Your Guide to Onboarding Your Marketing Agency for Meta Advertising

Marketing, Social Media / By

Bringing on a marketing agency to run your Meta advertising can be one of the smartest moves for your business. When done right, Meta ads can fuel your growth by reaching a broad, targeted audience, helping you get in front of the right customers. But before your agency can start creating campaigns and driving results, you’ll need to go through a short onboarding process to provide them with the right access to your Meta Business assets. 

 

Here’s exactly what you’ll need to set up and share to kick things off smoothly. 

1. Start with Your Business Manager Account

First, make sure your business has a Meta Business Manager account. This platform keeps your business’s assets—like ad accounts, pages, the Meta Pixel, catalogs, and more—all in one place and makes it easy to manage permissions. 

 

If you don’t already have a Business Manager account, go to business.facebook.com to create one. It’s free, and it helps ensure that your agency has the structure and access they need to manage your advertising properly.

 

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key assets within Business Manager: 

 

  • Ad Accounts: Where your ad campaigns will be created and managed. 
  • Pages: Your business’s Facebook Page, which ads often link to. 
  • Pixels: Code that tracks website visitors and helps optimize ads. 
  • Catalogs: For businesses selling multiple products or services, catalogs can link products to ads, enabling a more dynamic approach. 
2. Establish Ownership of Your Business Assets

Ownership of assets like ad accounts and Pages needs to rest with your business. Confirm that: 

 

  • Your Facebook Page is listed under your Business Manager. 
  • Your Instagram account is connected (if it’s part of your advertising strategy). 
  • The Pixel and catalogs are owned by your Business Manager. 

To check ownership, go to Business Settings in your Business Manager, where you can review which assets are currently linked to your account. This step is crucial to ensure that your agency can access and manage these assets without interruptions. 

3. Invite Your Marketing Agency to Your Business Manager

Next, you’ll need to invite your agency to your Business Manager and assign them roles so they can access and manage your assets effectively. Here’s how: 

 

  • Go to Business Settings > Users > Partners. 
  • Select Add and enter your agency’s Business ID. This ID is unique to each agency, so your agency should provide it to you. 
  • From there, you can specify what roles they’ll have for each asset. For example, you might assign them as an Admin on your ad account and Editor on your Facebook Page. 

Giving your agency partner status ensures they have the flexibility to manage campaigns but does not give them complete ownership of your assets, which keeps control in your hands. 

4. Set Up Payment Methods and Billing Access

Your agency will need a way to pay for your campaigns. To streamline the billing process, link your payment method to the ad account they’ll be using. This setup prevents delays and makes it easy to manage ad spend. 

 

To add or update your payment method: 

 

  • Go to Business Settings > Payments and either add or select an existing credit card or bank account. 

In some cases, agencies may handle payment as part of a monthly billing agreement, but if you’re paying Meta directly, make sure you have your payment details sorted from the start. 

 

5. Share Access to Existing Campaigns (If Applicable)

If you’ve been running campaigns before bringing in your agency, they may need access to these campaigns for reference or to continue where you left off. 

 

In Business Settings, you can select each ad account, campaign, or pixel and grant your agency access. Sharing previous campaigns provides valuable insights into your audience’s performance and allows for a smoother transition. 

6. Manage User Permissions and Remove Previous Agencies

If your business has worked with a different agency in the past, take a moment to review the permissions set for your assets. Removing access for any previous agencies is essential for maintaining data security and clarity in your advertising approach. 

 

To remove users from your Business Manager: 

 

  • Navigate to Business Settings > Users > People or Partners, and select any outdated partners to remove their access. 

This simple step helps keep your account secure and ensures that only your new agency has access to the assets they need. 

7. Set Up Your Meta Pixel

The Meta Pixel is crucial for tracking conversions from your ads, retargeting website visitors, and building custom audiences for future ads. If you haven’t set up a Pixel yet, your agency will likely help you create one, but you’ll need to grant them access. 

 

If you already have a Pixel: 

 

  • Go to Business Settings > Data Sources > Pixels. 
  • Select the Pixel and then add your agency’s permissions under the Assign Partners tab. 

With access to your Pixel, your agency can track key performance data and optimize your campaigns based on your website visitor behaviors. 

8. Grant Access to Your Catalog

If your business sells multiple products, a product catalog helps your agency create dynamic ads that showcase a range of items. This can be especially effective in retargeting campaigns. 

 

To share your catalog: 

 

  • Go to Business Settings > Data Sources > Catalogs. 
  • Select the catalog and assign your agency as a partner. 
9. Connect Your Instagram Account

If your agency will be running Instagram ads or managing your account, connect your Instagram to your Business Manager and grant the agency access. 

 

To link Instagram: 

 

  • In Business Settings > Accounts > Instagram Accounts, add your Instagram account if it’s not connected yet. 
  • Then, select the agency and grant them the appropriate permissions. 

This access will allow them to manage Instagram ad campaigns and ensure a seamless integration between your Facebook and Instagram advertising efforts

10. Establish Brand Safety and Block Lists

Brand safety is about making sure your ads appear in places that align with your brand values. You may have specific websites, topics, or placements where you’d prefer not to display ads. Setting up brand safety controls and block lists within your Business Manager ensures that your agency can respect these preferences. 

 

You can manage brand safety settings under Business Settings > Brand Safety. Here, you can upload or create block lists, define allow lists, and establish guidelines on where your ads should appear. 

A Few Final Tips

Once you’ve set up everything, ask your agency to walk you through the next steps in their process. Setting up access is just the start—having a conversation about campaign goals, messaging, and KPIs will ensure you’re both aligned. By working together and providing the right tools and permissions, you’re empowering your agency to deliver the results you want. 

 

Ensuring that your agency has the right access is like handing over the keys to a new car—you want them to have full control to drive results without compromising your business’s security or ownership. With this checklist, you’re well on your way to a seamless and effective partnership.