Over the past few years, running paid traffic on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram has become increasingly challenging. Rising ad costs, stricter compliance rules, and ad fatigue have left many businesses questioning whether Meta ads can still deliver a profitable return.
The answer is yes. The key is to stop chasing low-intent leads and start generating inbound call leads through a pay-per-call advertising model. This shift is transforming how businesses use Meta ads and proving to be one of the most effective ways to acquire customers at scale.
The Problem With Traditional Facebook Lead Generation
For years, the standard lead generation funnel has looked like this:
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Run an ad on Facebook or Instagram
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Drive traffic to a landing page
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Collect form submissions
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Have a sales team call the leads later
The problem is that form fills are rarely ready to buy. Sales teams waste time chasing down unqualified or unresponsive leads, while ad budgets burn on clicks that never convert. This creates frustration, high customer acquisition costs, and unpredictable growth.
Why Pay-Per-Call Advertising Works Better
Pay-per-call advertising flips the model on its head. Instead of generating cold form fills, Meta ads are designed to drive inbound phone calls from people actively looking for a solution. Businesses only pay for calls that meet specific quality criteria, such as lasting longer than 90 seconds.
This ensures every marketing dollar goes toward live conversations with motivated prospects. For sales teams, it means more time closing deals and less time chasing ghosts.
Real Results From a Healthcare Campaign
To see the power of this approach, consider a two-month Meta ad campaign we ran for a company selling continuous glucose monitors. The strategy focused on high-quality inbound call leads through Facebook and Instagram ads, combined with creative testing to find top-performing messages.
Here are the results:
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21 inbound intakes per day on average
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100,162 total calls generated
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57,559 qualified calls over 90 seconds (only these were billed)
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$216 average cost per acquisition
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$324,500 in total ad spend managed
Each new intake brought in approximately $350 in upfront revenue plus $100 in recurring monthly revenue, making this campaign not only profitable but highly scalable.
The Role of AI and Creative Testing
Success with pay-per-call advertising does not come from luck. We leveraged AI to assist in building ad creatives, but the true advantage came from extensive testing and optimization. By split testing different hooks, visuals, and messaging, we identified the winners and scaled them aggressively, all while maintaining quality and compliance on Meta.
Why Pay-Per-Call Is the Future of Meta Advertising
Meta ads are not dead. They are evolving. Businesses that continue relying on outdated lead forms will keep struggling with high costs and low conversions. On the other hand, companies that adopt a pay-per-call model are seeing stronger ROI, happier sales teams, and predictable growth.
For industries where conversations matter such as healthcare, financial services, and home improvement, inbound call leads generated through Meta ads are quickly becoming the most powerful customer acquisition strategy available.