Create custom notifications for Facebook Lead Ads and follow up fast

When someone walks into your store or sees your ad and calls your office, it’s easy to know they’re interested in buying what you sell. It’s far more difficult online. People may skim your website and Facebook Page without taking any action. Then one day they finally click your ad, share their contact info, and let you know they’re interested.

When that happens, you need to know as soon as possible so you can act on the opportunity when their interest is at its peak. Facebook Lead Ads keeps a list of everyone who fills out your lead ad so that you can email or call them with extra info about your products. But you have to do that manually, checking Facebook to see if anyone new has filled out your ad.

There’s a better way. Here’s how to instantly know when someone fills out your Facebook Lead Ad with a customized, automatic notification.

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How to get your leads out of Facebook Lead Ads

Facebook Lead Ads are great at getting contact info for prospects interested in what you’re selling. The problem is, the data is stuck there. The default way to get the data out of Facebook is to open your Facebook Page, click the All Tools tab on the left-hand side, then click Instant Forms.

You could open your Facebook Page several times a day and re-download the latest spreadsheet file with new leads. But at best, you’ll have a few hours delay between when someone fills out your ad and when you call them back.

The better option is to make custom notifications for new Facebook Lead Ads that let you know whenever a new lead comes in, automatically. With a Zap—our word for our automated workflows—you can tell Zapier to watch your Facebook Lead Ad for new entries. When new leads come in, your Zap will let you know—via SMS, email, push notification, chat message, and more. The next time someone fills out your Facebook Lead Ad, you’ll know instantly—no need to download a spreadsheet file again.

Best of all, with multi-step Zaps—like the one KD Realty broker Kim Dempsey made—you can both save the lead and send an instant notification automatically.

How to get instant Facebook Lead Ads notifications

First, you need to decide how you’d like to get notified about Facebook Lead Ads. Want updates on your phone? Zapier can send you an SMS or push notification as soon as someone fills out your Facebook Lead. Then you can tap their phone number and call them back immediately.

Want more details? Get an email with the full details of your new lead.

Want to share the lead with your team? Your Zap can send the lead to a team chat app like Slack, so anyone on your team can grab the followup.

Start by making a new Zap with Facebook Lead Ads. There are two easy ways to do it:

• With a Zap template. Below you’ll find pre-made Zaps. Click the button to get started—then connect your Facebook account, and select your page and ad.

• In your Zapier account. Already a Zapier user? Click the Create Zap button in Zapier (or click that link) to make a new Zap, then choose Facebook Lead Ads as the trigger app.

Now, how would you like to get your notifications?

Via SMS

The quickest way to get notified is via SMS. Someone fills out your form, and, moments later your phone buzzes with their contact details. Tap their phone number, and you’ll be on the phone with that lead before they close the Facebook app.

Choose SMS by Zapier, Zapier’s built-in tool, as your action app. Authenticate it with your cell number and select Send SMS as your Event.

Click Continue.

Then, choose the right account from the dropdown menu. Click + Connect a new account if you haven’t already added the SMS app to your Zapier account. 

Click Continue. 

Now it’s time to set up your text message. In From Number, enter the phone number you want the text to come from. Then click in the Message field and select data pulled from your previous Facebook Lead Ads step that you want to be shared in the text. 

All that’s left is to test your Zap and it’s ready to use. Now you’ll get an SMS message every time your ad is filled out.

Outside the U.S. or Canada? You’ll need to use another phone service, like Twilio, to get SMS messages from Zapier.

Via push notification

Outside the U.S., and want a free option? Download the push notification app Pushbullet on your phone. Then select Pushbullet as your action app and Send a Note for your action event and fill in the details you want in your notification. You’ll then get notified whenever you get a new lead, and can look back at your older leads in Pushbullet anytime you need to follow up.

Via email

Have a detailed Facebook Lead Ad with several form fields? You might not be able to fit it all in a text message. Instead, have Zapier email you a detailed message with everything you want to know about your leads. 

Choose Email by Zapier as your action app and Send Outbound Email as your Event. Click Continue.

Now it’s time to set up your email notification. Enter the email address you want notifications to go to in the To field. Enter text for your email subject line in the Subject field. And then add text for the body of your email. When you click into any of these fields you can insert data pulled from the FBLA account you connected in your trigger step. 

Next customize the rest of the fields to get your email set up exactly the way you want it. 

Then test your action and your Zap is ready to use!

If you want to automate your follow up, you can also have Zapier email your lead directly—just select their email address from your previous Facebook step in the To field instead of writing your own.

Via team chat

If you’re working with a team, you might not need to call that new lead back right now. Someone else on your team might be free and could grab it for you. If so, have Zapier share the lead’s info to your team chat app. That way, anyone who sees the notification can jump on a call for the fastest possible follow-up.

No more opening Facebook Lead Ads every day to download yet another spreadsheet of your new contacts. With your new automated Facebook Lead Ads notifications, you’ll know as soon as anyone’s interested.

Learn more

Automate your Facebook marketing for your store, events, insurance, real estate, and more with Zapier’s other Facebook Lead Ads guides:

This article was originally published in October 2018. It was updated in September 2022 by Ellie Huizenga.