Wondering whether to ‘boost’ your Facebook posts?
Or perhaps you’re wondering what a boost post actually is?
Either way, this article is for you – but first, let me share something I learnt recently…
At last year’s Content Marketing Conference, the BNZ’s Social Media Manager mentioned that the bank spend the same amount of money on boosting their Facebook content, as they spend on actually creating it in the first place.
The same amount!
I nearly fell of my uncomfortable conference chair.
Long story short, BNZ’s approach, and the fact that Facebook visibility has decreased over time, means that your business now needs to boost posts if you’re serious about doing Facebook well…
Back the truck up: What’s a boost post?
Ah – good question. A boost post is a Facebook page update that is bumped higher up each recipients’ News Feed, where it’s more likely to be seen. It can even be the difference between a ‘liker’ of your page seeing your post or missing it altogether.
If I’m using too much jargon, think of boosting a Facebook post as similar to turning up the dial on your stereo – you’re amplifying the natural reach of your post so that it will carry further and be seen by more people (potential customers!).
Why should I boost my Facebook posts?
You should boost your posts because you can’t rely on Facebook to show your stuff anymore. And because you’ve invested your precious time and energy into creating great content (and you want people to see it!).
In short, boosting a post helps it to reach its true potential… actually, maybe it’s a little more like an athlete taking steroids, but the best part is it’s not illegal.
Here’s a pretty picture. Article continues below…
Okay, you’re convincing me – but how do I boost a post?
If you have a business page you’ll notice a blue “boost post” button under your latest Facebook update – click it.
You’ll see you can spend any dollar amount you like, and the more you spend, the more people will see your post. For a small amount (say $5) you’ll find you can reach up to 10 or 20 times the number of people you otherwise would have.
But don’t take my word for it, try it out for yourself.
How many people will my boosted Facebook post reach?
When you go to boost your latest post, Facebook will provide you with an up-front estimate of how many people will see your post (for the budget you’ve chosen), and later on you’ll get to see exactly how many people the post has reached (this depends on how interesting and engaging the post is).
Make sense?
Ready, Set…Hold on a second.
With great power comes great responsibility, and this type of Facebook advertising (boosting) is no different.
Before clicking that “boost post” button, consider the following points:
- Quality of your content: The quality of your post will ultimately determine its audience – this is why Facebook only provides an estimate of how many people your boosted post will reach. Be aware that a terrible post doesn’t have much amplification potential and no amount of boosting will save it.
- Amount to boost by: I recommend boosting your posts by the same dollar amount every time, because if you boost each post by a different amount, it becomes tricky to judge which of your posts would have become successful under it’s own steam.
- Your intended audience: You can choose who you boost your posts to, so choose your audience carefully and get the right people reading your content (as they are more likely to interact with your post, helping more people see it).
What? Facebook’s not free!?
Sadly no. But if you produce quality content, and are prepared to spend even a small amount on boosting your posts, then you’re well on the right track to getting the most out of your Facebook marketing effort.
But that’s enough from me, what do you think?
Will you start boosting your Facebook posts?
