Facebook Lead Ads are a powerful tool for marketers and business owners looking to collect lead information efficiently without driving users away from the Facebook platform. With just a few clicks, potential customers can submit their information, making this an incredibly seamless way to generate leads.
However, once you've captured those leads, the next crucial step is managing and utilizing the data effectively. Whether you are a marketing specialist working for multiple clients or a business owner eager to follow up with prospective customers, knowing how to download these leads is essential for maximizing the value of your campaigns.
In this guide, we'll show you two methods to download leads from Facebook Lead Ads: the manual process, which is ideal for smaller campaigns, and an automated solution using Ads Workbench, perfect for those who need efficiency and automation.
What are Facebook lead ads and why use them?
What are Facebook lead ads?
Facebook Lead Ads are a specialized type of advertisement that allows marketers to collect contact information from users without them needing to leave Facebook or Instagram. Essentially, these ads offer a pre-filled form that users can submit with just a couple of taps, making the lead generation process as frictionless as possible. This approach significantly increases the chances of capturing leads since users do not need to navigate to an external website or landing page.
Lead Ads are particularly effective for gathering essential details such as names, phone numbers, and email addresses, which marketers can then use to nurture leads through targeted email campaigns, calls, or follow-up ads. Facebook also provides pre-filled forms based on the user's profile data, which makes the process even quicker and more convenient for the potential lead.
Some key features of Facebook Lead Ads include:
- Ease of use: The entire form submission process takes place on Facebook, providing a seamless experience for users.
- Customizable forms: You can customize the forms to ask for specific information, whether it's basic contact details or custom questions tailored to your marketing objectives.
- Integrated follow-up: Facebook allows you to integrate these forms with CRM systems or marketing platforms, streamlining the entire lead management process.
Why should you use Facebook lead ads?
There are several reasons why Facebook Lead Ads are a great choice for businesses looking to capture high-quality leads:
- Frictionless lead collection: With a simple tap, users can submit their information without leaving the platform. This simplicity significantly boosts conversion rates, especially for mobile users, where reducing the number of steps is critical.
- Advanced targeting capabilities: Facebook's powerful targeting options enable marketers to display these ads to highly segmented audiences, ensuring the quality of the leads. You can use criteria such as demographics, interests, and user behaviors to find the people most likely to engage with your campaign.
- Integration with third-party tools: Facebook Lead Ads are compatible with numerous CRM systems and automation tools, which means leads can be instantly synced with your marketing software, allowing you to act promptly.
- Versatile use cases: Lead Ads are ideal for a variety of campaigns, whether you're promoting events, offering special discounts, or encouraging newsletter sign-ups. This versatility makes them suitable for both B2B and B2C audiences.
By leveraging Facebook Lead Ads, marketers can streamline the lead generation process and reach audiences effectively, all while ensuring that the experience for potential customers is as seamless as possible.
Prerequisites for downloading leads
Before you begin downloading leads from Facebook Lead Ads, there are a few prerequisites that need to be in place to ensure a smooth process:
Access requirements
To download leads from Facebook Lead Ads, you need the appropriate permissions. Make sure you have admin access to the Facebook page that runs the ads and access to Facebook Business Manager. Facebook Business Manager is the central hub where all your ads, forms, and pages are managed, and without proper access, you will not be able to proceed with the download.
Understanding form library
The Form Library is the section within Facebook Business Manager where all lead forms are stored. It’s essential to know how to navigate to this section to find the forms associated with your campaigns. Make sure that you have the necessary permissions to access the Form Library, which typically requires either editor or admin roles for the page.
These prerequisites are crucial because they ensure that you can easily locate, access, and download the lead data needed for follow-up. Once you have verified that you have the right access and understand where to find your forms, you’re ready to move on to the different methods of downloading leads.
Manual lead download from Facebook lead ads
Once you have confirmed that you have the necessary access, you can proceed to manually download your leads from Facebook Lead Ads. This process is straightforward and works well if you are running a smaller campaign or do not need real-time lead integration.
Step 1: Accessing Facebook Business Manager
To begin, you need to access your Facebook Business Manager account, which serves as the control center for all your ad accounts, pages, and lead forms.
- Log in to Facebook Business Manager.
- Navigate to the page that is associated with the lead ad campaign you want to access.
Once you have located the correct page, you can continue to the next step to find your lead forms.
Step 2: Navigating to the form library
Within Facebook Business Manager, locate the Form Library. This is where all lead forms are stored for your campaigns.
- In the left-hand menu, click on Publishing Tools.
- From there, select Forms Library.
Here, you will see a list of all the lead forms associated with your ads. You can filter these forms by campaign name to find the specific one you are interested in.
Step 3: Selecting the lead form
After locating the correct form, you can select it to view the leads that have been submitted. Ensure you are selecting the correct form associated with your desired campaign.
- Click on the form to open it.
- You will see a list of leads that have submitted their information through this form.
Step 4: Downloading leads as a CSV file
To download the leads, Facebook allows you to export the data as a CSV file, which can then be imported into other platforms, such as a CRM or a spreadsheet for analysis.
- Click the Download button.
- Choose Download as CSV to get a file that contains all the lead information.
It is essential to remember that leads are only available for download for 90 days from the time of submission, so it’s recommended to download them regularly to avoid losing any valuable data.
Best practices for manual downloads
- Set a reminder: Since lead data is only available for 90 days, set a regular reminder to download the data.
- Organize your leads: Once downloaded, keep your lead information organized in a spreadsheet or CRM to ensure prompt follow-up.
Using Ads Workbench to download leads
For those running larger campaigns or looking for an automated approach to lead management, Ads Workbench is an ideal solution. Ads Workbench provides a more streamlined way to manage your leads, reducing the manual effort needed and ensuring that you have real-time access to your lead data.
