Is your business looking to dedicate a portion of its marketing budget to
promotion on Facebook? If so, you should know this social media platform has two options that fit most budgets: an advertisement and a boosted post. But what’s the difference? Let’s take a look.
An advertisement
A Facebook advertisement is a customized, targeted campaign for a specific audience over a given time frame. This type of promotion is, or allows for:
- Opportunity to strategically plan and design ahead of time
- Is used to promote a sale, event, grand opening, and more
- Is typically more advanced and targeted
- Can be seen in the right-hand column of your newsfeed or throughout the newsfeed itself
- Views are limited to only those who have liked your business’ page can see the content
- Base fees are determined on the length of the advertisement. For example, Facebook Business says it costs $1.50 for each 1,000 impressions the post receives.
A boosted post
Facebook has a pre-existing algorithm that determines the order of posts on a user’s newsfeed. For a fee, a boosted post can appear higher on a newsfeed, increasing the number of impressions.This type of promotion is, or allows for:
- Typically an already shared post
- Intended to increase impressions (think: likes, shares, etc.)
- Can be targeted to those who haven’t liked your business’ page by age, location, and more
- Can be seen in the right-hand column of your newsfeed or throughout the newsfeed itself
- Charge of the post is determined by the number of impressions and the demographics being targeted
- Facebook establishes a base rate fee for the post and keeps track of a money value the boost received through the number of impressions
- Prices vary by the budget and duration identified
The Differences Between an Ad and a Boosted Post
- The expense and budget
- The target audience(s)
- Time spent developing content
- Appearance of the post
Now that you know the difference, ask yourself these questions before beginning your next Facebook promotion:
- What’s the goal?
- Is there a clear call-to-action?
- What’s the budget?
- Who is your business looking to target?
Knowing the answers to these questions, will help you decide which type of promotion is best for your next campaign.
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