How to follow up leads from Facebook ads

Speed matters more than the pitch

A lead form takes a few seconds to fill. The person saw your ad, tapped, typed their name and number, and went back to scrolling. At that moment they remember you. By the evening they have seen dozens of other posts, and a week later many will not recall filling in anything.

So the first call is about timing more than skill. If a parent fills in your coaching class form at 8 pm, a call at 8:10 pm reaches someone who is still thinking about admissions. A call two days later reaches someone who has to be reminded what the form was for. Keep your phone close during the hours your ad brings the most enquiries, and if you can’t call yourself, give one person in the shop the job of calling leads.

A short script for the first call

Most leads are lost in the first ten seconds. The person picks up an unknown number and hears a sales pitch, so they hang up. Start with something they recognise instead. Here is a script an optical store owner in Pune might use:

The script does three jobs. It reminds them of the ad, it asks what they actually need, and it ends with one next step: a visit, a quote, a trial class or a site visit. Don’t read out your full price list on the call. Answer what they ask, then move to the next step. If someone says they filled the form by mistake, thank them and end the call politely.

• “Hello, am I speaking with Priya? This is Rakesh from Sharma Opticals in Kothrud.”
• “You filled in a form on our Facebook ad yesterday about eye tests. Do you have two minutes?”
• “Is it new glasses you need, or an eye check-up for someone at home?”
• “We are open till 9 pm. Shall I keep a slot for you tomorrow evening?”
• “I’ll send our location and timings on WhatsApp to this number.”

When they don’t pick up

Plenty of people ignore unknown numbers, especially during work hours. A missed call is not a no. Send a WhatsApp message straight after, written like a person and not like a bulk message: “Hi Priya, Rakesh from Sharma Opticals here. You asked about an eye test on our Facebook ad. When is a good time to call? We are near Karishma Society, open 10 am to 9 pm.”

A sensible rhythm is a call and a WhatsApp on day one, a second call on day two at a different time of day (if you tried the morning, try the evening), and a last call or message on day three. After three honest tries with no reply, mark the lead dead and move on. If they reply later, you can always pick it up again.

Calling five times in one afternoon feels like pressure. It gets your number blocked and does nothing for your shop’s name.

Track where every lead stands

Leads get lost when they live in a notebook, a WhatsApp chat and someone’s memory at the same time. Keep one list, and for each lead note where it stands, what was said, and when to call next.

A simple set of stages works for most shops: New, Contacted, Interested, Qualified, then Converted or Dead. Qualified means they have the need and the budget now, for example a family that wants a three-seater sofa this month, not someone comparing prices for next year. Write a one-line note after every call, like “wants Diwali boxes for office, 40 pieces, call back Friday”, so whoever calls next doesn’t start from zero.

Look at the list once a week. If most leads stall at Contacted, the problem is reaching people, so call sooner. If they stall at Interested, your price or offer may need another look.

Why leads go cold

The usual causes are plain. The call came too late. The caller didn’t mention the ad, so the person thought it was spam. The ad promised something the call didn’t match, like a price that turned out to be “starting from”. Or there was one call and no follow-up at all.

Some leads are weak from the start, and that happens with every ad. A form asks for very little effort, so a share of people fill it on impulse. Your aim is to reach the serious ones quickly, not to convert every name on the list.

If you run ads with us, leads land in the Leads tab of the app with the name and phone number. You can call or WhatsApp in one tap, set the status, add notes and set a follow-up reminder, which keeps all of the above in one place.

Questions