A guide to Conversion leads optimization on Facebook (now Meta conversion leads performance goal)

TL;DR

• Conversion leads is a Meta setting that shows your lead ads to people likely to become customers, not just people likely to fill out a form.
• It only works with Instant Forms, and your CRM has to send lead updates back to Meta.
• In Meta’s tests, it cut the cost per quality lead by about 21%.
• You need around 200 leads a month and daily data uploads.
• Give it 2 to 4 weeks to learn before you judge the results.

Lead ads have been around for over 10 years, and they’re still one of the easiest ways to collect leads. People fill out a form right inside Facebook or Instagram without ever leaving the app.

The problem? Easy forms bring in a lot of leads, but not all of them turn into customers. Your sales team ends up chasing people who were never going to buy.

That’s where Meta’s conversion leads performance goal comes in. Instead of showing your ads to people most likely to fill out a form, it shows them to people most likely to become paying customers. To make it work, you connect your CRM to Meta through the Conversion leads, so Meta can see which leads actually turned into sales.

LeadsBridge makes this easy. You can connect your CRM with Facebook Conversion Leads in a few clicks, no code needed. Schedule a demo to see how it works.

In this guide, we’ll cover what the conversion leads goal is, how to set it up, and how to get the most out of it.

What is Facebook’s conversion leads optimization?  

The Conversion leads performance goal (formerly known as Facebook conversion leads optimization) is an optimization option for lead ads, specifically designed to improve targeting and ad results. 

It’s basically a feature for improving targeting precision and enabling you to specify what you want to prioritize with the specific ad campaign.  

If you choose Conversion leads on Facebook, you’re telling Meta that you want to optimize ad delivery by showing your ad to users who are most likely to become customers (and potentially even high-quality customers at that). 

Facebook lead generation ads vs. conversion optimization ads: What’s the difference? 

Even though the Conversion leads performance goal on Meta is almost like an add-on option of standard lead ads, they are now often referred to as two separate things.

So what’s the difference between Facebook lead ads vs. conversion ads? 

Standard lead ads prioritize the volume of leads you’re getting from your ad. In Meta’s own words, they’ll “show your ad to the people in your audience who we think are most likely to contact you.” The idea here is to focus on quantity.

The Conversion leads performance goal (formerly Conversion leads optimization goal), however, prioritizes the quality of your leads. Instead of showing your ad to as many people as possible who may fill out the lead form, they show it to people they believe are most likely to become customers.

Both are designed to get you leads. But conversion ads focus on getting completed lead forms from users who will be most likely to make it past the lead form and all the way through the overall sales funnel.

How does Facebook’s Conversion leads performance goal work?

In an ideal world, every lead that clicks on your Facebook instant form (and completes it!) will be a likely candidate to eventually become a customer.

Sometimes, that’s not the case, which is why the Conversion leads performance goal was rolled out. 

In order to show your ad to higher-quality potential leads, Meta gathers data about your existing customers. If you can show them the audience segments already working with you, they can take that and run with it. 

Meta is able to do this by using the Conversions API integration with your data management tools. The Conversions API will get information about conversions and your customers from your databases, allowing them to get core information about what high-quality leads and customers look like without cookie-based tracking. 

This has increasingly become the standard practice since the roll-out of iOS 14.5, and it’s a crucial part of getting the info needed to deliver ads to higher-quality leads. 

Meta is then able to take that information about your customers, show your ad to users who are most similar to the target audience, and then learn more through machine learning about who is most likely to convert.

Over time, they can offer improved ad delivery to maximize conversion quality. So to use Conversion leads performance goal (as well as those for Meta lead ads), you must integrate your system with the Conversions API.

Keep in mind that this goal only works with instant forms. If your leads come from forms on your own website, you won’t see it. You can still send CRM updates to Meta, though, and optimize for those conversions instead.

How can Facebook ads lead to conversion?

