What is the difference between a boosted post and an ad?
What is a boosted post?
A boosted post is a post to your Page’s timeline that you can apply money to in order to boost it to an audience of your choosing. This is the simplest way to advertise on Facebook. Boosted posts differ from ads on Facebook because they are not created in Meta Ads Manager and don’t have all of the same customization features.
When you boost a post, it’ll show up in your audience’s Facebook Feed as an ad. You can also select Instagram as an ad placement for your boosted post. You can choose a post that’s already present on your Page’s timeline and boost it by following only a few steps. When you boost a post on your own, Facebook will ask you for 3 things:
- Who you want to reach: you’ll pick a target audience of the type of people you want to connect with
- Your max budget: you’ll tell us exactly how much you want to spend over the course of your entire campaign
- How long you want to run your ad: once you click Boost and your ad is approved, people in your target audience will see your ad in their Feed for the duration you’ve set.
If you have active Facebook advertising services with us, CyberMark can boost the post on your behalf. For each boosted post, the client must provide the following via email to marketing@cybermark.com.
- Link to the post to be boosted
- Start and end date
- Budget for the boost (we recommend $10-$15 per day as a starting point)
Note: boosted posts are still considered ads because they require a budget to be shared with a wider audience. This is the core similarity it shares with Facebook Ads. When you receive your bill, your boosted post will be identified as an ad.
What is a Facebook ad?
While boosting a post is still considered an ad, Facebook ads are created through the back end of the platform and offer more advanced customization solutions. There are many advertising objectives to help you reach your specific business goals and the audiences you care about most. Where a boosted post may initially optimize for Page likes, comments, and shares or overall brand awareness, Facebook ads can optimize for app installs, website conversions, video views, leads, and more.
CyberMark uses Facebook ads for all standard campaigns because it allows:
- Additional ad placements
- Additional ad objectives
- Greater creative controls
- Advanced targeting capabilities
When to use Facebook ads vs boosted posts
It’s important for any business to identify exactly what they’re hoping to achieve with an ad. For example, if you want audience engagement on your Page or to develop your brand awareness, or get word out quickly about a limited time offering, event, etc., boosting a post is a great way to maximize visibility. Additionally, if your budget is low (under $10/day), a boost is a more cost-effective way to show your ad. For other types of campaigns, such as lead generation, only standard Facebook ads will work.