THIS FACEBOOK OFFERING IS A GOOD OPTION, IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES

DO YOU want your Facebook post to reach more people? If yes, consider clicking that “Boost Post” button. Boosted posts cost money and make your post “appear higher in news feed and on Instagram,” according to Facebook Business, potentially increasing the likelihood of followers. (Instagram is owned by Facebook.) Here, I discuss this decision further.

SHOULD YOU DO IT?

Where there is great debate is whether simply boosting a post is the best way to spend your Facebook marketing money. If you lack the expertise to use the formal Facebook Ads Manager feature, Facebook Power Editor or any of the plethora of features designed for — and most commonly utilized by — people with degrees in marketing, then the debate is over for you. Boosting is the way to go until you gain the knowledge to best use those other features and, thereby, your Facebook marketing dollars.

So, “How do you prove the return on investment?” I will tell you: You can’t. You can, however, see how the post “does” via Facebook Insights.

CREATE POST

Utilizing the Facebook Pages app on my mobile phone, I took a picture of the day-one construction of our new vision therapy room, created a post and posted it up on our page. (The process is nearly identical on the desktop application.)

BOOST POST

The post was now on the timeline. Still using my mobile phone and the Facebook Pages app, I clicked the blue and white “Boost Post” button at the bottom right of the post.

SET AUDIENCE

There are many options here. For example, people who like your page, people who like your page and their friends, previous audiences you have created or people you choose through targeting.

We chose the last option. We wanted to get the word out in an area that we felt people would make the trek in to see us. This meant we clicked the address button, clicked “Near your current location” then adjusted the radius to 10 miles. Next, we choose what ages and genders to promote to.

SET BUDGET

We set the budget at $70, which works out to $10 per day for seven days. For $70, we will reach, on the low-end estimate, 6,600 people. Paying somebody to stand outside all day passing out flyers in our neighborhood would cost considerably more and only reach our neighbors.

CONFIRM BOOST POST

After set up, simply click “Boost Post” again, It will be served up once approved by Facebook.

BRASS TACKS

Boosting is a quick and easy way to get more eyes on your post. It will never be — nor is it intended to be — a replacement for the full feature Ads Manager. And you will gain experience and/or comfort in creating ads when using it. It’s playing in the marketing pool with your floaties on… which is just fine, for now. OM

DR. BAZAN is founder of Park Slope Eye, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is a member of the AOA, NYSOA and the American Academy of Orthokeratology & Myopia Control. In 2014, he received financial compensation for services from Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Vision Service Plan, Luxottica, The Vision Council and Foster Grant.