Master Facebook and Instagram Lead Ads

Are you looking to grow your business and attract new qualified customers? In the digital age, ignoring the power of social media would be a mistake. With over 3 billion monthly active users, the Meta platform (Facebook and Instagram) represents an almost inexhaustible pool of prospects. But how do you turn this massive audience into concrete business opportunities without losing them along the way?

The solution lies in a feature specially designed to simplify this process: lead generation campaigns, or Facebook Lead Ads. This tool allows you to collect contact information from potential customers directly on the platform, offering a smooth and optimized user experience that maximizes your chances of conversion.

Whether you are a craftsman, a service company, or an e-merchant, mastering this tool can radically change the game for your customer acquisition. Let’s discover together how to harness the full potential of lead generation on Facebook and Instagram.

What is a lead generation campaign on Facebook?

Facebook Lead Ads are an ad format designed to facilitate the collection of information from users interested in your offer, all without ever leaving the Facebook or Instagram platform. It’s a small revolution compared to traditional methods.

Before their introduction, the classic journey was as follows:

1. A user clicked on an ad.

2. They were redirected to an external landing page (your website).

3. They had to wait for the page to load (particularly on mobile).

4. They then had to manually fill out a contact form.

Each of these steps represents friction, a potential breaking point where the user may abandon. Lead Ads eliminate most of these obstacles. When a user clicks on your ad, a native form opens instantly. Even better, this form is often pre-filled with information the user has already shared with Facebook (first name, last name, email address, phone number).

The user only has to verify the information, answer a few questions if necessary, and click "Submit". The whole process takes just a few seconds, smoothly and securely.

Lead Ads vs Conversion Ads: What’s the difference?

It is common to confuse "Lead" campaigns with "Conversion" campaigns. Although both aim to generate an action, their mechanism is fundamentally different.

• Lead Generation Ads (Lead Ads): The goal is to collect contact information via an instant form on Facebook/Instagram. The user stays within the Meta ecosystem. This is ideal for getting quotes, newsletter sign-ups, or callback requests.

• Conversion Ads: The goal is to encourage the user to perform an action on your website (a purchase, filling out a form on a landing page, etc.). The user is redirected outside the platform. This requires a properly configured Meta pixel to track actions.

Lead Ads tend to have a lower cost per lead (CPL) because friction is reduced. However, lead quality must be monitored, as the ease of submission can sometimes attract less engaged curious users.

Why use lead generation ads?

Adopting Lead Ads in your digital marketing strategy offers significant advantages, especially for businesses seeking to build a solid customer database and accelerate their sales cycle.

1. A user experience optimized for mobile
Over 98% of Facebook users access the platform via a mobile device. Instant forms are designed to be "mobile-first," ensuring perfect display and instant loading on smartphones. This is a decisive advantage over external websites that can be slow or poorly optimized.

2. Drastic reduction of friction
By pre-filling form fields, you save the user precious time. Less effort required means a higher conversion rate. This is the famous "tap-tap-done" principle promised by Meta.

3. Precision targeting
Meta's power lies in its ability to target very specific audiences. You can deliver your ads based on demographic criteria (age, location), interests (ecology, energy renovation, etc.), behaviors (homeowners), or even by creating custom audiences from your own customer lists. For a company like ours, offering installation of solar panels and charging stations, being able to target homeowners in a precise geographic area interested in electric vehicles is a major asset.

4. More cost-effective lead generation
Generally, the cost per click and cost per lead of Lead Ads are lower than those of conversion campaigns that redirect to an external site. You can thus acquire more contacts for the same advertising budget.

5. Form personalization to qualify leads
You are not limited to basic information. Instant forms allow you to add custom questions (multiple choice, short answer, etc.) to better understand your prospects' needs and qualify their interest even before the first commercial contact.

How to create a lead generation campaign step by step

Launching your first campaign may seem intimidating, but Meta's Ads Manager guides you through each step. Follow this process to set up an effective campaign.

