Lead capture automations
What happens when a Facebook lead reaches Plutio
Every time someone submits a lead form on Facebook or Instagram, Zapier picks up the lead data and pushes the contact details to Plutio within seconds. The lead's name, email, phone number, and any custom form answers become a new contact in Plutio, and you can add follow-up tasks, tag the contact, or trigger additional workflows from there.
Auto-create contacts
New leads arrive as Plutio contacts with all form fields mapped: name, email, phone, and custom questions. CSV exports, copy-pasting from Ads Manager, and the delay between someone filling out a form and actually seeing them in Plutio all go away.
Assign follow-up tasks
Zapier can create a task in Plutio alongside the new contact, so the follow-up shows up in your task board immediately. Set a due date of "today" to make sure no lead sits uncontacted overnight.
Send proposals faster
Once a lead arrives as a Plutio contact, you can send a proposal directly from Plutio using the contact's details. The proposal pulls in the client's name and email automatically, which means you can respond with pricing within minutes of the lead coming in.
Route leads by campaign
Running multiple Facebook ad campaigns (one for web design, another for brand strategy) means each lead type needs different follow-up. Create separate Zapier workflows for each campaign. Web design leads get a "web" label and brand strategy leads get a "brand" label, so you can filter and prioritize from your contact list.
Tag and segment contacts
Map custom form answers to Plutio contact tags. A question like "What's your budget?" on the lead form can become a tag in Plutio, so you can sort leads by budget range and prioritize high-value prospects first.
Track lead-to-client conversion
Because every lead starts as a Plutio contact and every project links back to that contact, you can see which Facebook campaigns produce clients that actually pay invoices, not just leads that fill out forms.
How do I auto-create Plutio contacts from Facebook leads?
Create a Zapier workflow with Facebook Lead Ads as the trigger and Plutio as the action. Every time someone submits your lead form, Zapier creates a new contact in Plutio with the lead's name, email, phone, and custom form answers.
The most important part of this setup is speed. Businesses that respond within 5 minutes are 100x more likely to connect with a lead. Respond under 1 minute and the chance of booking jumps by 391%. Without automation, the average response time is 42 hours because someone has to log into Ads Manager, export a CSV, and type each lead into a CRM by hand.
With the Zapier connection, the new contact appears in Plutio right when the lead taps Submit. Zapier's "New Lead" trigger is an instant trigger, which means the workflow fires in real time rather than checking on a schedule. The lead data arrives in Plutio within seconds, not minutes or hours.
The speed advantage matters most for service businesses. A photographer who responds to a wedding inquiry within 5 minutes is far more likely to book the client than one who follows up the next day from a spreadsheet export.
What fields map from Facebook to Plutio
- Full name maps to the Plutio contact name field
- Email address maps to the contact email, ready for proposals and invoices
- Phone number maps to the contact phone field for quick follow-up calls
- Custom questions (budget, project type, timeline) map to Plutio contact notes or custom fields
- Form name and campaign can map to tags for sorting leads by source
How do I route leads from different campaigns to separate projects?
Create one Zapier workflow per Facebook ad campaign, or use Zapier's Paths feature to route leads based on form name, campaign, or a custom question answer.
Zapier lets you add filter steps to a workflow. A filter checks the lead's form name or a custom field value and only continues if the condition matches. You can set up a filter that says "only run if the form name contains web design" and create a separate workflow with "only run if the form name contains consulting."
Alternatively, you can use a single Zapier workflow with a Paths step (available on Professional plans). Paths work like a decision tree: Zapier checks which condition matches and follows the corresponding branch. The first branch creates the contact and adds a "web" label, the second adds a "consulting" label, and each one can assign the lead to a different project.
Routing leads by campaign lets you measure which ad campaigns produce paying clients, not just form fills. When 30% of web design leads turn into paid projects and only 10% of consulting leads do, you know where to spend more on ads.
Routing options
- By form name works when you use different lead forms for different services
- By custom question works when a single form asks "What service are you interested in?"