What is Ads Workbench?
Ads Workbench is a third-party tool that integrates directly with Facebook Lead Ads to simplify the process of accessing and downloading lead data. It allows for automation, real-time syncing, and more sophisticated lead management compared to the manual process. Ads Workbench can save valuable time, particularly for businesses handling high volumes of leads, and minimizes the risk of human error.
Step-by-step guide using Ads Workbench
Step 1: Setting up Ads Workbench with Facebook
To get started with Ads Workbench, you first need to set up an account and connect it to your Facebook Business Manager.
- Create an Ads Workbench account: Visit the Ads Workbench website and sign up for an account.
- Connect to Facebook: Connect your Facebook account in the ad accounts area. You will need to grant permissions so that Ads Workbench can access your lead data. In the following video you can see how to proceed.
Step 2: Creating a lead flow
A lead flow is an automation that allows you to collect the leads coming from a source and send them to multiple destinations. As illustrated in the following video, you can easily create a lead flow to capture the leads from your Facebook lead ads form and for instance take a couple of immediate actions like sending an email notification to your team and sending the lead data to your email marketing tool.
Step 3: Automating lead downloads
Once your lead flow is activated, your leads will be captured in real-time and sent to the destinations you set-up in your flow. You can combine multiple destinations simultaneously in a leadflow, including:
- An internal notification via email to the appropriate recipients to their are aware. The notification can include the lead data
- A branded welcome email from your own domain.
- A CRM system like HubSpot or Zoho CRM.
- A marketing automation tool like Mailchimp or MailerLite.
You can easily monitor the activity of your lead flows using our dashboard.
Advantages of Ads Workbench
- Time-saving: Automates the entire lead download process, freeing up valuable time for your marketing team.
- Real-time access: Ensures you have real-time access to leads, which is critical for prompt follow-ups.
- Reduced risk of errors: Minimizes human error associated with manual downloads and data entry.
Using Ads Workbench is especially beneficial for those running multiple campaigns simultaneously or dealing with high volumes of leads. By automating the download process, you can focus more on nurturing and converting your leads rather than manually managing data.
Differences between manual downloads and Ads Workbench
It is essential to understand the differences between the manual download process and using Ads Workbench, as each method has its strengths and weaknesses depending on your business needs.
Manual downloads: Pros and cons
Pros:
- Simple process: Manual downloads are straightforward and do not require any additional software.
- Cost-effective: No extra costs are involved in manually downloading the data.
Cons:
- Time-consuming: Manually downloading leads, especially across multiple campaigns, can be time-consuming.
- Risk of data loss: Since leads are only available for 90 days, there is a risk of data loss if downloads are not performed regularly.
- Limited scalability: Manual downloads are not suitable for businesses handling high volumes of leads or running multiple campaigns simultaneously.
Ads Workbench: Pros and cons
Pros:
- Automation: Automates the lead download process, saving time and reducing manual effort.
- Real-time updates: Provides real-time lead data access, allowing for timely follow-ups.
- Scalable: Ideal for larger campaigns or businesses dealing with high lead volumes.
Cons:
- Cost: Ads Workbench involves a very reduced cost compared to the time saved. The initial plan, which costs only $15 per month, allows you to sync an unlimited number of leads.
- Initial setup: Requires setup and integration with Facebook Business Manager, but it only takes a couple of minutes.
When to use each method
- Manual downloads: Best suited for small campaigns where lead volumes are manageable, and no immediate access to real-time data is required.
- Ads Workbench: Ideal for businesses that require a more automated solution and need to handle multiple campaigns or large amounts of data. It is particularly beneficial for marketing teams that want to focus on lead nurturing rather than manual data handling.
Tips for managing and utilizing leads
Successfully downloading leads is only half the battle; what truly matters is how you manage and utilize these leads to maximize their value. Here are some tips to help you effectively manage and act on your leads:
Importance of speed
Leads generated through Facebook Lead Ads are often “warm leads”—meaning they are actively interested in your product or service. To make the most of these leads, it's essential to reach out promptly. Studies show that contacting a lead within minutes of submission significantly increases conversion rates. Additionally, using Ads Workbench, you can send a welcome email immediately to any email address provided by the lead, ensuring quick engagement and setting the tone for further communication.
Integrate leads with a CRM
Integrate your leads with a CRM system such as HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho. This will help you organize the data, track interactions, and ensure that no leads fall through the cracks. Many CRM platforms can also automate parts of the follow-up process, making your team more efficient. With Ads Workbench you can send the captured leads to the main CRMs and marketing automation tools.
Segment your leads
Not all leads are the same. Segment your leads based on their interest level, demographics, or where they came from. This segmentation allows for more personalized follow-ups, which in turn can lead to higher conversion rates.
Nurture your leads
Use automated email sequences to nurture leads who might not be ready to buy immediately. Send them valuable content such as blog posts, case studies, or special offers that help them understand the value of your product or service.
Measure and optimize
Monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to understand how well your lead management and follow-up processes are working. Use this data to optimize your strategies and improve performance over time.
Conclusion
Downloading leads from Facebook Lead Ads is a crucial step in turning your campaigns into successful conversions. Whether you opt for manual downloads or decide to use Ads Workbench for automation, understanding the methods and tools available can help you efficiently manage and act on your leads.
For smaller campaigns, manual downloads can be an effective solution with minimal overhead. However, for businesses looking to scale or those managing multiple campaigns, Ads Workbench offers a streamlined, automated approach that saves time and minimizes errors.
We invite you to sign up for a free trial, with no payment information required. Experience firsthand how Ads Workbench can simplify your lead management and advertising processes, helping you focus on what truly matters—growing your business.
