For most beginners, the difference between boosted posts and Facebook ads aren’t much clear. Most others cannot distinguish if a Facebook ads is different from a boosted post. Others who know the difference between the both may often struggle to know when to use which one. As such, the confusion and dilemma continues. What if i were to tell the differences and when to use either of them? Read on.

Facebook ads are quite different from boosted posts. Essentially, they may have one or two similarities, but they aren’t the same. Boosted posts could pass as the simplified version of a Facebook ads. These may all sound so strange, but, i will take you through these to clarify the differences for you. So, let us see the difference between boosted posts and Facebook ads.

The Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads

To be able to find out the difference between boosted posts and Facebook ads, it is important to understand what each stands for. This will make the process easier for you.

What’s a Facebook boosted post?

To boost a post simply means to advertise a particular post to reach more audience. A boosted post is a post to your Page’s timeline that you can apply money to in order to boost it to an audience of your choosing. It is the simplest way to advertise on Facebook. Boosted posts differ from Facebook ads because they are not created in Ads Manager and don’t have all of the same customization features.

Also See: 6 Easy Ways To Boost Facebook Posts From Your Page

When you boost a post, it’ll show up in your audience’s Facebook News Feed as an ad. You can also select Instagram as an ad placement for your boosted post. You can choose a post that’s already present on your Page’s timeline and boost it by following only a few steps. When you boost a post, you’ll tell us 3 things:

1. Who you want to reach: you’ll pick a target audience of the type of people you want to connect with
2. Your max budget: you’ll tell us exactly how much you want to spend over the course of your entire campaign
3. How long you want to run your ad: once you click Boost and your ad is approved, people in your target audience will see your ad in their News Feed for the duration you’ve set

Note: boosted posts are still considered ads because they require budget to be shared with a wider audience. This is the core similarity it shares with Facebook Ads. When you receive your bill, your boosted post will be identified as an ad.

Also See: How to Boost your Google AdSense RPM – How Possible is it?

What are Facebook ads?

On the other hand, Facebook ads are created through Ads Manager and offer more advanced customization solutions. There are many advertising objectives to help you reach your specific business goals and the audiences you care about most. Where a boosted post may initially optimize for Page likes, comments, and shares or overall brand awareness, Facebook ads can optimize for app installs, website conversions, video views, shop orders and more.

Also See: Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Use Facebook Ads

What more can I do with Facebook Ads?

• Choose different ad placements: When you boost a post, you’ll be able to check or uncheck whether or not you want to place your ad in Instagram in addition to Facebook mobile and desktop News Feed. With Facebook ads, you get the added benefit of choosing placements in Facebook News Feed side ads, Messenger ads, Instagram stories, instant articles, and Audience Network.
• Use specific ad objectives: Choosing an ad objective early on will help you to focus on which campaign type best aligns with your current business goals. Boosted posts allows you to focus on website clicks, Page engagement and local business promotions, but the full ads system in Ads Manager lets you choose objectives like store visits, conversions, and lead generation. You can also create and manage ads through the Ads Manager mobile app.
• Maintain creative control: With Facebook Ads created through Ads Manager, you can design an ad that fits your goals. Create carousel ads, add specific descriptions and add a call-to-action button that’ll drive more of your audience to take action. These are only a few of the creative and formatting options available in Ads Manager that aren’t available when boosting a post from your Page.
• Use advance targeting capabilities: Boosting posts let you decide on interests, age and gender for your ad targeting. This helps you reach people who most likely care about your business. With Facebook ads, you can use more advanced tools to create overlapping audience types, lookalike audiences and more.

Also See: Top 5 Social Media Tips For Small Business Owners

When to use Facebook ads vs boosted posts

It’s important for any business to identify exactly what they’re hoping to achieve with an ad. For example, if you want audience engagement on your Page or to develop your brand awareness, boosting a post is a great way to maximize visibility and grow your audience. To create more advanced ad types and campaigns, use Ads Manager.

In Conclusion

We have seen the Difference Between Boosted Posts and Facebook Ads. Both are quite vital and can be used at different times for different purposes. Understand your goals should go a long way to determine which of these you will choose to adopt.

If you found this helpful, kindly use the comment box below and share with us what you picked.