For most people, the decision-making process prior to any significant purchase will involve a considerable amount of research.   The default vehicle for any consumer research today is the internet; specifically search engines and social media.  There are a number of ways to capitalize on the use of search engines, such as site optimization and keyword research.  Maybe we will take look at these in another blog post, but today we’re going to talk about how you can use social media to turn curiosity into a conversation.  And specifically, how Facebook Lead Ads can help you capture more leads from users on any device.

What Are Facebook Lead Ads?

Facebook Lead Ads allow you to create an advertisement that appears naturally in the newsfeed of your target audience.  The power of Facebook Lead Ads is what happens when somebody clicks on your advertisement; rather than be directed to an external landing page as they would with standard Facebook advertisements, Lead Ads takes them to a form within the Facebook application.  Additionally, this form will be prepopulated with the information that Facebook holds about the person, such as name and email address.

Why Are They So Effective?

Lead Ads have a number of features which make them a great lead acquisition tool, such as:

• Really Target Your Audience – as with all Facebook advertising, you have the ability to get really granular about whom you want to see your ad. Why not look specifically for people in your location who have visited pages about your industry or similar?
• Simple Sign Up – this is a huge benefit with Lead Ads; after someone has clicked on your advert, with Facebook auto-populating their information, completing the sign-up could be only one click away. With standard adverts that go through to a landing page, there’s a much higher chance of someone quitting on the process before they’ve inputted their details.  This is particularly true of users on mobile devices.
• A Trusted Format – the fact that Facebook has all of this personal information in the first place tells us one thing; people trust Facebook. It’s a browser or application that people are very familiar with and many use on a daily basis.  If you can keep your entire ad process within the Facebook parameters then this increases the likelihood that someone will be willing to send you their personal information.

How Best To Use Them?

Because Facebook Lead Ads have a different user journey than other forms of advertisement, there are a few things you need to bear in mind to get maximum return.  You need to think of your ad as your landing page – ensure it contains all the information about what makes you special.  Also ensure that your ad gives some context to the fact that people are going to be presented with a form when they click through.  And finally, think about what you are giving in return for the prospect’s contact details; whether it’s an e-book, coupon, PDF or alike, give them a really strong reason to give you their contact details.  If you’ve got any questions or success stories relating to Facebook Leads Ads, I’d love to hear from you.