Stop Boosting, Start Strategizing: Why DIY Social Media Advertising Is Costing Your Business Money

You Might Be Spending on Advertising, But Is It Working?

A client of mine recently reached out after trying to boost her own Instagram post. She thought it would help her reach more customers, but after spending a few hundred dollars, she didn’t see any real results. The likes came in, but the sales didn’t.

The problem wasn’t her content or her effort. It was the strategy.

Boosting a post without a clear plan or proper targeting is one of the easiest ways to waste your marketing budget.

The Difference Between Boosting and Advertising

Boosting is what social platforms offer as a quick option. You click a button, spend a little money, and hope for better reach. But boosting has very limited targeting and almost no control over who sees your content or how they interact with it.

Professional advertising, on the other hand, allows us to:

• Create custom audiences based on real behavior

• Choose where and how your ads are shown

• Set clear goals, like website clicks, form submissions, or purchases

• Test multiple versions of content to find what works best

• Track detailed results and optimize accordingly

There’s a big difference between simply being seen and being seen by the right people.

Why Proper Targeting Matters

Let’s say you run a local bakery in Alabama. Boosting a post might get you likes from people in New York or California, but that doesn’t help you sell cupcakes.

With the right targeting, we can:

• Focus your ads on people within a 10-mile radius of your location

• Reach users who have shown interest in desserts, baked goods, or similar businesses

• Retarget visitors who’ve interacted with your website or social media

• Create lookalike audiences based on your existing customers

When done well, digital advertising can act like a smart assistant, constantly working in the background to attract the right customers.

Why Hiring a Marketer Saves Time and Money

As a business owner, your time should be spent running your business, not trying to figure out ad platforms and algorithms. Digital marketing isn’t just about making posts — it’s about making data-informed decisions that drive results.

When businesses try to manage it all themselves, it often leads to frustration, burnout, and wasted resources. But when you work with a marketer who understands your goals, your brand, and your audience, your marketing starts working for you.

If you’ve ever felt like digital marketing just doesn’t work, chances are it wasn’t the tool — it was the approach. Boosting posts may feel like progress, but without a strategic plan, it rarely brings the kind of results your business deserves.

Marketing doesn’t have to be a guessing game. With the right strategy in place, it becomes one of your most powerful tools for growth.

If you’re ready to get more out of your ad budget and finally see results from your marketing efforts, let’s talk.