If your business or organization has a Facebook page, then chances are you have seen the option to “boost” your post. Boosting may seem confusing, but broken down, it is basically how Facebook promotes your post to certain users for a fee. The success of your boost depends on a number of factors, including the money you spend on it, the area you choose to target, and how many people end up seeing and interacting with your post. This blog post is not a comprehensive look into everything about Facebook advertising, but if you are looking for insight into how boosting can help or hurt your business or organization, read on.
What is the purpose of a boosted post?
Have you ever seen the Sponsored posts popping up on your Facebook newsfeed, in between posts from people you know? These posts are marketed by Facebook to reach a specific audience, depending on factors like users’ age, location, and interests.
For example, one can pay to boost their post about college to reach users in the age group of 17-25, or a business owner could boost a post to reach users in their town and surrounding towns.
How can a boosted post help your business or organization?
When you make a post to your business or organization’s Facebook page, only those who are following your page are going to see it. Boosting your post will cause it to show up on the newsfeeds of users who aren’t following your page as well. By tailoring the audience of your boost to users who fit your business or organization’s target audience, you will increase both the exposure of your posts as well as the chances that new users will come across your Facebook page and be interested in your content.
Is boosting a post worth it?
In the end, boosting a post does cost money. However, you can control just how much money you spend on this boost, meaning that there can be an affordable option for most businesses or organizations. How much money you spend on your boost will affect the expected audience for your post. For example, a post that you invest less money into may reach a few dozen to a few thousand fewer people. While this may seem like a big deal, it is important to remember a few things.
- A larger potential audience doesn’t necessarily mean more sales.
Just because your post is reaching more people doesn’t mean that those people will visit your page or buy a product. Consider how many advertisements you see on a daily basis, versus how many advertisements actually cause you to buy a new product or service. Social media is full of advertisements, but that doesn’t mean that everyone on Facebook is buying in.
- Focus your money where it matters.
If your business or organization is just starting out, or targets a large audience, then boosting your posts can be an easy way to raise awareness. In this case, the fact that your audience just has a general knowledge about your business or cause is a victory. However, if you are operating on a limited budget, or have a smaller target audience, then it may be worth cutting a few dollars from your boost and applying that money elsewhere in your business.
- Tailor your boost to work best for you.
Facebook offers a lot of options when creating a boosted post. You can adjust how many days your boost will run for, who you want targeted with this boosted post, and how much money will be spent per day. Use all these options to your advantage, and adjust them to get the most exposure possible for your money.
It may be helpful to set up a budget in advance for each post. If you have only $10 total to spend on a boosted post, then it may be better to choose a shorter range of time to run your boosted post for, like 1-2 days versus 3-5 days. This is especially important to think about if you’re boosting a post that references a specific event or time-sensitive deal. There’s no point in spending money to advertise something if you’re advertising it beyond its date or deadline.
So, should you boost your Facebook posts?
In the end, the effectiveness of boosting posts comes down to your budget and your target audience. As a general rule, advertising on Facebook can’t hurt, as it means more exposure for your business or organization. However, if your business or organization falls under one of the following categories, you may want to reconsider boosting your posts, at least for the time being:
- your target audience doesn’t have a Facebook account, or doesn’t use Facebook often
- your target audience is difficult to define
- your budget is fairly tight
- your posts aren’t advertising deals or events, or they aren’t particularly informative about your business or organization as a whole
If you’re just starting off with Facebook advertising, start small. Set a specific budget (around $15-$35 for one post is a good place to begin), and make sure you are boosting posts that share good information about your business or organization. Keep the range of time that your boosted post will run for short; anywhere from 2-6 days is probably enough to start. Once your boost ends, use the analytics that Facebook provides to see who viewed your post and to assess how much more traffic your post got versus your unboosted posts. This information can help you decide how effective your boosted post was and if you want to continue boosting your posts or even invest more money next time.
In addition, don’t forget about organic ways of sharing your posts and getting the word out about your business or organization. Sharing your page in local Facebook groups and on your personal Facebook account are easy and free ways to spread the word. Check out this post as well for more information about advertising your small business effectively.
Wreath Writing & Marketing Services 