If you’re looking to build your email list, you’ve probably wondered if Facebook Lead Ads are right for you. It’s a tempting proposition: access to Facebook’s enormous network, coupled with their existing knowledge of users and access to their contact information. This makes it incredibly easy for a Facebook user to opt-in to your Facebook Lead Ads. The question is: at what cost?
The cost question isn’t just answered by the actual Cost Per Lead, or CPL, of email addresses gained through Facebook Lead Ads. You need to examine the quality of those leads as well. Are the right people for your business on Facebook? And are they in the right mindset to join your email database? Many Facebook users are on Facebook because that is how they prefer to receive news and other communications from brands. So while they may join your list due to the easy Facebook submission process, they might not be the right fit. Chances are they would not have clicked to join on another site and will rarely open emails from you.
Of course, this isn’t true of all leads gathered on Facebook. The social network offers an impressive array of targeting criteria designed to help advertisers find the right audience for their messages. This extends to Facebook Lead Ads as well. Demographic and geographic data can be layered with personal interests, professional information and actions taken on Facebook. You can even upload known customer data and target like-minded Facebook users.
All of these targeting capabilities assumes you know who your current customers are, and what makes them likely to convert. Knowing these things means you can apply this knowledge to your Facebook Lead Ads and grow your database with qualified potential customers. But it’s important to know what makes users click to open, and convert. Facebook provides the tools to target your Facebook Lead Ads, but you’ve got to know how to use them. There is no magic button to target “highly qualified candidates likely to open an email and complete a transaction.” The raw knowledge of your current database must be applied using Facebook’s filters.
So are Facebook Lead Ads for you? The only way to know for sure is to test a few campaigns. Compare Facebook Leads to other lead sources and segment your email list to compare open rate and eventual sales. And don’t forget to scale. Facebook Lead Ads will often work at first, but as you grow your list they may become less effective. So be sure to pursue a diverse email acquisition strategy.