To boost or to post, that is the question. However unlike Shakespeare's eternal question, the answer is more clear cut to this curly marketing conundrum.

Face-off

While Facebook has recently sought to streamline its advertising offering, the sheer amount of options can be bewildering. 

Today we're going to look at the pros and cons of boosting and promoting a post.

Boost

Boosting a post is the most straightforward option. When you're publishing your post you can simply choose to boost by clicking the 'Boost Post' button in the lower right corner of your post.

You then have the option of boosting the post to reach “People who like your page and their friends” or “People you choose through targeting.” Set your budget and you're good to go.

Boosting posts is good way to increase the reach of timely posts, for example breaking news, and links with rich media like photos or videos.

Promoting

Promoting a post is done via the Facebook Ads Manager and gives you more options when it comes to targeting, budget and bidding options.

For example, using Promoted Posts allows you to drill down further into the audience you want to reach, and allows you to pay per click or set a daily limit. You can even switch between payment options if you'd prefer.

On the downside, setting up a promoted post takes more time and requires some forward planning. 

Can there be only one?

So it is better to boost or promote? It really depends on the type of post and timing. 

If you've got a killer piece of content coming up you want to make sure reaches the right people, Promoted Posts are best for targeting and budget options.

But if you're sitting on a time-sensitive piece of hot content, boosting is the best and quickest way to make sure you ride that trending wave. 

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