Step 1: Choose the right campaign objective

1. Go to your Meta Ads Manager.

2. Click the green "+ Create" button.

3. From the list of campaign objectives, select "Leads".

4. Click "Continue".

Give your campaign a clear name (e.g., "Solar Leads - France - Winter 2024"). You can also enable the "Advantage Campaign Budget" option (formerly CBO) to let Meta's algorithm distribute your budget among the best ad sets.

Step 2: Set up the ad set

This is where you define to whom, where, and when your ads will be shown.

1. Ad set name: Be precise (e.g., "Homeowners - 35-65 years - Interest Ecology").

2. Conversion location: Choose "Instant Forms". This is the core of the Lead Ads campaign.

3. Facebook Page: Select the Facebook page under which the ad will run. You will need to accept the lead ad terms if it’s your first time.

4. Budget and schedule: Set a daily or lifetime budget, as well as start and end dates.

5. Audience: This step is critical.

   • Location: Target geographic areas relevant to your business.

   • Age, Gender, Languages: Refine demographic criteria.

   • Detailed targeting: Add interests (e.g., "Solar Energy," "Tesla, Inc.," "Sustainable Home"), demographics ("Homeowner"), or behaviors.

   • Custom audiences: Upload your customer lists to exclude or create lookalike audiences to find people similar to your best customers.

Expert tip: Aim for quality with your lookalike audiences

To create a high-performing lookalike audience, avoid using a list of all your prospects. Instead, use a list of your best customers—those who have already purchased and are satisfied. Meta's algorithm will identify profiles with a much higher conversion probability, optimizing your budget.

1. Placements: You can let Meta automatically choose the best placements ("Advantage+ Placements") or manually select where your ads appear (Facebook News Feed, Instagram, Stories, etc.). For beginners, automatic choice is usually the easiest and most effective.

Step 3: Design your ad (Ad Creative)

This is the visible part of your campaign. It must capture attention and encourage clicks.

1. Ad name: Give a descriptive name (e.g., "Customer Testimonial Video - Free Study Form").

2. Identity: Verify that your Facebook page and Instagram account are correctly selected.

3. Format: Choose between "Single Image or Video," "Carousel" (multiple images/videos), or "Collection."

4. Ad content:

   • Media: Add your visual or video. Favor authentic, high-quality content showing your product or service in action.

   • Main text: This is the text above your visual. It should be impactful and highlight the main benefit of your offer.

   • Headline: Short and direct (e.g., "Get your free solar study").

   • Description: Additional text below the headline.

   • Call to Action (CTA): Choose the most appropriate button ("Get Quote," "Sign Up," "Learn More," "Download").

Step 4: Create your instant form

Click on "Create Form" to open the editor.

1. Form name: For your internal use only.

2. Form type:

   • More volume: Quick form to maximize the number of leads.

   • Higher intent: Adds a review step where users must confirm their information. This can reduce lead volume but increases lead quality.

3. Intro: Add a background image (from your ad or new) and a headline. You can use bullet points to detail the benefits of your offer.

4. Questions:

   • Pre-filled questions: Select the information you want to collect (email, full name, phone number, etc.).

   • Custom questions: Qualify your leads here. Add multiple-choice questions ("What type of roof do you have?"), short-answer questions ("What is your annual electricity consumption?"), or even an appointment booking module.

5. Privacy: You must add a link to your website's privacy policy. This is a legal requirement (GDPR).

6. Thank you screen: This is the thank-you page. Customize the message and add a button redirecting to your website or offering a guide download.

Once completed, click "Publish". Note that a published form can no longer be modified, only duplicated.

Optimize your campaigns for optimal results

Creating a campaign is only the first step. To truly make your investment pay off, you must constantly analyze and optimize your performance.

The form: simplicity and relevance

The golden rule for your form is: only ask for strictly necessary information. Every additional field is a potential reason for the user to abandon.

Ask yourself: "Is this information essential for my first commercial contact?" If the answer is no, remove the field. You can always gather more details later during your interaction with the prospect.

