How to Capture Leads and Convert Them to Clients

Leads are the lifeblood of your event business. But if leads come in through your website, social media, ads, and referrals - and end up in different inboxes, spreadsheets, and sticky notes - you are going to lose some of them. And every lost lead is lost revenue.

Ripluo's lead capture tools funnel every inquiry into your CRM automatically, with full tracking of where they came from and a clear path to converting them into paying clients. This tutorial covers the full lead lifecycle: capture, source tracking, conversion to contact, and conversion to opportunity.

Note: Lead capture and conversion are part of Ripluo's CRM, available on the Pro plan ($49.99/mo).

Step 1: Embed Lead Capture Forms on Your Website

From the CRM sidebar, click Leads and then "Lead Forms." Create a new form with the fields you want to collect:

• Name - Always include first and last name
• Email - Required for follow-up
• Phone - Optional but useful for high-intent leads
• Event Type - Dropdown with your service types (wedding, corporate, nonprofit, etc.)
• Event Date - When they are planning their event
• Message - Free-text field for them to describe what they need
• Budget Range - Optional dropdown to pre-qualify leads

Once your form is built, click "Embed Code" to get a piece of code you can paste into your website. The form works on any screen size and matches your branding settings.

Step 2: Connect Google and Facebook Ads

Running ads to drive event inquiries? Ripluo integrates with Google Ads and Facebook Ads so leads generated from your campaigns flow directly into your CRM.

For Google Ads:

1. Set your ad's landing page to a page with your Ripluo lead form embedded
2. Ripluo automatically captures the Google Ads tracking info and associates it with the lead
3. The lead appears in your CRM with "Google Ads" as the source

For Facebook Ads:

1. Use your Ripluo form link as the destination in your ad
2. Ripluo captures the Facebook Ads tracking info and associates it with the lead
3. The lead appears in your CRM with "Facebook Ads" as the source

This integration means you can track exactly which ad campaigns are generating leads - and more importantly, which are generating leads that actually convert to booked events.

Step 3: Track Lead Sources with Tracking Links

Beyond ads, you can track any traffic source using tracking links. When someone clicks a tagged link and lands on your lead form, Ripluo captures:

• utm_source - Where the traffic came from (google, facebook, instagram, email-newsletter)
• utm_medium - The marketing medium (cpc, social, email, referral)
• utm_campaign - The specific campaign (spring-wedding-promo, corporate-q4-push)

This data appears on the lead record and in your reporting. Over time, you build a clear picture of which marketing channels drive the most - and the best - leads for your event business.

Step 4: Convert a Lead to a Contact

When a lead is qualified - you have had a conversation, they are serious, and they fit your ideal client profile - you convert them to a contact in your CRM.

Open the lead record and click "Convert to Contact." Ripluo creates a full contact record with all the information from the lead form already populated. No re-entering data, no copy-pasting from one screen to another.

The lead record is marked as converted and linked to the new contact, so you always have a trail of how the relationship started.

Step 5: Create an Opportunity from a Lead

For leads that are ready for your sales pipeline, you can create an opportunity directly from the lead record. Click "Create Opportunity" and a new pipeline card is generated with the lead's information pre-filled - contact, event type, expected date, and estimated value.

The opportunity appears on your pipeline board at the stage you choose (usually "New Inquiry" or "Consultation"). From there, you work the deal through your pipeline stages as covered in the sales pipeline tutorial.

You can also convert a lead to a contact AND create an opportunity at the same time - one click, two records created.

Step 6: Manage and Qualify Your Leads

Not every lead is ready for your pipeline. The leads dashboard lets you review, qualify, and organize incoming inquiries:

• Filter by source - See leads from your website, Google Ads, Facebook, or other channels
• Filter by status - New, Contacted, Qualified, Converted, Lost
• Sort by date - Newest leads first, so you respond quickly
• Add notes - Jot down what you learned in your initial outreach

Speed matters with leads. The faster you respond, the more likely you are to book the event. Having all leads in one dashboard - instead of scattered across email, Facebook Messenger, and website contact forms - means nothing sits unanswered.

Get Started

Lead capture and conversion are part of Ripluo's CRM on the Pro plan ($49.99/mo). Create your Ripluo account to explore the free event planning tools, then upgrade to Pro to start capturing leads directly into your CRM. Every lead that enters your pipeline is a potential booked event - and Ripluo makes sure none of them slip through the cracks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Ripluo lead forms without running ads?

Yes. Lead forms work independently of any ad platform. You can embed them on your website, share the form link in emails, post it on social media, or include it in your email signature. Ads integration is an optional addition.

Does Ripluo replace Google Analytics?

No. Ripluo's lead source tracking is focused on attributing leads to sources within your CRM. For full website analytics (traffic, page views, bounce rates), you should still use Google Analytics or a similar tool. Ripluo tells you where your leads came from; analytics tells you how your entire site is performing.

What happens to leads I do not convert?

Leads you choose not to convert can be marked as Lost with a reason. They remain in your database for reference but are filtered out of your active leads view. You can always revisit them later if circumstances change.

Can I set up notifications for new leads?

Yes. Ripluo can notify you via email when a new lead comes in, so you can respond quickly. Configure notification preferences in your CRM settings.