Is Facebook’s Promote Tool Good for Marketing?

Facebook’s recent algorithm change has left many advocates of Facebook marketing feeling betrayed. Potentially in response, Facebook has recently released a pay to promote post tool. But will this help or hurt the marketing community?

What is the Promoted Post Tool?

The Facebook “pay to promote” tool will allow Facebook members to promote important photos, status updates, and videos for a fee. On average, the promotional tool costs roughly $7 to use per post. In return for the $7, Facebook will guarantee your posts will be shown on all of your friends news feeds, and be bumped a little higher on their wall. It’s important to note the promotion tool is being limited to people with fewer than 5,000 friends, and without the tool, posts often don’t reach every person’s wall.

How to Promote a Post

Any post from your news feed or timeline can be promoted by clicking “promote,” by the “like” or “share” buttons. Afterward, Facebook will ask for a payment method. Next, simply click promote.

If you decide to create the post on your Facebook page, it’s possible to choose a budget. This budget is what Facebook calls a “lifetime budget,” meaning Facebook will continue to promote the post with a specified amount of dollars for the life of its campaign. Recent posts can be promoted in the same way.

What Could this Mean for Your Content?

The post promotion tool could mean a potential boost in followers. However, some bloggers and active voices in the Twittersphere have suggested the tool isn’t as effective as suggested. Edge Rank Checker has shown the general engagement and reach of Facebook page posts have decreased by 17%, while the organic reach has decreased by 25% and viral reach has decreased by 45%.

Pages require at least 400 likes for the promotion tool to apply and the only guarantee is the post will reach everyone’s wall under the word “sponsored.” While this will increase views, and hopefully engagement, content creators were hoping to see better results.

Regardless, content reaching more people generally isn’t a bad thing. Furthermore, if you have a marketing budget high enough to afford $7 or more for important content posts, it might be worth the time.

Is it Worth it?

While Facebook may be using the new promotional tool as a way to bring in more income, it does have the potential to give content and posts a little boost. However, if you’re going to pay money for a marketing campaign, why not invest money in ads, or a social marketing specialist instead? If a person were to promote every post, the cost could grow quite high, and Jason Hartman doesn’t believe in risky investments. Even so, the tool could be effective for important posts you’d like to reach more people.

Ultimately, it’s up to you. Does it seem worth it? Would you pay to promote a post? Feel free to tell us in the comments. (Top Image: Flickr | BizBuzzMedia)

The Speaking of Wealth Team