To Boost or Not to Boost: Sonnets on Facebook Advertising

By Kate Skinner and Anthony Tat @Skinner_Tweets | @TatAnthony

You’re a business owner or CMO. You have a ton of great content on your company Facebook Page, but you’re not getting the kind of visibility you would like. You may not have the money to waste on ineffective marketing strategies and wayward Facebook advertising. And even if you did, why would anyone ever wish to throw good money away?

To boost, or not to boost (your Facebook post) - that is the question.

But first, what exactly is boosting?

According to Facebook for Business, “boosting posts is an effective and inexpensive way to get more exposure for your content…It’s a great way to get more people to see your posts, promote special events, offers and news, and to reach new audiences through targeting.”

Is that all you need to know? Well, yes and no.

In Shakespeare’s time, social media ninjas/experts/gurus would “strongly advise against” clients boosting their posts on Facebook. (We’re talking in, like, 2014.) Their logic was that boosting posts cost money and didn’t produce targeted results. So, if you were lucky enough to generate new ‘likes,’ it may or may not be the work of internet trolls, or users outside your target demographic.

Now, boosting comes withoptions. You can choose exactly who you want to see your content, based on their age, gender, interests, location, etc. Facebook will even provide you estimates of your cost and corresponding reach. This will undoubtedly give your business more bang for the buck.

So - how do you know if boosting actually works?

This study showed boosted posts achieved the largest reach and the most unique clicks, which is very appealing considering the potential ROI for small businesses.

To boost! But…what should you boost?

If we’re talking about ROI over a longer campaign, then you want to choose content that willlast. Don’t be tempted by that really funny post about things to do in the office for St. Patrick’s Day - it may generate a lot of interaction now, but will it bring you biz in July? Instead, promote your product or services, encourage visits to your website, or spread awareness about a specific campaign your business is running. You can also analyze your post insights to determine which posts were already performing well organically. These have already proven to be favorable and engaging with your audience; boosting them will potentially give you the most efficient results for your ad dollars. It’s also important to adhere to FacebookAdvertising Policies.

Facebook Advertising

However, special events and offers can be boosted leading up to or on the day of an event. This can be a great way for you to quickly increase reach on time-sensitive content. (Just be sure to target the right audience and set the correct end date and time.) If you are boosting a post through your timeline for less than 24 hours, you may need to edit the end date and time within Facebook Ad Manager.

Ultimately, it’s important to do what’s best for your business. Do you know your market? Is your Facebook audience ideal for this type of interaction? Where do you see the majority of your business?

We can help with your Facebook advertising. Let our team of social media specialists create a targeted plan of action, tailored specifically to your business needs. Call or email for a consult today!

And in the words of Shakespeare…

“To boost, or not to boost, that is the question:

Is it better to just deal with current reach?

(However little it may be.)

Or to take action and boost my content?

And by boosting, have a larger audience.

With quality viewers, click-through,

ROI, and offline action.

Something to which all businesses aspire

It need not be a hopeless wish.

To boost. To sell more stuff.

To be the best Facebook Page there ev’r was.”