Facebook Lead Ads are advertisements that make it easier for you to acquire qualified leads.
This ad format created by Facebook is the perfect way to gather all the necessary information about a lead. It’s especially useful if you don’t want to redirect them to your website or a specific landing page. With this type of ad, the lead fills out the selected form without leaving the Facebook platform.
Among the other ads available to you, Lead Ads stand out as a simple gateway to qualified leads.
But how can you use this advertising format to its full potential? This article is here to answer all your questions. Our guide, based on our expertise as a paid media agency, will walk you through all the steps to create a Facebook Lead Ads campaign in 2024. Learn the best practices with us for guaranteed success.
Definition of Facebook Lead Ads
Facebook Lead Ads are form-based advertisements available on Facebook. These specialized ads are designed for lead generation. They allow users to leave their information using a pre-filled form directly within the ad. For businesses, this means direct access to warm prospects without the usual friction found on websites. By adapting to your audience, Lead Ads can help you:
- Increase your conversion rate: With simplified and pre-filled forms, prospects are more likely to provide their information and contact details.
- Precisely target: With Facebook’s demographic and behavioral data, your ads have a higher chance of reaching those genuinely interested in your products or services.
- Reduce acquisition costs: Optimizing the lead generation process can give you a crucial advantage. You can reduce the cost per lead (CPL) and maximize your ROAS. The Lead Ad is one of the ads and various factors that can impact your ROAS on Facebook.
Understanding the basics of Facebook Lead Ads
How they work
Facebook Lead Ads are a type of advertisement that creates a direct link between your business and your future customers. First, a user clicks on your Lead Ad. Then, they’ll see a form already pre-filled with their Facebook information. It allows them to sign up, subscribe, or request additional information with minimal effort. This simplicity and speed set this format apart from others on Facebook, making it so effective.
Preparing your campaign
Before creating your first Lead Ad campaign, you’ll need some preliminary preparation. Develop a well-structured Facebook Ads strategy. First and foremost, start by clearly defining your objectives. Are you looking to increase newsletter sign-ups? Do you want to promote an event or sell a product or service? Then, determining your target audience is also a crucial action. To refine your targeting, use the demographic, interest, and behavioral data presented by Facebook. Last but not least, establish a realistic budget. It should reflect your real ambitions and remain suited to your financial capacities.
Creating a Facebook Lead Ads campaign
After your preliminary choices, you’re now ready to create your first Facebook Lead Ads campaign. Let’s take a look at our guide, which will show you how to do it in several steps.
Setting up the campaign
- Choose the campaign objective: In Facebook Ads Manager, start by creating a new campaign. Select Lead Generation as the objective for your campaign. This choice will help optimize your ads to collect contact information via Lead Ad forms. It’s important to let Facebook know your goal of directing users to a form.
2. Choose the conversion location : The next phase is to specify where you want to generate leads. You have several options: Website, Instant Forms, Messenger, Instant Forms and Messenger, Instagram, Calls, and App. Our current goal is to create an ad with a form. That’s why you’ll need to select the second option, Instant Forms, in the Conversion section.
3. Choose the page to promote : In the next section, Page, select the Facebook page you want to promote. Don’t forget to accept the Terms for Lead Ads.
4. Set the budget and schedule : The final step before creating a form is the Budget and Schedule section. Here, you can specify your daily budget and the specific dates. Additionally, you can select options like budget planning and ad scheduling.
Create a Facebook Ads Lead form Ad
Let’s walk through the process of creating a Facebook Ads Lead Form ad, covering all the necessary steps for its effective operation.
Ad structure
First, navigate to the Facebook ad creation page. You will need to decide on the structure or format of your ad. Choose between various formats in the Ad Setup section: Single Image/Video or Carousel.
Ad content
The next phase is the Ad Content section. You will find it by scrolling down. Select the visuals and the text for your ad. Indicate the Primary Text, Headline, and Description. Additionally, you also have an important option to choose a Call-to-Action (CTA). Look at all the available options:
- Apply now
- Book
- Download
- Take advantage of the offer
- Get a quote
- Learn more
- Sign up
- Subscribe
Create an instant form
In the Instant Form section, specify whether you want to choose an already available form created by you, or create a new form.
In the following sections, we will go through how to create your new form. To do so, click on the ‘Create a Form’ button.
Form type
A new configuration tool will appear when you move on to the form creation stage. The first step is the Form Type, which depends on the objective of your lead generation campaign. There are three types of forms:
- High Volume.
- High Intent.
- Rich Content.
The High Intent option will differ from the High Volume option because it includes a review step. It allows users to confirm the information they have entered. At the same time, the Rich Content option lets you integrate images and messages from your business with optional sections. For example, these sections could be About Us, Reviews, and Product Information.
Intro
In the Intro section, you’ll find the Background Image and Welcome Message fields. You can use your ad’s image as the background for the form, or upload a new image. As for the Welcome Message section, it’s optional but highly recommended.
Expert Tip: The Welcome Message section is a perfect way to grab users’ attention. Explain what the respondent will receive in exchange for sharing their information with you. Offer them value.
Questions
As a lead generation agency, we understand that the Questions step is one of the most critical. Your choices here should be aligned with your marketing strategy. Ask yourself: What information will I need for my business? What data do I want to collect? What indicators will help me qualify leads?
