Boost Posts The Right Way

Hold up. Let’s talk about that big blue “Boost” button. It’s alluring, promising an easy way to push your content, gain views, and engage your audience.

We've realized the importance of leveraging Meta Ads Manager over the simplicity of the 'Boost' button. While it's not entirely misleading, it's not the most effective method for your investment. You miss out on targeting opportunities and customization that significantly impact ad performance. So instead of hitting that little blue button, start by doing this instead.

1. Set Up Your Campaign 

From your Meta Ads Manager account, create a new campaign and give it a name. Name it with specifics related to your offer, timing, and target audience.

Now, it’s time to choose where you want your traffic or sales to land—your website, app, or messaging apps. There’s an easy multiple-choice menu in the ad set level of your campaign where you can choose from the following options:

•   Website

•   App

•   Website and App

•   Messaging Apps

•   Calls

For the sake of the tutorial, let's assume your conversion is happening on your website.   

Conversion Event

When creating your ad, this is where you are going to Define the purpose of your campaign—whether it's a purchase, a lead, or initiating checkout—to drive conversions. 

Pixel Selection

Your Facebook/Meta Pixel Is required in order to run ads in the Ads Manager. This is code that’s embedded in your website that allows Meta to track all activity from your social media accounts as people engage with your website. 

This also helps you determine the volume of your website traffic that comes from your Meta social media accounts. Choose the right Pixel if you have multiple.

Set a Timeline

Decide on a start and end date for your campaign. Balance time to generate data with the urgency of your offer. I recommend at least two weeks for the most boosted content. If it’s a limited-time offer, definitely choose a timeframe.

Audience Creation

This is where NOT “Boosting” your post really pays off. The Meta ads manager offers four categories for creating a custom audience. Use as many of them as you can for the best results. For this tutorial, we’re going to focus on targeting warm audiences. 

Website

The algorithm is going to pull eyeballs from people who clicked the link in your bio or who visited your website in the last 180 days. 

Video Views

Target people who watched your IG Feed or Reel videos at least 25% of the way through. The options are really endless here in terms of engagement.

Customer List

Some examples here would be to target people on a specific email list, people who have completed a purchase in the past, or who participated in a giveaway. 

Instagram Engagement 

Examples in this category may be social media users who saw your posts, sent a DM, liked a post or video, left a comment, saved your content, or visited your profile.

Exclusions

Exclude specific parameters and fine-tune your targeting by age, gender, location, and language to reach your ideal audience.

Demographics

Here is where you can fine-tune your targeting to reach specific demographics based on: 

•   Age

•   Gender

•   Geographical area

•   Languages

2. Create Your Ad

Let's start with the first click to a better investment. Instead of “Boosting,” we’re going to promote existing content that performed well or meets the campaign objectives. An additional bonus to using existing content is that it appears more native to the platform when scrolling, and Instagram loves that. 

Under the Ad setup section, choose “Use Existing Post.”

Find The Post You Want To Boost

Under the Create Ad Creative section, select the post you want to boost. You can choose to promote either Facebook or Instagram posts. Once you find the one you want, click continue. 

Call To Action

Choose a CTA relevant to your ad copy, landing page, and desired action. Keep it clear and matched to avoid confusion. For example, if you want them to “download now”  or "buy now" then the button should clearly communicate that.

The Finishing Line

Here, you’ll add the URL to your landing page or website. Again, the copy and imagery they find here should match the reason they clicked on the ad copy, creative, and call to action. Don’t confuse your audience because a confused viewer doesn’t buy. 

By steering clear of 'Boosting' and opting for a targeted approach with Meta Ads Manager, you wield more control and see better results. Let's bid adieu to the 'Boost' button forever!

Share your experiences—We’re eager to hear how this strategy works out for you! 🚀💬 Don’t have the time to put together an ad campaign? You’re in the right place. Let’s schedule a consultation!