Facebook may have started out as a way to connect friends and social networks together but has since morphed into one of the most effective marketing platforms. Facebook has the ability to connect companies and brands to specific people by targeting their age, gender, location, interests and so much more! Finding the right audience for your business has never been more concise or easy!
There are some challenges in this multi-dimensional network though, with over 2 billion daily active users, the actual number of hours spent on Facebook has been decreasing. Today the average amount of time users spend on Facebook is approximately 35 minutes per day.
The Basics of Facebook
With so many competing social platforms and people spending less time reviewing content, it is so important to know exactly who you want to target with your Facebook posts as well as what you want to accomplish. Whether it’s to gain “likes”, traffic to your website, increase brand recognition or participation, you need to have your overall purpose for your posts in place.
Once you have established the main goals and objectives for your brand, you can zero in on which type of post is the right one to reach your target audience. Boosted posts and promoted posts are two effective ways to reach your audience. Understanding the similarities and differences between them will help you make the best decision for marketing your post.
Boosted Post:
A boosted post is one of the easiest types of advertising you can do on Facebook. You simply take an existing post and expand it to a larger and more specific audience. It is very accessible on your post (located directly on your timeline). In 2 clicks you can complete the boost post option which will allow you to select users by:
1. Specific locations
2. Ages
3. Gender
4. Up to 10 interests
Boosted posts are great for generating audience engagement such as shares, comments and likes.
You can set a specific budget and also choose to divide the budget over a few days (7 being the maximum) and change the account being charged. You can monitor results using a Facebook Ads Manager account which will allow you to see detailed reports and watch the performance of your boosted post.
Promoted Post:
A more advanced way to promote on Facebook is through using Facebook ads. This avenue offers the greatest amount of options for advertisers with features like:
1. Clicks to website
2. App installs & engagement
3. Video views
4. Website conversions
5. Event Reponses
6. Call to action
- ‘Download now’
- ‘Sign up here’
- ‘Contact us’
To do this type of post, just log in to your Ads Manager account and select Page Post Engagement and follow the steps provided.
In using this format, you will be able to specifically select if you want your Ad to focus on brand awareness or reach and choose the type of engagement you want for your Ad. You will also be able to monitor conversions and traffic in your Ads Manager Account.
Remember, you don’t need to boost and promote all of your posts! Try to choose the best ones and only boost or promote your own content. It’s also a good idea to boost and promote posts when you are offering something for free, like giveaways, events or contests. This is a benefit for your audience and can increase your fan base!