I’m seeing a new option for instant forms that could be kind of a big deal. It’s not clear whether this is a new feature rollout or simply a test.
Let’s take a look…
A New Checkbox
When creating an instant form, take a look at the fields for requesting an email address or phone number. If you have this update, you can turn off autofill.
The Autofill checkbox is only available for these two pieces of contact information. It doesn’t apply to other data that could be pulled from a user’s profile.
Why is This a Big Deal?
Autofill is both a benefit and curse of Facebook lead ads. When they were first introduced, autofill of contact information was one of the primary differentiators. By pulling this information directly from a user’s Facebook profile, it makes the completion of forms much easier. Easier form completion could mean more and cheaper leads.
But this is also a potential reason for low-quality leads, and that risk increases with time. Most people have been on Facebook for years now — even a decade or more.
It’s quite possible that the contact information found there is outdated. I’ve been on Facebook for 18 years, and I can’t tell you the last time I updated the contact info in my profile. And when forms autofill with this old information, it’s easy to miss.
So when a lead provides that 10-plus-year-old email address or phone number, it becomes more likely that your messages will go into the abyss and you won’t be able to reach them.
By providing the option of turning autofill off, you force people to manually enter this information. That can also create the potential for typos, but that’s not unique to instant forms.
An Alternative
Previously, you may have chosen to switch to website leads if you had an issue with quality. But the ability to turn off autofill means that you may not need to do that after all.
You may see your costs go up with autofill turned off. But I can’t imagine that advertisers who pay attention to lead quality will matter much, assuming the tradeoff is worthwile.
Do you have this?
