Facebook advertising can feel overwhelming, but there are two clear paths depending on your goal: quickly boost existing content to reach more people, or build a full campaign with precise objectives and targeting. This guide explains both options step by step, with practical tips you can apply right away.
Boost vs Full Campaign: Which to choose?
Boost a post when you already have content on your business page and want to amplify its reach fast. It is quick, simple, and useful for awareness or getting more messages from people who interact with a post.
Create a full campaign when you need control over objectives, placements, audience segmentation, or when you want to collect qualified leads, send people to your website, or drive purchases. Full campaigns let you build lead forms, choose specific conversion goals, and test creative variations.
Use content that already exists on your page and boost it to reach more people.
How to Boost a Post: Step-by-step
- Open Ad Center from your Facebook business page (or go to Advertise). The Advertise buttons and the Ad Center lead to the same options.
- Choose the post to boost. Pick the published post or video you want to promote.
- Select an objective. Common objectives for boosts include getting more messages, more page followers, or more video views.
- Define the audience. Set the location (city + radius), age range, gender, and interests. Example: San Jose with a 25-mile radius, 30–65 if targeting home buyers or older customers.
- Adjust budget and schedule. Choose a daily budget and decide whether to run continuously or set an end date. It is recommended to set an end date to avoid unexpected spending.
- Business hours option. Optionally run ads only during business hours (for example 9 am–5 pm) if that better matches your hours for handling messages or calls.
- Review automated text options. Facebook may automatically generate variations of your post text; review these to ensure brand voice and accuracy.
- Publish. When everything looks right, publish the boosted post.
Tip: Use a desktop computer when possible. The interface on mobile can differ and some options may not behave the same.
Creating a Full Facebook Ad Campaign
Full campaigns give you more control over the objective, creative assets, and how you qualify leads. Start by choosing a clear campaign objective and follow the steps below.
Common campaign objectives
- Calls — encourage phone calls to your business.
- Website visits — drive traffic to a page or landing page.
- Followers — grow your page audience.
- Messages — prompt people to message your page.
- Bookings — integrate scheduling or calendar appointments.
- Purchases — optimize for online sales.
- Page likes — increase social proof.
- Local promotion — show your business on the map for local customers.
- Lead generation — collect contact info with a custom form.
Ad creative and settings
- Description — short overview of the service or offer.
- Images or video — choose from uploaded assets or add new ones.
- Headline — attention-grabbing phrase that appears first.
- Call to action — options include Call Now, Message, Learn More, Apply, Sign Up.
- Destination link — website URL, phone number, or messenger destination.
- Placements — the ad can run across Facebook and Instagram if accounts are connected.
- Special ad categories — if your ad relates to politics, finance, housing, or credit you must declare the category and follow additional rules.
Advanced targeting
Beyond city and radius, you can target by interests, job titles, and life events. For example, a construction company might target homeowners, interior design interests, home construction, or small business owners. Keep in mind some audiences like “homeowners” might not be directly available and require combining related interests and behaviors.
Lead Forms: Qualify and Filter Leads
Lead forms are a powerful tool for collecting qualified prospects directly inside Facebook. Use them when you need contact info and qualifying details before following up.
- Choose fields — commonly name, email, and phone number.
- Add custom questions — ask about business type, project budget, timeline, or services needed.
- Save forms — you can reuse saved forms across campaigns.
- Use forms to filter — requiring specific fields or budget ranges helps spot serious prospects.
Example questions to include: “What type of business do you have?” and “What is your budget?” These help avoid time spent on low-quality leads.
Practical Tips and Best Practices
- Start small and test — begin with a modest daily budget to test audiences and creative.
- Set an end date — prevents accidental overspending from long-running campaigns.
- Target by intent and age — match age ranges to the likelihood of interest (for example, 30+ for home purchases).
- Use local promotion for foot traffic — the local option highlights your place on the map for nearby customers.
- Check special ad category rules — make sure ad compliance is handled for finance, housing, credit, or politics.
- Monitor results frequently — check impressions, messages, leads, and cost per result; adjust audience or creative as needed.
- Qualify leads with forms — ask key questions to make follow up more effective.
- Leverage automated text variations — review AI-generated options but keep control of your core message.
Example Setup
Simple boost example: choose a published post, objective “Get more messages,” target San Jose with a 25-mile radius, age 30 to 65, daily budget $10, set an end date and business hours if needed. Monitor message volume and cost per message, then iterate.
Final Thought
Both boosted posts and full campaigns have a place in a marketing plan. Use boosts for quick reach and engagement. Use full campaigns when you need precise objectives, lead qualification, and careful optimization. Start with clear goals, pick the right objective, and test wisely. Small, measured experiments lead to better performance and smarter spending.
