Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms today, giving businesses many ways to connect with their customers, including ads and boosted posts. Boosted posts are a more cost-effective way for business owners to reach their target audience on Facebook without setting up a complicated ad campaign, but is it the better option?
Facebook boosted posts are regular posts that you can pay to “boost” to reach a wider audience beyond your followers. In contrast, Facebook ads are advertisements that you create and customize to your specifications. Ads are typically better at reaching consumers since they offer more options.
So, which is better? This blog post discusses the difference between Facebook boosted posts and Facebook ads and will help you decide which strategy is right for your business!
What Are Facebook Ads?
Facebook ads are advertisements that Facebook lets you customize to your specifications.
Facebook offers more options than boosted posts and is a better option for business owners looking to make sales or attract new customers (i.e., people who haven’t seen your page before).
Pros of Facebook Ads
There are plenty of pros to using Facebook ads. Here are a few of them:
- Access to all audiences
- Advanced results tracking and adjustments
- Daily scaling and automations
- Manual bids
- Shown on stories and the sidebar
- Can run for long periods
Access to All Audiences
Facebook offers many targeting options, including demographics like location, age group, interests/behaviors, workplace, and engagement.
Paid ads allow business owners to reach a wider audience with more specificity than boosted posts.
Advanced Results Tracking and Adjustments
The Facebook ad manager helps business owners conveniently track their ads, which is great for refining your strategy to make more sales or attract new customers.
Facebook makes it easy to adjust the goal settings of your campaign without having to start from scratch every time you want something different – change the goal to make Facebook ads work for you!
Daily Scaling and Automations
Facebook ad campaigns can be set up to scale with Facebook’s algorithm. This means that they automatically update your campaign to reach more people without any manual adjustments necessary on your end – sit back, relax, and watch Facebook do all of the heavy lifting for you!
Facebook also has many automation options that help them to adjust to different circumstances.
Manual Bids
It is possible to manually set your bids on Facebook ads, which will make the ad more or less expensive based on how much Facebook thinks it’s worth.
This can be helpful if Facebook doesn’t seem to be getting enough demand from your ad, which can happen if they don’t know what your product is.
Ads Are Shown on Stories and the Sidebar
Facebook ads are shown both in stories and besides posts on pages that have been boosted with Facebook ads (in addition to other places). This helps create awareness for those who haven’t seen your page before.
Can Run for Long Periods
Facebook ads can be run for an extended time, which is perfect if ads are your only strategy and you want to save money or don’t have the capacity to create Facebook boosted posts.
It’s a good idea to run a few different ads and monitor their progress over time. That way, you can adjust the ads that aren’t performing as well, or focus more money on those that are getting results.
Downsides of Facebook Ads
Just like pros, of course, there are cons to using Facebook ads:
- Steep learning curve
- Time-consuming setup
- Can be a difficult routine
Steep Learning Curve
As Facebook ads are very different from boosted posts, they can be challenging to learn.
Business owners have reported spending hours trying to figure out how they work and making little progress. This is a downside for business owners who don’t have the time or patience for that – while it’s true you will likely be able to figure it out eventually, Facebook boosted posts is a more straightforward strategy.
If you are looking to level up your Facebook Ads skillset I have a number of resources in my Youtube channel – here is a great playlist to start.
Time Consuming Setup
While Facebook ads are pretty easy to set up once you get the hang of them, they can be time-consuming from start to finish because Facebook offers so many options for customization and optimization that have to be considered.
Can Be Difficult to Include In Your Routine
While Facebook ads can run for long periods, which makes it easy to save money, they’re still just one Facebook marketing strategy that business owners need to succeed.
As mentioned above, some businesses have trouble getting the hang of the business suite and creating ads in general, which can take time away from your other marketing efforts.
What Are Boosted Posts?
Boosted posts are Facebook’s answer to the age-old question of “should I spend money on Facebook ads or not?”
Facebook boosted posts allow business owners to send their page posts into stories and News Feeds, reaching hundreds more people with just a few clicks.
