Are you running Facebook Lead Ads but frustrated with the quality of leads you’re receiving? A key setting and a new update might just help you solve this issue.
Facebook Lead Ads Forms are designed to autofill with users’ profile information. This feature makes it easy for users to complete the form. However, this simplicity comes with a major issue. You may end up with outdated contact details as many users may not update their phone numbers or email addresses on Facebook for years. When they submit the form, the outdated contact details get automatically filled in, resulting in “bad leads” that you can’t reach.
The good news is that one key setting might help you fix the issue of receiving outdated contact details through your forms. Also, there’s a new update from Meta to ensure you don’t end up with outdated contact details.
Let’s first talk about the new Facebook update.
New SMS verification feature for Facebook Lead Ads
If you’re generating leads through Facebook Lead Ads but keep getting unreachable contacts, there are likely two reasons why this is happening. The first is fraudulent submissions – people submitting forms without genuine intent. The second reason involves outdated contact details. Genuine prospects might unintentionally submit outdated information, as forms auto-populate their previously saved details.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could verify a lead’s contact details before they hit submit?
Good news: Meta has introduced SMS verification for Lead Ads! This new feature enables users to verify their phone numbers using SMS codes, adding a two-step authentication layer to your lead forms. Once enabled, anyone filling out your form will need to complete an SMS verification step before submitting their details.
You can enable SMS verification when creating Instant Forms for your next Facebook Lead Ad. To do this, first ensure you’ve added Phone Number as a mandatory contact field (by default, only email is required). Then, under your form settings, look for the option labeled “Require SMS verification to submit form.” Simply toggle it ON to activate SMS verification.
Currently, this feature might not be available to all users. If you don’t see the option in your Ads Manager right now, don’t worry and keep checking, as it may become available to you soon.
New to Facebook Lead Ads? Here’s our complete guide Facebook Lead Ads for beginners.
Benefits of SMS verification feature
By verifying phone numbers, you don’t just ensure you’re receiving genuine leads but also streamlining the sales process for your sales team. Here are some benefits of SMS verification:
- High-quality leads: SMS verification significantly reduces fake, incorrect, or outdated phone numbers, ensuring that leads are genuine and reachable.
- Reduced fraudulent submissions: It deters spam or fraudulent entries, as users must validate their contact information via SMS before submission.
- Improved conversion rates (downstream): Verified leads, if reached out on time, generally show higher responsiveness and better engagement rates.
- Efficient follow-ups: Your sales team will spend less time chasing unreachable leads, making follow-ups more productive and cost-effective.
Potential drawbacks
While this feature is excellent for generating quality leads, it adds an extra step to the lead submission process, discouraging some users from completing the form. Here are some potential setbacks of SMS verification:
- Fewer submissions: The extra verification step might discourage some genuine prospects from completing the form, potentially reducing the overall quantity of leads.
- Increased cost per lead (CPL): With a higher barrier to entry, your campaign might experience higher CPL due to fewer submissions.
- Technical issues or delays: If SMS delivery issues occur (due to poor reception or incorrect country codes), legitimate users might become frustrated and abandon the form.
Consider enabling this feature if:
- Lead quality matters more to your campaign than quantity.
- You’re frequently receiving invalid or unreachable phone numbers.
- You prioritise direct, high-intent interactions.
The best settings for improving lead quality from Facebook Lead Ads?
While SMS verification is a great way to generate quality leads, the extra step might discourage some legitimate prospects, especially given shorter attention spans of social media users. If you want to maintain lead quality without adding friction, you can achieve a similar effect by enabling the Higher Intent form type in your Lead Ad campaign.
The Higher Intent setting adds a review step before submission, allowing leads to double-check their information, including contact details. If anything is incorrect or outdated, they can edit it before submitting.
Here’s how you can enable the Higher Intent setting:
- When creating a Lead Form, you’ll see three options: More Volume, Higher Intent, and Custom Forms.
- By default, More Volume is selected.
- Simply select “Higher Intent” and click Next to proceed.
- Your Lead Ad campaign will now run with the Higher Intent setting.
Keep in mind that the Higher Intent setting may not completely prevent fraudulent submissions if someone is intentionally filling out the form with false information. However, it’s an effective way to ensure that genuinely interested leads don’t slip away, as it gives them a chance to review and correct their details before submitting.
Conclusion
Facebook Lead Ads offer a powerful way to generate leads for your business. However, generating high-quality leads also depends on how you put it together, apart from choosing the right settings. Success starts with thorough research and a clear understanding of your ideal customer. Defining your target audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviours ensures your ads are more likely to reach the right people.
Equally important are your ad copy and visuals. Compelling design and message capture attention and persuade users to take action. Additionally, your lead forms should be concise and user-friendly, minimising friction that could discourage potential leads from completing the submission process.
