Facebook Advertising is easy. You simply need to click the “Boost Post” button. Voila, you’ve created an ad. Not completely true.
You need to go beyond boosting a post, if you want to get the most out of advertising on Facebook. You’re missing out on a lot of ad customization options if you don’t use the Ads Manager (fb.com/adsmanager) when creating ads for your business page.
If you only wish to engage with your current page’s followers and you don’t desire to widen your reach, keep using the “Boost Post” option. However, if you are curious about better ways to attract more qualified leads or customers, read on.
So, What’s the Difference Between a Facebook Ad and a Boosted Post?
According to Facebook, a boosted post is a post to your Page’s timeline that you can apply money to in order to boost it to an audience of your choosing.
It allows you to choose your audience (who you want to reach), specify your maximum budget, and indicate the period your ad will run. It’s the easiest way to advertise your content (e.g. video, link, photo) on Facebook.
Meanwhile, a Facebook Ad is created through the Ads Manager and offers more advanced customization options.
Like a Boosted Post, creating an ad via the Ads Manager allows you to choose your audience, budget, and the time frame your ad will run. However, unlike a Boosted Post, a Facebook Ad offers more benefits.
Top 4 Reasons a Facebook Ad is Better Than a Boosted Post
I’m making an assumption here that you have only been using Boosted Post and avoiding Ads Manager (because let’s be honest, its dashboard isn’t friendly at all). If you’ve given up on it before even trying, I say, give it a try.
Here are some reasons why you should consider creating an ad via the Ads Manager:
- Only through Ads Manager will you be able to run a Split Test (A/B Testing), which is crucial in identifying the most effective ad for your products/services. Marketers live by data gathered through split testing. Business owners increase their return on investment (ROI) with ad that has been proven to work.
- As mentioned previously, you can edit an ad that you’ve created via the Ads Manager. What about Boosted post? Unfortunately, once a post has been boosted, you cannot change any part of the ad creative (sales copy and graphics), which is a huge disadvantage.
- Some types of ads can only be created through Ads Manager. Carousel Ads, canvas ads, and dynamic product ads are only available through the Ads Manager.
- You can customize where you want your ad to appear with a Facebook Ad. With a Boosted Post, your options are limited to three placements: FB Mobile Feed, FB Desktop Feed, and Instagram.
If these reasons are not enough to convince you to dig deeper and do more than boost a post, I don’t know what will.
This post is part of a series of posts on Facebook Advertising. I never thought people have so many questions about it until I started opening up about my previous job as an FB Ads specialist.
If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also want to check out the others:
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