Facebook Ads vs Boosted Posts: Which Is Better For You?

When you’re marketing your brand on Facebook, what advertising options are best for your brand’s goals?

If you’re unfamiliar with the fine details of social media marketing, it can be tough to understand the difference between Facebook ads and boosted posts, the two primary forms of advertising on the platform.

Both are effective ways to reach potential customers, but which should you choose? Let’s break down both!

First, what is the difference between boosted posts and ads? 

A boosted post is simply a regular organic post you pay to expand the range of. Boosted posts appear on timelines just like regular posts and are created through the front end of Facebook.

Facebook ads are paid messages and/or campaigns that are designed with specific advertising objectives and created in Ads Manager. Usually seen below stories, ads can also show up on feeds on both Instagram and Facebook, Messenger, and on the right-hand side of the screen if you are a desktop user.

Advantages of Boosted Posts

Can increase engagement on your page. If you want to see more likes, shares, and comments, then boosted posts are worth considering, because most of your audience will be preexisting customers.

Why is this important? You’re ensuring that current customers can still have opportunities to engage with your brand, which makes them less likely to leave for a competitor and increases trust.

Customization is an option… to an extent. You have the option to optimize for the impact you want, such as likes, comments, shares, or just overall awareness. You can also adjust your budget, length of boosting period, and who you want the post to reach, along with where it should be placed (desktop News Feed, Instagram, Facebook mobile, etc )

Disadvantages of Boosted Posts 

Primarily designed to increase audience engagement, not sales. Many of the people who will see your boosted post are already in your audience network, which lessens the likelihood of new eyes on your business.

Limited customization and no call-to-action. There’s no option to create custom audiences, an audience you can create from an email list website visitor list, recent users, or other data. You can’t set your own bid amount, nor can you designate delivery frequency options (how many times your post will show up on a user’s screen)

Can only be used to promote existing brands. Are you a new brand on Facebook? That means you cannot do a boosted post as a starting point promotion.

No differentiation in appearance from regular posts. Since a boosted post just looks like a status update, it can be easy to overlook on a person’s timeline. That means a boosted post has no correlation to growing sales, brand awareness, or other goals.

Advantages of Facebook Ads

Better targeting. Options include interests, demographics, location, age, gender, relationship status, education level, occupation, income, hobbies, and many other factors. And since these audience types aren’t selected randomly, you’ll be able to reach them with relevant content.

Richer customization options. Some of Facebook’s ad formats are built with specific campaign goals in mind, with options for ads that collect leads, direct users to your website, and promote products. Ads can also include call-to-action buttons, making them a more dynamic choice for social media marketing professionals.

Stronger at reaching brand new audiences (and customers!) Facebook ads are ideal for getting in front of new, larger audiences who don’t know who you are or have no connection through the platform. Here’s where a well-done Facebook ad can really make an impact! 

More significant, and often immediate, impact. Facebook ads tend to have a direct impact and translate directly to campaign goals, like lead captures, app installations, and sales. With certain campaigns, the added functionality of Facebook ads might make them a better fit.

Disadvantages of Facebook Ads

Can be complicated to create. They also require more in-depth knowledge of your ideal audience to be cost-effective. Speaking of which…

Can be expensive. If you want to reach multiple audiences, a Facebook advertising budget can quickly rise. That’s why it’s crucial to set a marketing budget, along with a daily budget for ads, and stick to it! 

Already a highly competitive market. It can be a challenge to stand out when so many companies are already running ads on Facebook. That’s why it’s so crucial to have a strategy in place of what you’re advertising, the audience you want, and the right placement to inspire a clickthrough.

Still not sure? Here are some questions to consider when deciding: 

• Who do you want to reach? This prompts you to choose a target audience who may enjoy your content.
• What is your budget? Pick a max budget that you’d like to invest in the life of your campaign.
• How long do you want to run your boost?

In summary, Facebook ads vs boosted posts? The choice you make largely depends on your campaign objectives and advertising goals, as each format tends to encourage different outcomes.

Need some help making the decision? Reach out to the experts at ParaCore!