The answer is YES.
It’s an age-old question, right up there with ‘why are we here?’ or ‘does my butt look big in this?’ – should I boost my posts? Yes, you most certainly should. Back in the old days, social media was almost a ‘free’ way of marketing, but after some time, that Zuckerberg fella got savvy and reduced the reach of page content unless you invested some of your pennies into Facebook, then the likes of Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn followed suit. The digital world was in cahoots to begin with, but after a cuppa and some consideration, people began to understand that change is there for a reason and isn’t always a bad thing (in fact, it’s often rather good). If you still need some convincing, read on…
What is a boost?
For those of you who are new to this kind of thing – it’s essentially an advert. Basically you pay to ‘boost’ your content and ensure it is seen by a wider, and more relevant (based on who you are targeting) audience. It’s called ‘boost’ on Facebook specifically, but the essence is the same on other channels – Twitter, LinkedIn etc, where you basically promote, advertise or push your content to get more traction.
Who will see it?
One of the great things with boosting content on social media is that you can target them to a specific audience based on the likes of age, location and interests (remember when you were asked to enter these details when setting up your personal social media profiles? Lightbulb!) This basically means twenty-five year old Hipster Hans with a keen interest in male grooming will see the boosted post about your latest beard trimmer rather than Ashley the thirteen year old One Direction fan, who certainly won’t have a beard (although, that would be interesting).
How much does it cost?
At the end of the day, social media is a business and they have to bring home the bacon somehow (mmm bacon). It’s no different than paying to put your ad in a newspaper or on a poster. The great thing about boosting content on social media is that you decide how much it costs – starting from as little as £1 per day up to whatever you like (obviously the more money you spend, the more reach you’ll have). When you advertise in newspapers or magazines, on TV or radio, you are targeting their full audience, an audience that will likely vary – but the great thing with boosts is you can be very specific about your target audience – helping you increase the chances of conversion.
What sort of thing should I boost?
Like all kinds of marketing, content is king when it comes to creating a great social media post. The internet has a habit of catching on to something that’s great and making it go viral – so go for something that is clever, helpful or hilarious. There isn’t much point in boosting content that isn’t tip top – because even if people see it, they are unlikely to actually engage (by that we mean like, share, comment etc). If you need a hand with this sort of thing, we happen to know a creative bunch who could help with putting some top content together for you.
If you’d like to find out more about any of our social media services, get in touch with our pros.
