you know you'll reach a viewer who is interested in your product or service. You can also create specific campaign objectives.
2. Customizable Presentation: Facebook ads offers variety - just like the specificity you’re allowed when targeting an audience, you’re also allowed tremendous specificity when it comes to where you’d like your ad to appear and how you’d like it to appear. You can even share these ads on Instagram as well as through messenger and on the Facebook newsfeed.
These types of ads do have some cons though!
1. Time
Even though they allow you to get incredibly specific, that requires you to spend time crafting your campaign. There’s no point in spending the money on Facebook Ads if you don’t know who you want to target. And that brings us to the second con!
2. Cost
Running Facebook ads can cost a lot more than simply boosting a post.
Tip: If you're not sure how to set up, optimize or manage your Ads, do yourself and your budget a favor by hiring an experienced Social Media Marketing Agency.
So to break it down: Facebook Ads are great if you know the audience you want to reach and where you expect to reach them. These ads do require more forethought but the reward can be bigger than a boosted post.
Boosted posts:
Boosted posts take a post that you already have on your page and show it to a larger audience. You might not expect an audience to take immediate action from seeing one of these ads but they are a great way to raise awareness around your company and grow your following. You'll want to use a post that's already doing well to maximize your budget and make your money last! These ads are great for lower maintenance campaigns. They're simple and less time consuming than regular Facebook Ads.
1. Customizable
These do allow you to specify the audience you’d like to show the ad to! While not nearly as specific as the paid ads, these do offer some customizability. Facebook also lets you dictate how long you’d like the post to be boosted for.
2. Less Planning
Boosted posts require much less forethought. While you need to be thoughtful about the content you’re sharing you don’t need to be as strategic about your audience as you might be with a Facebook ad.
3. Costs
Boosted posts can be much cheaper than Facebook Ads, so if you’re on a budget these may be the choice for you.
Cons:
1. Lack of Specificity: You can’t get as specific as you could with Facebook Ads: you won’t be able to customize the audience that you’re targeting to the same degree as you could with a Facebook Ad.
2. These types of ads are very clearly ads. So your audience will know that they are seeing paid advertising from you and may lessen the impact of the message you're trying to send.
3. Both of these can be invaluable tools in your marketing campaign, but it is important to know the ins and outs of both of these — as they have their time and place. Getting very clear on your company's goals can help you choose which type might be right for you.
