Are you boosting posts on Facebook and Instagram but wondering where all your money is going?
Maybe you would like to run ‘proper Ads’ but are worried you don’t have the budget?
It used to be that the boost button was just about the best possible way to waste a ton of money on Facebook. But, these days, the targeting options are better and some of the biggest brands on the planet regularly boost posts as part of their overall Ads strategy.
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of boosting so that you can decide what is right for you.
When boosting might be a good idea
When you’re brand new
Boosting is a good way to let the locals know you are here as quickly, simply and cheaply as possible.
If you haven’t got a website or landing page
If you don’t have your marketing strategy completely sorted, but want to communicate with a wider audience on your socials, boosting is a good way to get more eyeballs on your brand.
When you have a seasonal product or service
Boosting posts can drive some traffic to your website in between Ad campaigns or at quieter times of year when you don't want to run a proper campaign. These visitors won’t necessarily be the people most likely to buy, but they’re people who are showing an interest in your business.
When you’ve got a tiny budget
If you can’t commit to the cost of a full Ad campaign - but want to raise some awareness of your business and get more people to your Facebook page or Instagram profile - then boosting is an affordable option.
When you’ve got a big, fat budget
Some of the biggest advertisers on Facebook regularly boost posts but as part of a strong strategy, with a lot more money being spent on Ads than on boosting.
If you think this could work for you, I would strongly advise talking to an expert Ads strategist to hammer out the details.
The big BUT
In all these very different scenarios, you need to remember a few key things:
Boosting can put your business in front of people, but isn’t going to give a good return on investment.
While boosting has a role to play, that role isn’t to get you lots of leads and sales. For that you need good, properly budgeted, well targeted Ads.
It’s also easy to spend as much on boosts over a year as you would spend on a fixed-term campaign that is built to deliver results. So don’t be too quick to hit boost!
And you can’t boost any old post.
Just because you’re putting money behind a post doesn’t mean Facebook will show it to people.
Choose your better-performing posts - ones with likes, comments and shares - and boost them.
Facebook will prioritize these posts because what matters to them is that their users like what they see in their feeds. Social Proof is very important!
So… when is time to ditch the boost button?
You want results
If you want your Ad spend to bring in actual sales and high-quality leads, you need a proper, strategic, targeted campaign.
Facebook Ads allow you to reach exactly the people in your target audience, at times when they are likely to respond - in short, the algorithm finds the people most likely to take the action you want.
You can commit enough time and money to get those results
You need to work out how much you need to spend to get what you are aiming for. An experienced Ads strategist can help you with this - but you will need to be clear about your average order value and what a customer acquisition or lead is worth to your business.
This will help you to understand how much it’s wise to spend on your Ads.
It usually takes around 12 weeks for Facebook’s algorithm to learn to fully optimize your campaign - so allow for that.
You are well and truly Ad ready
And by that I mean your products are in stock, your website and landing pages are fast loading and converting well, you know who your target customer is, how you can help them and what they want to buy.
You have the right skills (or know someone who does)
Facebook Ads aren’t for the faint-hearted, so you either need to invest in learning how to do it yourself or hire an expert to do it for you.
For Ads success you need to build your audiences, set your targeting, create your Ads, build your campaigns and monitor them every day. It’s not an easy job, but it’s worth the investment.
So… which is right for you?
Done right, boosting is a quick, easy and often effective way to reach your target audience. In comparison, Ads can be time-consuming and complex.
But, Ads and boosting shouldn’t really be compared at all.
Because they do different jobs in different ways - and if you really want to bring in more leads and sales, Ads are by far the better path to take.
If you’re ready to ditch that boost button, let me know.
I can help with training, if you want to learn more about how to run your own Ads or, if you are ready to outsource, I can offer a fully managed service where I take care of everything, from building a strategy+funnel to running and monitoring your Ads.
Get in touch!