For an energy study request, name, postal code, email, and phone are often enough to start. You can use a multiple-choice question to quickly qualify the project (e.g., "When do you want to start your project? Within 3 months, 6 months, just researching").

The right balance for your form

There is a constant trade-off between the quantity and quality of leads.

• Fewer fields = more leads but potentially less qualified.

• More fields (or engaging questions) = fewer leads but generally more qualified with stronger intent.

Test different form versions to find the perfect balance for your business.

Your ad content: creativity and persuasion

Your visual and text are the entry points to your form.

• Test different visuals: photos of your work, short customer testimonial videos, simple infographics explaining possible savings... Vary formats to see what resonates best with your audience.

• Offer a valuable "lead magnet": Instead of just asking for a quote, offer something in exchange for contact information. This could be a PDF guide ("The complete guide to solar self-consumption"), a personalized simulation, or access to an exclusive webinar.

• Write clear, benefit-oriented text: Don’t just talk about product features (e.g., "375 Wc panels"). Talk about the benefits for the customer (e.g., "Reduce your electricity bill by up to 70%").

Manage and automate your lead follow-up

You have generated dozens of leads. Now what? The speed of your follow-up is the most decisive factor for conversion. A study showed that companies contacting a prospect within the first hour are seven times more likely to qualify them.

By default, leads collected are stored on your Facebook Page or in the Meta Business Suite's "Leads Center." You must manually download them as a CSV file. This process is slow, tedious, and inefficient. By the time you export the list, the prospect may have already moved on.

The solution is automation. By connecting your Facebook forms to your business tools (CRM, autoresponder), you can trigger instant actions.

At Les Nouveaux Installateurs, our process is fully automated. As soon as a prospect fills out a form for a free energy study via our ads, their information is instantly transmitted to our customer management system (CRM).

• The prospect receives an instant confirmation email, thanking them and explaining next steps.

• Our sales team receives a real-time notification with all prospect information.

• An advisor can then contact them by phone within minutes, while interest is still high and the project is fresh in their mind.

This responsiveness allows us to maximize our conversion rate from prospect to appointment, and from appointment to satisfied customer.

Warning: GDPR, an unavoidable step

Collecting personal data is strictly regulated by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. To be compliant, you must:

1. Provide a link to your privacy policy in your form.

2. Be transparent about the use of the collected data.

3. Obtain clear and explicit consent. You can add a customized and mandatory checkbox in your form for newsletter subscription, for example.

Non-compliance exposes you to heavy penalties.

Lead generation campaigns on Facebook and Instagram are an extraordinarily powerful tool to feed your sales pipeline. They combine the massive reach of the platform with a frictionless data collection mechanism, creating a formidable lead machine when properly configured.

By following a structured approach, creating engaging ads, designing simple forms, and automating your follow-up, you can turn strangers scrolling through their feed into real customers. Don’t wait to test this method and start generating a steady flow of new opportunities for your business.

FAQ - Your questions about lead generation with Meta

What is the difference between a "Leads" campaign and a "Conversions" campaign?

A "Leads" campaign (Lead Ads) uses an instant form on Facebook/Instagram to collect information. The user does not leave the platform. A "Conversions" campaign sends the user to your website to perform an action (purchase, filling out an external form). The first reduces friction, the second gives you more control over the conversion environment.

How much does a lead generation campaign on Facebook cost?

The cost varies greatly depending on your industry, audience competitiveness, ad quality, and offer. The cost per lead (CPL) can range from a few euros to several tens of euros. It's essential to start with a small budget, test, and measure your return on investment before increasing spending.

How can I improve the quality of my leads?

To improve quality, use the "Higher Intent" form type which adds a confirmation step. You can also add custom questions that require the user to think. A prospect taking the time to answer an open question is generally more engaged. Finally, very precise ad targeting is the first step to attract the right people.

Is it possible to edit a form once published?

No, you cannot modify an instant form once it has been published. If you want to make changes, you must duplicate it, make changes in the new (draft) version, then save it. You will need to associate this new form with your ads.