Set Up Continuous Boosted Post Campaign
Although boosted posts are an easy way to get your message or offer in front of more people, there are many reasons why you should stop using them.
Since starting Facebook Advertising, one of my main goals has been to push advertisers to move past Boosted posts and into Ads Manager.
You've seen the Boost button, Facebook shoves it in your face every time you post on your page:
It's tempting to use, and Facebook has made efforts to improve it. But, it's not enough.
It might work for you, and there's no denying that boosting a post can seem like a quick win, especially if you get a giant surge of Engagement.
In reality you're missing out on many key features & functions that come with Ads Manager.
In this post, we discuss 20 limitations of the Boost button. This will help you understand why you should take the plunge into Ads Manager and leave the Boost Button as a thing of the past.
1. Split Testing
What's working best? Should you target your page visitors or a wider audience of interests? Which ad format works best? What creative should you use?
If you want to know the answer to these questions, you won't find it with the Boost Button. You can create one post, and you can boost it.
To split test, you need to use Ads Manager
To determine the best creative, format, audience, and placement, you need to be using Ads Manager. If you boost, you're just using guess-work.
2. Dynamic Creative
Similar to split testing, having Dynamic Creative selected allows Facebook to automatically deliver high-performing combinations of your creative assets to an audience.
Dynamic creative accepts the basic formats of a Facebook ad (image, video, title, etc) and automatically generates optimised ad combinations based on these formats.
This is useful if you want to quickly test different combinations without running a strict A/B test.
If you've only boosted posts, you've probably never seen a feature like this before.
3. Campaign Budget Optimisation (CBO)
When using Campaign Budget Optimisation, you set your budget at the campaign level, and Facebook distributes that budget between the ad sets that they see performing best.
This is useful because it utilises Facebooks advanced algorithm to serve the ads that they know will perform best.
But how do they decide how the budget should be distributed? Let's hear it straight from Facebook:
"We optimise your campaign budget in real time on an opportunity-by-opportunity basis. Our goal is to get you the most results possible, and for the cost of those results to align with your bid strategy."
Again, if you've only ever boosted posts, you probably have no idea that CBO even exists.
4. Creating Multiple Ads
One of the great things about the Facebook Advertising platform is how easy it is to create multiple ads.
But because the Boost button is based around a single post, this means that you can't create multiple ad variations when boosting posts. You're stuck with your original post.
This means that you have no room to test different components of your ads.
To get the most out of your ad-spend, you need to be creating at least 2 different versions of your ad, whether it be to test your ad format, or to simply see which ad copy connects with your audience the most.
If you're wanting to mix up your creative, ad format & copy, you need to be using Ads Manager
5. Lead Ads
Lead ads are a great way to qualify clients.
They allow you to collect leads without sending people away from the Facebook platform. This allows people to easily provide contact info that is usually taken from their profile, in exchange for something of value that you can offer them.
Pre-populated lead forms make the data submission process quick and efficient.
This enables potential clients to share their details even when they're on the move. This will only become more convenient as people use their mobiles more frequently.
This is another feature that is only available within Ads Manager, of course.
6. Device Specific Targeting
You might be looking to reach an audience based on the type of device they use. This could be because you have a product or service that is only relevant to that specific audience.
While you can't target these people while boosting a post, you can do it in Ads Manager.
With device specific targeting you will have access to App Insights, which you can then use to identify which devices are performing best for your app and target those devices.
7. Custom Audiences
If you've boosted posts before, you can select from audiences you've created before. But, if you've never used Ads Manager before, you've probably never created one.
Custom audiences allow you to target people who are already connected to you, whether that be your customer list, website visitors or people who have engaged with your Facebook content.
Having the ability to target these audiences can be an extremely powerful tool, and the results can be fantastic.
When you create the initial custom audiences, you can then utilise Facebooks algorithm to find people similar to them with a Lookalike Audience.
8. Selecting Conversion Windows
Do you find that people take up to 7 days to convert? This might mean that you sell a high-ticket product or service.
However, if you're selling a lower priced product, it could take less time for the typical customer to convert.
Using Ads Manager, you'll be able to select between these two options
If you boost posts, Facebook is going to group all of these options together when optimising to find your ideal audience.
9. Multiple Text Options
Multiple Text Options is essentially a simplified version of Dynamic Creative. This feature allows advertisers to show different variations of their ads based on text differences only.
Facebook can then optimise for the best combination of copy.
