Setting Up Facebook and Instagram Lead Ads

Connect your Facebook and Instagram accounts to capture prospective families directly from social media. Lead ads make it easy for parents to express interest without leaving the app—they just tap your ad, and their contact info flows straight into Enrollio.

Why Use Lead Ads for Childcare?

Parents scrolling Facebook or Instagram can inquire about your program in seconds. Lead ads pre-fill their contact details, so there's no typing required. You'll get more inquiries, and every lead lands in your enrollment pipeline automatically.

Set Up Your First Lead Ad Campaign

Step 1: Connect Your Facebook Account

  1. Go to Marketing > Ad Manager
  2. Click Activate Ads Manager
  3. Click Connect Facebook
  4. Select your childcare center's Facebook Page
  5. Click Get Started

[SCREENSHOT: Ad Manager activation screen showing "Connect Facebook" button]

Step 2: Create Your Lead Generation Campaign

  1. Click Create Campaign
  2. Fill in your campaign details (name, objective, etc.)
  3. Select Lead Generation as your campaign type

[SCREENSHOT: Campaign creation screen with Lead Generation option highlighted]

Step 3: Build Your Lead Form

This is the form parents see when they tap your ad. Keep it short—most parents will share their name, phone, and email if they're interested.

  1. Click Create Facebook Form
  2. Choose your form type (Instant Form recommended)
  3. Write a friendly greeting (e.g., "We'd love to show you around our center!")
  4. Map form fields to Enrollio (name, phone, email, child's age, etc.)
  5. Click Create Form

[SCREENSHOT: Lead form builder showing field mapping options]

Pro Tip: Only ask for essential info in your lead form. Name, phone, email, and child's age are usually enough. You can gather more details during the tour scheduling process.

Step 4: Design Your Ad

  1. Write your primary ad text (what parents see in their feed)
  2. Upload photos or videos of your center
  3. Add a clear call-to-action (e.g., "Schedule a Tour" or "Learn More")
  4. Click Next

[SCREENSHOT: Ad design screen showing text and media upload options]

Pro Tip: Use bright, welcoming photos of kids engaged in activities. Videos of your classrooms or playgrounds typically perform even better than static images.

Step 5: Set Your Budget and Audience

  1. Set your daily or lifetime budget
  2. Define your target audience:
    • Location (radius around your center)
    • Age range (parents with young children)
    • Interests (parenting, early childhood education, etc.)
  3. Click Next

[SCREENSHOT: Budget and audience targeting screen]

Pro Tip: Start with a 5-10 mile radius around your center and target parents aged 25-40. You can always adjust based on performance.

Step 6: Review and Publish

  1. Review all your campaign settings
  2. Click Publish > Publish Ad Now

Your ad will be submitted to Facebook for review (usually takes 24 hours). Once approved, leads will start flowing into your enrollment pipeline.

[SCREENSHOT: Review screen showing final campaign summary before publishing]

Publishing an Existing Ad

If you've created a draft ad or want to republish a previous campaign:

  1. Go to Marketing > Ad Manager
  2. Find your ad and click the 3-dot menu on the right
  3. Click Edit
  4. On the final review step, click Publish

What Happens When Someone Responds?

When a parent fills out your lead form:

  • They're added to Enrollio as a prospective family
  • They're placed in your enrollment pipeline
  • Your automations trigger (welcome texts, emails, tour invitations, etc.)
  • Your team gets notified so you can follow up quickly

Next Steps

Once your ads are running, check your Ad Manager dashboard regularly to see how they're performing. Look at cost per lead and conversion rate—these tell you if your targeting and messaging are working.

If you're not getting enough leads, try adjusting your audience or testing different photos. If you're getting lots of leads but few enrollments, your follow-up process might need attention.