Hi there! It’s Jenny from Ads Uncorked. 

Today I want to talk to you about the difference between a boost and an ad. They are so different and many business owners don’t realize it! I have so many business owners come to me and say, “Jenny, I boosted a post and I don’t know what I got out of this ad and I don’t know what my return was. I reached a good number of people but that didn’t mean anything to my business.” 

That’s the biggest issue I have. You’re going to hear me say it again and again: 

Don’t spend money on ads or boosting unless there’s a plan.

You shouldn’t spend a single dollar on Facebook ads, boosting, or any paid social media advertising unless there’s a strategic plan behind it. Now, the difference between a boost and an ad is that with a boost, you just send your message out to the masses; you go ahead and promote it, and then Facebook tells you how many clicks and impressions. 

With ads, you can see exact dollar for dollar return, as well as the outcome for your business. That’s one of the things I love about Facebook ads!

Paid social media advertising starts with Facebook.

Facebook ads are a fantastic way to know exactly what your return was. Through correctly using Facebook ads you can learn: 

• How much you spent
• How many email downloads you got out of that 
• How many sales came to your shop
• And so much more.

Ultimately, whatever your goal is, there is a way to measure what that return is for your business. Whether that’s return on ad spend (your exact dollar-for-dollar return) or maybe like I mentioned it’s your return based on how many email subscribers joined your business.

One of the things that is most beneficial about Facebook ads vs. boosts is the fact that with ads, you can have a strategic plan in place. You’re not just trying one audience, you’re not just trying one ad copy in one image. 

You can try out multiple different versions of your message so your message can get sent to three different audiences. You can try out an image versus a video versus a graphic. 

An important thing to keep in mind: it’s not just about seeing a return on your paid social media advertising. It’s about getting the best return possible. If you aren’t trying out multiple different versions of your ad, you’re missing out on an opportunity. That’s one of the things that boosts do not allow — you can’t further figure out what is getting the most results and how that coincides with your overall strategy.  

You might want to hit pause on boosting.

With Facebook ads, you can try multiple different audiences with the same message, or multiple different messages. Facebook ads allow for tweaks which is necessary for your overall strategy.

If you’re boosting right now, don’t feel bad about it!

However, I do encourage you to hit pause and hold off on boosting unless there’s a plan in place that coincides with Facebook ads as part of a comprehensive strategy. 

Here’s an example: We at Ads Uncorked are working on enhancing someone’s email list so that they can push their course later this year. We’re looking at running ads to their shop as well as retargeting ads, hoping people buy from it. 

It’s a strategic plan in place with a call to action being the purchase and we are measuring for them what their return is on their ad spend. Boosting on its own doesn’t necessarily fit into a holistic strategy. When it becomes a part of your overall Facebook ads management plan, there’s a higher chance for success. all this being said, I just want to help you be as informed as possible. One of the most important aspects boosting posts and paid social media advertising as a whole is to not spend money on boosts out of fear or because you keep getting a message from Facebook that says you should be boosting. ave a plan in place before you spend a single dollar.

Still feeling overwhelmed? When it comes to paid social media advertising, there isn’t one thing that works for all business owners. Book a free consultation by filling out a contact form and we can chat more.

PS–Did you know Ads Uncorked has a shop with easy-to-follow video tutorials?! Learn how to master Facebook Ad funnels, tracking return on ad spend and so much more here.