Scale the Right Way: The Set Up Our Agencies Use To Manage 1000s of Meta (Facebook & Instagram) Clients

Whether you want to run Facebook ads, manage an Instagram shop catalogue, or create content for Facebook pages, you only need one Meta Business Portfolio account. But how you do it for multiple Meta clients is an entirely different story.

Ask any agency owner, and they’ll say onboarding Meta clients to nurture a long-lasting relationship requires a series of correct decisions—one wrong step, and the client will find another agency. 

But that other agency could be YOU. 

I interviewed successful agency owners about their Meta client strategies and best practices. They shared their insights on onboarding clients to Meta Business, managing multiple accounts, and keeping clients happy.

I’ve put it all together in this step-by-step guide on managing Meta clients at scale, including a process for setting up a Meta Business account correctly. So, all you need to do is follow the steps from this guide as a checklist while onboarding new Meta clients. 

Excited? Let’s begin by making sure your account is ready to onboard new clients.

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What you need to know before onboarding new Meta clients

Your first interaction with a client sets the tone for your entire professional relationship. So, make sure you start on the right foot by following these critical tasks before onboarding new clients: 

1. Set up your agency Meta Business Portfolio correctly

Your client has hired you to manage their Meta assets, so they naturally expect you to be a professional with a properly configured Meta Business account. While they might not directly ask to see it, you want to be ready to share your screen on multiple occasions during the onboarding process to provide clear examples.

For example, it is easier to help clients understand how to add a website as a data source in their own Meta Business dashboard than sending them lengthy text instructions over email.

However, a more important reason is that a well-organized Meta Business account helps you manage your clients effectively. For example, you may want to run tests before implementing strategies on a client account or ensure all necessary permissions and roles are assigned to team members correctly. 

Therefore, complete your account setup! Verify your website domain, add your agency's Facebook page and Instagram business account, and link them together to easily share content across different assets. From your Instagram profile, go to the Accounts Center to link Instagram and Facebook.

Go through the account verification process to get access to advanced tools such as paid ads, custom reporting, and lookalike audiences. These will help you attract new clients for your agency. Also, turn on 2FA authentication to secure your account, as it’ll store your and your client’s information. Go to Business Settings > Security Centre. 

Add another admin if you’d like to give a trusted team member (such as a co-founder) admin access. Add other team members as Users (People) and give them the necessary permissions. Don’t set it and forget it—regularly review your account settings, user permissions, and marketing assets to keep things up-to-date. 

A well-maintained Meta Business Portfolio account can help you build professional credibility, secure client and personal information, and streamline client work. 

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2. Create your ad account and set up a payment method

Once you have created your Meta Business Portfolio account, connected assets, and added team members, you should also create and connect ad accounts so it’s easier to run ads for your business.

With one Meta Business Portfolio account, you can create up to 25 ad accounts, but you won’t always get access to all of them. You may receive one, ten, or even three, depending on your account history, spending patterns, and Meta's internal policies.

These factors influence the number of ad accounts you are initially allowed to create, as Meta assesses the risk and reliability associated with your account. Don’t worry—as you build a positive track record, you may be granted access to additional ad accounts over time. One more reason for having a well-maintained Meta Business Portfolio account!

Sometimes, you may have to set up an ad account for your client.

Clients are not ad specialists, and Meta has strict ad reviewing policies, so you might come across cases of banned ad accounts. They will need your expertise to help them reinstate those ad accounts.

That’s why, by having your own ad account or setting one up for your client, you can continue running ads and delivering reports on time without waiting for the ban to be lifted. Remember that this is only for situations when you’re on a strict deadline or the banned ad account has many breaches. 

But if your client’s ad account is active, great! Request access to their active ad accounts using the third option. Unlike how many ad accounts you can have, there's no limit to how many ad accounts you can request access to. So, encourage them to claim all their ad accounts. 

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3. Have your client set up their Meta Business Portfolio

Most of the time, your clients will not have a correctly set up Meta Business Portfolio account. If Meta wasn’t their focus, they would likely have a neglected Facebook profile or Page.

As an agency owner, it might be tempting to take charge and do it for them to simplify things. But resist the temptation as doing so could make things difficult later. Make sure your clients create the account and connect the assets themselves. 

As actual owners, clients should have complete control over their assets, account safety, and the freedom to change agency access if things change. This also helps in protecting your agency for three main reasons: 

• Transfer of ownership can become complicated. 
• The client would not own their history and account data, such as Pixels or analytics data.
• If your agency gets hacked, it could also harm client accounts.  

Johannes, the co-founder of Leadsie, explains, “The agency can't create assets on behalf of the client unless they're a user in the client's business portfolio…if the client stops working with the agency and needs to transfer ownership, it's difficult to do.” 

