I’ve been asked my opinion about the Facebook post boost option nearly every day in the past few months. There is a lot to say about Facebook advertising in general, which I expand on below; but before I do, here’s a little background on what’s been going on recently with business Pages:
These days, unless you have previously built a large fan base or are a major brand (like Coca Cola, for example) you are likely going to have to invest a little bit of money in order to build your Facebook community. Then, if you want your community to get your content, you will likely again have to invest a little bit of money.
I am a very strong proponent of Facebook advertising for a variety of reasons. What’s most important to me is the fact that Facebook is one of the only platforms where I can target my ideal clients and customers not solely by the usual demographics such as gender, geography, age, etc., but also by characteristics such as interests and behaviors.
Why do many businesses object to advertising on Facebook?
Usually it is one or all of these 3 reasons:
- The perception many people have that Facebook is a free platform. This makes it counter-intuitive for many businesses to justify investing dollars there.
- The view that in order to fill its coffers and keep its shareholders happy, Facebook is forcing businesses to spend exorbitant amounts of money to reach their fans.
- The fear of doing it wrong and therefore wasting money and time.
Let’s get back to boosting posts, which is the reason you are here in the first place. You have likely noticed that when you post an update on Facebook, the reach number you see on your screen is very low. Frighteningly low. When I work closely with people on Facebook marketing, they’ve often come to me because of their low reach numbers…which really don’t really tell the whole story. What tells the story is if the goal for the post has been met.
Suppose you published a post that you really want and need your fans to see. Perhaps it contains a link to your website, such as a blog post, and you are using Facebook as a tool to attract readers. Perhaps you want to share something exciting about your business, such as a special offer or sale. Maybe you want some data to see what is important to your fans, which can then be used to better serve them.
Boosting your posts enables you to reach a lot more of your fans and you can perform some really interesting testing with a very little bit of money. Here’s an example of a boost test I recently ran and its surprising results:
My $1 Facebook Post Boosting Test
Day of the week: Saturday
Publish Time: 9:50am
Type of Post: Text Update
Final Analysis (after 24 hours)
Paid Reach: 148
Organic Reach: 153
Total Reach: 301
Likes, Comments and Shares: 29
What I Learned
By investing $1.00, I was able to reach 241 more people. And if my numbers are correct I also gained five new page fans (remember, when people share your content, it is a referral for you).
My goal for this boosted post, along with other related posts, was to understand if my community (read: potential clients) feels that Facebook is the most important Social Media platform for their businesses. This knowledge enabled me to confidently add Facebook Marketing, Advertising and Boosting Secrets Revealed to my online course offerings.
So, there you have it, my pretty unscientific evaluation of a $1.00 Facebook post boost. Have you been boosting your posts on Facebook? Please share your experiences in the comments below:
Are you ready to start getting more out of Facebook and need someone to help you? Please check out my latest live online high touch training: Facebook Marketing, Advertising & Boosting…Secrets Revealed!
