Facebook Ads: Boosting Posts vs. Using the Ads Manager

You may have noticed that in all of our Facebook Ads tutorials, we're using the Ads Manager.

When faced with this more complex method of setting up Ads, we've often heard the question: why not just use the "Boost Post" button?

It's so simple! It only takes a couple of clicks and a few seconds.

And this is true – it is simple. But post boosting is also significantly underpowered when compared to the Ads Manager.

Let's look at a few critical benefits to learning the full Ads interface via the Ads Manager.

CREATE ADS THAT AREN'T POSTED TO YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE. You could, for example, upload 3 different email lists – one containing your new leads, one with your regular buyers, and one with your top buyers.

Then, you could create 3 different Ads – 1 for each group. Each group gets their own incentive and offer code.

The top buyers get a free shipping offer,  the regular buyers get 15% off, and the new leads get 25% off. In this way, you'll be maximizing your ROI on these discount offers by not giving away 25% off to customers that were going to purchase anyways.

Plus, these Ads exist only as Ads (they are not posted publicly to your Facebook Page), so no one except your target contacts will be exposed to the offer code.

ADVERTISE ON INSTAGRAM. Easily show your Facebook Ad to the same Audience on Instagram, or do what we do and create a separate Ad specifically tailored to the Instagram experience.

CUSTOMIZE CREATIVE AND PLACEMENT. Add a carousel of images, a video, or a combination of the two. Then, choose the placement (ie: show this Ad on news feeds and Instagram, but not the right hand column on desktop or Facebook's audience network). You're in complete control.

CALL TO ACTION BUTTONS. Add a "Learn More" or "Shop Now" button to your Ads for a bit of extra visibility.

BETTER BIG PICTURE ANALYTICS. Using the Ads Manager, you can sort your Ads, Ad Groups, and Campaigns in a variety of ways and draw all kinds of learnings from them that will help you create more effective Ads in the future.

SHOW ADS ON A SCHEDULE. Show your Ads only on certain days and/or at certain times. Good for setting up a time-sensitive Ad in advance, or for automatically turning off your Ads overnight.

TOTAL FREEDOM TO MOVE YOUR ADS AROUND. For example, you could set up an Ad Group at a $5/day budget, and another Ad Group at $15/day. Start your Ads in the first group, and then move the most successful Ads into the more expensive one to double down on it.

Which method is more costly?

​​You set your budget either way. One thing to be aware of, though, is that in the Ads Manager you will need to either schedule an end date for your Ad, or remember to manually shut it off when you're done with it.

Otherwise, they will keep running (and charging you) forever. 

Boosting posts is Facebook Ads on easy mode. It's fast and simple, but you end up missing several powerful features that make advertising on Facebook all the more effective.

For that reason, we strongly recommend artists looking to maximize the ROI on their marketing take the time to learn the full Ads interface.

You'll get more control, more data, more options, and you'll have a significant marketing edge over other artists that only boost their posts.