Boosted Posts vs. Paid Ads Part 1: What's the Difference?
By AMR Digital Marketing | April 18, 2023
When it comes to advertising on Meta’s platforms (Facebook and Instagram), there are a few factors you need to consider before diving in. The first and most important thing to understand is that there are multiple ways to advertise on these platforms and choosing the right method for you is absolutely crucial to your success.
The two primary methods for advertising on Meta are boosted posts and paid ad campaigns. While the two may look similar from a user’s perspective, the end results that you will see as an advertiser are very different for both.
Today, we are going to break down the primary differences between the two!
What is a boosted post?
According to Meta, “A boosted post is a post to your FB Page's timeline or IG newsfeed that you can apply money to in order to boost it to an audience of your choosing.”
Boosting is the simplest way to advertise on Facebook or Instagram. “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.”
Essentially, when you boost a post you are paying to have Meta show your post to a larger audience within your target demographic.
You’ll have the option to specify three things:
What your goal is: you’ll select from the following three options:
Send people to view your profile
Send people to visit your website
Direct people to send you a direct message
Who you want to reach: you'll pick a target audience of the type of people you want to connect with (location, age, gender, and interests).
Your max budget: you'll tell Meta 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.
While boosted posts are technically considered “ads,” they do not qualify as full ad campaigns in the eyes of Meta.
What is a paid ad campaign?
Paid ad campaigns are created through Meta Ads Manager and offer much more advanced customization solutions and tracking options.
“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, shop orders and more.” (Meta)
What are these advanced customization solutions and why do they matter?
The capabilities on Meta Ads Manager are seemingly endless, but here are a few of the most distinct and impactful features that are available only on Ads Manager:
Advanced Campaign Goals: When you select a goal for your ad campaign, you are telling Meta how they should optimize your ad. For example, if your goal is website clicks, Meta is going to use its algorithm to show your ad to the people who are most likely to click to your website. If you specify purchases as your goal, Meta will discern people who are most likely to convert (this is often a different crowd than those who are most likely to click or engage). Some of the advanced campaign goals available on Ads Manager include purchases, lead form submissions, app downloads, subscription sign ups, add to carts, abandoned carts, and much more.
Creative Control: On Meta Ads manager, you are able to create and customize your ads based on the audience and goal you have selected. Unlike with boosting, the content you promote in your ad campaign does not need to be posted on your organic Instagram or Facebook profile. You also have the option to create different creative variations for different placements. The opportunities here are endless!
Audience Targeting: While boosted posts allow you to target based on age, gender, location and basic interests, Meta Ads Manager gives you a plethora of advanced targeting options. Not only are the interest group options much larger on Ads Manager, but they can target based off current or previous website traffic, email lists, consumer behavior, etc.
Retargeting: Arguably the most impactful difference between boosting and ad campaigns is that ad campaigns allow you to implement a retargeting strategy. It takes consumers an average of 6-8 touchpoints before they are ready to make a purchase decision. With boosted posts you are able to hit your audience once (maybe twice). With retargeting campaigns, you can curate and serve ads specifically to your warm leads who are most likely to purchase from you!
Tracking and Analytics: The Facebook Pixel is a special feature of Ads Manager that allows Meta to track your ad leads all the way through your website to the point of purchase. This means that you can measure the exact ROI from your ads (i.e. the exact dollar amount that you earned in purchases as a result of your ad campaign). Meta can also compile all of this conversion data to optimize your campaign for maximum conversions.
Now that you have a basic understanding of what the differences are between boosted posts and paid ad campaigns, it’s time to address the burning question… “Which method is better for you and your business?”.
P.S. Did you know, in addition to our organic social media management packages, we also offer full-service boosting and ad campaign options for our clients (view our Services page for more info)! This is a great way to supercharge your growth strategy and maximize traffic immediately. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out to us today to schedule a free consultation.