Facebook is testing a new ad unit called Lead Ads, which enable users to fill out forms on mobile with a few taps of the finger.

A Facebook spokesperson tells WebProNews in an email, “Until now, filling out forms on mobile has been tedious. Lead ads allows people to avoid a lot of the pain points, like having to leave one app and start a form in another app, and having to enter all of their information from scratch. Just a few taps and people are done.”

As you can see from the image, it’s basically a three-step process for the user, and even the third step is simply completing the action.

The ads automatically populate contact information like email addresses that users have already given Facebook. Some of the ads let people sign up for things like newsletters, price estimates, follow-calls and business info. They use a native signup flow within Facebook.

As the company explains in a post on its business blog, “Like our other ad formats, we’ve built this ad type with privacy in mind. People can edit their contact information, and information isn’t sent to the business until a person clicks the ‘submit’ button. Advertisers may only use this information in accordance with their privacy policies, which we make available in the lead ad before people click submit. Advertisers are also restricted from re-selling lead information to third parties.”

The ads could go a long way in increasing conversions because Facebook’s right. Forms, particularly on mobile, can be a pretty big pain in the butt, and the less the user has to do, the more likely they are to go through with the action you’re seeking from them.

For now, the testing of the new format is only limited to a small group of businesses, but in various parts of the world. It’s unclear when the company might expand the test.

Image via Facebook