Using the Facebook Boost Button

You might have seen the Boost Post button on your small business’ Facebook posts, and unless you’ve used it before, it’s a mystery. What does this button do, and what does it even mean to “boost” a post? Let’s answer some burning questions and see when is the best time to utilize this feature.

What is a Facebook boosted post?

A boosted post is just like a regular Facebook post, but instead of letting it get organic visibility, you spend a little money to promote it. You usually promote it to people who wouldn’t see your organic post, and you can target the specific audience you would like to see it. It’s the easiest form of a Facebook ad, and you can create one in just a couple of clicks.

Why would I boost a Facebook post?

Like I mentioned, it’s the easiest and fastest way to create an ad, which will get your content in front of more eyes than a regular organic post. Believe it or not, the Facebook algorithm doesn’t show 100 percent of your followers 100 percent of your content, so targeting your existing or potential audience with an ad can be key to visibility. 

One benefit of boosting a post is to reach the right people. This will expand not only your audience past those who follow your page, but will also reach the people who are most likely to be interested in that content by using the built-in targeting options.

You can also create an ad within minutes. I don’t know if you have ever messed around in Facebook Ad Manager, but it’s not something you can just walk into and understand right away. By boosting, you are given a few options (such as your goal for the boost, your call to action, the audience and more.) Everything is on one screen, and it can even be done from a mobile device. 

One final benefit we’ll address is the analytical side of social content. When you make a regular post, you can see certain analytics like your reach and engagement, but when you boost a post, you get to see more about how that post performed. This helps you learn what works best for your marketing goals on this platform, allowing you to refine your strategy over time. 

Best Practices for Boosting Posts

Make sure to set clear objectives and expectations when using the Facebook Boost button. Whether you want to build brand awareness or increase sales, setting your objective will help you measure your strategy and make the necessary changes. 

You also shouldn’t run the same boost for too long as performance often declines when you run them for over a week. This will also help avoid instances where a person sees the same boosted post over and over again, tiring your audience of your content.

Speaking of the audience, the default audience for a boosted post will be people who currently like your page or your followers plus their friends. You then have the option to create a custom audience, allowing you to narrow it down based on location, sex, age or interests.

Choose a post that is already performing well, as the higher engagement rate shows that the content was interesting to your audience. Followers are more likely to click on a post with 100 likes, 60 comments and 42 shares than a post with just three likes. Because of this, it’s best to utilize Facebook Insights to check which content is doing best.

Whether you decide to run Facebook Ads or just use the Facebook Boost button, it’s best to work with a professional to ensure the best results. Our dedicated marketing team at Rooted Web is ready to create and implement a marketing strategy to build your small business. Let’s chat!