Social media has become one of the most valuable tools to reach the public, whether to promote events, raise brand awareness or engage with a target audience. Public engagement provides opportunities to identify customer needs and facilitate lasting relationships, and there are a variety of social media tools available to help your organization reach more consumers.

My teammates and I manage the Rotary District 5110’s Facebook page with the ultimate goal of increasing likes. This task is challenging, but Professor Kelli Matthews recently clued us in on a resource that will help us attract more followers: the Promoted Post feature on Facebook.

Facebook launched Promoted Posts in June 2012 after realizing that only 16 percent of brand page content was seen by fans, according to Socialmouths. When a post is promoted, it becomes a “sponsored post” and moves to the top of followers’ news feed. You can either promote posts to followers and their friends, or you can target users by specific characteristics (e.g., gender or age group). Promoting posts is not free, but the amount you pay is up to your discretion. However, if you pay more, more users will see your post.

Here are some benefits of promoting posts as outlined on the Socialmouths website:

• Budget friendly: You choose the amount you want to pay, so promoted posts work with all budgets. Cost directly correlates to estimated reach.
• Simple to launch: With just one click, you are on your way to publicizing your post to a much larger audience than just current followers.
• Easy to spot in a news feed: Unlike Facebook ads, promoted posts appear on the top of users’ news feeds instead of concealed in their sidebars.

Promoted posts will benefit our client because it allows us to communicate with a larger audience. Friends of the Rotary District 5110’s 330 followers can now view our posts in their timelines, which will provide the Rotary with an opportunity to spread awareness of its effort to make a positive global community impact.

Although this feature is only one of many accessible to Facebook users, it stands out because it is accommodating, quick and simple. What are some of your favorite tools to use on social media? Share in the comments below.

Madeline Ruberg is a junior at the University of Oregon studying public relations. She is passionate about people, travel and communications. Her ultimate goal is to work in entertainment PR, preferably somewhere near her family and an ocean.