How To Improve Lead Quality On Facebook: 5 Easy Meta Ads Instant Form Tips
- Start Generating Leads
- Feb 19
- 8 min read
Meta Ads Instant Forms are a powerful lead generation tool, allowing you to capture contact information directly within Facebook and Instagram. However, generating a high volume of leads doesn't always translate to high quality leads. If you're finding your Instant Form campaigns are bringing in a lot of contacts but few actual customers, this guide will show you how to improve lead quality on Facebook ads.
We'll walk through actionable strategies to refine your Meta Ads Instant Form campaigns and focus on attracting prospects who are genuinely interested in your offerings and more likely to convert into valuable customers.
You can jump to any section below by clicking the links.
Before we jump in, if you're brand new to Meta Ads, then I'd recommend you check out our guide on How to Create a Meta Ads Campaign from Scratch: A Beginner-Friendly Guide!
Okay let's jump in.
1. Activate SMS Verification (If Available): Add a Layer of Authenticity
SMS verification, when available in Meta Ads Manager, adds a crucial layer of authenticity to your lead generation process. It requires people filling out your Instant Form to verify their phone number via a text message code.
Why is SMS Verification Important for Lead Quality?
Reduces Spam and Fake Leads: Spam bots users are less likely to complete forms with SMS verification, as it requires a real phone number and extra effort.
Confirms Genuine Interest: Users willing to verify their phone number are generally more serious about their inquiry, indicating a higher level of interest.
Improved Data Accuracy: You'll collect more accurate phone numbers, which are essential for following up with leads, especially for sales calls or SMS marketing.
How to Activate SMS Verification (If Available):
Navigate to your Ad(s) in Meta Ads Manager: Go to your Ads Manager and select the Ad(s) where you are using Instant Forms.
Look for "Form Setup" or "Settings" within your Ad: Below where you select your form, there should be a checkbox allowing you to enable SMS Verification. The availability of SMS verification can vary, so it might not be present for all advertisers or in all regions yet.
Toggle "SMS Verification" On: If you see an option for "SMS Verification" or "Require phone number verification," toggle it to the "On" position.
Save and Publish: Save your form and republish your ad.
Important Note: SMS verification is not available to all Meta advertisers at this time. Its availability depends on factors like your location, ad account history, and Meta's ongoing feature rollouts. Check your Ad Account to see if this option is offered. If it's available - use it!
2. How to Improve Lead Quality on Facebook: Add Qualifying Questions & Conditions to Filter for Relevant Prospects
Not all leads are created equal. Qualifying questions within your Instant Form are a good option for filtering out individuals who are unlikely to become customers and prioritizing those who are a good fit for your business.
Why Use Qualifying Questions?
Pre-Qualify Leads: Identify prospects who meet your basic criteria (e.g., budget, industry, specific needs) before you invest time and resources following up.
Reduce Irrelevant Leads: Prevent you or your sales team from wasting time on leads that are outside your target market or not ready to buy.
Gather Key Information Upfront: Collect crucial details that help you or your sales team personalize their outreach and tailor their approach.
Types of Qualifying Questions to Add:
Multiple Choice Questions: Offer pre-defined options to quickly segment leads. Examples:
"What is your industry?" (Dropdown of industry options)
"What is your approximate budget for this project?" (Budget ranges)
"What is your timeframe for implementation?" (Timeframe options)
Short Answer Questions: Allow for more open-ended responses to gather richer qualitative data. Examples:
"Describe your biggest challenge in [relevant area]."
"What are your key goals for [your product/service category]?"
Conditional Logic (Branching): Show different questions based on previous answers. This creates a more dynamic and personalized form experience. Example:
Question 1: "Are you currently using a [competitor product]?" (Yes/No)
If "Yes," show Question 2: "What are you dissatisfied with about your current solution?"
If "No," show Question 2 (alternative): "What are your primary needs in a [your product/service category]?"
