Facebook officially rolled out their “Promoted Posts” feature for Facebook Business Pages on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. Now that I’ve had some time to research and also use Promoted Posts firsthand I thought I’d share pretty much everything you need to know in a post here. Let me just say up front that this is a really big deal and here’s why – on average, a post made to a Facebook Business page is only seen by about 25% of the people who Like the page.
Eligibility Details
There is really only one threshold that you have to get past in order to be eligible to create a Promoted Post on your Facebook Business Page. That threshold is the 400 Like mark. If you have less than 400 Like’s and you think that Facebook’s Promoted Posts feature would be beneficial to your business, your not alone. And, your right. Until Facebook lowers this threshold, your best bet is to build your page Like’s up to that point. See my post of 4 Ideas for Gaining Facebook Like’s Quickly for some ideas on how to make this happen.
How To Create a Promoted Post
Assuming that your Facebook Business Page meets the 400 Like’s threshold, here are quick step-by-step instructions on how to create a promoted post:
- 1. Create a deliberate, intentional, and important message that your will incorporate into a Post on your Facebook Business Page. Im my opinion, it only makes sense to promote posts that will either increase Like’s, drive sales, or both. Here’s an example: If you are running a Facebook Contest or Promotion, create a post that includes the link directly to the contest or promotion, and make that a Promoted Post. Another example: Let’s say you are having a 20% OFF Sale on all of your merchandise for the weekend, same thing applies. Create a post announcing that and make it a Promoted Post. It’s very important to word these promoted posts in a compelling manner. And remember, sometimes less is more.
2. Once you have worked out your Promoted Post message, it’s time to hit your Facebook Business Page and actually create the post. I’m going to assume you know how to do this. If not, Contact Me and I’ll help you through the process. Once you have typed or pasted in your message, click on the “Promote” link at the bottom right of the Post. NOTE: If you wish, you can go ahead and publish the post before you click the Promote link, but you don’t have to. Here’s a screenshot:
3. Next, choose your budget amount. As you can see in the screencap below, $5 or $10 are the only options for this particular Promoted Post. The budget options are based on the number of Like’s a page has at present. Depending on the number of Likes to your page, you may also see additional budget options of $15 and $20.
4. If you click on the “More Options” link you will see the duration for which the post will be promoted and your current payment method. (Assuming you have already entered a payment method for Facebook Ads and Promoted Posts. If not, you’ll be prompted later to enter that information.)
5. Click the “Save” button and your Post will then be promoted. NOTE: If you haven’t already entered a Facebook payment method, you’ll be prompted to do so before your Post is finished.
Are Promoted Posts worth the investment?
I would have to say, that so far, for the ones that I’ve done, the answer is a resounding YES! Below are some screen caps that will help you understand how to determine if your Facebook Promoted Posts are worth your investment. The good news is that Facebook is really good about giving you real-time metrics, or insights as they call them, related to Promoted Posts.
- 1. People Reached – If you hover over the “People Reached” link in a Promoted Post, you’ll see information similar to what is shown below. At a quick glance you see how many people have been reached by your post and more importantly, the reach is segmented by organic, viral, and paid.
2. Precent Reached – If you hover over the “Percent” link in a Promoted Post, you’ll see information similar to what is shown below. With this feedback you can quickly see what percent of your total “Likers” saw the post as well as what percent of those saw it as a result of your promotion investment.
3. Paid Reach and Budget Spent – If you click on the “Promoted for $XX.00” disclosure triangle in the post you’ll see information similar to what is shown in the below screenshot. What I like about this information is the quick ability to see your total Paid Reach, the amount of your budget that has been spent and when the promoted post will expire. This also shows you Page Activity that is a result of your Paid Reach. One thing I’d like to see Facebook add to this pane of information is a breakdown of the total cost per person reached. A simple calculation can be done manually, but in my opinion, this would really help users realize what a great investment this can be.
In a nutshell, you should be able to use this information to make a pretty quick determination about whether investing in a Promoted Post on Facebook is going to pay off for your business. To be honest, you’ll never know unless you give it a try.
So, I encourage you to take some of your marketing budget and put it to work here. I’d be really interested in hearing some feedback either through the comments below or I welcome you to use my Contact form or give me a call at 678-568-1480. As well, if you or your staff are too busy or feel you don’t have the expertise needed to execute well on this, you can certainly get in touch with me and I’d be glad to engage with you on either an ongoing or per project basis.
