With billions of users on Facebook and Instagram, it's no wonder that businesses are eager to get their content in front of their target audience. Boosting a post and running a Facebook ad are two unique ways for businesses to expand their reach and advertise their social media offerings. But which one is the best and will yield your business results? The truth is these two tools serve different purposes, and the best route for you depends on your businesses' goals, budget, and timeline. We break down the who, what, where, and why of these two features so that you can know what is best for your unique business.

Boosting Posts

We've all seen those little "Promote" buttons on our Facebook or Instagram posts, and I bet many of you have thought to yourself, "I wonder if this really works?" Well, the short answer is - it depends. Boosted posts usually yield increased Page likes, comments, and shares, but it all depends on how successful the "boost" actually is.

The Who:

Boosted posts are relatively self-explanatory. Due to the limited options associated with creating them, they are good for those who may not have extensive social media knowledge. However, due to the simplicity of them, they often do not convert as well as ads. Boosts are usually best for those who want to generally increase brand awareness, expand their reach, and optimize their engagement.

The What:

When you go to boost a post, you will be able to do the following:

1. Define Your Audience

When boosting a post, you first have to decide who you want that post to reach, i.e., your target audience. You are able to do this by selecting the location, demographic, and specific interests of this group.

2. Set Your Budget & Duration

Next, in the boosting process, you decide how much you want to spend on boosting. (Note: Boosted posts are technically ads because you have to pay for them.) You then can pick how long you want your post to be boosted for. There are not many options when it comes to setting the duration, as users are limited to picking a certain number of days.

The Where:

Boosted posts only show up in users' Newsfeed. There are no other locations that posts can be posted to.

The Why: Marketing Objectives

When making a boosted post, you can pick from three set objectives of where you want to send your viewers to, including:

1. Profile

2. Website

3. Direct Messages

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are only accessible through Ad Manager, where users can then choose the ad's location. While these ads tend to be more expensive and more complex to set up compared to boosted posts, users get more features and tools to create their ads.

The Who:

Facebook offers quite a few more features than boosted posts do. But with this added complexity, there is a certain base level of knowledge needed to run effective campaigns and see results. Overall, these ads are best for users who want their ad to directly yield a specific goal, such as increased website visits or product sales.

The What:

When you go into Ad Manager on Facebook, you will be able to determine the following about your ad:

1. Define Your Audience:

Similarly to boosting a post, you will be able to select your target audience by age, gender, location, and language. Additionally, you can make different combinations of characteristics in your audience, such as people of a certain age AND gender. You can also pick specific exclusions within your target audience, such as someone who has visited your Facebook Business Page two or more times and also read a certain blog post.

2. Set Your Budget and Duration:

The process of setting a budget is essentially the same as boosting a post. You can select a daily and weekly budget and schedule when you want your ad to go live. Ad Manager even allows you to pick a time of day or certain days you want your ad to be live. For example, you could opt to have your ad shown only on weekends from 10 am to 5 pm EST.

3. Pick a Format:

Ad Manager offers size formats that readjust your ad to fit your desired format. You can pick still photos, video, story, Messenger, carousel post, slide show, collection, and Playable.

The Where:

You can then pick where you want your ad to be located, either on Instagram, Facebook, or Messenger. And within each of these platforms, you can choose where. On Facebook, the options include in the Newsfeed, Instant Articles, In-Stream Videos, in the Right Column, or as a Suggested Video. On Instagram, ads can either appear on the Newsfeed or in Stories, and in the Messenger app, ads can be on the Home page or as Sponsored Messages.

The Why: Marketing Objectives

Facebook ads offer the following eleven different marketing objectives to choose from when creating an ad.

1. Brand awareness

2. Reach

3. Traffic

4. Engagement

5. App installs

6. Video views

7. Lead generation

8. Messages

9. Conversions

10. Catalog sales

11. Store visits

Based on your choice, Facebook uses this information to determine which users should see your ad. As each option is fairly specific, Facebook ads are best for users looking to achieve a unique outcome, such as optimizing the installation of an app, increasing video views, or increasing online orders. 

What should you do?

We recommend testing out both boosted posts and Facebook ads, assessing your goals, and seeing what works best for your business. Generally, if your business is looking to increase its exposure and raise brand awareness, we recommend posted bosts. If you are trying to achieve a particular goal, you should opt for Facebook ads. Give both a try and let us know how they perform in the comments below!

Written By: Leah Ross, AMR Digital Marketing, Copywriter