Boosted Posts vs Paid Ads

What is a Boosted Post?

Boosted posts are a form of advertising that can be created directly within Facebook or Instagram. As social media has emerged, there are now more opportunities than ever to connect with people who might be interested in your products or services. With a boosted post, you can make sure your post reaches your target audience on their feed.

When you boost a post you must specify:

Your target audience – think about who you want your post to reach. Where do they live, how old are they and what are their interests?
Your budget – how much are you willing to pay for a boosted post?
Duration – how long do you want your post to be boosted for?

Advantages

Affordable – Boosted Posts are cheaper than Paid Ads. The price of a Boosted Post will depend on how many people you want it to reach and for how long, customisation of your post will effect the price.

Quick and Easy – with just a few clicks, your Boosted Post could be up and running in no time. You can even create a Boosted Post from your mobile phone, how easy is that?

Expands reach – boosting a post is a great way to get your message out there. You can ensure that your post is reaching people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer, even more so if you have a Digital Marketing Strategy which will increase your visibility on social media even further.

Disadvantages

Limited targeting options – your Boosted Post will reach more people. However, your post will only be seen by people who follow you, already like your page and the people who are friends/following your page.

Diverts your attention on your business marketing goals – yes, your post will be seen by more people but, this won’t necessarily mean that everyone who sees it will like or comment and even if they do, they might not contact you to enquire about your service or product.

You can’t edit your post – once you boost your post, you can’t go back and change anything, including descriptions and headlines. So, it’s vital you read through your post and make sure you don’t have any grammar mistakes. Make sure it looks perfect and you’re happy with it. Otherwise, you’ll have to make a new one altogether.

What is a Paid Ad?

A Paid Ad is any type of online marketing where a business pays to place ads on search engines and websites. Paid Ads are usually displayed at the top of search results pages, above organic listings, which makes them more visible and more likely to be clicked on. There are different types of Paid Ads but the most popular is Pay-Per-Click (PPC). Every time someone clicks on your Paid Ad, you pay a small fee.

Advantages

Measurable – with careful planning and tracking, you can determine exactly how much your Return of Investment (ROI) is. This level of transparency is not always possible with Boosted Posts. Paid Ads can easily be adjusted so you can remarket if something about your Paid Ad doesn’t work the first time around.

Brand Recognition – Paid Ads enforce a strong brand identity. Even if someone doesn’t click on your ad, they still notice it’s there and they may possibly remember the company name and website, this kind of exposure is valuable for product/service launches.

Drives people to your website – if you’ve placed your Paid Ad on a search engine, someone can click straight through to your website, which will increase traffic.

Disadvantages

Takes time to set up – you need to manage and maintain your Paid Ads to ensure that it’s getting the right amount of attention from the right people. Setting up a campaign and letting it run without monitoring or making adjustments is a recipe for disaster.

Costs can add up – as you pay a small fee each time someone clicks on your ad it’s not uncommon for prices to add up, if you monitor it correctly and keep within your budget, you shouldn’t have issues.

Skills required – a certain amount of skill and knowledge in marketing is required for setting up Paid Ads. Most businesses choose to go to an agency who have specialist skills as it’s easier for themselves and their Paid Ad will bring in more sales.