Facebook is a tricky beast for many bloggers and entrepreneurs – and their naming conventions can add to the confusion. For example, so many people come to me with uncertainty surrounding Facebook Ads Manager and Facebook Business Manager – what is the difference? What do they do? and do you need both? Let's start by looking at them one-on-one.
What Is Facebook's Ad Manager?
Facebook Ad Manager is the tool that allows for the creation, management, and analysis of Facebook Ads. If you are planning to run Facebook Ads, then you will need to set up a Facebook Ads Manager account to run those ads.
It's true that you can run ads directly from your Facebook Page, which many refer to as “boosting.” However, running ads directly from within Ads Manger provides you with increased tools and customizations that will strengthen your Ad Campaigns.
So, What Is Facebook's Business Manager?
Facebook Business Manager is an organizational tool.
I like to think of Business Manager as a filing cabinet that organizes all the business assets: like Facebook Business Pages, Ad Accounts, Instagram Business Accounts, Payment Methods, and more.
You do not run ads from Business Manager.
You may run ads from an Ad Account within Business Manager, or an Ad Account outside of Business Manager (a personal Ad Account)
Who should use Facebook Business Manager?
The quick and easy answer here is anyone with a business should be using Business Manager. Let me explain some of the reasons why:
1. Boost your account security
Facebook Business Manager provides added security to your assets – from business pages to ad accounts.
Each of Facebook's assets has multiple permission levels so that you can bring on additional employees and/or virtual assistants to help you manage the assets without giving any person more access than they need.
You don't want to give a brand new VA admin access to your Facebook Page if they don't need it, because it opens the door to potential abuse of power.
I've worked with numerous clients who lost access to their pages and/or ad accounts after granting admin access to a person with malicious intent.
Of course, you don't want to think that anyone would try to steal your business assets, but it does happen.
Business Manager adds an extra layer of security because, even IF your VA needs admin access to the page, you can restrict them to Employee access within Business Manager. Business Manager access trumps Page access, Business Manager will prevent employees from making changes to the ownership of the assets.
Also, when you have a VA/employee separate from the business, Business Manager makes it easy to remove them from all assets at once, rather than risk missing them on an asset, leaving them open to unauthorized access.
2. Create highly targeted custom audiences
If you're running Facebook Ads, you'll want to be able to upload your email list to Facebook to create a Custom Audience.
This custom audience can be used to retarget your already warm email list with some highly-targed Facebook Ads, or you could use this list to exclude your current list from seeing future ads meant for prospecting.
You can also leverage a customer list audience to create a Lookalike audience – one of Facebook's most powerful audience features.
3. Increased Analytics with Instagram Business Accounts
Facebook has owned Instagram since 2012, and the Instagram platform allows you to choose between a personal profile and a business profile.
There are currently no cons to electing to have an Instagram Business Profile, and all businesses should be running on this type of account because of the analytics Instagram provides to it's business accounts.
In order to switch from a personal to a business account, you will need to connect your Instagram account to a Facebook Business Page within Facebook Business Manager.
If you currently have a Business Instagram Account, you likely have a Facebook Business Manager account even if you aren't using it, or aware that it exists.
4. Set up Locations using Business Manager
If you are a local business with more than one location, you'll be interested in setting up the Locations feature from within Business Manager.
This will allow each of your separate locations to have separate Facebook Pages underneath a singular Brand account.
Business using the Locations feature are able to manage all locations from one central location, and each Facebook Page includes a tab to allow fans and followers to discover other nearby locations.
5. The Sooner You Switch, The Easier It Is
If you're not familiar with Facebook Business Manager, making the switch may feel overwhelming and there will be a little bit of a learning curve. However, it's going to be much easier to do now than it will be a month or a year down the road, when you're business will have likely grown.
I've worked with clients of all sizes and all stages of business, and I promise, it's so much easier to learn Business Manager when you have a small team, a handful of pages/ad accounts, and/or locations than if you are bringing 50+ assets to the table.
Business manager is essential for your security and will help improve your organization too – so don't put it off any longer.
6. It's Free
There is no cost associated with the tool – it only takes a little bit of your time to get things set up for long-term security and success!
Facebook Business Manager: How to Get Started
Getting started is simple. Head over to business.facebook.com and check to see if you already have a Business Manager, or if you'll need to create one from scratch.
I recommend naming the Business Manager after your Business. Then add in all of your pages, ad accounts, and the people who work on your accounts. Remember to add people as “employees” unless they are trusted C-level partners.