If you’ve ever tapped that little blue “Boost Post” button on Facebook or Instagram, you’re not alone. It’s tempting — a quick way to get more eyeballs on a post with just a few taps. But here’s the truth: boosting a post is not the same as running a proper ad campaign.
For small businesses in Wilmington and beyond, knowing the difference can mean the gap between wasting money on vanity metrics… and building campaigns that drive real revenue.
What Boosting a Post Actually Does
Boosting is Meta’s shortcut for “advertising.” It lets you put a small budget behind an existing post to get more:
- 👍 Likes
- 💬 Comments
- 👀 Views
And that’s about it.
With boosting, you’re limited to basic targeting options, very few objectives, and almost no control over placements or creative testing.
For example:
- You might boost a post to “people in Wilmington” but can’t define detailed interests, retarget site visitors, or exclude irrelevant audiences.
- You can’t optimize for leads or sales — only broad awareness and engagement.
- Tracking is surface-level. You’ll see reach and impressions, but not meaningful ROI.
It feels nice to see a post rack up likes… but likes don’t pay the bills.
What Real Ads in Ads Manager Do
Running ads through Meta’s Ads Manager is a whole different game.
Here’s what you unlock when you step away from the “Boost” button and embracing true Ad Management:
- Real Campaign Objectives
- Leads (form fills, calls, sign-ups)
- Conversions (sales on your site)
- Website traffic
- Brand awareness and reach
- Advanced Targeting
- Custom audiences (people who visited your site, joined your email list, or watched your videos)
- Lookalike audiences (new prospects who behave like your best customers)
- Layered demographics, interests, and behaviors
- Creative Control & Testing
- A/B test different headlines, images, videos, and CTAs
- Choose placements (IG Stories, Reels, Facebook Feed, Messenger, etc.)
- Rotate ads to avoid fatigue
- Accurate Tracking
- See which ad drove the most form fills or sales
- Measure ROI down to the dollar
- Optimize budgets toward what’s working
In short: Ads Manager campaigns are built for results – not vanity metrics.
Boosts vs Ads: The Quick Comparison
| Boost | Ads Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Likes, views, comments | Leads, sales, conversions |
| Targeting | Basic demographics | Advanced, custom, lookalikes |
| Tracking | Limited | Full funnel, ROI-driven |
| Control | None | High — objectives, placements, testing |
| Best for | Quick visibility, engagement | Driving business results |
Why This Matters for Local Businesses
As a small business, your marketing budget matters. $100 wasted on vanity engagement is $100 that could have gone toward 10 high-quality leads or a few new customers.
At Carey Creative, we see this mistake all the time: local businesses spend months boosting posts and wondering why the phone isn’t ringing. The difference isn’t the dollar amount — it’s the strategy.
The Bottom Line
👉 Boosting is like handing out flyers — you’ll get eyeballs, maybe a wave, but little else.
👉 Ads Manager is like running a targeted campaign — reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
If you’re already spending money on the “Boost” button, you owe it to yourself to make that budget actually work.
Next Step: Free Ad Account Checkup
If you’re a Wilmington business and want to know whether your ads are set up for results, we’re offering a free Meta Ad Account Checkup this month.
We’ll review your campaigns, flag wasted spend, and share quick wins you can implement right away.
