 It’s never been easier to promote your business online. Facebook has made it super simple with their Boost button. But easy ≠ effective! I see too many Sponsored posts that neglect basic marketing principles and don't give a good first impression. Boosting is all about reaching more people, but you want be reaching the right people with the right message. When you're posting to your Facebook page, you're addressing people who already follow your page and have an idea of who you are and what you do. When you're reaching people who haven't heard of your business before, you want your post to include the basic 'who', 'what' and 'where' info. See below three key areas worth reviewing before you next hit the Boost button... 3 variables impacting your Facebook Boost results... 1. Goals If you're Boosting your posts, you need to start with your purpose and being clear on what you'd like people to do after seeing your post. Choosing your goal is one of the key areas people misunderstand when boosting posts as this impacts who Facebook prioritises showing your Boosted posts to. When you choose a goal Facebook will show your post to people who are mostly likely to fulfil that goal. A common boost objective is ‘Get Messages’ and although having people contact your business sounds ideal, from my experience, a lot of enquires that come via Messenger from Boosted posts are often time wasters or people asking questions that should be answered in the ad itself. Other common goals include Video Views, Engagement, and Traffic. If you're wanting to reach as many people as possible, the Reach objective is best, although this is best done through Ads Manager rather than the Boost interface. If you sell things online, you want to be sending people to your website with a Boost set up with the Traffic goal. 2. Audience Targeting Who are you trying to reach by Boosting your post? Knowing your ideal audience is important! I see many sponsored posts from small businesses showing up on my feed from all over the country when they’d be better off with more local targeting. Many business skip past this option and end up with the default audience of everyone in NZ 18+. For example, I’m based in the Manawatu and have no need for a Christchurch-based painter or a real estate agent in Auckland. Every dollar spent reaching someone in another city is a dollar not spent reaching those in your local neighbourhood. This is your chance to reach your target audience and attract your ideal customer. Think quality over quantity. Always double check your location targeting, and review which demographics and locations have worked best from any recent Boosts. 3. Creative 'Creative' simply refers to the visual and text used in your posts and ad content. Images always work better than logos. Talk about the benefits you offer and what problems do you solve? Remember that people don't want a ¼” drill bit, they want a ¼” hole. Often you only have the first twenty words to catch someone's attention before they scroll past or the rest of your text is hidden behind the 'See more' button, make sure your first sentence makes a statement and a good first impression. How you end your message is just as important, I recommend ending with a call to action on your post, which should align with the goal mentioned above. Examples include;
When you hit Boost on a post you're usually unable to make any edits to the post after doing so, so if you are intending to Boost a post, it's best to put some thought into the post before you publish it. What to ask yourself before Boosting a post:
What’s the alternative? Unlike Boosting, Facebook Ads manager gives you much more options and better results. This platform gives you more control over your Facebook advertising. The Facebook Ads Manager interface can be quite intimidating to those new to it however is worth learning for anyone wanting to do a deeper dive into DIY advertising. Key takeaways Boosting is a great way to raise brand awareness and reach more people on social media when done right. To get a better return on your Boost budget, be sure to:
Below are two links worth reading if you're like to learn more:
The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads (from Facebook) Facebook Boosts vs Ads Manager: To boost or not to boost (from Biteable) |