What is A Facebook Ad Account?
A Facebook ad account is your control center for creating, managing, and measuring ad campaigns across Facebook’s family of apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network.
A Facebook ad account acts as a control room for advertising that contains:
- Payment methods: This is where you add your credit card or other payment information to fund your advertising campaigns.
- Account settings: Here, you can manage settings like account name, time zone, currency, and user permissions.
- Ad account users: These users include anyone you've granted access to - like team members, advertisers, or agencies who help manage your ads.
- Ad account roles: Different roles (admin, advertiser, analyst) determine what level of access each user has. Admins have complete control, advertisers can create and manage ads, and analysts can view performance data without making changes.
- Campaign assets: This includes your campaigns, ad sets, ads, audiences, and creative assets.
Why Do You Need A Facebook Ad Account
You need a Facebook ad account because it’s the only way to run, manage, and track ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. Here’s why having a Facebook ad account is necessary:
- Reach: Meta platforms have billions of active users. Facebook and Instagram have over 5 billion active users combined. That is a lot of potential customers
- Campaign Management: All your ads, budgets, audiences, and performance data are stored in one place. Without an ad account, you can’t even launch a paid campaign.
- Targeting options: Meta's advertising platform offers incredibly detailed targeting options, allowing you to reach the right people based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more.
- Budget & Payment Control: Your ad account is linked to a billing method, so you can set daily or lifetime budgets, control spending, and get invoices for tracking ad costs.
- Measurable results: Meta’s robust analytics tools allow you to track exactly how your ads are performing. You can get detailed analytics on impressions, clicks, conversions, etc. This helps you optimize your strategy based on real data
- Multi-platform advertising: With a single Meta ad account, you can create ads that appear across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network, significantly expanding your reach without additional account setups.
- Scaling Your Business: A Facebook ad account provides the ability to test ads, scale what works, and run multiple campaigns at once.
Two Types of Facebook Ad Accounts
Facebook ad accounts are classified into 2 main types: personal ad accounts and business ad accounts. Choosing the right type of account can create a big impactable on your daily workflow. Let’s explore the two main types:
Personal Ad Account:
This ad account is the default account that comes with your personal Facebook profile when you sign up for Facebook. This account is designed for individuals or small businesses just getting started with Facebook advertising.
Characteristics:
- Directly linked to your personal Facebook profile
- Limited to a single ad account per person
- Relying on payment history, the spending limits can increase over time.
- Suitable for small-scale advertising efforts
- Easier to set up and manage for beginners
Business Ad Account:
This ad account is part of the Facebook Business Manager platform that is created in Meta Business Suite or Business Manager. This ad account is designed for businesses and agencies with high scalability.
Characteristics:
- Ability to manage multiple ad accounts under one Business Manager
- Allows team collaboration with different permission levels
- Better for agencies managing multiple clients
- More strong reporting and analytics tools
- Can separate business assets from personal profiles
- Required for advanced features like custom audiences and detailed targeting
- Better security and account recovery options
Which Should You Choose?
If you run ads for your own business for simple campaigns or you are new to Facebook advertising, you just need one ad account. In contrast, move to Business Manager when you need to manage ads for multiple clients, team collaboration, or require advanced features.
How To Make A Personal Facebook Ad Account
A personal Facebook Ad account is a good starting point for individuals and small business owners who want to start promoting their products or services on the social media platform. Now, let’s see the step-by-step process to make a Personal Facebook ad account:
Access Facebook Ads Manager
First of all, log in to your personal Facebook account.
Navigate to facebook.com/adsmanager or search "Ads Manager" in the Facebook search bar and click on “Ads Manager" from the results. And click on “Ads Manager” to access to Ads Manager Dashboard.
If this is your first time, Facebook will prompt you to create an ad account
2. Set Up Your Ad Account Information
Next on the Ads Manager dashboard, hover your mouse and click on Billing & Payment to set up some basic information about your advertising:
- Business Name: Enter your business name exactly as you want it to appear. If you don't have a registered business, you can use your personal name.
