Boosted Post vs Paid Ads: Understanding Facebook Marketing for Small Business

Today, we’re diving into an important topic for small business owners: the differences between boosting a post on Meta and using paid ads via Ads Manager. Whether you’re celebrating a recent achievement or looking to drive specific customer actions, understanding these tools is crucial to leveraging Meta’s powerful advertising capabilities.

Boosting a Post: Visibility Without the Frills

Sometimes, all you need is for more people to see your post. Boosting is a straightforward, user-friendly option that can significantly increase your post’s visibility. This is particularly useful for content that aims to enhance your brand’s visibility without necessarily driving immediate action.

Here are some scenarios where boosting a post is ideal:

• Celebrating Achievements: If your business wins an award or receives a commendation, boosting a post can help share this proud moment widely.
• Sharing Important Updates: Inform your audience about changes in your business, like new operating hours or temporary closures.
• Event Promotion: Increase awareness of events like webinars, workshops, or your participation in local markets.

Boosting a post is about getting more eyeballs on your content. It’s quick, involves a smaller budget, and is perfect when your goal is more about visibility and less about direct response actions.

Paid Ads via Ads Manager: For the ‘Serious’ Advertisers

Ads Manager, considered by Meta as the tool for serious advertisers, offers a depth of features and customisation options that go beyond simple post boosting. If your advertising goals include driving sales, generating leads, or promoting specific customer actions, then Ads Manager is your go-to tool.

The Power of Audiences

One of the key strengths of Ads Manager is the ability to utilise ‘Audiences’ to tailor who sees your ads. This precision targeting ensures that your advertising spend is more efficient, reaching people most likely to be interested in your products or services.

Here’s how you can leverage Audiences:

• Target Current Followers: These are individuals who have already shown interest in your brand. Targeting them can reinforce brand loyalty and encourage repeat business.
• Utilise Your Email Database: Uploading your email list to Facebook allows you to target current customers or subscribers directly, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
• Lookalike Audiences: Reach new people whose interests and behaviours are similar to your existing customers. This expands your potential customer base significantly.
• Interest-Based Targeting: Pinpoint users based on their declared interests, past activity, and engagement patterns on Facebook.

Using Ads Manager not only allows you to set up complex ad campaigns but also to analyse detailed metrics about how your ads perform. This data is crucial for refining your strategies and achieving better results.

Choosing the Right Tool for your Paid Ads

So, how do you decide whether to boost a post or dive into the more robust Ads Manager?

Here’s a quick guide:

• Boost a post if: You want quick and easy visibility, are celebrating a non-actionable event, or simply want to keep your community updated with minimal fuss.
• Use Ads Manager if: Your goals are specific and action-oriented, such as driving sales, generating leads, or engaging a particular demographic deeply.

Getting Started

Whichever option you choose for your paid ads, the key to success lies in clarity about your goals and understanding the tools at your disposal. For those new to Ads Manager, take the time to explore the interface and experiment with different settings. Consider running a few small campaigns to get a feel for the platform.

If that all seems like it should go in the ‘too hard basket’, then reach out to one of our Ad Specialists who can either do it all for you or they can take the time to teach you how to achieve it for yourself.

Remember, whether boosting posts or creating structured ad campaigns via Ads Manager, the clarity of your objectives and a strong understanding of your audience are your best assets.

As always, the team at ProfitAbility Virtual Assistance is here to help you navigate these choices and ensure your Facebook advertising efforts are effective and efficient.

Happy advertising!