Are Facebook Messenger ads worth it?

Got a question from a friend doing their own Meta ads:

“Any thoughts on messenger ads? Are they any good?”

Messenger ads are a tempting option because like Instant Form ads, the conversion happens ON Facebook/Instagram itself so it should be cheaper. And it’s not just like a form, you can keep talking with the leads once they’ve answered your questions which is the major draw, particular for coaches and training providers.

I’ve played a lot with these. For one client, they were the bread and butter campaign getting 2-3 GBP leads in the hundreds per month.

So, yes they are good if run properly but not for everyone.

Let me explain.

One or two questions gets you terrible quality leads

Annoyingly, the messaging process popups up once a video ad or a few seconds, for a static image ad. So you get a higher than usual portion of people who “don’t remember filling out the form”. And frankly, I’ve almost filled one out myself on Instagrambecause the chat interface ran at the end of an ad, and I accidentally clicked an option when trying to swipe to the next video.

I will suggest if you’re using them, use 2+ qualifying questions. With the first being a simple A or B “are you interested in {product/service}” type thing.

For example, if you’re running them for career coaching:

“Are you currently looking for help getting a promotion? Yes / No.”

“What would you say is the major blocker towards getting a promotion right now? {3 options}.”

You need someone working the chat afterwards

This is where these types of leads beat regular lead forms. The follow up chat process. You can follow up each chat to further quality leads, get them interested in your program, book calls and remind them about their bookings.

However, most coaches/educators aren’t really set up for that. This is more of a dedicated appointment setter role, so your closers won’t want to do it and it will hardly happen if it is the founder themselves doing it.

You can hire appointment setters. For one client, we did this and had them follow a tight script on behalf of the personal brand. It worked great.

So if you’re looking to try messenger ads, please keep these two factors in mind.

Otherwise if you have any more questions on Facebook ads for lead generation, feel free to ask me in the comments below or via email anytime.

Want help with Facebook lead gen ads? Two ways I can help:

Try my DIY course. I made this for friends who asked for a speedrun on DIY lead ads. It is how I do what I do, condensed into a playbook.
Get me to run your ads for you. If you want done-for-you help, that is what I do, specifically for sales-led and education businesses. You can also book a free 15 minute call and I will look at your account beforehand.