If you are looking for ways to increase your reach on social media, boosting posts on Facebook and Instagram can be the easiest way to start out. Knowing how to effectively use these features can help you connect with a larger audience.
Boosting posts is a paid promotional option available on both Facebook and Instagram. It allows you to increase the visibility of your post beyond the typical organic reach. This ensures it will reach a larger and more targeted audience than just those that follow you. Boosting is a simpler process than running a traditional ad campaign on social media and can be done directly from the post itself. As long as you have a professional Instagram account or a Facebook page you can get started with boosting.
Choosing the Right Post to Boost
Before learning how to boost, you need to understand which kinds of posts are most beneficial to boost. Here are some options:
- High Engagement: Boost a post that already has high engagement through likes, comments, and shares. These posts will likely perform even better when promoted.
- Valuable Content: Choose a post that offers value to your audience. This can look like promotions, announcements, or even just engaging content or information of value to a specific audience.
- Clear Call-to-Action: A post with a clear call to action, such as “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up,” can lead to more meaningful content interactions that will help you achieve multiple goals
Setting Your Preferences
Once you choose which post you are going to boost, click the “Boost Post” button below the posted image. First you’ll need to choose your objective from the boost. Essentially, what do you want people to do when they see your ad? Prompt them to your profile if you are looking for more brand awareness or followers. Choose website visits if you are looking to drive more traffic to your website and have the audience learn more about your business. Choose other goals like engagement, messages, or calls if you are looking to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Some of these goals are available on Instagram, while some are only available on Facebook. On Facebook, you can also choose to add a button to the post that will supplement your goal by directing users to another page.
Next you’ll need to define your target audience. This will ensure your post reaches the right users. You can use an automatic audience curated via the suggested algorithm, but we suggest you create your own based on specific preferences for this post. Think about your target audience and choose various locations, interests, and age ranges that you think apply. It will let you know the estimated audience size and if you need to add more or less information to the set.
Lastly, you’ll need to decide on a budget. The more you spend the more reach your post will supposedly get, but that doesn’t mean you need to go above your budget. We typically recommend starting out by boosting $5-$10 per day for about a week and see where it gets you.
Monitor & Adjust
Once your post is boosted, keep an eye on its performance and adjust your next post accordingly. Track your engagement and insights to assess how well your post is resonating with the audience and how well you met your original post objective. Based on this data, adjust your content, objective, targeting, or budget for your next post to improve results. Boosting posts is all about experimentation and discovering what works best for your brand and your audience.
Check out these blogs to get started on your social media marketing strategy and making effective content.