Social media has never been inexpensive, just different expensive. But now, the last vestiges of false assumptions about the true cost of social marketing are being wiped away. Facebook’s changes to EdgeRank essentially require that Pages pay a fee to reach more than 12 out of every 100 of their fans. Other social networks (Instagram, Twitter) are taking note and moving to algorithmic news feeds too.
If you’re at all serious about social marketing, and don’t have a line item budget for promoting social media posts, you need to add it today.
How much should you budget? Impossible for me to estimate, because fees charged by Facebook for Promoted Posts are pegged to your fan count, and range from $10 to $1,000 or more, per post.
When Do You Promote a Facebook Post?
But what I can help you with is how to decide what posts to promote on Facebook. At Convince & Convert, we use a double-down approach, and promote (we call it STIR) Facebook posts when they show early viral promise. But there are other factors you should consider before clicking “promote” and charging your credit card. Will the post still be valid in a few days (it can take Facebook a while to show it)? Is it meaningful enough to your business to promote it?
Here’s our handy guide with a four-part decision process.
When Do You Promote a Facebook Post? (click for downloadable version)