How to Generate Leads Using Facebook

Would you believe that a start-up service business with hardly any offline marketing efforts and no online landing pages just hit a 2 month waiting list? Well, it’s true – and virtually all of their marketing is done through Facebook.

The point is that this social media platform, which so many of us use every day to connect with friends and family, is actually one of the world’s most powerful marketing tools that every business should be using. In fact, Facebook reported in November 2016 that 1.18 billion people – and growing – log on to the social media network every day.

How have local small businesses utilized Facebook in their online marketing strategies?

Businesses use what is referred to as a Facebook Page.  This includes a short description of the products or services offered, a link to the company website, contact information, an address and map, check-ins, ratings and reviews for the business – But how popular are these pages? Well, Facebook’s latest report in April 2015 revealed that 40 million local businesses had an active Facebook page and this number has surely grown since.

Now that you have a better idea of the platform, it is time to gain an understanding of how your business can translate social engagement into qualified leads.  There are two main ways to get your business’ content in front of the eyes of potential customer: Organic posts and paid ads. Your organic post reach is determined by a variety of factors such as the amount of likes your page has and the amount of activity on the post itself. Paid ads, however, offer a cost effective method for businesses looking to attract thousands of potential daily customers. Here are some tips for you to generate quality leads using both of these methods:

Organic posting

The best way to generate leads organically through Facebook is by using a lead purposed landing page for contests or giveaways and posting about it to your page. People are attracted to free things which makes this an easy and effective way to drive users to your landing page – which should then be designed to secure the lead. If you want to boost the number of those leads coming in, running a paid ad for the duration of the content is a great idea! This is also a really great way to build your business’ email list assuming the landing page requested this information from the user.

Facebook paid ads

Optimizing your ad for best possible performance: Facebook allows you set up an ad campaign to better meet your overall objective. For example, if you choose Link Clicks, Facebook will show your ads to those people most likely to click on your ad and go to the landing page. This is the first step in achieving cost-effective, quality leads. Here’s a look at the options Facebook provides:

Creating target audiences for your ads: The next step to creating an effective ad will illustrate how extremely valuable Facebook is for your business. Facebook gives you the option to target audiences in two different, but very effective, methods:

1. Look-a-like audience: Remember when I mentioned growing your business’ email list? Well, Facebook allows you to upload those emails and will target any Facebook user associated with that email. If they’ve purchased from you before, then chances are they would do so again given it was a positive experience – but it gets better. Facebook will also create a Look-A-Like audience based on those same emails. What this means is that Facebook will find users who show similar traits and interests which gives you an entirely new but incredibly valuable audience.
2. Interest based targeting: In this option, Facebook allows you to target people based on a variety of different factors including location, demographics, interests, behaviours, job title, and field of study. It also allows you to be as broad or specific with this as you please. This is extremely valuable to marketers not only because of the large number of Facebook users mentioned previously, but also due to the vast amount of data Facebook has about each of those users.

The example below displays the audience created for a single hair salon based in Toronto, Ontario targeting females aged 18-65+ with interests in shopping and fashion, beauty, hair products, hairstyle, hair colouring, beauty salons, and spas. This example assumed the ad would run for one month, spending a total of $150, and targeted only those who live within a 5 mile radius of the business location.

Pro Tip: We find it is often best to start with an interest based audience first, while continuing to build your email list for the look-a-like audience. This ensures you are getting the most out of each dollar spent in the beginning as look-a-like audiences work better with larger email lists.

Well, I guess you’re set to begin your adventures in the Facebook marketing world. In just a short matter of time, all you’ll have to do is sit back, relax, and watch the leads pile in!