When an agency sets up the account and links the assets to its Meta Business Manager, it owns those assets, including all the tracked data. The client does not receive the account history and data when ownership is transferred.

Johannes adds, “If the agency doesn't do that, then the client loses all that history and all the data. And if the agency gets hacked and since they own all that data, the client’s information is at risk.”

So, if your client asks you to set up their account and assets, share the risks associated with doing so. Assure them that setting up a Meta Business Portfolio account and connecting assets is easy, and you’ll guide them throughout. 

To make things dead easy, you can use Leadsie. Just share your Leadsie link requesting the access you need. Tell them to click on Create a New Business Manager, Ad Account, or other assets, and they can follow an easy step-by-step process to create these assets within their own business portfolio.

Leadsie will automatically identify missing accounts, create them, and add the assets created to the Meta Business Portfolio account so your client doesn’t have to manually add them. 

Isn’t that awesome? No more worrying about disrupting your clients’ onboarding experience because of a complicated and laborious manual setup process. Empower them to do it in seconds with Leadsie.  

Sign up for a Leadsie 14-day trial and simplify onboarding for your Meta clients.

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What to look for in your clients’ Meta Business Portfolio account (& how Leadsie simplifies it)

Review your clients’ Meta Business Portfolio account during the onboarding once they have set it up (or if they already have one). Follow this checklist and make sure your client has done these things: 

• Created a Meta Business Portfolio account. 
• Added their business Facebook page. 
• Added their Instagram business account.
• Linked Instagram and Facebook accounts. 
• Created ad accounts and added payment methods.
• Verified their website domain. 
• Connected data sources and created datasets. 

Leadsie saves you time by taking care of the above steps (except for connecting data sources). After that, all you need is one final check, which is easily achieved by having your client share their dashboard screen with you over a call. Then, you can go straight to the actual work!

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1. Create a Meta Business Portfolio account

You can help your clients create a Meta Business Portfolio account with their personal Facebook profile if they are starting from scratch. Use Leadsie to simplify account creation for them. On the Leadsie dashboard, select which assets you need access to, then share your Leadsie link with your clients. 

Clients will then select the assets (Facebook, Instagram, Ad accounts) they want to create. Leadsie will work in the background to create and connect the Meta Business Portfolio account with the requested Meta assets.

Sign up for a Leadsie 14-day trial and see how easy it is to create Meta Business Manager & ad accounts.

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2. Confirm that your client has added their Facebook page and Instagram account

Some of your clients might not have created a company Facebook page yet—help them do so. If you’re using Leadsie, simply request Facebook page access permissions and let your client create a page (and Business Portfolio) within Leadsie.

Some clients might have lost access to their Facebook page due to inactivity. In that case, it’s always a good idea to regain access rather than create a new page to maintain continuity, preserve existing followers, and avoid losing brand identity. Our team at Leadsie has found a foolproof way to regain page access, so follow the guide to help your client claim their page again.

Next, guide them through manually creating an Instagram account, switching from a personal to a business account, linking their Instagram and Facebook accounts, and claiming their Instagram on their Meta Business Portfolio.

By linking Instagram and Facebook, your clients simplify creating and sharing content. 

• Using Business Suite, you can create, plan, and cross-promote content in one dashboard. 
• With Business Manager, you can run paid ads across both platforms. 

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3. Confirm that your client has created an ad account and added a payment method

Whether or not you run ads for your client, make sure they have a correctly set up ad account and payment method so that when they’re ready to outsource ads, there’s an active ad account. You can create one by clicking the Ad Manager in your Business Portfolio sidebar.

Or request ad account assets in your Leadsie link so it also creates an ad account for your client. Using Leadsie to create an ad account is perfect for your clients because it’ll also help them add payment methods in one go.

If you’re not using Leadsie, guide your client to their Ad Manager account > Billing & Payments > Payment Settings > Payment Methods and click Add Payment Method.

Setting up an ad account and payment method can seem overwhelming at first. It's understandable to consider whether handling ad spend and running ads through your agency's account might simplify things for your client. However, this approach is strongly discouraged.

It not only adds unnecessary financial complications but also risks the security of other clients. For instance, if one of your client’s ads triggered a spam filter, your ad account could be banned, which could negatively affect other clients. Art Zabalov, founder of Art Does Ads, a PPC ad agency, says it could also cause your agency ban: 

“​​You should not collect ad spend as payment and run client ads from your ad account. Doing so leads to unnecessary financial risk when clients delay or default on their payments, fosters a lack of transparency as clients don't have direct visibility into actual costs, and can even lead to the agency's bans affecting the ad account.”  

The ideal approach is to help your client set up their ad account and payment method. This also empowers them to control their budget, retain pixel data, and gain more insights into the type of ads they want to run in the future.

