What Is The Best Way To Generate Leads On Facebook?

Marketers recognize Facebook as a crucial business tool due to its massive user base. With 1.8 billion daily active users, it offers a vast audience for business outreach. Beyond social interaction, Facebook aids in search visibility, community building, content promotion, and brand establishment.

While these benefits are widely acknowledged, leveraging Facebook for lead generation remains an untapped opportunity for many marketers. The platform’s potential to attract leads that can convert into paying customers is significant. Unfortunately, some marketers overlook this aspect, missing out on reaching a substantial customer base.

Whether you’re new to Facebook lead generation or seeking to enhance your current efforts, this guide provides valuable insights. It begins by clarifying the concept of leads and distinguishes between the two types of leads achievable through Facebook. Explore the untapped potential of Facebook in transforming leads into valuable customers.

 

What is a Facebook lead?

A lead refers to an individual expressing interest in your company’s products or services by providing their information. This interest is demonstrated through actions like downloading an ebook, requesting a demo, or completing an online survey by filling out a form.

It’s crucial to understand that simply liking a status update, photo, or video on your Facebook page doesn’t qualify someone as a lead. Such actions may not necessarily indicate genuine interest in your company or offerings; the like could be prompted by unrelated factors, such as the presence of a cute puppy in your post.

To delve into effective lead generation on Facebook, let’s explore the distinctions between the two types of leads that can be captured on this platform. Understanding these differences is essential for optimizing your approach to lead generation.

 

The 2 Types of Leads You Can Capture on Facebook

 

1. Direct Leads

A direct Facebook lead is created by sharing content that directly links to a lead form on your website. Visitors exchange their information for an offer, such as an ebook, coupon, or infographic. This form typically resides on a dedicated landing page for that specific offer.

 

2. Indirect Leads

Indirect leads result from using Facebook as part of the conversion journey. For instance, sharing a blog post with a call-to-action for a landing page at the post’s end indirectly guides visitors to that landing page.

While directly promoting landing pages yields instant leads, offering relevant content without a form creates a more inviting Facebook presence. This approach encourages your target audience to return for valuable content repeatedly.

Explore various methods for generating both indirect and direct leads in the following section.

 

How to Generate Leads on Facebook

 

1. Lead Ads

Lead ads stand out as a widely used tool on Facebook for lead generation. Sponsored by your business, these posts appear in your audience’s News Feeds, Stories, Marketplace, and more. Targeting users likely interested in your company based on their Facebook and off-platform behaviors, lead ads prompt users to fill out a form and provide contact information upon clicking.

 

2. Facebook Posts

Your Facebook posts initially capture your audience’s attention. These can be standalone posts or part of a campaign guiding viewers to your website or Facebook page. You can embed a link to a form in the post or direct users to a landing page for submitting their information.

 

3. Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger acts as an integrated live chat for your Facebook Page. Users can initiate private one-on-one conversations, seeking information about your brand and products.

If managing a live chat constantly is challenging, no worries. Installing a bot on your page allows automated responses to customer inquiries. Whether it’s a bot or a human, your team can utilize Facebook Messenger to guide interested visitors to your website and landing pages, facilitating their transition from prospects to leads.

 

4. Facebook Events

Is your company organizing a yearly networking event or hosting a charity fundraiser? Share it on Facebook.

Utilize the Events tool to create dedicated pages for upcoming events. Your audience can seamlessly sign up, fill out forms, and become leads while registering for the event in one centralized location.

 

5. Facebook Live Video

For a more spontaneous approach to lead generation, consider Facebook Live Video. It offers a real-time, public stream that viewers can watch on their News Feed. This interactive platform allows viewers to react and comment as the video unfolds, providing an opportunity to guide prospects to your marketing content.

For instance, if collaborating with a local celebrity for an upcoming road race, encourage them to “Go Live” on Facebook, sharing their race preparation. This not only offers a behind-the-scenes look at the event but also boosts awareness. Even after the live session, the recording remains available on your Facebook page, allowing those who missed the live version to catch up later.

 

6. Photo Albums

Imagine your road race went off without a hitch and turned out to be a massive success. Throughout the event, your marketing team diligently captured photos, documenting the most thrilling moments.

But these photos aren’t just for show—they’re valuable lead generation content for your Facebook page. How? Start by creating a photo album on your company’s Timeline. Showcase the excitement and fun of your race, motivating viewers to sign up for the next one. To convert these intrigued viewers into leads, simply include a link to your website in the comments. With this approach, you’ll be generating new leads effortlessly. These are just a few strategies for utilizing Facebook to boost lead generation for your business.

 

12 Ways to Generate Leads on Facebook

 

1. Direct Landing Pages for Offers on Facebook

A solid lead generation tactic on Facebook involves directing users straight to a landing page featuring your offer. If you lack compelling lead-generating offers, check this blog post for ideas.

