Facebook Lead Generation Just Got Easier

Facebook has incredible advertising potential, but when it comes to actual lead generation, stellar results on the world’s largest social network haven’t traditionally been easy to come by. One of the main reasons is because of the extra steps involved in securing a lead: First, you have to grab and maintain the viewer’s attention, and then your ad copy has to be strong enough to convince them to take the time to fill out an online form and submit their contact information. The dramatic increase in mobile Internet usage makes this even trickier, since smaller screens and keyboards on mobile devices don’t exactly lend themselves to easy form completion.

So, great news – Facebook recently introduced a special mobile-friendly advertising initiative known as Lead Ads, beta tested by a select number of advertisers since late June, but now available to all marketers! Keep reading to find out more.

These interactive ads streamline the process of filling out online forms by turning what used to be a multi-step procedure into a simple two-click process. When an ad is shown to a mobile user, they can simply tap the ad button, and then a built-in script will automatically populate the form fields with the user’s contact information (drawn from the user’s Facebook profile). Users can edit their contact information if need be, and then submit the form with another screen tap. Program stipulations prevent advertisers from selling any lead information to third parties, and before a user clicks the “Submit” button, they have the option to read the privacy policy of the advertiser if they so choose.

Lead Ads Beta Testing: Improved Results, Decreased Cost-Per-Lead for Land Rover

During the beta testing phase for Lead Ads, Land Rover conducted a series of A/B tests to gauge the ads’ performance. The results were phenomenal, with the automaker garnering two-to-four times more leads via Lead Ads versus traditional links that drive people to the company’s website to fill out a lead form. In addition, the company saw their cost-per-lead reduced by more than 60 percent versus previous social media lead generation efforts.

Facebook’s Lead Ads: The Ideal Tool for Lead Gen Marketers

Facebook’s Lead Ads program can be key for marketers in the automotive, educational, insurance, credit card and mortgage industries. These highly flexible ads also provide marketers with the option of adding a third step to further qualify their leads; for example, a mortgage lender can include an additional question to clarify the time frame in which a prospective borrower may want to purchase a home.

For email marketers looking to increase their subscriber database, Lead Ads offer an ultra-simple and intuitive way for users to opt-in to an email newsletter. The simplicity of the form submission process helps eliminate user frustration and form abandonment, which in turn can contribute to higher opt-in rates. The user-friendliness of Lead Ads enables marketers in practically every vertical to get more bang for their advertising buck, increasing form completion rates by decreasing the “work” required for users to fill out online forms.

Facebook has taken the effectiveness of Lead Ads a step further by offering an integrated solution for marketers who use enterprise level software to manage their lead generation and follow-up efforts. The social network has partnered with popular customer relationship management software providers such as Salesforce, Eloqua, Marketo and others to enable marketers to seamlessly import lead information into their databases straight from the Lead Ads interface. In addition, Lead Ads offer Facebook’s immensely popular custom and look-alike audience targeting features, affording marketers additional opportunities to expand their database of prospects.

Lead Ads: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

The introduction of the Lead Ads program looks to be a perfect fit, as the trend towards\ mobile advertising continues to increase at a rapid pace. According to recent metrics published by eMarketer, the mobile advertising market looks to top $100 billion in 2016, and will account for roughly 50% of all digital ad spend in that same period. For marketers seeking to capitalize on new lead generation opportunities, Lead Ads couldn’t have come at a better time.