Boosted Post vs Ad Manager: Which is Best?

As a business owner or entrepreneur, you know the importance of social media advertising in your digital marketing strategy. Wellness brands across the globe are turning to social platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, to promote their products and services. Social media ads are critical to building brand awareness, engaging with your target consumers, and gaining an edge over other businesses (the health and wellness industry is highly competitive!). 

If you’re not already using social media advertising for your wellness brand, now is the time to start! Why? Because your competition is most likely implementing social ads in their campaign. Because social media advertising reigns as the second biggest market in digital ads, your brand should take part in this trend to stay relevant—ad dollars must support the use of boosted posts and ad campaigns.  

Do you know the difference between a boosted post vs ad on Instagram and Facebook? It’s time to get social and uncover everything you need to know! 

Understanding the Basics of Facebook Ads vs Boosted Posts 

Let’s start with the social media powerhouse that debuted in 2004: Facebook. With 3.05 billion monthly users and growing, this market is full of potential! If you want to advertise your wellness brand on Facebook, you can choose between a boosted post vs ad.   

What’s a Boosted Post on Facebook? 

A boosted Facebook post takes a well-preforming post and “boosts” it to garner more visibility by introducing it to a broader audience. Consider your paid media budget, who you want to reach, and how long you want that post to be “boosted.” These posts are simple to set up and help your content reach new users, but they need more customizability in targeting specific audiences.   

What’s a Facebook Ad? 

A Facebook Ad is a paid social ad created through Facebook Ads Manager (also referred to as Meta Ads Manager). This advertising tool provides various options when creating your social media ad campaigns. These ads are beneficial to generate more leads, drive traffic to your website, and convert visitors.   

When comparing Facebook ads vs boosted posts, Facebook ads require you to develop new material rather than using an existing post. They’re more expensive than boosted posts and require in-depth knowledge to effectively create, manage, and reach your target audience (ad management services provide paid media specialists to assist with this!) 

How To Optimize Facebook Ads Using Ad Manager 

As you navigate how to use Facebook Ads Manager, here are some expert tips to keep in mind: 

• Always test different images, headlines, and copy. Identify which variations work best together and make that the primary focus of your ad campaign. 
• Facebook Ads Manager allows you to post your ads on Facebook, but you can also post them to Instagram, Messenger, and news feed side ads.  
• Take advantage of advanced tools to pinpoint and reach your ideal consumers.  
• Establish goals for your ad campaign. You can choose from options such as lead generation or increasing store traffic.  

While you can post your Facebook ads directly to Instagram through its ad manager, it’s essential to understand how each platform runs ads (mainly if your business only uses Instagram and not Facebook). We’ll go over everything related to Instagram ads next! 

Using Instagram Boosts vs Ad Manager 

We can’t discuss social media without mentioning Instagram, which launched in 2010 and operates under Meta (Facebook’s parent company). The platform has over 2.4 billion monthly active users and is continuously growing. Advertising your wellness brand on Instagram will help expand your reach and focus on your target consumers. As with Facebook, you can choose between a boosted post vs ad. 

What Does Boost Post Mean on Instagram? 

As previously mentioned, boosted posts on Instagram work the same way as they do on Facebook. You choose one of your Instagram posts that’s well-perceived by your brand’s followers and promote this existing post. One thing to note is to avoid boosting posts with an image greater than 8MB as they take longer to load (which increases the likelihood of people skipping over your post!).  

Does Boosting Posts on Instagram Work?  

The answer to this question depends on the goals of your Instagram marketing campaigns. Are you looking to increase impressions, profile visits, or followers? You’ll see these numbers increase, but how successful the post is will depend on your profile and the post you shared. When boosting posts, it comes down to choosing the right target audience and sharing high-quality content for the best results.  

How to Optimize Instagram Ads 

As you create your Instagram ad strategy, use these best practices for your next campaign: 

• Upload high-quality images and graphics to capture the attention of your target audience. 
• Create various versions of your ads to evaluate which is the highest ranking (alter captions, images/videos, on-screen text, etc.). 
• Use buyer personas to create compelling Instagram ads that fit the needs of the consumers most likely to be interested in your products or services. 
• Optimize video ads without audio—add closed captions and focus on showing rather than telling. 

You might feel overwhelmed when you start putting your paid social media strategy together. That’s when it’s time to call in the professionals like those at Cultivating Media. More on that next!  

Hiring a Paid Media Specialist for Your Social Strategy 

From Facebook to Instagram, identifying a successful way of balancing a boosted post vs ad takes time to master. While a boosted post promotes content that’s already successfully drawing organic traffic, paid social ads take it further by creating more customized ads. If you’re seeking guidance, a paid media specialist is the way to go!  At Cultivating Media, we specialize in helping wellness brands reach their target audience with OTT, CTV, and social ads. We focus on harnessing the power of all three to convert new audiences for your brand. Learn more about our ad management services, and let’s get your advertising campaigns on track!