Content marketing is all the buzz right now. Why? Because it works. Well, it works if you work it. It’s not good enough anymore to just put your content out there and hope the right person reads it. You have to strategize, target, measure and optimize. Sounds cliché, but that’s the only way to do it. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and money producing content that your target audience may never see.
At this point in marketing, driving leads may not be the problem. It’s driving quality leads that is crucial. One of the best ways to obtain a high-quality lead, is to make sure you are reaching the right people – and doing it at their convenience. Enter social media lead gen ads.
What is a Lead Gen Ad?
While ads on social media have been a staple in many strategies for years now, the capabilities on the big four (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) continue to evolve. A lead gen ad is a targeted ad that allows the user to fill out a form directly on the site, without having to step away from your baby, puppy or recipe videos.
In a fast-paced, user-centric world, convenience can make or break a campaign. Instead of forcing the user to open a new tab or redirect them to another site, users can now easily click on an offer where the information they’ve already shared with the site will pre-populate. Then, the only thing left to do is hit submit.
Facebook Lead Ads
Let’s take recent Facebook advancements for example. These ads are a new blessing in the world of lead generation. And they now integrate with marketing automation platforms, such as Eloqua, SharpSpring and Hubspot. Cross channel strategy has become an integral part of the brand experience in modern marketing, and lead generation is no different. You’ll notice that these ads appear as a regular sponsored post – except now there is a sign-up button in the bottom corner. A stronger, quicker call-to-action, bringing companies a more qualified user than just a page like.
Thinking of running your own Facebook lead ad campaign? Here are a few important things to remember:
- Your Eloqua Administrator must have full administrative privileges to your Facebook Business account.
- A Facebook Business Account is always linked to a personal Facebook account, so make sure you’re comfortable with other Eloqua users seeing your personal Facebook profile picture and having access to the Business account. Mutual trust is absolutely key.
- Your company’s privacy policy must be linked to the Facebook ad – if you don’t have a privacy page on your company website, you will need to create one.
One last caution: When setting up a Facebook lead gen ad, you can choose to run an automatic placement on Instagram too. This seems convenient for marketers, but beware of the differences. You may want to consider setting up your campaigns separately for more control.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Ads
Like Facebook, lead gen ads on LinkedIn allow the user to stay on the site when filling out a form. And also like Facebook, lead gen ads on LinkedIn integrate with marketing automation platforms for (dare I say it) more automation.
Here are few things we learned while implementing our own lead gen ads on LinkedIn:
- Lead gen ads and sponsored content need to run in separate campaigns, even if the content is the same.
- The campaign nomenclature is so important here. With multiple different types of ads and multiple marketers working on one campaign, organization is key, especially if you are planning to run multiple campaigns over time.
- You cannot delete or edit a form. If you need to make a change, you need to duplicate the campaign and start from the beginning. Making number two above even more important during testing.
- Your budget will go fast – well, at least ours did. Make sure to test and then plan accordingly. Also, make sure you are prepared with a follow up plan for these leads, because they will roll in quickly.
Why Lead Gen Ads
Lead generation is not new, but it is also not going away. Finding your target audience will only become more important as marketing becomes more complex.
And as we predicted at the beginning of 2017, integrating platforms is essential to efficiency. Whether it’s Facebook and Eloqua or other platforms in your technology stack, our digital team of experts can help.
Adapting to the new age of marketing is the name of the game at Simantel. We have been blazing the trail for our clients so that they can create better relationships with their customers and potential buyers. And where there is new technology, there is new opportunity.
