Meta Ads & Lead Generation for LockedIN HQ

LockedIN HQ, a platform designed to connect athletes with brands for endorsement opportunities, sought to accelerate their lead generation process and boost brand awareness through targeted Meta (formerly Facebook) Ads. With a goal of acquiring a highly engaged audience of athletes and brands, we aimed to drive not only brand awareness but also high conversion rates while optimizing the cost-per-lead (CPL) over the course of four weeks.

As a growing platform, LockedIN HQ needed to increase its exposure to a relevant audience of athletes and brands that would benefit from its services. The primary challenges were:

Low Initial Brand Awareness: LockedIN HQ had a limited presence and needed a strategy to build recognition and trust in the market.

Cost-Effective Lead Generation: With a budget in mind, the platform needed an optimized strategy to ensure high-quality leads while keeping the cost per lead (CPL) as low as possible.

Audience Targeting: Identifying the right audience segments to ensure the ads reached athletes and brands most likely to convert.

To ensure effective lead generation, we began by diving deep into audience research. Using Meta's audience insights tools, we segmented the target audience into distinct categories:

Athletes: Both professional and aspiring athletes who could benefit from brand endorsement opportunities.

Brands: Companies in the sports, fitness, and wellness industries interested in athlete endorsements.

Referrals: Individuals who could act as influencers or connect brands with athletes.

We also used custom audiences to retarget website visitors and engaged users, as well as lookalike audiences based on existing contacts, ensuring we reached a broader audience that resembled our high-quality leads.

To build both brand awareness and drive conversions, we crafted compelling ad creatives with strong calls-to-action (CTAs) that spoke directly to our target audience’s needs. This included:

Carousel Ads: Showcasing athlete success stories and brand endorsements.

Video Ads: Featuring testimonials from athletes who had successfully connected with brands through LockedIN HQ.

Lead Form Ads: Allowing athletes and brands to quickly submit their details to join the platform, ensuring seamless lead capture.

We used dynamic ad copy tailored to different audience segments to speak directly to their specific needs, whether they were looking to secure endorsements or find athletes to promote their products.

We ran a combination of brand awareness and conversion-oriented campaigns:

Top of Funnel (TOF): We focused on generating interest through awareness campaigns, using video ads and carousel formats. The goal was to inform the audience about LockedIN HQ’s value proposition and the benefits of connecting athletes with brands.

Middle of Funnel (MOF): Retargeting people who engaged with the awareness campaigns but hadn't signed up. We showed them more detailed information about how the platform works, its success stories, and how to get involved.

Bottom of Funnel (BOF): Highly targeted ads aimed at users who had visited the site or engaged with previous ads. These ads included clear CTAs like "Join Now" or "Get Started Today" with direct lead forms for faster conversion.

One of the key strategies for achieving high conversion rates and optimizing CPL was continuous A/B testing:

Ad Copy and Creatives: We tested different ad headlines, images, and video lengths to determine which performed best.

Audience Targeting: We tested various audience segments, including age, interests, and behaviors, to identify the highest-converting groups.

Landing Page Optimization: We made sure the landing page where leads were directed was optimized for conversions with fast load times, clear CTAs, and an easy-to-navigate form.

We continuously monitored and analyzed ad performance to refine targeting, adjust budgets, and scale the campaigns that were working best.

Over the course of 4 weeks, our Meta Ads campaign for LockedIN HQ generated over 600 high-quality leads, while optimizing CPL and ensuring significant brand awareness growth.

Lead Generation: We successfully captured 600+ leads, consisting primarily of athletes and brands interested in connecting for endorsement opportunities.

Brand Awareness: The awareness campaigns reached over 50,000 people, significantly increasing LockedIN HQ’s visibility within the sports and brand marketing space.

CPL Optimization: By continuously optimizing targeting, creatives, and bidding strategies, we reduced the CPL by 35%, ensuring that the campaign stayed within budget while maximizing results.

Conversion Rate: We saw a 20% conversion rate from leads generated through Meta Ads, with a high percentage of sign-ups completing the registration process and engaging with the platform.

Engagement: Video and carousel ads received high engagement rates, with a 30% increase in interactions compared to static image ads.

Targeting Is Key: Meta’s powerful audience segmentation and targeting tools were instrumental in ensuring that our ads reached the most relevant audience—athletes and brands.

Continuous Optimization: By running constant A/B tests, we ensured that the ads were consistently optimized for the best performance, keeping the CPL low while driving conversions.

Effective Funnel Strategy: Combining awareness, middle, and bottom-of-funnel campaigns allowed us to guide users through the entire journey—from learning about LockedIN HQ to becoming active users of the platform.

The Meta Ads campaign for LockedIN HQ proved to be a major success, generating significant brand awareness and high-quality leads within a short timeframe. By leveraging Meta’s ad platform and continuously optimizing for performance, we were able to achieve remarkable results while staying within budget. The success of this campaign has laid a strong foundation for future lead-generation efforts, with continued refinement in targeting and creative strategies.

LockedIN HQ is now poised for sustained growth with a continually expanding database of engaged leads, and a scalable strategy that will keep delivering long-term success.