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4. Confirm that your client has set up datasets correctly

Talking about retaining pixel data—it’s another reason to run ads from clients’ ad accounts. The more ads you run, the more targeted their lookalike audiences become and the better outcomes you produce. But since you’re running ads for your clients, you must collect pixel data in their accounts. 

Their data sources should be set up properly to collect pixel data. In simple terms, ensure your clients' datasets (including their website, CRM, offline store, and app) are connected as data sources and correctly collect audience data. Start by activating their Events Manager.

Then, guide them through adding different datasets. The more datasets, the better the target audience base, so encourage your client to add as many as possible.

Once they’ve added all the datasets and set up Facebook pixel (optional), ask them to test web events and confirm that data is collected properly from each source.

5. Confirm your client has verified their domain

While setting up datasets, your client should add and verify their website domain in Meta Business Portfolio to add more security and claim their brand and authority. Verifying it is even better since you’ll add it as a data source.

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How to request access to your client’s Meta assets?

Only after you’ve confirmed all these steps can you request your client assign your assets so you can start working. Don’t request access as a User but as a Partner. 

Meta also recommends getting added as a Partner if you’re an agency. The User functionality is for your client’s team members. The Partner access gives you many benefits:

Benefits of getting added as a Partner instead of a User

• Higher level of access: Partners get access to multiple assets (like Pages, Ad Accounts, Pixels, etc.) without having to request them manually, which simplifies granting access for clients. 
• Easier asset management: As a partner, your agency can manage multiple clients' assets from a centralized dashboard to streamline processes like reporting, optimization, and billing.
• Better permission allocation: As a partner, you can add team members and assign them specific roles and permissions for systematic user control.
• Analytics and reporting: Partners can set up and access cross-client reporting tools and dashboards, making comparing performance across different clients easier.

How to get added as a partner 

Using Leadsie to request access is ideal because it automatically helps you get access as a Partner. You select the assets you’d like access to and the necessary permissions you need on Leadsie, then share your customized Leadsie link with your client.

It makes life easier for your clients to do a quick review of your request, grant you permissions, and you get access right after. Isn’t that amazing? And it’s all done safely in just a few minutes! 

Using the manual method of requesting access would have been time-consuming and overwhelming for your client. They have to remember your Business Manager ID, Ad Manager ID, and email address, and also go through different assets to decide what permissions you need. 

With Leadsie, you simplify things for your client. You request permissions and select assets, so all they do is review and grant permission. And let’s not forget the background work Leadsie does to create and set up a Meta Business Portfolio account for your client. 

Sign up for a Leadsie 14-day trial and get access to your client assets in less than two minutes!

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Best practices to manage Meta clients at scale: checklist

I’ve put this together as a checklist (and a few more important things) for you to follow to manage Meta clients at scale. 

1. Automate your client onboarding process

Use Leadsie to simplify requesting access to Meta assets so you can make your onboarding call about your goals, processes, and strategies that excite your clients instead of an overwhelming process of setting up the accounts. 

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2. Always request access using the Partner functionality

Partners get more control over client asset management, team members, roles and collaboration management, and advanced reporting, which will help you build a more professional relationship with your clients. 

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3. Share only required access with team members

Only share the necessary permission and access levels with your team while assigning clients’ assets to track users well and secure clients' data. 

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4. Ask clients to add their payment method

Don’t use your own ad account or payment method to pay for your client’s ad spend, as it can lead to financial complications in the future. By encouraging them to add their own payment method, you’re setting them up for success by giving them control over their account usage, which they can manage according to their needs.

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5. Don’t run clients’ ads from your ad account

While it’s helpful in an emergency (such as when waiting for their ad account ban to lift), running client ads from your account isn’t ideal. It makes your ad account collect your client audience and pixel data, which could lead to trouble if they decide to part ways.

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6. Use Meta’s advanced reporting to share performance reports

With Partner access, you can access Meta’s advanced reporting, which helps you share daily/weekly reports with your clients. Use them to build regular communication with your clients so they know the results you’re bringing for them.

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7. Ask your clients to turn on two-factor (2FA) authentication 

2FA lets only authorized people access their accounts, which adds another layer of security to their accounts. Securing Meta Business Portfolio accounts to build trust with Meta is always a great idea.

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Onboard your Meta clients with a GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION

Your onboarding call shouldn’t be about walking them through the manual process of setting up a ‘not-so-beginner-friendly’ Meta Business Portfolio dashboard. It should be about strategies, goals, and ideas—exciting things!

But a properly set up account is non-negotiable. So, even if your client doesn’t have a Meta Business Portfolio account, just send a Leadsie link and watch Leadsie take control and create one for them. 

Leadsie helps you onboard clients seamlessly, securely, and effortlessly. It saves time and enhances efficiency, making the process smooth for you and your clients.

But don’t listen to us—get your 14-day free Leadsie trial and see the difference yourself!