Facebook offers both paid and organic (free) ways to generate leads. One of the powerful things about Facebook is the ability to specifically target the audience’s interests and behaviours. This means the audience sees more relevant, interesting content, and businesses can reach people who have a good chance of being genuinely interested in their product or service. Therefore it’s a sound way to conduct targeted, relevant lead generation.
How to Generate Facebook Leads
We always recommend beginning with a clear objective in mind. In the case of Facebook Lead Generation, consider how you’re going to track your leads. For example do you want them to subscribe to an email list? Or to provide a phone number for you to contact? Or perhaps you just want them to like your Facebook page so you can continue communicating with them. Another option is to have them message you, so you can have a direct conversation. Once you know how you’re acquiring leads, consider the following options.
Free
There are a few ‘free’ options:
- Facebook page profile – ensure your page promotes your preferred method of engagement. For example, include a link to the lead form on your website, or an invitation to message you.
- Facebook page post – one of the basic ways of generating leads is to post something to your own Facebook page. This could include a link to a form on your website, or simply an invitation to like your page. As a follow up, for anyone who likes a page post but does not already like your page, invite them to like your page.
- Facebook post on another page – identify other pages that have similar audience to those you’re targeting, and engage with their page. Interact as your page (rather than as your personal profile) to generate business interest.
- Participating in Facebook Groups – provide value to group members and they’re likely to want to find out more from you. This is where it’s important to ensure your page profile includes links to gather leads, so when they are looking for more information it’s easy and convenient to find.
- Hosting a Facebook event – create an event on Facebook and invite people to attend (either in person or online).
- Facebook stories – use the temporary video feature to get wider reach and invite viewers to find out more.
Paid
As you may have heard, it can be challenging to reach a large volume of people when you’re posting organically on Facebook. By paying for Facebook promotions, you’re guaranteed to reach a certain number of people. Some of the formats include:
- Boosted post (paying to boost one of your existing page posts)
- Paid ad – create an ad specifically for Facebook
- Instagram ad – create an ad specifically for Instagram
- Messenger ad – your ad will appear in the Messenger app
Paid ads can tie into your organic activity. For example, once you’ve built a following or an audience that has engaged with the content mentioned in the above ‘free’ section, you can then build a custom audience on Facebook targeted at those people – or people who ‘look like’ them.
Questions to Ask Lead Generation Experts
What questions should you ask when hiring lead generation experts or companies?
‘Lead generation’ can range from reputable and ethical activity, through murky waters to dodgy and unethical practices. We recommend asking the following questions before considering engaging a lead generation professional.
“What is your process for working with a new client?”
Look for: an indication they will listen to your needs and understand your business before starting. They should ask about your goals and objectives.
“Can you provide some previous client referrals?”
Look for: a willingness to put you in touch with past clients for feedback.
“What is the best way you’ve found to generate leads?”
Look for: activity that considers the needs of both the client and the ‘lead’. For example, the lead (person) should ultimately be relevant for (ideally interested in) the product or service. If the process involves scraping contact details of people who are not likely to be interested, the lead quality is likely to be low (and the business processes unethical).
“Where do you find the best quality leads?”
Look for: acknowledgement of ‘quality leads’. Again if the focus is on generating a large volume of leads rather than on the quality of the leads, this is an indication of a ‘churn and burn’ process.
“How do you ensure compliance with the SPAM Act and the Australian Privacy Principles?”
Look for: acknowledgement of both the SPAM Act and the Australian Privacy Principles – both of which are important when dealing with people’s data. It’s important for your business to comply with these laws (there are serious penalties for not doing so) and for your partners to do so as well.
When you’re trying to build your business, it can be tempting to go with the ‘fast and cheap’ options that inevitably present themselves online. If something looks and feels too good to be true, unfortunately it usually is. Consider the high road and your business will benefit in the long run!
If you would like to chat with us about your Facebook Lead Generation, contact us today.