You spend a ton of money on Facebook ads, but your campaigns fail to generate the desired leads from Meta Ads. Could it be that the Meta ad algorithm has changed, making audience targeting no longer the same as it used to be?
Over the past few months, Meta has rolled out a series of updates, including for Facebook ads. With this new update, advertisers no longer need to spend hours targeting potential customers as they did before. Instead, Meta will help you solve all the problems related to finding leads on Facebook. So, how can you find leads with the new algorithm changes from Meta?
This article will outline the latest updates to Meta ads and tell you which ones are good and should be applied to your lead generation campaigns. Now, we want you to take the time to focus on the content in this blog post.
Latest updates to Meta ads
As you know, in the first few months of 2025, Meta introduced a series of new updates, including for Facebook and Instagram ads. For advertising, these updates will enable customers to have a more authentic experience with products, ultimately leading them to purchase quality goods. As for advertisers, the latest update will save them from spending hours optimizing their ads as they did before; instead, Meta will do the work for them. Our blog has an article that discusses whether targeting ads on Meta is effective.
With these latest updates from Meta, what is your strategy for making your ads generate more leads? Let’s go over some of the Meta ad updates and strategies that will help you generate more leads from Meta Ads.
Dual Optimization: Website and Instant Form in the Same Ad Set
Previously, advertisers generating leads on Meta always faced a big question: should they send users to their website or use Meta’s Instant Form? To answer this question, you need to understand the strengths of both websites and Instant Forms.
- Instant form: When using the Instant Form, you will have a lower cost and a larger number of leads from Meta Ads, as users don’t need to leave the platform. Most new advertisers often use this method because it is easy and doesn’t require much time or money.
- Website: With a website or landing page, you will have a higher cost, but it usually results in better quality leads because users have to actively visit and learn more about your business.
This debate now has a solution. Meta has launched a feature that allows you to optimize for both types of conversions within the same ad set. Meta’s AI will determine which users are more likely to convert on a website and which are more suitable for an Instant Form. It will then automatically distribute the ads most effectively. You will no longer have to spend time allocating the customer base; instead, the AI will assist you in all aspects.
Our advice to you is: Don’t hesitate; try this feature now. It can help you achieve a “dual benefit”—getting a large quantity of leads from Instant Forms and high-quality leads from the website.
SMS Verification
Before customers fill out a form, many people only provide just enough information to receive a notification and then lose interest. They may even enter incorrect personal information, making it difficult to collect customer data. Therefore, collecting customer information from forms rarely generates high-converting leads. However, with this new update, there has been a major change:
This is one of the most groundbreaking updates for anyone who has struggled with the quality of leads from Meta Ads from Instant Forms. When enabled, this feature requires users to enter a unique verification code sent via SMS to their phone number to complete the signup. This requirement provides a huge benefit to advertisers:
- It filters out uncommitted users: Only those who are truly serious will be willing to take this verification step. This is an excellent filter for getting rid of “junk” sign-ups.
- It ensures accurate contact information: This feature forces users to use their real phone number, because otherwise, they won’t be able to receive the verification code. This saves your sales team a lot of time and effort.
Note: When you implement this strategy, you will find that SMS verification can significantly increase the cost per lead and reduce your total number of leads. However, if your business prioritizes quality over quantity and wants to focus on the highest-intent leads, this is your “secret weapon.”
Disable Auto-fill
In the past, when using forms to collect leads, many advertisers faced a problem where customers automatically filled in information that was previously saved in their browsers. By default, Meta’s Instant Form will auto-fill users’ information (like email and phone number) from their saved profiles. While this feature is convenient, it can lead to quality issues:
- Outdated information: Many accounts were created a long time ago, and the contact information may be outdated.
- Unintentional users: Because they don’t have to manually type, users may accidentally or carelessly hit “Submit,” leading to them not remembering that they signed up and having no intention of buying.
Now, you can turn off the auto-fill feature on Meta ad forms. When customers want to provide their information in the form, they will have to enter it themselves. This not only ensures the information you receive is up-to-date but also shows that the users are more conscious and proactive about providing data, which improves lead quality.
Flexible form delivery
Have you ever wondered whether you should design a long or a short Instant Form? Should you add more questions to filter your leads? Meta has introduced a solution to this problem: flexible form delivery.
- This feature allows Meta to automatically adjust elements in the form (e.g., adding or removing questions, changing the layout) based on each user’s response. Essentially, Meta will show the version of the form that a specific user is most likely to respond to. Instead of having to find one form design that fits the majority, Meta will personalize the experience for each user, helping to maximize the conversion rate.
Our advice: This feature is usually turned on by default. For most businesses, trust Meta and let the AI do its work. You should only turn it off and choose “manual” if you have a specific legal requirement or need to collect certain information.
Send leads via email
Have you ever had trouble tracking your leads? Previously, to track leads, you had to regularly access Meta’s Lead Center or integrate with a CRM system. Now, Meta has added a simpler option: sending lead data directly to your email.
You can customize the frequency of receiving emails, making it easy to update and process leads as soon as they sign up. While this isn’t a major “game-changing” feature, it helps optimize your workflow and ensures you don’t miss any leads.
Instant lead engagement via chat
After a user completes an Instant Form or a form on a website or landing page and agrees to receive messages from your business, a conversation will automatically start on Messenger or Instagram. You heard that right—this is an incredibly useful improvement for generating leads from Meta ads. You’ll see the following conversion benefits:
- Increased conversion rate: This feature helps your sales team connect with leads almost instantly. Direct communication via messaging is often much more effective than calling or sending emails.
- Quick connection: By starting a conversation immediately, you can answer questions, provide advice, and build a relationship, which increases the likelihood of closing a sale.
A note on this feature: To make the most of this feature, your business needs an effective messaging process, which could be a team of chat representatives or integration with AI chatbots.
Add post-registration action options
After a customer has completed and submitted a form, Meta allows you to direct them to the next action on the thank-you page. In addition to traditional options like “Visit Website” or “Call Business,” Meta has added two new and very useful options:
Chat via WhatsApp/Telegram: If WhatsApp/Telegram is a popular communication channel in your market (e.g., in Europe or some Asian countries), this is a great way to start a conversation with a potential customer in a natural and effective way.
Redeem a promo code: This feature allows you to provide a promo code directly on the thank-you page. It creates a strong incentive for the lead to move to the next step, which is a purchase. For example, if you are running an ad for a Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Christmas campaign, after collecting the form data, you can offer gifts to retain customers and encourage them to buy your products. This is a very smooth and effective conversion method.
Accelerate conversions with promo codes
The promo code redemption feature (as mentioned in point 7) not only helps you track campaign performance but also helps to accelerate the conversion of leads into actual customers.
In modern business, speed is a key factor. Providing a promo code as soon as a user signs up helps you generate revenue from your campaign faster, giving you more capital to reinvest and expand your ad scale. While it’s not a “silver bullet” for every business, in the right situations, it can make a huge difference in profitability.
Conclusion
As you can see in this article, Meta’s new updates are not just minor changes; they are a major step forward in helping advertisers optimize their lead generation campaigns. Instead of spending hours optimizing everything from ads to conversion tools like websites and forms, Meta now does it all for you, offering higher personalization, significantly improving data quality, and most importantly, helping you convert potential customers into actual customers. We hope the information in this article will be helpful to you.