This is a simple way to enter different copy variations & track your results.
10. Dynamic Ad Creation
Dynamic ads automatically promote your catalogue to people who have expressed interest on your website, your app or anywhere else on the Internet.
These ads look exactly the same as any other single image, carousel or collection ad on Facebook.
However, instead of creating an ad for each item that you promote, you will create a template that automatically utilises images and content from your catalogue for items you want to promote.
11. Setting A Bid Cap
Facebook ads are distributed by using an auction format. When you create an ad, Facebook is going to bid the amount they need to in order to reach your selected audience.
The only limitation is the budget that you set for the campaign.
If you want to control this, you should set a bid cap or an average cost to constrain how Facebook uses your ad-spend.
12. Delivery Pacing
Facebook gives you two pacing options when launching your campaigns:
- Standard Delivery
- Accelerated Delivery
Depending on the delivery you select, Facebook will determine how often your ads will be shown and how fast your budget will be spent.
Pacing spreads the delivery of your ads throughout the day or time frame that you choose.
However, if you have a time-sensitive offer and need to get impressions as quickly as possible, you can do this in Ads Manager with the accelerated delivery option.
Another feature that is unavailable with a boosted post.
13. Customising Creative By Placement
Your ads will be displayed differently depending on the placement.
Facebook feeds, Instagram, Messenger, and more all have different sizing requirements and ratios. If you want full control of these sizes, you'll have to edit them in ads manager.
14. Create A New Ad
Boosting Posts restricts you to only creating ads from existing posts.
But what if you don't want to create a new post for your Facebook page? You might just want to reach an audience with a paid ad. That's not possible if you're boosting posts.
15. Custom Conversions
Custom Conversions are one of the most exciting features that Facebook offers in their ad platform.
They allow you to track specific actions that people take on your website through the Facebook Pixel.
Without Ads Manager, you're missing out on one of the most important & useful features that the Facebook Advertising platform offers.
As long as you've got the pixel installed, it's just a case of creating and testing your Custom Conversions in the Ads Manager.
16. Language Optimisation
If you have an international audience, you can optimise your ads to cater for a specific language or dialect.
Facebooks translation tool gives you a simple way to show your ads to a whole new selection of possible clients.
Utilising this tool isn't possible when you're using boosted posts.
17. Dayparting
Do you have an offer that is only valid for a certain time?
You might want to start utilising the Dayparting feature in ads manager.
If you're using boosted posts, you'll need to turn your ad on & off manually. With ads manager, you can set a strict schedule for when you want your ad to run. In the long run, this saves time & patience.
18. Placement Customisation
Whether you boost posts or use Ads Manager, Facebook runs your ads on all of their placements by default.
When using boosted posts, your options are far less than what you would be able to utilise when creating ads in ads manager.
But, you may find that certain placements just don't perform as well as you need them to. However, when using ads manager you can select the combination of placements you prefer.
This gives you far more options when choosing where you want your ad to appear.
19. Reach And Frequency Buying
Another feature that is only available to you in ads manager is Reach And frequency Buying.
Reach and frequency buying is an alternative to the auction bidding method for buying ads that lets you book campaigns in advance with predictable reach and controlled frequency.
This method is useful when you want to control your ad-spend when trying to reach a broader audience.
20. The 20% Text Rule
When you post something on your business' page, chances are you aren't using creative that follows Facebooks 20% text rule.
To make a long story short, if there's more than 20% worth of text on your post or ad creative when you boost your post, the post will either be rejected or your reach will be severely limited.
When Are Boosted Posts Useful?
Now, the Boost Button isn't ALWAYS useless. If you're aware of the limitations of Boosted Posts, go ahead and use them.
Here are 3 scenarios when using Boosted Posts would do your business little to no harm:
- You're okay with Facebook choosing your objective
- When you are aware of the limitations of boosted posts & you think they will fit into your advertising strategy
- You want a quick and seamless way to promote a post without setting up a campaign structure
If you want more control, power & overall access to all of the features listed above, it's time to move on to Ads Manager.
How To Move Past Boosted Posts
Moving past the boost button can be intimidating, but just remember that you don't need to master every feature straight away.
Take your time to learn the different tools, options & tracking options that ads manager offers.
There's nothing wrong with using the Boost button to get started. But, maybe you're ready for more.
Have you recently taken the plunge into Ads Manager? Let us know how you're getting on in the comments.
Source: https://www.bigrockdesigns.com/facebook-ads/boosted-posts/
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