It’s no secret that money can go farther on Facebook than another online ad option like say, Google Search ads. It’s all about what your budget is, who you are trying to target, and what your product is. However, not all Facebook Boosting options are the same. Let’s talk about some of the options that may be available to you and how to can get the most bang for your buck, or in this case, the most bang for your boost.

Traditional Post Boost

The post boost was one of the first types of boosting and what I find most people think of when talking about boosting. Most simply, boosting a post allows a photo or status update you have made to reach a larger audience than it would have organically. It’s almost like buying a viral post and you will see more likes and comments come in as your post makes contacts with new people and lands on newsfeeds it otherwise would not have.

For post boosting, I prefer to wait until I see a post doing well organically to boost it. You might think that’s odd, shouldn’t you boost the posts that need a bit more help? I don’t think so. If a post is not performing well organically, that tells us people aren’t interested in the content. Just because you put money behind it, your post isn’t suddenly going to become interesting. Boosting a post that’s doing well organically maximizes the reach it has and helps you get to new audiences and you already know it’s interesting and engaging content. It’s like sending your best and brightest out on an important job, not the guy who didn’t even show up to work on his first day.

Pro of Post Boosting: If a post is doing well organically, it’s great to maximize reach and allow new people to discover your content.

Cons of Post Boosting: Likes and comments don’t pay the bills. You may get some page likes or links clicks, but the majority of what you are buying is temporary.

Page Boosting

Page boosting is one of my favorite options on Facebook. Think about is this way. Instead of getting likes on one post you make or a click to your website, you are actually grabbing and retaining new viewers. By getting someone to like your page, they are then encountering all of your Facebook posts and are genuinely tuned in to your product and your business. Growing your audience is one of the most valuable options on Facebook because it leads to exponential growth, not just one-time likes.

How do you get people to like your page? Remember that your content, and in this case, your ad, needs to offer value. The auto-generated content for these ads will likely just be pulled from your about section. Absolutely keep mention of being a local business or a bit about what you do, but also tell people why they should follow you. Mention specials, deals, event information, and other opportunities that explain the value of liking the page. It’s easy to think about marketing as something that benefits our business, but it will never work if the potential customer doesn’t feel that they are getting a value as well.

Pro of Page Boosting: Builds an ongoing community that stays engaged in your content long-term.

Cons of Page Boosting: Some businesses have a less natural pull for people to like their page and it can be difficult to make it seem interesting to like the page.

Website Clicks

Website clicks are beneficial for businesses that require someone to visit their website. If you are operating a hospitality business that requires bookings or have an e-commerce store, this is a great way to send visitors from Facebook to your website. As with all social media efforts, we always want to move people from our social media pages to either our website or physical location.

Once people make the click, we want the page they land on to continue making the sale. Consider using your home page or a page that gives people the most options. If your booking engine doesn’t look as modern or doesn’t include as many photos as other website pages, don’t send people directly to the booking engine or you run the risk of seeing people bounce away.

Pros of Website Click Boost: Great way to move people from Facebook to your Website.

Cons of Website Click Boost: Facebook ads tend to have a high bounce rate. Be sure you are not negatively impacting your website performance with an unsuccessful ad or unimpressive landing page.

Local Boost

Local boosting is a great option for businesses that simply want to be on the mind of people around them. If you are offering a service like electrical work, snow removal, property management, or something similar, it can be a great way to increase awareness. You don’t necessarily need people to go to your website, like a particular post, or like your page, but you do want to be on the minds of everyone in the community.

Pro of Local Boost: You can circulate your business name around the community before they even begin searching for your service.

Cons of Local Boost: There is no specific call to action, so it’s difficult to quantify the success of the campaign.

Event Boosting

Boosting an event on Facebook is an excellent way to get people to click that “interested” button or RSVP. Be sure to write a great hook about your event and add the dates and times. People rarely find their way to the full description of the event, so having a dynamic photo and all of the important dates and times right up front is support important.

I recommend starting with a smaller budget, maybe only a few dollars per day when you are far from your evet. Then, as you get closer, add a higher budget. This allows your money to last longer, the overall ad to cost less, and the most circulation to take place a week or two before your event.

Pros of Event Boosting: The RSVP button is very important for Facebook Event success and this puts it in front of a ton of people.

Cons of Event Boosting: You have a minimum of a dollar a day so trying to promote in advance can eat into your budget quickly.

All Boosting

These are some of my favorite boosting options and the ones I find most beneficial for businesses. Overall, make sure your ads are using dynamic photos. Facebook rewards happy, smiling content and language that promotes the same. Seriously, if you have a frowning person talking about how much they hate tax season, Facebook isn’t going to promote the ad as much as it would if you had someone smiling and happy about how easy it was to do their taxes this year.

Be sure to focus on the value to the consumer, not just what you want them to know or care about. Always be working to move people from your Facebook to your actual business. Start out small, maybe $25 per boost, and really pay attention to what gets the most attention and traffic. Capitalize on the successes rather than trying to make the dud work.

If you’re finding it hard to balance your marketing with all of your other business responsibilities, reach out to us. We spend all day long working on social media, e-mail marketing, websites, and other aspects of digital marketing. What can we do to make your business thrive? Contact us today!