As a digital marketing agency, we are always testing lead gen tools not only for our own use but also for our clients. We tested a tool called Lead Enforce, and summarized the results from a 90 day exercise. This information can benefit anyone interested in using Lead Enforce as an add on to Meta Ads.
Our Comprehensive Experience with Lead Enforce
Lead Enforce promises to help businesses tap into qualified audiences by leveraging Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn data to create highly targeted campaigns. As a marketing agency, we decided to test its capabilities to evaluate if it could improve the lead generation and audience targeting for the ads we were running for the agency. Here’s a detailed breakdown of our journey with Lead Enforce and the results we achieved.
Building Audiences with Lead Enforce
Curating High-Potential Audiences
Our first step was to create a robust and qualified source of audiences. Using Lead Enforce, we compiled lists from Facebook and Instagram pages that matched our target niche. The goal was to curate audiences with high potential for engagement and lead conversion.
Integrating with Meta Tools
After building these audiences on Lead Enforce, we integrated them into Meta. To ensure precise targeting, we disabled the Advantage Detailed Targeting feature within Meta. This allowed us to focus exclusively on the audiences curated through Lead Enforce, eliminating any algorithmic influence that might dilute the targeting.
Vetting Audience Quality
The process of audience creation was relatively straightforward. Lead Enforce allows users to filter and select pages and profiles based on various metrics, including niche relevance and activity levels. We invested significant time vetting these audiences to ensure their quality and alignment with our client’s needs.
Setting Up Ads: Leveraging Existing Data
Historical Data Utilization
We chose to run these campaigns on an account that already had substantial historical data. This account had been active for several months, generating a consistent flow of leads. By using an account with a proven track record, we aimed to give the Lead Enforce audiences the best chance to succeed.
Gradual Audience Nurturing
To warm up the audience, we started with Top-of-Funnel (TOFU) content. These campaigns included educational and value-driven posts designed to build awareness and trust. After this initial phase, we introduced our top-performing lead magnets—offers and content pieces that had previously yielded excellent results.
Conversion-Focused Ads
The strategy was to gradually nurture these audiences through engaging and relevant content before presenting them with conversion-focused ads. This approach has worked well in past campaigns, but with Lead Enforce audiences, the results were notably different.
Campaign Results: A Costly Endeavor
Financial Investment
Over the course of a month, we spent a total of $1,303 on ads. This was in addition to the quarterly Lead Enforce subscription fee of $1,197, bringing the total investment to $2,500. Despite this considerable effort and expenditure, the results were underwhelming: we ended up with only 20 leads.
High Cost Per Lead
The cost per lead was significantly higher than expected, and the leads themselves were less interested and less qualified compared to those generated through other methods. This was despite the substantial effort we put into ensuring our audience sources were well-qualified from the start.
ROI Challenges
The ROI on this investment was disappointing, especially when compared to campaigns we’ve run using Meta’s native tools or other audience targeting platforms. These results prompted us to scrutinize the effectiveness of the Lead Enforce platform more critically.
Challenges with Audience Quality
Expensive Engagement
One of the primary issues we encountered was the quality of the audiences generated by Lead Enforce. Despite our rigorous sourcing process, these audiences were:
- More expensive to engage: Ads required higher budgets to generate clicks and impressions.
- Less interested in our services: Engagement rates were lower than those seen in previous campaigns.
- Poorly qualified: Many leads did not meet our ideal customer criteria, reducing the overall effectiveness of the campaign.
Disappointing Audience Metrics
This was disappointing given the platform’s promise to deliver highly targeted and valuable audiences. The time and resources spent building these audiences did not yield the expected dividends.
Testing the LinkedIn Feature
Extracting LinkedIn Data
In addition to Facebook and Instagram audiences, we tested Lead Enforce’s LinkedIn feature. The platform allows users to download data on LinkedIn profiles that fit specific criteria. Unfortunately, the number of qualified leads we were able to extract was minimal.
Lookalike Audience Performance
To make the most of this data, we created lookalike audiences within Meta. Initially, these lookalike audiences performed surprisingly well, delivering good results for about a month. However, the performance declined rapidly due to audience fatigue, and we were unable to sustain the momentum.
Limited Scalability
While the initial success was promising, it highlighted the limitations of relying solely on extracted LinkedIn data. The small pool of qualified leads meant that the campaign could not scale effectively, and the results diminished over time.
Support and Suggested Strategies
Expanding Audience Size
When we reached out to Lead Enforce support to address these issues, their primary recommendation was to expand our audience size. This advice seemed counterintuitive to the platform’s core value proposition, which is to provide highly targeted audiences. Nevertheless, we followed their guidance and broadened the audience pool.
Results of Expanded Audiences
Unfortunately, this adjustment did not lead to significant improvements. The expanded audiences yielded mediocre results, and the campaigns continued to underperform relative to our expectations.
Support Limitations
The lack of actionable insights from support further compounded our challenges. While the team was responsive, their solutions did not align with the specific goals and challenges of our campaigns.
Lessons Learned from Lead Enforce
Key Takeaways
Based on our experience, here are the key takeaways for businesses considering Lead Enforce:
- High Costs and Limited Returns: The combination of subscription fees and ad spend made this tool an expensive option, particularly given the underwhelming results.
- Audience Quality Concerns: Despite our efforts to qualify sources, the audiences generated were less engaged and less relevant than expected.
- Inconsistent LinkedIn Performance: While the LinkedIn feature showed initial promise, its long-term effectiveness was limited due to audience fatigue.
- Support Recommendations Misaligned with Goals: Expanding audience size contradicted the logic of using a specialized tool like Lead Enforce for precision targeting.
Is Lead Enforce Worth It?
Final Verdict
For our agency, the answer is no. While the platform’s concept is appealing, the execution fell short. The high costs, combined with low lead quality and inconsistent performance, made it a poor fit for our needs.
Recommendations
For businesses considering Lead Enforce, we recommend carefully evaluating whether the tool aligns with your specific goals. If precise, high-quality targeting is your priority, you may achieve better results using Meta’s native tools or other third-party solutions.
Final Thoughts
Strategic Insights
In the fast-evolving world of digital marketing, tools like Lead Enforce must deliver consistent, high-value results to justify their costs. While our experience was less than ideal, every business’s needs and circumstances are unique.
Encouragement for Marketers
We encourage marketers to experiment cautiously, track results meticulously, and remain adaptable in their approach. The lessons we learned from this experiment have reinforced the importance of critical evaluation and strategic planning in all our campaigns.
Aligning Tools with Objectives
Ultimately, the decision to use Lead Enforce—or any similar platform—should be based on a thorough understanding of its capabilities and limitations. By aligning your tools with your objectives, you can maximize the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and drive meaningful results.
Conclusion
Lead Enforce may hold potential for businesses with unique targeting needs, but its high costs and inconsistent performance make it a challenging option for most agencies. At Remodeler Digital, we remain committed to exploring innovative tools to enhance our strategies and deliver exceptional results. If you’re looking for proven marketing solutions tailored to your business, contact us today!
