4 Critical Things To Know About Facebook Promoted Posts

Facebook has blurred the lines between paid advertising and organic posts by putting Promoted Posts directly in a user’s News Feed. For some brands that have been getting lost in the speedy shuffle of news feeds, this is a long needed Facebook advertising option.

Also notable is that Community Managers now have access to rudimentary Promoted Post preset ad placement tools inline on the brand page while logged in as admin.

Before you turn on promoted posts and call it a day, there are few things marketers should know before forking over their media spend.

1. Promoting Posts Feature Limited by Time

Once a post is shared on a Page’s Timeline Community Managers have the option to promote posts at $10, $20, or $30, will run for three days and are auto-optimized by for CPM.

Take note, this feature is only available shortly after you post. Attempting to go back and promote older posts to push to users’ News Feeds to Promote Posts won't work.

2. Re-Name Posts in Ads Management Platform For Easy Reference

Facebook auto-generates the name of the ad with the post ID number. Therefore, it is essential, if only for your own sanity, to re-name the ad upon creation to easily go-back and reference.

Employ consistent naming conventions, especially with promoted posts, to keep them grouped in the “All Campaigns” page (e.g., PromoPost – Post Name).

3. Adjust Targeting of Promoted Posts

While changing the ad name for the promoted post, check the targeting. Facebook, by default, targets not only the U.S., but a whole slew of other, potentially irrelevant countries from the Ukraine to Indonesia. Whoa.

4. Auto Post – Consider Yourself Warned

Take care not to get too click-happy in the ad interface, Facebook now has an option to “Always promote my most recent post.” This may be a great option for some Facebook marketers, but it’s also no doubt a way to blow through media spend quickly.

Facebook’s new promoted posts are an excellent way to buy your posts way into more user’s news feeds and drive visits to your content. This test resulted in a $0.35 per click, not too shabby.

What are your thoughts about Promoted Posts, have you tried them yet? What has been your experience?

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