FACEBOOK UPDATE: 5 BIG Changes to Facebook Lead Ads

Facebook is always updating their ad platform so that businesses can better advertise. This time they updated the lead ads, so if you want to know all the newest and latest ins and outs then keep reading!

Facebook has made the following updates to lead ads:

1. Appointment scheduling
2. Custom thank you screen
3. Combining context card and lead form into a single page
4. Higher intent lead form
5. Lead ads + Canvas format

Let’s dive into each one of these individually.

APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING

       This allows advertisers to include a date and time question, for example, “When do you prefer to be contacted for a follow-up conversation?” It should matter to advertisers who include an appointment as part of their lead generation ads.

      Other information you need to know would be that date/time questions do not connect to booking systems, so they should be used to collect “preferred” dates and times (with a follow-up interaction from the client to confirm). Also, date/time is hardcoded for 7AM-10PM for now, but Facebook plans to launch the ability for advertisers to adjust date/time preferences.

How to use this feature:

After creating a lead ad, create a custom question. Use a question that will encourage them to give their appointment booking preferences. EX: When do you want to visit the store?

Putting this question will create a calendar so users can input a date and time.

CUSTOM THANK YOU SCREEN

      This lets advertisers display a custom message/link after the lead is submitted, and includes either a “Download” or “Visit Website” CTA. If your an advertiser who wants people to download additional information (e.g. brochures, white papers) then this will be perfect for you. If you are trying to drive toward another action (subsequent to form submission), make sure you take advantage of this feature

How to use this feature:

Once on your business page, create a new lead ad. In the thank you screen section add a headline, also fill out the description (what your leads will see after they submit the form.) Make sure to create a custom call to action button, either view website or download or something else of your choosing.

COMBINING CONTEXT CARD AND LEAD FORM INTO A SINGLE PAGE

With this update, there is no longer a separate card to view, as the text now appears above the lead form in the same view. Going forward, Facebook will refer to this additional “context” as an intro rather than a context card.

This should matter to you if you have ever used a context card in the past. If you have used context cards in the past you have probably noticed that using them can drastically increase the average cost per lead. We hope this update will reduce that.

HIGHER INTENT LEAD FORM

This new lead form type will add confirmed intent into the ad unit experience with the goal of improving lead quality. It includes new features such as a review information step and slide-to-submit.

This really changes the game for advertisers who are looking for high-quality leads, and especially those who have stopped using or recently discussed slowing their lead ads investment due to lead quality.

How to use this feature:

While creating your lead ad, select the higher intent option. After filling out the other sections of the lead ad, click the review screen and on the right-hand side, you will see a preview of the review your info page your lead will see after submitting the form.

If you would like more details on this feature you can check out the full step by step how to article here.

LEAD ADS + CANVAS FORMAT

This allows advertisers to add a Canvas unit inside the lead ad, with the goal of creating a more immersive and informative experience.

If you are looking for ways to screen for higher intent customers then take advantage of this update. Internal tests have shown that this functionality increases user recall of both the brand and the form submission.