Meta rolls out lead generation ad tools, AI features across family of apps

Dive Brief:

• Meta has added new lead generation ad tools, artificial intelligence-powered features and customer relationship management (CRM) partnerships across its family of apps, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Facebook and Instagram ads that click to start a WhatsApp chat will now have the lead objective feature that is already available on Messenger and Instagram direct. Select advertisers will also be able to add a Q&A flow in Ads Manager.
• Additionally, lead generation advertisers will be able to apply AI across targeting, creative, placements and budget on the Meta Advantage suite of ad automation products. The new features come as Meta focuses on strengthening AI offerings across its platforms.

Dive Insight:

Meta’s latest feature rollout looks to improve engagement with advertisers that use its family of apps to connect with potential customers and drive sales through ad products that allow customers to fill out forms, start chats and receive calls from a business. 

Broadening a feature already available on Messenger and Instagram Direct, Meta is adding a lead objective to Facebook and Instagram ads that click to start a WhatsApp chat. WhatsApp is expected to be a focus of Meta moving forward. Strong growth from the WhatsApp Business Platform has supported Meta’s recent revenue gains, per the company’s most recent earnings call.

The tech firm is also testing full campaign automation for lead generation efforts on Meta Advantage, the company’s suite of ad products focused on AI. These advertisers will be able to apply AI on multiple campaign elements — from targeting and placements to creative and budget — all at once. AI will be an investment priority for Meta in 2024 and beyond, especially as AI features for advertisers begin to earn revenue. Meta’s Advantage+ shopping campaigns reached a $10 billion revenue run rate in the latest quarter.

Meta at the same time is adding coupons to click-to-message ads on Instagram Direct, testing an instant ad format that brings together relevant advertisers and experimenting with instant forms for Facebook that draw content from advertiser websites. To better serve the leads generated through these new features, Meta has added HubSpot as its latest CRM partner and simplified its CRM integration with Zapier. Such integrations can boost campaign performance and help businesses convert leads, per a Meta study.

Meta is not alone in building new AI features for advertisers. Google this week rolled out generative AI tools for its Performance Max ad product as a beta to all U.S. customers. The launch helps advertisers generate all the assets they need for a campaign by simply providing the URL of a preferred landing page, rather than creating a range of text and image assets individually.