- By ad set or campaign name works when you run separate campaigns per service
- By budget answer lets you prioritize high-value leads and assign follow-ups to senior team members
How do I connect Plutio to Facebook Lead Ads?
Use Zapier to connect Plutio and Facebook Lead Ads. Choose "New Lead" as the trigger event in Facebook Lead Ads, choose "Create Contact" as the action in Plutio, map the form fields, and activate the workflow.
Before connecting, you need a Facebook page with at least one active or recent Lead Ad campaign. Zapier pulls a recent lead to test the workflow, so there needs to be at least one submission to work with. You also need a Plutio account and a paid Zapier plan (Professional or higher), since Facebook Lead Ads is a premium Zapier app.
Step by step
- Step 1: Log into Zapier and create a new workflow. Choose "Facebook Lead Ads" as the trigger app and "New Lead" as the trigger event.
- Step 2: Connect your Facebook account when Zapier asks. Select the Facebook page and the specific lead form you want to watch.
- Step 3: Choose "Plutio" as the action app and "Create Contact" as the action event. Connect your Plutio account.
- Step 4: Map each Facebook Lead Ads field (name, email, phone, custom questions) to the corresponding Plutio contact field.
- Step 5: Test the workflow with a real lead submission, then activate. New leads now sync to Plutio instantly.
Tip: Test with a real form submission, not Zapier's sample data. Submit a test lead through your actual Facebook ad, then check that all fields arrive correctly in Plutio before activating the workflow for production use.
How much does Plutio + Facebook Lead Ads + Zapier cost?
Facebook Lead Ads forms are free to create, but you pay for ad delivery. Zapier requires a paid plan because Facebook Lead Ads is classified as a premium app. Plutio starts at $19/month after a 14-day free trial.
Facebook Lead Ads pricing
Creating lead forms costs nothing. You pay for ad impressions or clicks, which varies by audience, industry, and competition. The average cost per lead across all industries is $27.66, though service businesses like photographers and consultants often see lower costs in the $10-20 range because their audiences are more specific. Facebook Lead Ads also cost less than half of what Google Ads charge per lead on average.
Zapier pricing
Facebook Lead Ads is a premium Zapier app, so the free Zapier plan won't work for this integration. You need Zapier Professional at $29.99/month (or $19.99/month billed annually), which includes 750 workflow runs per month and multi-step workflows. The "New Lead" trigger fires instantly, so leads arrive in Plutio in real time regardless of plan tier.
Plutio pricing
Plutio offers a 14-day free trial with access to all features. After the trial, Core plan costs $19/month (up to 9 active clients, 100 GB storage). Pro plan costs $49/month (unlimited clients, 30 team contributors).
Minimum monthly cost with annual billing: $19 for Plutio Core + $19.99 for Zapier Professional + your ad budget. Start with a small daily ad spend ($5-10/day) to test the full flow before scaling up.
What if my Facebook Lead Ads sync breaks?
Check Zapier's task history first. The history log shows which leads synced successfully and which failed, along with the specific error message for each failure.
Most sync problems come from Facebook token expiration or field mapping changes. Facebook requires periodic re-authorization of Zapier's access, and editing your lead form (adding or removing questions) can break the field mapping in Zapier.
Common issues and fixes
- Facebook token expired: Re-connect your Facebook account in Zapier. Facebook tokens expire after 60 days or when you change your Facebook password. Zapier usually sends a warning email before the token expires.
- Lead form changed: If you edit your Facebook lead form (add or remove questions), update the field mapping in your Zapier workflow to match the new form structure.
- No test lead available: Zapier needs at least one recent lead submission to test the workflow. Submit a test lead through your actual ad or use Facebook's built-in Lead Ads Testing Tool in Ads Manager.
- Workflow turned off: Zapier disables workflows after repeated errors. Fix the root cause (usually expired token or changed form fields), then re-enable the workflow manually in Zapier.
Disconnecting Zapier does not delete your Plutio contacts. Everything already synced stays in Plutio permanently. Reconnect anytime and syncing resumes for new leads.
