Facebook has made it very easy to increase the reach of a post by letting pages pay to promote them to more people. But shelters and rescue groups should resist the urge to click the "boost" button.

Here's why: When you boost a Facebook post directly from the post itself, you have very limited options for targeting. For instance, you cannot choose to target only your own followers. Additionally, you can only enter a limited number of interests.

If you want to get more views and engagement on a Facebook page post, go to www.facebook.com/ads instead and click on "Manage Your Ads."

This will take you to a comprehensive ad creation interface, where you can take advantage of the rich interest and activity targeting Facebook offers. For example, you can target your posts to people by their behavior, such as purchasing pet food or donating to animal causes.

Best of all, you can decide whether to target your followers, your non-followers, or both. It's entirely up to you.

Because you can target your post more precisely, your ad will end up costing you a lot less than the "quick and easy" boost button, and you'll get better results.

Also of interest:

Social Media: 6 New Things Animal Organizations Need to Know