Facebook Boosted Posts
It’s true: Facebook has become a pay-to-play platform for small businesses looking to market on the app. With more than 3 billion users, there is an excess of content but a limited amount of posts that any single user can see.
Enter: Facebook boosted posts.
Think of a boosted post as giving your existing Facebook post, a.k.a an organic post, a little extra push. Boosted posts allow business owners, even those with little Facebook experience, to access and use Facebook advertising.
It’s a quicker and simpler alternative to building a full-fledged Facebook ad campaign, which makes it easier for small business owners to do it themselves. You’re essentially taking something you already have — a post that’s performing well — and amplifying its visibility.
Why boost your posts? Here are a few key benefits:
- Find a new audience: Reach people who haven’t liked your page yet and turn them into followers.
- Boost engagement: Get more likes, comments, and clicks on your content.
- Build brand awareness: Introduce your brand to new people who might be interested in what you offer.
Note: The caveat of boosted posts is that they’re designed for top-of-the-funnel brand awareness and, therefore, not designed to make conversions for service-based businesses. With this in mind, don’t create boosted posts centered around “sign on the line” because the audience may not know anything about your business.
The goal of a boosted post is reach and brand awareness, placing people who see these boosted posts at the top of your sales funnel.
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Designing a Boosted Post
To get started, visit your Facebook business page on the app or website. Choose a post that’s performing well, and you’ll see a button that says “Boost Post.”
Define Your Goals
Facebook provides the following goals for your boosted post:
- Get more messages
- Get more engagement
- Get more leads
- Get more calls
- Get more website visitors
Here’s what that looks like:
While Facebook indicates which are best for sales, engagement, or website visitors, note that it says: “Show your ad to people likely to engage/comment/message/ etc.” That means Facebook will show the post to people who normally click on links, send messages to businesses, or comment on posts.
We’ll be honest: This doesn’t mean Facebook will show your ad to people who are likely to buy your services. It means Facebook knows the users who take specific Facebook actions on their app. This makes boosted posts inexpensive and great for brand awareness. For more detailed advertising, you’ll need to set up and manage an ad campaign through Meta’s Ads Manager.
Select Your Target Audience
The default audience is all ages, genders, and locations in the U.S. If you want to find clients in a certain location, make sure to customize the audience when boosting the post.
Boost high-performing organic posts
Look for posts that are already seeing good engagement (likes, comments, shares) organically. This indicates they resonate with your existing audience, increasing the chance they’ll do well with a wider reach.
Visual appeal matters
Eye-catching visuals are crucial for stopping the scroll. Use high-quality images or videos that are relevant to your message.
Include a clear call to action (CTA) and compelling copy: Write clear, concise, and engaging captions that encourage people to interact or take the desired action. “Learn More” or “Shop Now.”
What’s the Cost?
The budget you should allocate for a boosted post depends on several factors:
- Your Goals: Are you primarily aiming for brand awareness, engagement, or conversions? Each objective may require a different budget level.
- Target Audience Size: The larger the audience you want to reach, the higher your budget will need to be.
- Campaign Duration: Longer campaigns generally require a larger budget.
- Industry and Competition: Costs can vary depending on your industry and how competitive the ad space is.
However, here’s a general guideline to get you started:
- Minimum: Facebook allows a minimum of $1 per day for boosted posts. While this is a low entry point, the reach and impact might be limited.
- Starter Budget: Consider a budget of $5-$10 per day to see some noticeable results, especially for smaller audiences or local businesses.
- Moderate Budget: A budget of $20-$50 per day can deliver good reach and engagement for larger audiences or more competitive industries.
- Larger Budgets: If you have significant goals or a very large target audience, you might need a budget of $100 or more per day.
Choose the Duration
Run your boosted post for three to seven days to collect enough analytics to adjust the ad, if needed.
Boosted posts are more effective when used repeatedly (instead of one-and-done) with a strategy that connects to your business objectives and social media goals.
Click “Publish” and your boosted post will be active! You can always check to see how the post is doing by visiting your business page, finding the post, and clicking “See insights and ads.”
If this all feels a bit overwhelming, don’t forget – you don’t have to do it alone.
Need a partner?
strategysmith marketing is ready to work with you and your business on content marketing and social media marketing, as well as to provide valuable insights into the best practices for your digital marketing strategy.
Ready to chat about your marketing efforts? Reach out to us here.