- Your Name: This should match your legal name for verification purposes.
- Business Address: Provide your business address or personal address if you're operating as a sole proprietor.
- Time Zone and Currency: Choose the time zone where your business operates and your preferred currency. This can't be changed later, so choose carefully.
- Payment Method: Facebook requires a payment method before running ads. You can choose to add: Credit or debit card, PayPal account, Bank account (in some countries)
After finishing setting up your ad account information, your Personal Facebook ad account is ready to create advertising campaigns on Facebook.
How To Make A Business Facebook Ad Account
Setting up your business ad account also takes just a few minutes, but doing it correctly from the start will save you time and help ensure your ads comply with Facebook's business policies.
Set Up A Meta Business Portfolio
Before creating a business Facebook ad account, you must set up a Meta Business Portfolio. This overall name houses all your business assets on Meta platforms. Here's how to get started:
- Go to Meta Business Suite by following this link: business.facebook.com. Then, click on the ‘Create a Business Portfolio’ button.
- Enter your details, like your business name, name, and email address, to set up your account. Your Business Portfolio will be your central hub for managing key business assets like Pages and ad accounts. Click ‘Submit’ afterward.
- After submitting, Facebook will send you an email that contains a link. When you click on the link, you will be redirected to the Settings page of your new business portfolio.
Create A New Ad Account
Normally, for a new business portfolio, you can create only 1 ad account at first. However, after you have run some campaigns and complied with the Facebook advertising policies, you are able to create more ad accounts. To create a new ad account:
- In the Business Portfolio, go to ‘Ad accounts’ under the ‘Accounts’ section. Tap ‘+Add’ to add a new ad account.
- Select the ‘Create a new ad account’ option.
- Assign a name to your ad account, select the appropriate time zone, and choose your preferred currency. Be sure to select the correct time zone and currency. These settings cannot be changed later without closing the account and starting a new one. Tap ‘Next’ when done.
- Indicate who you are using this ad account for, be it your business, another business, or a client. Then, click ‘Next.’
- Accept the terms and conditions, then click ‘Create ad account.’
- You'll need to set up payment information before you can run ads. Click ‘Add payment method’ and follow the steps to add your credit card and other payment details.
- Select your business location, currency, and time zone. Next, you can add your business and tax info and a payment method like a debit or credit card, a PayPal account, or an online banking account.
Add in your payment method information, then Save. Now you have it, you have everything you need to create a Facebook ad account.
Important Tips for New Facebook Advertisers
- Start with a small budget: Begin with a small daily budget ($5-$10) to learn the platform, to test your ads before scaling up your spending.
- Verify Your Domain: Adding and verifying your website domain early will give you access to additional features and better tracking.
- Complete your Facebook Page: Having a complete business page builds credibility and improves ad performance.
- Read Facebook’s Advertising Policies: Understanding the rules will help you prevent the status of Facebook ad account restrictions.
- Use Facebook Pixel: Install Facebook Pixel on your website to track conversions and optimize your ads better.
- Understand Facebook Agency Ad Accounts: If you're planning to manage ads for multiple clients or businesses, consider that Facebook Agency Ad Accounts offer enhanced features like managing multiple ad accounts, advanced reporting, and team collaboration tools.
- Account Recovery Planning: Keep your account information updated and consider having backup payment methods.
Once your account is set up, you'll have access to Facebook's powerful advertising tools and can start creating campaigns to reach your target audience effectively.
Final Thoughts
Creating a Facebook Ad Account is easy when you have all the necessary information on hand. Keep in mind that having an ad account is just the beginning. Success with Facebook advertising comes from understanding your audience, creating compelling ads, and continuously optimizing your campaigns based on performance data.
Ready to start advertising? Follow these steps, and you'll have your Facebook Ad Account ready to go in just a few minutes. Good luck with your advertising journey!