Options for Boosting a Facebook Post

You’ve built up your Facebook page and now have over 1,000 likes. So when you post on your page, all 1,000 of your fans see your post, right? Wrong. As a move to increase the monetization of Facebook, items that you post on your page will be shown to less than 20% of your fans; unless you pay to boost them. Even with a budget as low as $5, boosting a post will allow you to reach all of your fans and 10-50 times more users. We’ve discussed what items you should boost and why paid posts work in our previous blog article about Facebook Promoted Posts. This article is designed as a follow up to explain the different categories you can boost to and the benefits of each type.

Boosting to People who Like your Page

This option is the least expensive one. When you pay, your post will be shown in the newsfeed of all of your fans. Posts about deals, events, or store hour changes are great for this group. Recently, a nearby Raleigh gym was closing early due to an impending snowstorm. They boosted a post to their 650 Facebook fans so their members would know not to venture out to the club. They also offered a snow day discount for new people wanting to join that day at $80 off the normal join rate. They got at least one new member that day (me), and that promotion may have cost as little as $5 for them.

Boosting to Your Fans and Their Friends

When you pay for this option, all of your Facebook fans will see your post, as well as a select group of their Facebook friends. The pricing is in the middle of the three options. When promoting the content beyond your current fans, Facebook will indicate the name of the friend(s) that currently like your page. This boost type helps out brands and companies that people would rely on their friend’s recommendations to help them narrow the options. Medical services like doctors, chiropractors, and dentists; lawyers; and clothing stores could benefit from this boost type. The company Thorlo sells athletic socks focused on protecting and padding feet. A fans and friends post that explains why runners should choose their socks could help them grow because people are more likely to get advice on gear to buy from their friends versus a traditional ad.

Boosting a Post Through Targeting

The third option is the most expensive for boosting, and has the highest potential reward. The targeting allows you select a segment of Facebook users based on their location, age, gender, and interests. The upside is you can gain a lot of new followers and customers with this boost. When planning a targeted boost, make sure the text of your post is informative to people who are not familiar with your products or services. It’s easier for national chains like Starbucks who have instant brand recognition than for local stores that do not. For the Thorlo example reference above, they would need to include a picture of their socks and some text about the socks for the post to make sense to people not familiar with the brand. If your product or service is targeted to a specific geographic area, a targeted boost would benefit you the most. Pedogogy, a dog trainer serving only Wake County, could get right to their target market by boosting to people over 30 years old in Raleigh whose interests include dogs, puppies, animals, or animal welfare.

Tags: Digital Marketing