Facebook boosted posts are a great and quick way to get more viewing of a specific post. More of the pros include:
- Fast and easy to set-up
- Simple learning curve
- Time saver
- Can quickly test post-performance
- Early post-approval beforehand
Fast and Easy Set-Up
Facebook boosted posts are fast and easy to set up and can be created in just a few minutes. Business owners have reported that Facebook’s interface for creating boosted posts is very intuitive, making it even easier!
Facebook also offers clear instructions on creating boosted posts, so business owners who don’t want to spend hours trying to figure out the Facebook ads system are in luck.
Simple Learning Curve
Unlike ads, the learning curve with boosted posts is as simple as knowing how to post to your page. Once you have a post, you can simply choose to “boost” it and follow the instructions on how to find your audience.
Though you cannot boost certain posts, you will see a blue “Boost Post” button on those that are eligible.
Time Saver
Facebook boosted posts are fast and easy to set up – they can be created in as little as five minutes!
The most you will need to do is work on your target audience, which will include narrowing down the market to people in certain locations with specific likes and dislikes.
However, you can allow Facebook to boost your post using “Smart Audience.” This lets Facebook find like-minded people and will save you time and money in the long run.
Can Quickly Test Post Performance
Boosted posts permit businesses the opportunity to quickly test post performance, which will help business owners to keep advertising costs low.
Follow your posts daily to see their reach and results, and if it’s not working, you can cancel the boost or change your target audience.
Early Post Approval Beforehand
Facebook boosted posts also permit businesses the opportunity for early post approval: Facebook will review your posts before going live to make sure it meets their standards and advertising policies.
This means you won’t need to worry about Facebook rejecting or removing your boosted post.
Cons of Boosted Posts
There are a few cons to using Facebook boosted posts instead of ads:
- Doesn’t use best audiences and ads to boost purchases
- Limited audiences
- Can’t change text
- Can’t have headline & Description
- No manual bids
- No daily scaling or advanced adjustments
Doesn’t Use Best Audiences and Ads To Boost Purchases
With boosted posts, you do not have access to the “Lookalike Audiences” and “Best Audiences” features that you get when you purchase a Facebook ad.
This can be somewhat limiting and you may not get the most out of your money.
Limited Audiences
Facebook ads allow you to show your ad to a variety of audiences. This lets you monitor progress and adjust going forward, based on what is working and what isn’t.
Boosted posts, on the other hand, are far more limited and typically only show up in News Feeds, rather than sidebars which can be more attention-grabbing.
Can’t Change Text
The text can’t be changed on Facebook boosted posts, so it’s not possible to test different headlines or other marketing strategies.
This means you need to craft each post as if you would want to boost it in the future or create and boost a new one.
Can’t Have Headline and Description
Your headline offers you a chance to grab the viewer’s attention and your description gives you a chance to draw them further down the sales funnel.
With a Facebook boosted post, your post has fewer tools to sell itself to your prospective audience as you can’t add a headline after the fact.
No Manual Bids
Manual bids allow you to place bid caps and cost caps that let you manage where your advertising budget goes and ensures you’re not losing money on every conversion.
This level of control is not available with Facebook boosted posts.
No Daily Scaling or Advanced Adjustments
Scaling allows you to cut your costs on unprofitable ads and to transfer that spending to better-converting advertisements.
You will not be able to do that with boosted posts, and you won’t be able to rely on Facebook’s learning algorithms to provide you guidance on how to boost your posts most effectively.
Though you will be able to see how well the post is performing, you won’t have as in-depth features that you would see on an ad.
Which Is Better? Facebook Boosted Posts or Facebook Ads?
If you’re looking for an inexpensive Facebook marketing strategy that doesn’t require much work, Facebook boosted posts may be right for you.
However, Facebook ads keep advertising costs low while still reaching more people that haven’t seen your page before, making them the best option for business owners who want to see their money going towards posts with better performance rates.