“How do I correctly boost a Facebook post?” is one of the most common questions clients have asked me over the years. And it’s a valid one. Facebook has never provided clear recommendations, leaving marketers to their own experiments. In this blog post, I’ll cover why you should consider boosting posts and the best way to optimize your efforts.
Why Boost Facebook Posts
Before we cover the best ways to boost a Facebook post, let’s quickly chat about why you should even consider incorporating boosted posts in your digital advertising strategy. With every organic post, only 2-5% of followers will actually see what you’ve posted. Contrary to what our scrolling fingers tell us, social media takes a lot of work. If you’ve taken the time to craft a stellar piece of content, boosting it increases post reach and engagement.
If you want people outside of your followers to see the content, I also highly recommend boosting your Facebook posts. For example, let’s say your hotel just received an epic makeover and it’s now comparable to La Reserve Paris. If you post about it organically, the update will only appear to followers. But if you boost it to an audience most likely to be interested in a visit, you’ll be reaching new people with your post.
Why You Should Always Boost Through Facebook Ads Manager
Boosting from the Facebook page might appear easier, but it’s a trap! When you click the eye-catching blue button you’re giving control over to Facebook instead of making strategic decisions that align with your marketing goals.
When you boost from the Facebook page you’re limiting yourself on:
- Which campaign goals you can select
- Who you can target
- Only a daily budget
- Where the ad will appear
Always, always, always visit Facebook Ads Manager and take the extra five minutes to create a campaign (or add to an existing campaign) for your Facebook post.
Pick the Right Campaign Goal
When you boost from the page, you’re currently limited to this list of vague goals that probably don’t align with exactly what you’re hoping to achieve:
Before you boost a Facebook post through Ads Manager, consider the content, its purpose and the call-to-action.
> For example, if the post is a video and the goal is awareness, boost for video views.
>> If the post is an image and you want to increase brand engagement, boost for engagements.
>>> If the post is a link to a product and you want to increase sales, optimize for conversions.
That’s the joy of boosting through Facebook Ads Manager – you get to decide your content’s destiny.
Target Your Ideal Audience
Who you want to see your boosted post is the second biggest decision you need to make. When you boost through Facebook Ads Manager, you can select any of your saved audiences (or build a new one!), including website retargeting, past purchases and lookalike audiences.
When boosting from the page, you’re limited to a pick-list that Facebook gives you based on past audiences or their general recommendations. You’re also unable to exclude people. For example, maybe your post is about a discount available to new visitors only, by boosting through Facebook Ads Manager, you’re able to exclude people who have previously booked an excursion.
Pick a Useful Budget
When boosting from the Facebook page you’re limited to a daily budget. In almost all cases, it’s recommended to select a lifetime budget, because Facebook knows the audience and behaviors better than you can guess. Instead of trying to force your budget into 24-hour increments, let Facebook use their data to serve ads when they know the audience will take action.
Pick Where the Ad Will Run
Boosting from the Facebook page enables automatic placements, which means your boosted post has the potential to run on Instagram, Audience Network, Marketplace, etc.
Automatic placements can be a great thing. When used correctly, they help lower costs and reach your audience more effectively. However, it’s not for every boosted post.
Let’s say you’re a tour company and your Instagram posts receive tons of engagement, but your Facebook posts receive embarrassingly low engagement. Your goal for Q4 is to increase engagement on Facebook. If you were to boost the Facebook post from the page, you’d also be boosting the post on Instagram meaning your sad little Facebook page still won’t get the dedicated attention it’s been craving.
Boosting your Facebook post through Ads Manager gives you the flexibility to decide which platforms are the ideal fit for the boosted content.
Boosted posts on Facebook can be an effective way to increase brand awareness and engagement – when boosted correctly. They also help maximize your content efforts. Ready to give your content a boost? Let’s chat strategy.