Ensure your offer has an engaging featured image pulled into the Facebook post. Optimize the image size and add appropriate open graph tags to your website, as explained here, to ensure Facebook displays the right image.

Clearly communicate the destination to the reader. If they expect a blog post but encounter a form, confusion or frustration may arise. Use phrases like “Download your ebook” or “Get your cheat sheet” to indicate the action required upon clicking.

Incorporate a straightforward approach, consider replacing the stock photo with a custom image. Utilizing tools like PowerPoint or Canva, even those less design-oriented can create a custom image with the offer’s name, as demonstrated in the example below. (Explore and download our set of 100 free social media image templates here.)

 

2. Post the blog posts that generate the most leads.

Enhance your lead generation efforts by strategically selecting and sharing blog posts that have proven to attract the most leads. Conducting a blog lead generation analysis can guide your choices and optimize your content-sharing strategy. Ensure your blog titles and topics are crafted to intrigue your audience, compelling them to click and explore the valuable insights within.

For an effective lead generation approach, integrate a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) strategically placed near the introduction of your blog posts. This CTA should guide your audience either towards solving a problem they’re facing or delving deeper into a topic of interest. Consider adopting anchor text CTAs, as our study indicated their significant impact, contributing between 47% and 93% of a post’s leads.

Stay proactive in refining your tactics and staying informed about the evolving landscape of effective lead generation from your Facebook posts. By incorporating these strategies, you can maximize the impact of your content and generate a higher volume of leads through your Facebook marketing efforts.

 

3. Include links to landing pages in your image captions.

Utilize the power of visuals on Facebook by incorporating images and videos into your marketing strategy. Recognize that posts with images tend to garner higher engagement rates. To convert this increased engagement into lead generation opportunities, strategically include links to your website within the descriptions of your visual elements, such as profile pictures and cover photos.

Take advantage of these prominent spaces to direct your audience to relevant content, be it a blog post, lead generation material, or an “About Us” page. By doing so, you provide valuable insights about your company, fostering a deeper connection with your audience. Ensure the effectiveness of these links by shortening them and incorporating UTM codes for precise click tracking, which can be easily achieved with tools like Bitly or the HubSpot Marketing Platform.

 

4. Use videos to promote lead generation offers.

Facebook’s organic reach drastically declined from 52% in 2016 to approximately 5.2% in 2020 due to algorithm adjustments. To overcome this challenge and boost audience visibility without relying on ads, marketers have increasingly embraced video content. Facebook’s algorithm gives preference to videos, resulting in a higher average engagement rate of 0.26% compared to other post types.

For effective lead generation on Facebook, integrating videos into your content strategy is crucial. Utilize videos on your Facebook page to introduce and promote various content, such as offers, events, or courses. Enhance the impact by incorporating both a text call-to-action (CTA) in the video’s description and a verbal CTA, encouraging actions like “register” or “download,” strategically placed early in the video and reiterated at its conclusion.

 

5. Use Facebook Live videos to remind people to register.

Creating videos can take a lot of time and may seem a bit daunting. However, you don’t need to invest a significant amount of time and resources in producing a highly polished marketing video, especially if you’re running a small business.

Consider using Facebook Live, a feature that enables you to broadcast videos directly from your mobile device to your Facebook News Feed. The charm of these live videos lies in their spontaneity, making them feel more genuine and personal compared to traditional marketing videos.

To spark discussions about your lead generation offers, try making a live video to showcase them. For instance, you can promote an event by live-streaming its setup or host a live Q&A session to interact with viewers and answer their questions about your offer.

Just as you would in a standard video, include a verbal call-to-action (CTA) along with a text CTA. In live videos, it’s essential to repeat the CTA more frequently than in pre-recorded ones. Why? Because when you begin live streaming, you might have no viewers initially. Even after a few seconds, you might only have a few people tuning in.

As viewers discover your video on their News Feeds, more will join. To ensure everyone is on the same page, repeat the CTA multiple times. Additionally, you can include a text CTA in the video’s description.

 

6. Pin posts that link to lead generation offers to the top of your feed.

When you pin a post to the top of your Page’s Timeline, you’re giving it special attention, making it stand out from the usual posts. This pinned post will be prominently displayed at the top of your Timeline for a maximum of seven days, and after that period, it will return to its original position based on its publication date.

To spot a pinned post, look for the clear “pinned post” label at the top of the content. It’s important to choose a post worth pinning – something valuable to your audience and aligned with your online goals.

Feel free to pin any type of post, whether it’s text, images, videos, or even live videos. If you pin a Facebook Live video, it will be showcased at the top of your profile with the entire recording, indicating that your Page was live at a specific time (as shown above).

 

7. Add a CTA button to your Facebook Page.

Incorporating a relevant CTA button into your Facebook Page is a crucial strategy for generating leads that no marketer should overlook.

