The Difference Between Facebook Ads vs. Boosted Posts
If you own a Facebook Business Page, you've no doubt seen the option to "Boost Post" (as seen above in the bottom right corner). Facebook might even send you a notification that says "posts similar to yours are being boosted. Boost your post now."
So what does it exactly mean to "Boost Your Post"? And what exactly is a Facebook Ad?
First you have to understand that they are two different things.
Boosted Post: If a business wants to boost a post, it's a simple way to get your content noticed by more people. The end goal is to receive more views, likes, comments and shares. You can boost a post so more of your page followers see it, or you can boost a post to those that are not a follower of your page to reach a new a audience.
When I first started Jamison Media Sports, I boosted a lot of posts at the beginning to create a following. An example: I did a football preview for the Morrison Football team. I created the video, posted it to the Jamison Media Sports Facebook Page and then boosted it to residents within a 20-mile radius of Morrison, IL.
The goal with this is to let people know that my page exists and that I cover their high school, with the end result hopefully being more likes for my page so they can see the content I post in the future.
With boosted posts you can target: age, gender, location, and interests.
Facebook Ads: Compared to a simple "boosted post", Facebook ads are a more advanced way of advertising.
First you will need a Facebook Ad manager account. With that account you can set up different campaigns with different end goals in mind. Different campaigns could include: more page likes, website clicks and/or conversions, event responses, video views, offer claims, app installs and/or engagements.
You could do this on any budget. Obviously, the more you pay the more you will reach.
Similar to boosted posts you can target by age, gender, location and interests. But you have some more advanced targeting options with Facebook ads as well. One example would be language targeting.
Your Facebook ads have a call to action button that can say "shop now, sign up, contact us, etc." They can also be shown on Instagram (which is owned by Facebook).
It also will not be shown on your Business Page, it will be sent to who you target. The Facebook Ad Manager will walk you through the steps of creating an ad with pre-made templates. It's very user-friendly.
Below is an example of some ads that appeared on the right side of my news feed this morning.
Another example of a Facebook Ad is the one pictured below that showed up in my news feed this morning. This video ad directs me to click "shop now", which then sends me right to their website.
To put it simply, with my business, if I want to get more engagement, more likes and potentially more follows on my page I would boost a post. The end goal is more brand awareness. If I want to send leads to my website, sell a product, or get conversions/sign-ups then I would use a Facebook Ad. The end goal is actual leads or sales.
If you have any additional questions, e-mail me at bjamison81@gmail.com.