How to Add Qualifying Questions and Conditions in Instant Forms:
Edit Your Instant Form: Go to your Ad level and edit your Instant Form.
Click "Add Question": This is located in the instant form builder.
Choose Question Type: Select "Multiple choice" or "Short answer" as appropriate.
Write Your Qualifying Question: Craft questions that directly help you assess lead quality and relevance.
Set Up Conditional Logic (Optional):
After adding a multiple-choice question, click on the question.
Look for "Add conditional logic" or "Branching."
Define rules to show different follow-up questions based on the answer selected.
Make Questions Required (Strategically): Consider making key qualifying questions "required" to ensure you gather essential information. Be mindful of form length – too many required questions can increase form abandonment.
Review and Test: Thoroughly review your form with qualifying questions and conditional logic. Test the form yourself to ensure it flows logically and captures the information you need.
Common Mistake: Asking too many qualifying questions upfront can deter people from completing the form, so be careful to not add too many questions as you may see significantly higher cost per lead results. A good rule of thumb is to have 1-3 simple questions that your prospects can answer.
3. Disable Audience Network Placements: Focus on Facebook and Instagram
While the Audience Network placement can expand your reach, it often comes at the cost of lead quality for Instant Form campaigns. Audience Network placements extend your ads to websites and apps outside of Facebook and Instagram.
Why Disable Audience Network for Lead Quality?
Lower Intent Audience: Users on the Audience Network may be Browse content unrelated to your offer and are less likely to be actively seeking your product or service compared to users on Facebook and Instagram.
Higher Chance of Accidental Clicks/Form Fills: Ads on some Audience Network placements can be more intrusive or easily clicked accidentally, leading to lower-quality leads.
Spam and Bot Activity: Audience Network placements can sometimes be more susceptible to spam or bot-generated form submissions.
How to Disable Audience Network Placement:
Navigate to the Ad Set Level: Go to the Ad Set level of your campaign.
Go to "Placements" Section: Find this section.
Choose "Manual Placements": Switch from "Automatic Placements" to "Manual Placements."
Deselect "Audience Network": Uncheck the box next to "Audience Network."
Select Facebook and Instagram Placements: Ensure that "Facebook" and "Instagram" placements (Feeds, Stories, etc.) are still selected.
Save Changes: Save your Ad Set settings.
Recommendation: For lead quality-focused Instant Form campaigns, focus your placements on Facebook and Instagram feeds and relevant placements within those platforms where users are more engaged and likely to be genuinely interested in your content.
If you see a significant drop in lead volume after disabling Audience Network, it's normal. You're trading volume for quality. Monitor your lead quality metrics (conversion rates, sales) to see if the trade-off is beneficial.
4. Add Lookalike Targeting of Existing Customers: Find Your Ideal Prospects
Lookalike Audiences are a powerful Meta Ads targeting feature that allows you to reach new people who are similar to your best existing customers. This is a highly effective way to improve lead quality because you're targeting individuals who share characteristics with those who have already converted for your business.
Why Use Lookalike Audiences for Lead Quality?
Target People Similar to Your Best Customers: Meta's algorithm analyzes the characteristics (demographics, interests, behaviors) of your source audience (e.g., customer list, website converters) and finds new people who are similar.
Higher Conversion Potential: Lookalike audiences are more likely to be interested in your products or services because they resemble your existing customer base.
Improved ROI: By targeting more relevant prospects, you can increase your lead quality and improve your overall return on ad spend.
How to Create Lookalike Audiences for Lead Quality:
Create a Source Audience (if you don't have one): You need a "source" audience to build a Lookalike Audience. Good source audiences for lead quality include:
Customer List: Upload a list of your existing customers (email addresses or phone numbers). Ideally, use a list of your best customers or those who converted from leads.
Website Custom Audience (Pixel Data): Create a Custom Audience of people who have taken valuable actions on your website (e.g., made a purchase, visited a specific high-intent page). This requires your Meta Pixel to be set up and tracking events.
