May 27, 2021

Boost post or Facebook Ad?

There are two ways to advertise on Facebook, you can boost a post or create a Facebook Ad. But, what’s the difference? Which one do I choose? And how?

With nearly three billion people using the platform there’s no reason why advertising on Facebook should not be in your digital marketing plan. 

Boosting a post and creating a Facebook Ad requires you to put money behind them to reach a large audience, therefore, they are both considered advertisements. 

Definition of boosting a post

Boosting a post is a type of vanity advertisement. You put money behind a Facebook post and choose the target audience, the amount you want to spend and for how long you want the advert to go on. Also, you have the option to advertise that post on Instagram. 

Then, your boosted post will be on your target audience’s newsfeed as an advertisement with the word ‘Sponsored’ underneath your business’ name. 

Definition of a Facebook Ad

Creating a Facebook Ad is done in Ads Manager and there are more customised, specific options when creating your advertisement. 

At the start of creating the ad, you can define the campaign objective. Choose from the three main categories: awareness, consideration and conversion.

What is the difference?

Boosting a post allows you to increase likes, comments and shares (hence calling it vanity advertisement) whereas creating a Facebook Ad means you have the option to optimise more including video views, website conversions and more. 

Strengths of boosting a post

• It’s swift -the option to boost is easily available when posting or once you have posted. 

• Straightforward – since there are only a few features to define, it’s easy to set up an advertisement.

• Target your audience – simply pick your target audience’s age, gender and interests. 

Strengths of creating a Facebook Ad

• Choose where your dd shows – pick where else you want your ad to be shown including places like Instagram stories, Messenger and more.

• Choose an ad objective – align your business goals to your advertisement and set your ad objective.

• Control of creating the post – when creating an ad, have more control over your ad’s features and the way it is displayed. 

• Superior targeting – choose very specific options for your targeting including Lookalike Audiences. 

So, which one do I use?

What do you want to achieve from your advertisement? This will determine which method to use. 

If you want to increase and improve your brand awareness and followers then boosting a post will do the job. However, if you want to have the option to adapt and personalise your advertisement then create a Facebook Ad. 

It’s always worth noting that Facebook can update and change the way they allow people to advertise on their platform, so keep an eye out!   

What can FinanceStream do?

Our marketing team at FinanceStream can create, monitor and look after your social media. From creating creative assets to evaluating how an ad performed, we can help.

Give us a call on 0333 242 3990 or email robin@financestream.co to see how we can help.

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