Why it's better not to boost social media posts.

What does it mean to boost a message?

When you boost a post, you pay to bring it to the attention of a wider audience than just your followers. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer this option to temporarily increase the visibility of a post. You can easily set some demographics such as age, location and interests of your target audience. Sounds like an easy way to increase your reach, right?

Yet there is a big difference between boosting posts and setting up a well-thought-out ad campaign. While boosting gives you quick extra reach, there are some drawbacks that make it less attractive than it may seem at first glance.

Why boosting is less effective

Boosting posts seems attractive because of its simplicity, but there are some drawbacks to it that you probably overlook. Here are the main reasons why you are better off opting for a comprehensive ad campaign than simply boosting a post.

1. Limited targeting opportunities

When boosting posts, you get some basic targeting options, such as location, age and interests. While that's a good start, it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to targeted ads. Facebook's ad management, for example, lets you build much more detailed audiences by using custom audiences (e.g. people who have visited your website) or lookalike audiences (people similar to your existing customers).

This means that a real ad campaign allows you to advertise in a much more targeted way, ultimately leading to better results. When you boost a message, you are more likely to waste money reaching people who are less relevant to your brand.

2. No optimisation for specific goals

When you boost a post, you mainly focus on increasing reach or engagement (likes, comments, shares). But what if your real goal is conversions, such as purchases, newsletter sign-ups or bringing in leads? When boosting, you don't get to optimise your ad for specific goals, such as boosting website visits or generating conversions.

Facebook's ad manager, on the other hand, lets you decide exactly what you want to achieve. Whether you want to drive more traffic to your website or boost direct sales, you can tailor and optimise your campaign specifically for the best results.

3. Lack of control over placements

When boosting a post, Facebook's algorithm largely determines where your ad will be shown. This means your post may end up in places where it performs less well, such as in Facebook's right-hand column or in Instagram's less prominent areas. In a full ad campaign, you can control exactly where your ads appear, for example in the news feed, stories or even in the Messenger app.

This lack of control puts you at risk of not getting your message to the most effective places, resulting in less return on your budget.

Why choose a full ad campaign?

If you are serious about your marketing strategy on social media, it is better to invest in a fully developed ad campaign. This may sound intimidating, but the benefits are clear.

1. More control over your budget

With an ad campaign, you can set exactly how much you want to spend and over what period of time. You can experiment with different budgets for different audiences, giving you more insight into what works and what does not. With a boost, you have less control and much of your budget goes to a wider and possibly less relevant audience.

2. Detailed analyses and reporting

Facebook's ad management gives you comprehensive data on how your ads are performing. This goes beyond the number of views or clicks; you can see how many people visited your website, how many leads were generated and which ads are producing the best results. This data will help you optimise your future campaigns.

With a boosted post, the reporting options are much more limited. You get mostly basic information on reach and engagement, but you lack the deeper insights you need to understand which ads actually contribute to your marketing goals.

3. Possibility of A/B testing

Another great advantage of a full ad campaign is the possibility of A/B testing. This allows you to test variations of your ad to see which performs best. This can range from testing different images or videos to trying different texts or call-to-actions. These kinds of experiments are invaluable for discovering what really appeals to your target audience.

When boosting a message, you don't have these options. You are tied to the creation of that one specific message, leaving you no flexibility to optimise or test different versions.

The right way to tackle social media marketing

Social media marketing can be powerful, but it requires a thoughtful strategy. While boosting posts is quick and easy, in the long run it does not provide the depth and return you need to achieve real success.

A full ad campaign, with well-defined goals, targeted audiences and extensive analytics, gives you the chance to get much more out of your social media marketing. It may take a bit more time and effort to set up, but the results are often much more effective than simply boosting a post.

Conclusion: get more out of your social media ads

If you really want to get the most out of your social media marketing, it's time to leave boosting posts behind and take a more strategic approach. Investing in full ad campaigns will give you more control, better results and insight into what works for your business.

Want to know how to take your social media ads to the next level? Contact us and we would love to help you develop an effective social media strategy that suits your goals!