Facebook ads give you the option to target the right audience and optimize for quality leads. When you set up a lead ad, you can basically choose the “conversion leads” performance goal. What does this option do? It focuses on reaching people who are more likely to become customers. 

To do this effectively, you’ll want to first connect your CRM system to Meta. Creating this integration helps Meta understand the quality of leads you’re looking for and fine-tunes your ad delivery to attract those high-quality prospects. When you update the status of a lead in your CRM, this information is securely sent back to Meta. 

This helps Meta learn which leads are converting, allowing it to target customers who are more likely to convert. Once you’ve aligned your CRM data with your ad campaigns, you can guide potential customers through your sales funnel and improve the chances they will convert into actual sales.

When to choose Conversion leads vs. Facebook lead ads 

Wondering when to use standard lead ads vs. conversion ads for your campaigns?

It’s typically a good idea to start optimizing for conversions once you have your campaign up and running. This is because you should have a solid understanding of what your high-value audience looks like. 

The data you collect from your campaigns gives Meta’s machine-learning tools something to work with. The more detailed your datasets are, the higher your odds of success will be.

Keep in mind that even if you’re spending more per click or lead form completion with lead ads that are run with Conversion leads performance goal, it’s worth it. These users are most likely to convert into the types of customers you want, which means you very well could be increasing ROI and decreasing customer acquisition costs even if the initial CPA is a little higher.

How to get started with Conversion leads on Meta

Want to start using the Conversion leads performance goal for optimization of lead ads on Facebook?

The first thing that you need to do is to connect your CRM with Meta’s database. You can do this through the Ads Manager or the Events Manager. But this is the easiest and fastest to do with integration software like LeadsBridge. 

We are an official Meta Business Partner that can help you sync the two with just a few clicks, offering support for a wide range of popular CRMs. 

To fully understand how to set up a Facebook conversion ad with lead ads, you’ll need a little bit of background knowledge about integrations that help you do just that. 

First, check out all the available Facebook lead ads and CRM integrations. Then, use this guide to see how to connect Facebook lead ads to your favorite app through LeadsBridge.

Before getting started with the optimization process, it’s important to set up the Conversions API, if you haven’t already. This way, it can gather feedback on performance and improve its targeting through Meta’s own capabilities. 

Here’s how to connect your data with the Conversions API.

Now, let’s begin with the Conversion leads performance goal on Meta by following these steps:

Step 1: Open Meta Business Suite and click All tools. Then go to Meta Ads Manager.

Step 2: Choose “Leads” as your campaign objective. Meta may turn on Advantage+ settings by default, so check your audience and placements before you publish.

Step 3: You’ll see the “Optimization & delivery” section, and you can choose what you’d like to prioritize.

Step 4: At the ad set level:

• Performance goal: choose “Maximize number of conversion leads” instead of “Maximize number of leads”. (This goal doesn’t work with website forms, Messenger, or calls.
• Conversion location: Instant forms (or Instant forms + Messenger, etc.).

Step 5: Then, choose to add a “Cost per result goal”, which will tell Meta what you’d like the average CPA to be at or under. This can keep you on budget. 

Congratulations! You now know how to set up a Facebook conversion ad with lead ads.

Why choose LeadsBridge?

With LeadsBridge, you can effortlessly connect your favorite CRM to Meta Conversion leads performance goal. This integration allows you to zero in on top-notch leads from your Meta ad campaigns. 

By simplifying this process through dependable integrations, you can rest assured that your Facebook campaign will effortlessly generate high-quality leads that have a strong likelihood of conversion.

LeadsBridge helps boost your Meta conversion leads performance with Performance Booster

Once your Conversions API and CRM integrations are in place, LeadsBridge Performance Booster can take your Meta campaigns to the next level. 

It automatically syncs what happens after the lead form is submitted (booked calls, quotes requested, deals won or lost) from your CRM back into Meta.

So whether you manage a few hundred or tens of thousands of leads per month, this constant flow of high-quality, first-party conversion signals strengthens the conversion leads performance goal.