Go to Audiences in Ads Manager: Navigate to "Audiences" in your Ads Manager menu.
Click "Create Audience" and Choose "Lookalike Audience":
Select Your Source: In the "Source" dropdown, choose your Customer List or Website Custom Audience that you created in step 1.
Choose Location(s): Select the country or regions you want to target with your Lookalike Audience.
Select Audience Size: Choose your desired Lookalike Audience size (from 1% to 10% of the population in your chosen location). A smaller percentage (e.g., 1% Lookalike) is "closer" to your source audience and generally yields higher quality but smaller reach. Larger percentages increase reach but may slightly decrease quality. Start with 1-3% for lead quality focus.
Create Audience: Click "Create Audience."
Use Lookalike Audience in Targeting: When setting up your Ad Set targeting, under "Custom Audiences," select the Lookalike Audience you just created.
Common Mistake: Using a poor source audience for your Lookalike. A Lookalike Audience is only as good as its source. Use high-quality customer lists or website visitor segments for best results.
5. Exclude Existing Form Fillers: Focus on New Prospects Only
Avoid wasting ad spend on people who have already filled out your Instant Form in previous campaigns. Excluding past form submitters ensures you're focusing your budget on capturing new leads and moving prospects further down your funnel.
Why Exclude Past Form Fillers?
Avoid Wasted Ad Spend: Don't keep showing lead generation ads to people who have already given you their information.
Focus on New Leads: Concentrate your budget on reaching fresh prospects who haven't yet engaged with your lead forms.
Improve Campaign Efficiency: Increase the efficiency of your lead generation campaigns by targeting only new audiences.
How to Exclude Past Form Fillers:
Create a Custom Audience of Form Engagers:
Go to "Audiences" in your Ads Manager.
Click "Create Audience" and choose "Custom Audience."
Select "Lead Form."
Choose your Facebook Page.
In "Event," select "Anyone who opened and submitted form" (or "Anyone who submitted form," depending on your preference).
Set the "Retention" period (e.g., "365 days" to exclude anyone who submitted a form in the last year).
Name your audience (e.g., "Form Submitters - Last 365 Days").
Click "Create Audience."
Exclude the Audience in Your Ad Set:
Go to the Ad Set level of your campaign.
In the "Audience" section, find the "Exclusions" area (usually below "Custom Audiences").
Search for and select the Custom Audience you just created ("Form Submitters - Last 365 Days").
Common Mistake: Forgetting to set up exclusions, leading to ad spend being wasted on existing leads. Make it a standard practice to exclude past form engagers in your lead generation campaigns.
Bonus Tips for Improving Meta Ads Instant Form Lead Quality:
Clear Value Proposition in Ad Creative & Form: Ensure your ad creative and form copy clearly communicate the value of your offer and what users will gain by submitting their information. Vague or misleading ads attract low-quality leads.
Optimize Form Length: Find the right balance between gathering enough qualifying information and keeping your form easy to fill. Too many fields can deter people from completing the form. Ask only for essential information.
A/B Test Different Form Elements: Test different qualifying questions, form lengths, and form layouts to see what combination yields the best lead quality for your specific business.
Regularly Monitor and Analyze Lead Quality Metrics: Track not just lead volume, but also metrics like lead-to-customer conversion rates, sales cycle length, and customer lifetime value to assess the true quality of leads generated from your Meta Ads campaigns.
Wrap Up
Improving lead quality in Meta Ads Instant Forms is an ongoing process of refinement and optimization. By implementing these strategies – activating SMS verification (if available), adding qualifying questions, focusing placements, leveraging Lookalike Audiences and excluding existing leads – you can significantly enhance the quality of leads you generate, reduce wasted ad spend, and drive better business results from your Meta Ads campaigns. Start implementing these tactics today and watch your lead quality – and your ROI – improve!
If you're completely new to Facebook and Instagram Ads then I'd recommend making sure you check out our guide on How to Create a Meta Ads Campaign from Scratch: A Beginner-Friendly Guide!
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