When advertising your business on Facebook, you may wonder which tool is the best. The two most-used options available are Facebook ads or boosted posts. While both will cost you money, each offers pros and cons. You want to put your money where it best serves you, so how do you choose between Facebook Ads and boosted posts?
What is a Boosted Post?
Whenever you share a post on Facebook, a select group of friends or followers will see it. Now, if you choose to boost your post, you can reach a wider audience. You choose a budget and your target audience and hope it gets the traction you’re hoping for in terms of brand awareness, shares, likes, and comments. A boosted post is any post you decide to share with a larger group.
What is a Facebook Ad?
Facebook ads are customizable and posted through your ad manager. They allow you to choose more advanced options than a boosted post. With a Facebook ad, you want people to interact with your business in a different way. Increased website conversations, views, and orders from your website are all goals you can set with a Facebook ad.
The Pros of Choosing a Boosted Post
You get to choose the reach of a boosted post by putting a figure on it. You can select a smaller audience if you only want to spend a little to get your post out there. It’s much simpler than creating an entire Facebook ad, saving you time in the long run. However, they do lack in some areas when compared to Facebook ads.
The Pros of Choosing a Facebook Ad
While a boosted post will help get your name out there, it isn’t likely to have the same effect as an ad for making money through your business. That is because Facebook ads have benefits that a boosted post simply doesn’t have. For example, you have way more options regarding who and where you want your ad to display. You can share the ad in messenger, on your feed, in Instagram stories, and even with people that don’t have a Facebook account through Audience Network.
You also have more control over the outcomes you want to see from your ad. Instead of simply posting for brand awareness and page engagement, you can project the ad in a way that offers you lead generation and sales.
One significant advantage Facebook ads have over boosted posts is the call-to-action (CTA) button. You can include that right in the ad so people interested in your product or services can find you directly through the ad. A CTA also encourages more engagement simply because it’s there and allows people to click on your business page with ease.
While Facebook ads offer more, they cost more in the long run and are more time-consuming. Choosing which one is right for you all comes down to what you’re trying to accomplish with your advertising budget. If you need help with how to use Facebook ads or boosted posts to benefit your business, book a strategy session with us today!
Download our free guide: When To Use A Boosted Post And When To Use An Ad.