After generating 300000+ leads using Facebook Ads, here are 9 tips that I learned throughout the journey of 3+ years.
1. Timing the campaign
Different universities in different countries have different intake times. So this is crucial for the success of the campaign. Plan to start campaigns at least 3 months before the actual application process starts.
2. Audience
So, choose your audience according to the courses you offer. Don’t offer graduate programs to someone who is 30 years old and don’t offer Masters to 18 years old.
Suggestion: Don’t forget to target parents. That can be a gold mine.
3. Your offer/ Lead Magnet
Your offer should be clear and should be able to make you stand out of the crowd of competitors. Try to offer something of value. An eBook works well.
Try to offer one stop for all services from course selection to flight tickets to helping with financial assistance.
4. Current Affairs & Recent Events
Keep an eye in the recent development in the rules of the immegration and other offers that destination countries and universities have on plate.
We used “2 Years UK Post Study Working Visa” news and got very good results.
Keep your eyes open to the market.
This was all about the soft side of marketing. Let’s dive into the technical side now. There are few things that I would like to draw your attention to:
Relevant: Facebook Ad tactics
5. Campaign Structure
There is no right or wrong way to structure your campaign. This all depends on what works for your specific consultancy. Here is what I follow personally :
- 1 Campaign for each country
- 1 ADset for each city per audience
- 2 Ads under each ADset
Now, you may have different requirements per your target area and courses and universities on offer. Decide accordingly. But, keep it simple.
Relevant: Customer journey mapping in Facebook Ads
Just don’t run everything in a single campaign.
6. AdCopy
Keep it simple. Short & Long copies both worked well in our case there was a marginal difference between the performances.
Our youth don’t seem to be patient enough to read log copies though.
Keep your copies within 200 words.
Relevant: What makes a great Facebook Ad copy?
7. Creatives
We mostly used images so can’t comment if videos would have worked better. Your image should always show a young, energetic, happy student in the image. Write the name of the country/ course/ university on the image.
Tip: Keep image text minimal.
8. Lead Form
Keep it simple, use the same image on the lead form you used for the AD. Tell me about your achievement in the “Intro” section.
Ask minimal questions. Don’t ignore Facebook’s warning concerning contact fields.
To avoid junk leads and improve the quality, definitely ask custom questions. This can be anything that makes the form filling person pause and then answer it.
9. Lead Follow-up
This is of utmost importance to connect to the lead as soon as possible. If possible first contact should be within 5 minutes of filling the lead form if not immediately. This can be an automated voicemail/ email or an SMS.
If you have multiple counsellors make sure the right lead goes to the right counsellor.
One of the clients “MeetUniversity.Com” worked on it and created a robust CRM for this purpose. They have the capability to follow up with the lead at the right time even if the lead intended to go for studies in 2 years all automated.
Prepare your automation prior to launching your campaign.
With that said, If you follow a system and with proper AD optimization you can get such results :
Abhay Chauhan is an expert in generating leads using Facebook and Instagram for small to medium-sized businesses. In 3+ years of experience, he has worked with some big brands in the industry.