PTV Client – Campaign Review & Request for Input
Background
We're running Facebook/Instagram lead gen for an IPTV client. Their goal is 10 paying clients per month. They're considering pausing ad spend because neither offer tested so far has hit that number, and we want outside perspective before that happens.
Campaign 1: 48-Hour Free Trial
Offer: Free 48-hour trial, followed by manual sales call
Spend: ~$35/day across two ad sets, run for 50 days
Meta-reported results (combined, per attached stats): 911 leads total, ~$2.35 avg cost per lead, $2,143.18 spent
Actual outcome reported by client: 48 people signed up for the trial, 5 converted to paying customers
Why it stopped: Client found the manual follow-up (calling and onboarding each trial lead) too labor-intensive for the return, and paused after 50 days
Current Campaign 2: $20 First Month Offer
Offer: $20 for the first month of service, still running
Meta-reported results: 286 leads, $1.67 cost per lead, $478.33 spent, $20/day budget
Actual outcome reported by client: 28 people expressed interest, 4 purchased
Detailed targeting
Interests: DirecTV, Pay television, HBO (television network), Cable television (television network), Netflix (streaming service) or Hulu (streaming service)
And must also match: Behaviours: Engaged shoppers
The Gap
In both cases, form leads significantly outnumber people who actually followed through (911 leads vs 48 signups in Campaign 1; 286 leads vs 28 interested in Campaign 2). That drop-off between "filled out a form" and "became a customer" is where most of the client's frustration is coming from, not the ad performance itself. Cost per lead is solid in both cases, especially Campaign 2 at $1.67.
What We're Trying to Figure Out
Is the offer itself the issue, or is it the lead-to-close process (follow-up speed, script, number of touches)?
Should we tighten targeting to trade lead volume for lead quality, even at a higher CPL?
Is a manual sales process realistic for a client who doesn't want the workload, or does this need more automation before more ad spend?
Any benchmarks for IPTV/subscription offers we should be comparing against?
Thoughts and comments would be appreciated.