Blog

Facebook Boost Post vs. Ads Manager: Which Is Better for Your Small Business?

Illustration of woman looking at her phone on social media

We all know that social media should be an essential part of your online marketing. But, when it comes to the types of campaigns to run, it can be challenging to know what’s best for your business. 

Done well, Facebook is an amazing marketing tool for small businesses and startups. 

The problem: Many business owners struggle to know what type of Facebook campaign to run. Should you “boost” a post or run a targeted ad? 

This article explains the difference between boosted posts vs. ads manager. That way you can consider your options. 

The Pros of Boosted Posts

Depending on your goals, a boosted post can help your business. That’s especially true if your goals are for “Reach” or “Impressions”. 

Here are a few reasons why boosted posts may be a good idea: 

  • Simplicity – if you’re new to social media marketing, a boosted post is the easiest way to advertise on the platform. 
  • Allows for a call-to-action – call-to-actions can increase your click-through rate. 
  • Allows you to target specific goals – target link clicks, post engagements, or messages. 
  • Allows you to target a specific audience – target new or existing audiences. 
  • Easy to calculate a budget – you can set a budget and timeframe for ease of use. 

While boosted posts offer customization and targeting, it’s less than Facebook ads. That means you could be losing valuable customers with a boosted post. 


Where Boosted Posts Fall Short

Even with all their benefits, boosted posts fall short for several reasons: 

  • Can’t adjust your post for advertising – that means you can’t change the title, image, or description of the post. 
  • Can’t adjust your budget delivery – because of its simple feature, you have a set rate per day. 
  • Can’t customize where your post gets placed – Facebook has most of the control of where they show your post. 

That limits your ability to target and customize your advertising with boosted posts. Let’s take a look at what targeted ads offer.


The Real Power of Facebook Advertising: Facebook Ads Manager

If you’ve never run an ad campaign in Facebook Ads Manager, it can be a bit overwhelming. Nonetheless, social media marketing is essential for your business. 

If you’re nervous about losing money, take a free course, or have a company do your ads for you. Whether you’ve run a campaign or not before, here’s a look at the customizable options in Facebook Ads Manager.


There are many options from placement to ad creative, headlines, and more. That allows you to take a popular post and reuse it efficiently in Facebook Ads Manager. 


Pros of Facebook Ads Manager

It can take time to learn Facebook Ads Manager, but it offers many benefits: 

  • More Selection – choose campaign objectives like awareness, traffic, and conversion. 
  • Able to adjust ad budgets – change your budget delivery for faster results. 
  • Choice of budgeting – choose between standard vs. accelerated, lifetime vs. daily, etc.
  • More Flexibility in Targeting – you can target one or many audiences at the same time. 
  • Can choose placements – show ads on Facebook, Instagram, News Feed, or Messaging. 
  • More data from ads – analytics are helpful for future ads. 

Despite its benefits, Facebook Ads Manager has some drawbacks. 


Drawbacks of Facebook Ads Manager

The major drawback of Facebook Ads Manager is that it has a steep learning curve. There are courses you can take for free

In the long run, the advantages far exceed the drawbacks. 


Decision Time: What’s Your Choice? 

Now you know the difference between Facebook boost posts vs. ads. Apply it to make an informed decision. 

Need help managing your ads? Trust CrucianPoint with your social media marketing.

Check what we've been up to, sign up for our newsletter.

Table of Contents

>Businesses, government, and organizations rely on CrucianPoint