We’re pulling out all the stops these days, creating webinars and emails, contests and promos, newsletter opt-ins and referral programs… but is social media (Facebook in particular) pulling its weight? As most of us have turned to digital channels to fill our funnels, that’s a reasonable question. And if the answer is no, let’s fix it! Whether you have an established social following or a newer audience, these Facebook ad tips can give your veterinary lead generation campaigns a boost.
Tip #1 – Give a post a boost
That little “boost post” button is tempting, but does it give you the most bang for your marketing buck? Let’s take a step back and review.
Technically, a boosted post is a Facebook Ad, but not in the traditional sense. Unlike traditional Facebook Ads managed through the Facebook Ad Manager platform, a boosted post is an organic post that becomes a paid ad. This allows you to push organic content without the customization required by the Facebook Ads setup.
The Pros and Cons of Boosting
The upside? It’s fast and easy. The downside? You leave a lot on the table, like advanced audience targeting and creative optimization. Depending on your goals, this may make it worth the effort to get comfortable with the Facebook Ads Manager interface.
If your marketing automation platform integrates with your Facebook Ads Manager, you can use that to generate your Facebook Ads. Limited functionality with these integrations can be an issue, so check out the Facebook Ads Manager before choosing where to build your ads.
Get a boost with lead generation
When you boost a post, it’s typically to capitalize on a post that’s getting good engagement. But because the post was originally created to generate engagement, not leads, you can adjust the language in the same piece of content to create a post intended for lead conversion.
Tip #2 – Install the Facebook Pixel
We have a whole post dedicated to this topic, so we’ll just give you a quick summary here: the Facebook Pixel allows you to retarget ads on Facebook to people who have visited your website. There are many ways to customize these audiences (specific pages visited, the timeframe of visit). Dig in—you won’t be sorry!
How can the Facebook Pixel help with lead generation?
You can leverage Facebook ads like an email drip campaign to nurture leads and convert them with timely, relevant messages on Facebook. For example, if you know a prospect has visited your product page, you retarget them with a piece of content on Facebook, inviting them to fill out a form for a free sample. This approach is more likely to convert a lead from social media than boosting the same post to a generic audience. Also—you’ll generate leads at a much lower cost per lead using targeting with the Facebook Pixel.
Tip #3 – Use Custom and Lookalike Audiences
Once you’ve created a custom audience from your Facebook Pixel, a whole new world of targeting opens up—custom audiences and lookalike audiences. The Facebook Pixel not only allows you to retarget website visitors but also lets you create lookalike audiences of Facebook users who share similar attributes with those who visit your website. This allows you to target a much more appropriate audience (especially in B2B veterinary marketing) than you can if you’re relying on Facebook’s available audience creation criteria. To do this, create a custom audience either via the Pixel or a list upload.
When a Media Partner Is Worth It
If target leads are already in your database, use your own first-party data to create custom target audiences. However, if you’re new to Facebook advertising and aren’t running a Pixel or don’t have a robust internal database but still want to get an ad out, don’t worry—media partners can help! Ask your media partner about targeting a custom audience based on their first-party database.
There are many benefits to leveraging a media partner for social advertising:
- Extend reach with social retargeting to an existing digital campaign.
- Target a very specific audience with first-party data, reducing wasted impressions and improving campaign ROI.
- Kick off a high performing campaign on social media without having to build your own first-party database.
- Reach leads outside of your network and add new leads to your database.
Lookalike audience vs. Facebook’s audience builder: Which is better for lead generation?
Imagine using Facebook’s audience builder to identify your target audience, and it leaves you with a generic list of women aged 25-50 in the US with interest in pets. Technically, you’ve reached a large target audience, but alas, you’ve also reached high levels of wasted impressions and cost per lead. Instead, use first-party data, custom audiences, and lookalike audiences to generate a more appropriate target audience. Facebook recommends at least 500 contacts in your custom audience to generate a lookalike audience; however, it can be used with a minimum of 300 contacts if needs be. And the good news? If you need help, you’re not alone. A media partner can get you started with their first-party database.
Targeting the right audience will allow you to create a narrow call to action and deliver your message only to appropriate prospects generating more qualified impressions and a lower cost per conversion.
Tip #4 – Test your creative
Facebook Ads Manager allows you to enter multiple headlines, primary text options, descriptions, and calls to action. Facebook will mix and match each creative spot based on performance to generate the best possible performing ad.
Creative optimization helps lead generation
Instead of putting all your eggs in one creative basket, you can test different messages and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience. Try softer and more direct calls to action, and let the audience decide what’s best!
Tip #5 – Leverage Facebook Lead Ads
Now for the grand finale—Facebook has a type of ad called “lead ads.” Lead ads enable you to embed a lead form directly in the Facebook feed, making it easy to convert prospects into your lead generation campaign.
They don’t have to click a link, they don’t have to leave Facebook, and you can even set up the ad to populate your prospect’s personal information, making it even simpler to submit the lead form. Certain CRMs and automation platforms have the ability to integrate with Facebook Lead Ads. This integration enables data to pass seamlessly from Facebook to your CRM and sales team.
Facebook Lead Ads reduce friction points and make it easy for prospects to submit a lead form with literally one click.
Combine these 5 tips to start getting the most out of social media as a veterinary lead generation channel!