As shown in the image below, you can choose between two types of questions:
- Custom questions
- Pre-filled questions by Facebook
You can only add pre-filled questions, but adding custom ones will make your form unique and more engaging. When added, custom questions will appear before the pre-defined Facebook questions.
Custom Questions can take different forms:
- Multiple Choice
- Short Answer
- Conditional
- Appointment Request
Among the pre-filled options, you can also add additional questions:
- Contact Fields: Phone number, address, city, state, province, country, and postal code.
- User Information: Full name, first name, and last name.
- Demographic Questions: Date of birth, gender, marital status, relationship status, and military status.
- Professional Information: Job title, work phone number, work email, and company name.
- National ID number.
Expert Tip: Try to strike a balance when it comes to the number of questions. On one hand, asking more questions increases your chances of gathering high-quality leads. On the other hand, you may collect fewer leads, and as a result, the cost per lead will be higher.
Privacy Policy
Your form is almost ready, but two final steps remain. Move to the Privacy Policy section to add the URL link to your privacy policy. This step is also mandatory since you are collecting user information.
Message for prospects
The Message for Prospects is the penultimate step towards completing your new form, designed to help you generate qualified leads. Use this section to explain what will happen next to your prospects. Include the following elements: Title, Description, Call-to-action Button, CTA Link, and CTA Text.
With your message, you can:
- Thank users for their participation.
- Encourage them to visit your website, call the company, or view a file. You can adapt the CTA button according to your specific needs.
Form setup
You’re almost done with creating your form, but there’s still the Configuration section left. This part will help ensure you don’t miss two important details. First, click the Settings button. Then, choose the desired language for your text. Up until this point, all your text has been in English. Finally, make a selection between the two options in the Sharing section:
- Restricted: Only your leads who directly received your ad will be able to submit the form.
- Open: In this case, leads can share the form with others, and any recipient can respond.
To finish setting up your form, click Create Form to complete the process.
Tracking
Finally, to activate the tracking for your campaign, we recommend going back to the Facebook ad creation page. Scroll down to find the Tracking section. Here, you can set up your tracking and monitor conversions on your website. In this case, you’ll be able to track the conversions from users who filled out your form. For instance, there’s also the option to integrate a CRM or CRM Events into your campaign.
Retrieve leads from Facebook Lead Ads
After launching your Facebook Lead Ads campaign, you’ll likely want to retrieve the leads you’ve generated. Here’s a simple way to do it.
First, go to your Meta Ads Manager. Then, click on the Campaigns tab and select Ads on the right-hand side. Look for the Results column for your chosen campaign. You will see a number and a link labeled Leads on Facebook just below. By clicking on this link, you can download your list of leads.
It’s important to note that only the administrator of the Facebook page can download the full list of leads.
Effective targeting for Lead Ads
The first important step towards effective targeting for your ad is understanding who your ideal customers are. How can you succeed with your Facebook Ads targeting? What are their real interests? Their browsing habits? Their demographics? Use the insights available on your Facebook page with analytics tools to determine your target audience.
Advanced targeting strategies
Demographic and interest-based targeting : Start by selecting users based on age, location, gender, and especially what they like or follow on Facebook.
Using custom audiences : Utilize the import of your contact list or choose visitors to your website. The goal is to create an audience that is already familiar with your brand.
Using Lookalike audiences : Expand your reach by targeting users similar to those already interacting with your business.
Analysis and optimization
Even if your ad is ready, the work is not over. Launching a campaign without analyzing the results is like cooking a gourmet dish without tasting it. Analyzing performance and continuous optimization are essential for getting the most out of your Facebook Lead Ads.
Tracking Facebook Lead Ads performance
For this task, use the Ads Manager to track key metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), cost per lead (CPL), and conversion rate. This information can help you understand what resonates with your audience and areas for improvement.
Data-driven optimization
A/B Testing: Experiment with different elements of your ads to understand what works best. For example, you can test various images, text, and CTA. Small changes can sometimes yield significant improvements.
Targeting adjustments: Make sure you’re reaching the right audience. If not, review your targeting parameters. There may be a niche audience you haven’t yet considered.
Budget reallocation: Ensure your budget is being spent effectively. Based on your observations, reallocate funds from underperforming ads to those that convert better.
Common mistakes with Lead Ads
Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to make common mistakes when launching your Facebook Lead Ads campaigns. Here’s how to avoid frequent errors and boost your success:
Don’t neglect A/B testing: A common mistake is focusing on a single version of your ad without testing. A/B testing allows you to experiment and find the best version to keep.
Ignoring the importance of follow-up: After a user fills out your form, don’t hesitate to act. A slow follow-up can cause leads to lose interest. Make sure you have a solid system in place to process leads efficiently.
Underestimating targeting: Poor targeting can lead to wasted resources. Use the tips mentioned earlier in this article to ensure your ads reach the people most likely to engage with your brand.
Conclusion
With the right strategies and a clear understanding of your goals, you are now ready to test Facebook Lead Ads. This is a powerful format for improving high-quality lead generation and growing your business. Thanks to this opportunity, you don’t need to redirect leads to your website or a specific landing page. Every visitor can become a prospect, even if they don’t leave Facebook’s platform.
By following all the steps in our guide, you can turn your ad campaigns into a performance engine for your business.
With our article, you now have the best practices for assured success with Facebook Lead Ads! If you want more guides, you can discover other articles on our blog. And if you need help with this topic or any other Facebook Ads, don’t hesitate to reach out to a Facebook Ads agency. 😉