In late 2014, Facebook introduced a feature for business Pages, allowing users to place a straightforward call-to-action button at the top of their Facebook Pages. While this button is uncomplicated, its impact is significant, helping to channel more traffic from your Facebook Page to your website. This includes directing users to landing pages, contact forms, and other lead generation forms. Instructions on how to set up and utilize the Facebook CTA button can be found here.

You’ll have a choice of 17 pre-made button options. These options encompass “Sign Up,” “Shop Now,” “Contact Us,” “Book Now,” “Use App,” “Watch Video,” and “Play Game.”

 

8. Ask for input from your Facebook audience about your products.

Get valuable input on your products/services by posting a straightforward status update and providing a link to a landing page where people can try your tool for free.

Directly linking to the landing page will boost sign-ups, and your followers will appreciate the chance to share their thoughts.

However, be cautious about potential negative comments. Only post tools and products that you’re proud of and ready to receive feedback on. Ensure you have a couple of team members ready to respond to comments on Facebook, whether they’re positive or negative.

In case of negative feedback, respond promptly to demonstrate your concern and prevent issues from escalating. If there are complaints about the product, adopt the “customer is always right” approach and express your apologies.

Being transparent about any issues earns respect from other customers. Show gratitude for feedback, inquire about how you can assist, and genuinely provide support. Take note of the feedback and relay it to those who can address the concerns.

 

9. Run a contest or giveaway.

Contests and giveaways are crowd-pleasers. They not only bring joy but also offer insights into your audience. Plus, they engage people, broaden your reach, drive website traffic, and, most importantly, generate leads.

For a lead-focused giveaway, create posts with an eye-catching image or video, clear and compelling text, and a link to the giveaway page where participants can enter their details.

Before diving into a Facebook contest, ensure it complies with legal requirements by reviewing Facebook’s Page Guidelines. Facebook has tightened rules on contests due to liability concerns, so familiarize yourself with their strict regulations in advance.

Consider expanding your giveaways to other platforms like Instagram and Twitter for added exposure.

 

10. Create a Facebook event page for your next webinar.

Beyond the effectiveness of sharing landing pages with dedicated content, webinars offer another solid avenue for lead generation. Alongside promoting your webinar’s sign-up form on your business Timeline, you can enhance visibility by creating a Facebook Event and a dedicated registration page on your website.

Inviting someone to a Facebook Event provides an opportunity to direct them to a separate registration page, converting them into a lead. Facebook Events, compared to standard posts on the News Feed, offer increased visibility, aiding in reaching new audiences.

Facebook has introduced additional features to assist businesses in promoting and assessing event performance. This includes the ability to create ads for both desktop and mobile News Feeds, boosting event awareness and eliciting responses.

 

11. Run targeted ads to extend your content’s reach.

Expanding your business reach to new audiences becomes a reality with Facebook’s targeted ad campaigns designed for lead generation.

Leveraging Facebook’s sophisticated targeting options allows you to create ads based on factors like location, age, gender, interests, and even user activities outside of Facebook.

There are three primary formats for Facebook ads: boosted posts, right-hand column ads, and News Feed ads. The key distinctions lie in ad placement, allowable content, and image size.

 

1. Boosted Post: Transform regular Facebook posts into ads by “boosting” them. While the post naturally reaches some users, boosting expands its reach to a larger audience, including fans and selected targets.
2. Right-Hand Column Ads: Positioned on the right side of a user’s News Feed, these traditional ads aim to convert users into Facebook leads. They often yield cost-effective clicks and conversions, providing advanced testing options.
3. News Feed Ads: Displayed directly in a user’s News Feed, these ads resemble native advertising and can include a small call-to-action button. As part of the “dark posts” tactic, they don’t appear on your Page’s News Feed. Although they typically have higher engagement rates than right-hand column ads, they can also be pricier.

 

12. Run lead ads to simplify the mobile signup process.

In 2015, Facebook introduced lead ads, an additional feature to its link ads with CTA buttons. This feature enables users to sign up for lead-generating offers without leaving the Facebook platform.

Lead ads were designed to simplify the mobile sign-up process, providing instant forms that make it easy for users to submit their contact details, eliminating the need for pinching, zooming, and typing into small form fields. Clicking on a lead ad opens a form with pre-populated contact information based on what users have shared with Facebook, such as name and email address. Users can edit this information before submitting the form.

To manage leads from lead ads, HubSpot customers can seamlessly integrate Facebook Lead Ads with their HubSpot account. If you’re not a HubSpot customer, you can export leads as a CSV file directly from your Facebook Page, download them from Ads Manager or Power Editor, or request them through the API.

While these ideas offer a solid foundation for lead generation on Facebook, keep in mind that the platform is constantly evolving. Testing each strategy is crucial for determining what works best for your audience.