The booster also helps Meta’s algorithm learn which leads actually convert, so it can focus more on users who resemble those leads. 

The result is more precise delivery, better lead quality, and more efficient ad spend, while you spend less time on manual data uploads and more time on strategy.

How does the Conversions API work?

The Conversions API helps you focus your ads on finding higher-quality leads who are more likely to take the action you want, like filling out a form or purchasing your product or service.

Instead of just aiming for a lot of clicks or leads, it feeds Meta the conversion data it needs to optimize your campaigns for people who are more likely to become customers.

You set this goal when running your lead ads, and Meta’s system works to deliver the best results by targeting the right audience. It’s all about getting better leads, not just more leads!

Without automation, however, you cannot get the most out of this tool. The Conversions API integration connects your CRM system with Meta to make your marketing smarter and more effective. 

The integration then pulls detailed info about your customers, like what they do and like, straight from your CRM. This info helps Meta show your ads to the right people who are more likely to take action.

Additionally, it lets you track and adjust your campaigns in real time, so they match your business goals. With this setup, you don’t have to upload data manually, there’s less room for mistakes. In turn, you’ll get better insights to improve your ads and get more out of your efforts.

To connect your Conversions API to Meta, follow these steps:

• In Meta Business Suite, click All tools, then Events Manager.
• Click Connect data, then choose CRM.
• Pick a partner (like LeadsBridge) or set it up yourself with a developer.
• Choose or create the dataset you want your CRM events sent to.
• Follow the steps to finish, then set up your sales funnel stages.

With a partner, setup takes less than a few minutes. Building it yourself can take 3 to 4 weeks.

How to connect your CRM data to the Conversions API for CRM

Connecting your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system with Meta helps you get higher-quality leads, which could lead to more conversions. 

How to do that? All you need to share is the info available in your CRM with Meta.

This integration allows Facebook to analyze the type of leads that are more likely to finalize a purchase by sharing your CRM data with it, otherwise known as the Conversions API. And this could be done despite the stage of the funnel. 

Before you get started, always evaluate your business goals; make sure the Conversion leads performance goal is a practice that matches your business goals.

Before you start

Before creating this integration, log in to your LeadsBridge account. If you don’t have one yet, sign up for free here.

Once logged in, you’ll have access to your personal LeadsBridge Dashboard. 

Additionally, you must have Facebook/Instagram native lead ads (instant forms). You’ll also need to:

• You run Facebook or Instagram lead ads with Instant Forms.
• Your CRM stores the 15–17 digit Meta Lead ID. This works best. If you don’t have it, you can send email, phone number, or click ID instead.
• Have a minimum of 200 leads (per month)
• Can upload data regularly at least once per day 
• Make sure your lead stage occurs within 28 days from the moment leads are generated and has a conversion rate between 1% to 40%

Step 1: Build a new bridge

1. Select “Create new Bridge” on your LeadsBridge’s main dashboard

Step 2: Account authorization

You’ll need to authenticate the access to your source account by following the instructions.  

1. Add in your “source” CRM and “destination” (Facebook Conversion Leads) platform from the drop-down. Click “Continue”. 
2. Then, connect your Facebook account to authenticate your destination.

While setting up your account, remember to choose the right Facebook account connected to your Business Manager, including the correct Meta Pixel. This way, you can ensure sending events to the right destination.

When connecting your Facebook account, you’re also required to:

• Specify your Pixel from the Pixel dropdown. Here’s how to install a Meta Pixel. 
• Select your syncing frequency.
• Select the starting time of the syncing process by choosing any of the options available under the Start Sync dropdown. You could also choose the “Automatically Detected” option.

Once completed, click “Continue”.

Step 3: Fields mapping

In this step, you’ll need to ensure all values are set correctly to set up a flawless data sync. In addition to other fields, it’s especially essential to check the following values:

• Event name: You can retrieve this value from one of your source fields, or set it up as a static value.
• Event time: The value of a timestamp of type Date/Time.
• Lead Id: It’s the Facebook Lead ID of that specific record.

