Boost Post vs Ads Manager: Which One Brings Sales?
The Boost button is easy, and it's quietly wasting your money. Here's what boosting actually buys, what Ads Manager does differently, and when boosting is fine.
The blue Boost button under your Instagram or Facebook post is the easiest way to spend money on adverts. Pick an audience, a budget and a few days, and you're done.
It's also one of the most common reasons Ghanaian businesses decide "Facebook ads don't work". Here's why.
What Boost actually asks for
When you boost a post, you're usually asking Meta to get that post more engagement or more profile visits. Meta is very good at giving you what you ask for. So it shows your post to people who like, comment and tap.
Those people are not the same as people who buy. Many of them like everything. Many have never paid for anything online. So you get a nice number of likes, a few "how much?" comments and very few sales.
What Ads Manager does differently
In Meta Ads Manager you choose the result you want:
- Sales: Meta looks for people likely to buy, using your tracking data.
- Leads: people likely to fill a form or start a chat.
- Traffic, Engagement, Awareness: clicks, likes and views. Rarely what a business needs.
You also get control over where people go after the click, which adverts run, how budget is split, and much better reporting.
Side by side
| Boost Post | Sales advert in Ads Manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Meta looks for | People who like and comment | People who message or buy |
| Where people go | Your post or profile | A product page, checkout or WhatsApp chat |
| Creative | The post as it is | Built as an advert, many versions |
| Testing | One post at a time | Several adverts competing for budget |
| Tracking | Little | Purchases, leads and cost per sale |
| Best for | Getting a post seen | Getting customers |
The cost of boosting
Say you boost three posts a week at GH₵ 100 each. That's about GH₵ 1,200 a month. If it brings 1,500 likes and five orders, each order cost GH₵ 240. The same budget in a Sales campaign, with tracking and a good landing page, will often bring far more orders.
The likes feel like progress. The bank account tells the truth.
When boosting is fine
Boost isn't evil. It's a tool for a different job.
- Announcing an event to people near you.
- Getting an important post seen by your existing followers.
- Warming up a new page.
Just don't use it when what you want is sales.
How to switch
- Go to business.facebook.com and open Ads Manager.
- Make sure your Meta Pixel and Conversions API are set up and tested. See setting up the Pixel.
- Create a campaign with the Sales objective, or Leads if you sell through enquiries.
- Set a location you can deliver to and a broad age range.
- Add several different adverts, not just one post. You can still use your best posts as adverts.
- Send people to a page about that product, a checkout link or WhatsApp.
- Give it two weeks before judging.
Our full guide is how to run Facebook ads in Ghana.
"But Ads Manager is complicated"
It's more complicated than Boost. That's because it gives you control. Spend an afternoon learning the basics, or have someone set it up properly once. The difference in results usually pays for the time many times over.
Common questions
Can I use my best Instagram post as an advert?
Yes. In Ads Manager you can choose an existing post as the creative, keeping its likes and comments, and still choose a Sales goal.
Why did my boosted post get comments but no orders?
Because Boost found people who comment. Many "how much?" comments come from people who were never likely to buy. Answer them quickly, but don't measure success by them.
How much should I spend in Ads Manager?
At least GH₵ 50 to GH₵ 100 a day per campaign while testing. See how much to spend on Facebook ads.
If you'd rather we set it up properly, see our Facebook and Instagram ads service.