I’m sure you have noticed it: that little blue “Boost Post” box at the bottom right-hand corner of the posts you create on Facebook. Maybe you have been tempted to click it, but you are not exactly sure what it means.
Boosting Facebook posts is a quick and easy way to extend the reach of your business’ Facebook page. With Facebook’s new algorithm, it is more important than ever to make sure your Facebook business’ page is getting content in front of people. The “Boost Post” option is a great way to do this. Read on to learn how to get started on boosting your Facebook content and growing your reach.
What is the “Boost Post” Option?
By boosting a post on your Facebook business page, you are turning the organic post into a promoted post which is essentially a Facebook ad. This ad can reach a select group of people which you select. This puts this post on the timelines of the audience to which it is most applicable. You can select multiple audiences, or create a new audience based on demographics like age, interests, location, etc. You will set a budget for the boosted post, as well as a duration for which this particular boosted post ad will run. Any eligible Facebook page can boost a post, regardless of how many likes the page has or how much advertising it has done. Boosting posts is a great way for you to get started on Facebook advertising, especially if you are just getting started with Facebook ads.
Why is the “Boost Post” Option Beneficial?
When you boost a Facebook post, you get a guarantee of the post being seen – which does not always happen with organic Facebook posts. By turning your post into an advertisement, you will be increasing the amount of consumers who see your post on their timelines. Simply having more people see your post will increases the amount of likes, comments, and shares your post is likely to get. Likes, comments, and shares – general interaction with the post – will spur your post on to an even larger audience. For instance, someone who shares your post has now expanded that post’s audience to all of their followers, at no additional cost to you. Boosting a post will also allow people who may be interested in the content your page shares, but are not yet following you to see your posts and they may in turn begin to follow you. This will increase the reach of the posts which you do not boost, simply by directing more traffic to your business’ Facebook page.
In addition to this, you can add a call-to-action to your boosted post. For instance, if you run a Facebook page for your freelance massage business, you can add a “book an appointment” call-to-action to your boosted post – so you are not only promoting your Facebook content, but are also promoting your business directly. You can take advantage of the larger audience your boosted post will reach by calling them to sign up for a newsletter, contact your business, etc. In this way, you get more bang for your buck – the money your business spends on a boosted post can be used to entice people to do more than just like your page, but take the next step and become your newest customer.
How To Boost a Post
Boosting a Facebook posts is simple and easy. But before you can boost a post, you need to make sure your Facebook page meets a few criteria. To boost, you will need:
- A Facebook business page – one that has already been published. It must be set up completely with all of your business’ information. You want people to see an active business when they visit your Facebook page.
- You will also need to be an administrator, editor, moderator, or advertiser of the page in order to advertise for the page. You will have to be connected by your personal Facebook page. You can request access from the administrator of the page if you find that your role on the page does not allow you to advertise.
- A post on the Facebook page that is able to be boosted. You will see the blue “Boost Post” option.
Once all these criteria are met, you can boost away! Here’s how:
- Find the post you want to boost and select “Boost Post”.
- Select the desired audience for the post. You can select page followers and friends of followers. You can also create an audience based on characteristics like age, interests, and more and boost to more than one audience.
- Set a budget for the post. You can click the drop-down under “Total Budget” and select the budget of your choosing – either by using a pre-existing amount or entering a custom amount. When setting the budget, you will see an estimate of how many people may see your post.
- Select a duration of time for the ad to run.
- Select the payment option that works best for you.
- Click “Boost”
Once this has been done, your post will be boosted to the audience you’ve chosen for the amount of time you have selected, and you should begin reaping the benefits of having a boosted post.
So Which Posts Should You Boost?
While organic content does not get a guarantee of being seen, it is unnecessary for you to boost every post on your Facebook page. Instead, you should select the posts which will be most beneficial when boosted. There are a few things you can look for to determine the best post to boost:
- Look at your previously-published posts. Is there a certain type of post that has done exceptionally well organically? Boost one of these posts, as you already know it is a post people like and respond to.
- Posts that have helpful content and images. These posts tend to do better in general – and this will be amplified when boosted.
- Posts with links to external sites. As we said earlier, this will direct traffic not only to your Facebook page but also directly to your business’ website. Additionally, boosting posts with links to email lists or newsletters has the same effect.
- Content that is specific to your page, sets your brand apart, or shows the personality of your brand.
What If Your Post Says “Boost Unavailable”?
Sometimes, you will come across a post that is ineligible for boosting. The first thing you should do is double-check that your page meets all the criteria we laid out above. If it does, and you still cannot boost the post, it may be for one of the following reasons:
- The content is expired or outdated. For instance, it may contain a special offer or a job opening that are no longer applicable. You can easily remedy this by creating a new post with current events.
- The post you are trying to boost is unsupported. Some posts are just ineligible to boost in general – static photos like profile pictures or cover photos, post drafts that have not been published, or live videos from an unverified page (your page must been verified with a blue check mark to boost live videos).
- Your page needs updating or you have something pending review, like a payment option which needs to be set up or the page’s admin has not granted you permission to set Facebook ads.
Some of these problems are easily fixed, but for the ones that are not, don’t fear. As we said before, it is unnecessary to boost every single post, so if you find one that says “Boost Unavailable,” try boosting one that is available. You will still see the rewards of boosting.
Boosting Facebook posts is easy to do, and the benefits are more than worthwhile. You will receive guaranteed viewing of boosted posts, which will extend your reach, funnel traffic to your page and website, and increase engagement with your posts. You can easily tailor your boosted posts to your business’ needs by selecting an audience, budget, and duration of how long the ad runs. Boosting your Facebook posts may be just what you need to get started in using Facebook advertising to grow your brand. So why wait? Get started on boosting your posts right away.
In the meantime, if you need some extra Facebook guidance, sign up for our free updates and feel free to contact us with questions so we can help you maximize your business presence on Facebook.