Enroll Media Group Blog

Why Facebook Lead-Ads should be part of your Annual Enrollment Marketing Strategy

Jun 20, 2019 10:30:00 AM / by Angie Ward

Smart Phone with popular social icons

Here we are, nearly 4 years into one of Facebook's leading advertising capabilities, and Lead Ads show no signs of slowing down. In the education arena, specifically, Facebook & Instagram Lead Ads can be used for a plethora of admissions goals. From generating open house registrations and inquiries to eBooks and tours, Lead Ads can be used for both the top and the bottom of the funnel strategies. In tandem with other digital marketing, email and traditional efforts, here’s why Lead Ads should absolutely have a place in your admissions marketing plan.

First, let’s take a step back: What exactly are Facebook Lead Ads?

Lead Ads are the best way to run lead generation campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.   With these ads specifically, schools can target users with the same comprehensive parameters & ads we’re used to with Facebook & Instagram, but Lead Ads allow people to show their interest in a product or service by filling out a form right within the ad. Their details, such as name, email, etc., are provided to the advertiser, and the user can carry on without having to leave the Facebook app.

What are the Pros of Lead Ads?

Because a form pops up within the ad when someone expands it, there’s no need to send them to the website first. In some cases, it might even eliminate the need for a custom landing page. Talk about a time saver for schools! However, linking to a landing page on point with the strategy is still recommended within the “thank you” message upon successful form completion in Facebook, to continue the conversation if the user chooses. Generally, linking to admissions or related page on the website will do the trick.

Another benefit is the number of varying fields you can select for your form, which provides great options for schools to gather just enough information about the prospect to be able to continue the conversation by way of email, phone, or direct mail. But be sure to carry the conversation appropriately! Use what you know about the user to carefully craft that next outreach. There’s no need to ask for information you don’t plan to use. Studies still show that the longer the form, the less likely users are to complete it.

What are the Cons of Facebook Lead Ads?

With any Facebook or Instagram ad buy, it’s easy to spend money quickly... and ineffectively. Use extra care to set a solid budget and bidding strategy, with ad creative in line with your target audience, and set realistic goals. Be sure to monitor it closely to ensure you’re reaching other key performance indicators or conversion strategies that you’ve set based on your goals, in addition to driving leads.

One other potential drawback to Lead Ads is that a manual download may be required to retrieve your leads from Facebook, once they've submitted a form. However, some CRM connections exist, as do third-party integrations to streamline the process (like Zapier’s Lead Ads Integration).

How are Lead Ads stacking up for Education-Centric organizations?

With a dozen schools wrapping up Facebook lead-gen campaigns recently, during the last admissions cycle, Enroll Media Group has found that Facebook Lead Ads definitely stack up high on the digital marketing must-haves list. Specifically for PK-12 schools, clients are able to see anywhere from 4 to 20 leads in a given month, for modest budgets ranging between $10-$50 per day. What’s more, the rate of return for most schools is trending high, resulting in at least some or most of the leads actually turning up for the event, booking a tour, inquiring, or starting the application process.

Wholebeing Institute in particular, is an organization that offers the Embodied Positive Psychology Summit - A Workshop At Kripalu, in Western Massachusetts. This workshop is specially designed for educators, administrators, and coaches that may be looking to make a positive difference in K-12 education, higher education, or adult learning. With Facebook Lead Ads, Wholebeing Institute was able to generate over 100 leads! What’s more is this lead volume was in tandem with a relatively small time frame, in the 6 weeks leading up to the event, and with a modest budget of just $25/day - a very effective use of their resources.

 

WBI Screen Shot top ad

 

In addition to Lead Ads providing a huge boost of candidates to register for the Summit, it has also provided a substantial amount of traffic to Wholebeing's site, and boosted awareness for the organization in general. A Zapier connection put the leads into their CRM easily, with an automatic email campaign nurturing them through the event registration and beyond. And with over 100 new self-identified leads, Wholebeing Institute can keep them abreast of other offerings, and stay connected for future course enrollment.

Whether your goals are to find more mission-appropriate leads at the top of the funnel or generate some last minute tours mid-way through your admissions cycle, Lead Ads are an effective targeting strategy to gather prospective families with whom you can make a meaningful connection, to nurture and matriculate towards your goals.

If you need help seeing how Facebook and Instagram Lead Ads fit into your admissions marketing calendar - connect with Enroll Media Group.

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Follow Angie on Twitter @AngieMayWard

Topics: independent schools, social media, enrollment marketing, Paid Search, Facebook, K-12, instagram, lead generation

Angie Ward

Written by Angie Ward

Angie has spent the last 12 years helping schools with result-driven digital marketing strategies. With a knack for advertising and analytics, Angie has helped over 250 colleges, universities, K12 schools and summer camps achieve their enrollment marketing goals via SEO, PPC and Social Media campaigns. She is a regular presenter on digital marketing for enrollment and co-hosts the Upgrade School Marketing podcast.

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