A lead campaign is the simplest way for a beginner to use Meta ads for a service business: you show an ad on Facebook and Instagram, and people who are interested send you their details. This guide walks through what to prepare, each step in Ads Manager, and how to follow up so the money you spend does not go to waste.
Before you open Ads Manager
Most beginner mistakes happen before the campaign is built. Get these five things ready first.
- One clear offer. "Free first trial class", "free home measurement" or "get a quote in 24 hours" is better than "we offer many services".
- A Facebook Page and an Instagram professional account. Ads are run from your Page and ad account. You should be the owner of both.
- A privacy policy page on your website. Meta's help centre says you are required to have a privacy policy to run lead ads, and you must link to it when you create the instant form. It also says the link cannot go straight to a PDF, image or download. See Meta's page on privacy policies for lead ads. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Someone who will reply fast. Decide who checks leads and how often, before you start.
- A budget you can afford to test with. We cover typical ranges in how much Facebook and Instagram ads cost in Singapore.
Step by step in Ads Manager
Meta's own guide to creating a lead ad from Ads Manager lists the same flow. Menus change from time to time, so treat the names below as a guide and follow what you see on screen.
Step 1: Choose the leads objective
Click Create, then choose the Leads (lead generation) objective. This tells Meta that you want people who are likely to send their details, not people who only watch or like.
Step 2: Choose where leads are collected
At the ad set level, pick the lead method. Meta's instructions describe selecting Instant Forms, which keeps people inside Facebook or Instagram. You can also send people to a website or to a chat, depending on the options your account shows.
Step 3: Set the audience
For a local business, keep it simple.
- Location: Singapore, or the part of Singapore you can serve. A renovation firm may only want to work islandwide, a tuition centre in Woodlands may want a smaller area.
- Age and language: only narrow these if your offer really suits one group.
- Detailed targeting: leave it broad at first, then learn from results.
Step 4: Set budget and schedule
Choose a daily budget and an end date. Meta's help centre suggests running lead ads during your business hours so you can start a conversation quickly, and you can schedule campaigns to run when your team can respond. If nobody answers messages at 11pm, think about whether the ads should run then.
Step 5: Build the instant form
Create the form from the ad creative step. The help centre says you must include at least one question and can add up to 15 custom questions. It also describes two form types: More Volume, which is quick to fill in on a phone, and Higher Intent, which adds a review step so people can confirm their details. Use the checklist in the next section.
Step 6: Write and upload the ad
Use a real photo or short video of your work, a headline that states the offer, and a line that says what happens next. Avoid stock images of people and avoid claims you cannot back up.
Step 7: Publish the form and the ad
Meta's guide notes that after you publish an instant form you cannot edit it, but you can save it as a draft first. Read every question once more on your phone, then publish.
Instant form checklist
| Item | What to do |
|---|---|
| Headline | Repeat the offer in plain words, for example "Book a free trial class" |
| Questions | Ask for name, mobile number and one question that helps you reply, such as "Which level?" |
| Number of questions | Fewer is easier for the customer. Add only what you truly use |
| Privacy link | Link to your privacy policy page, not a PDF |
| Thank-you screen | Say when you will reply, for example "We will WhatsApp you within one working day". Only promise what you can do |
| Phone number | Ask for the number they use on WhatsApp if that is how you will reply |
A worked example
This is an example, not a real client. A small tuition centre in Woodlands wants trial-class sign-ups for Primary 5 Maths. The owner builds one campaign with the leads objective, an instant form and one audience covering the north of Singapore. The form asks for the parent's name, WhatsApp number and the child's level. The offer is a free trial class on Saturday mornings.
Say the centre sets aside SGD 600 of ad budget for the first month. If it hired us to manage the ads at 15% of ad spend, our fee on that example would be SGD 90, and the SGD 600 would be paid by the owner directly to Meta. If the owner runs it alone, there is no management fee. The point is to decide the budget before you start and to check results weekly.
Follow up fast
An ad that collects a name is only half the job. Meta says in its best practices for responding to leads that minimising the time it takes to follow up can improve lead quality. It recommends using an integrated CRM or the Leads Center rather than downloading leads by hand, since manual downloads take more time.
Here is a simple routine for a small team:
- Turn on notifications for new leads.
- Reply on WhatsApp within the same working day.
- Use a short message: "Hi Mrs Tan, this is Ace Maths. Thanks for your interest in a trial class. Which Saturday suits you, 9am or 11am?"
- Mark every lead in a sheet as new, replied, booked or not interested. A simple sheet with a date, source and status column is enough to start.
Our WhatsApp Business setup guide helps you prepare quick replies and a greeting message for these chats.
What to check after the first week
- Spend: has the budget gone as planned?
- Leads: how many forms came in, and how many were real people you could reach?
- Cost per lead: spend divided by leads. Compare it with what a customer is worth to you.
- Replies: how many leads answered your first message?
Give the campaign time before changing it. Changing the audience, form and ad all at once makes it impossible to know what helped. Change one thing, wait, then review.
Common beginner mistakes
- Boosting posts with no clear offer or way to contact you.
- Forms that ask for too much, so people give up.
- No privacy policy link, which stops the form from being published.
- Slow replies. A lead who hears from you two days later has often moved on.
- Judging results after two days.
Ads do not fix a weak offer or a slow website. If you are not sure ads are your best first spend, read where to spend first: social media, SEO or ads.
If you would rather hand it over
If you want help, our Facebook and Instagram ads management is 15% of ad spend, and you pay the ad budget directly to Meta. We set it up in your own ad account, send drafts for your approval on WhatsApp and report weekly. We cannot promise a number of leads, but we will tell you plainly what the numbers show.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lead campaign on Meta?
It is a Facebook and Instagram ad campaign whose goal is to collect enquiries, such as a name, phone number and a question, instead of likes or video views. With an instant form, people can send their details without leaving the app.
Do I need a privacy policy to run lead ads?
Meta's help centre says you must link to a privacy policy when you create an instant form. Put a simple privacy page on your website first. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much should I spend on my first lead campaign?
Start with a small daily budget you are comfortable losing while you learn, and run it for at least a couple of weeks before judging it. Our guide to ad costs in Singapore gives realistic ranges.
Should the lead go to a form or to WhatsApp?
Use whichever way your customers already prefer to contact you and you can reply to fastest. A form is quick for people to fill in. WhatsApp suits businesses that quote or book over chat.
Sources
- Meta Business Help Centre: Create a lead ad from Meta Ads Manager
- Meta Business Help Centre: About privacy policies for lead ads
- Meta Business Help Centre: Best practices to respond to leads
- Meta Business Help Centre: Create a lead ad with instant form from your Facebook Page
Figures from third-party sources are as published at the time of writing and are not independently verified. Check current prices and rules before you decide.
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