Test

At this stage, you can also select the “Run test” option, after filling in the required information. However, when using our testing tool, remember that the mock lead provided by LeadsBridge cannot be found on Meta.

Learn all you need to know about the Facebook testing tool here. 

Once finished, click “Save & publish“.

Now, your bridge is active, and you can find the newly created bridge by referring to the CRM Integration section under the Facebook Suite section here. 

How do you track conversions with a Facebook lead ad? 

So you have been running a campaign, and now you want to see how your Meta ads are performing in terms of conversions. Accessing these metrics is fairly simple. 

All you have to do to track conversions with a Meta lead ad is follow these steps:

1. Go to your Ads Manager.

2. Choose between Campaigns, Ad sets, or Ads, depending on what you want to track.

3. Click on the “Columns” drop-down menu.

4. Select “Customise columns” and check the boxes for the actions you’re interested in.

5. Click “Apply“, and your chosen columns will appear in the table.

With these results, you can also fine-tune your report even more using Meta Ads Reporting.

All about Meta lead ads’ conversion rate

What’s a good conversion rate for Meta lead ads? 

The average for leads campaigns is 8.54%. But it changes a lot by industry. Education and arts and entertainment convert best, at over 15%. Real estate is close to 10%. Car sales and industrial businesses are at the low end, around 4%. 

Compare yourself to your own past results and your industry, not just the overall average.

To find your conversion rate: divide your leads by your clicks, then multiply by 100.

Best practices for Conversion leads performance goal (formerly Conversion leads optimization) 

So far, you know how to set up a Facebook conversion ad with lead ads, and measure Facebook lead ads’ conversion rate. Ready to get started with Facebook Conversion leads performance goal and lead ads?

The good news is that with the proper integrations up and running, the rest of the process is fairly straightforward. In order to maximize your success, however, it’s good to keep the following best practices in mind:

• Give it time to learn. Start using this goal once you have steady lead volume and your CRM is sending data to Meta. Meta’s learning phase usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, so avoid big changes during that time. You can also test your lead ads to make sure everything works before you scale up.
• Offer something worth the form fill. A strong offer or lead magnet helps you win over the high-intent people Meta finds for you. Think about what your audience actually wants, and make it clear in the ad.
• Make lead ads part of a full funnel. Cold audiences usually aren’t ready to fill out a form right away. Warm them up first with other ads, then ask for the lead. Learn more about setting up a Facebook ad funnel.

FAQs

What is Meta conversion leads performance goal?

It’s a setting for Meta lead ads. Instead of asking Meta for the most form fills, you ask for the leads most likely to become customers. Meta figures this out from the lead updates your CRM sends back.

Why should I use the Meta conversion leads performance goal in my campaign?

Cheap leads don’t help much if they never buy. This goal teaches Meta which leads actually move through your sales process, so it can find more people like them. In Meta’s own tests, advertisers paid about 21% less per quality lead than with the standard leads goal. Your cost per lead might go up a little, but your cost per customer is what really counts.

Is there an official Meta conversion leads CRM integration?

Yes. Meta’s official tool is the Conversion leads performance goal. You set it up in Events Manager under Connect data > CRM. You can build it yourself with a developer or pick a partner. 

Meta’s setup flow includes options like Salesforce Webhooks, HubSpot has its own built-in connection, and Meta Business Partners like LeadsBridge connect most CRMs without code.

Final thoughts 

Facebook’s Conversion leads performance goal for its lead ads is a great asset. Many brands would absolutely prioritize high-quality leads that are most likely to convert over sheer volume, even if the latter looks more impressive at first glance.

And remember that keeping this process streamlined and easy is the best way to go. LeadsBridge’s reliable integrations can help make sure that your CRM is properly integrated with Meta so that there won’t be any issues with continuing to create strong, high-performing campaigns. 

Discover LeadsBridge’s full range of Facebook conversion leads integrations.