How to Set Up Facebook Ads Manager

Ready to move beyond the “Boost Post” button and unlock the real power of Facebook advertising? You’re in the right place. Properly setting up Facebook Ads Manager is the vital first step toward creating effective campaigns that find new customers, drive sales, and grow your brand. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from setting up the foundation in Meta Business Suite to connecting your assets and understanding the basic layout, so you can start advertising with confidence.

What Exactly is Facebook Ads Manager?

Think of Facebook Ads Manager as the mission control for all your advertising on Meta's platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and its Audience Network. While boosting a post from your Page is simple, it offers very limited targeting and optimization options. Ads Manager gives you granular control over every aspect of your campaigns.

Inside Ads Manager, you can:

• Choose advanced campaign objectives (like lead generation or store traffic).
• Craft detailed target audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
• Set specific budgets and schedules.
• Design creative and compelling ads in various formats (video, carousel, collection, etc.).
• Track performance with in-depth analytics and generate reports.

Essentially, if you're serious about getting a return on your ad spend, you need to use Ads Manager. Let's get it set up.

Step 1: Create a Meta Business Suite (formerly Business Manager) Account

Before you can get into Ads Manager, you need a home for all your business assets. That home is the Meta Business Suite. It’s a central hub that organizes your Facebook Pages, Instagram Accounts, Ad Accounts, and more. Even if you’re a one-person shop, this is a non-negotiable step for advertising professionally. It separates your personal profile from your business activities, which is better for both privacy and organization.

Here’s how to create your Business Suite account:

1. Navigate to business.facebook.com.
2. Click the blue "Create an account" button. You'll need to be logged into your personal Facebook profile to do this, but again, your personal information won't be shared with your business colleagues or on your business page.
3. Enter your business name, your name, and your work email address. Choose the email you want to receive business notifications at. Click "Submit".
4. Check your email for a confirmation link from Facebook. Click it to verify your account, and you're in!

Congratulations, you now have a professional container for your business assets. The next step is to start filling it up.

Step 2: Connect Your Core Business Assets

With your Business Suite created, it's time to connect the pieces that make your business run. We'll be working inside the "Business Settings" area. You can usually find a gear icon on the bottom left menu to get there.

Add Your Facebook Page

You need to link your Facebook Business Page to the Business Suite so you can run ads from it.

• In Business Settings, navigate to Accounts >, Pages on the left-hand menu.
• Click the blue "Add" button.
• You’ll see three options:
  • Add a Page: Choose this if you are already the admin of the page. You’ll just type the page name and claim it instantly.
  • Request Access to a Page: Choose this if you are an agency or contractor who needs to run ads for a client's page. The page owner will have to approve your request.
  • Create a New Page: If you're starting from scratch, you can build a new page directly from here.

For most users, "Add a Page" is the right choice. Once added, you'll see it listed in your Pages section.

Add Your Instagram Account

If you plan to run ads on Instagram (and you should!), you need to connect your account here.

• In Business Settings, go to Accounts >, Instagram Accounts on the left-hand menu.
• Click the blue "Add" button, then click "Connect Your Instagram Account."
• A pop-up will appear asking you to log into Instagram. Enter your username and password.

Quick tip: For a seamless connection and full advertising features, make sure your Instagram account has been converted to a Business or Creator Account. You can do this in the settings of the Instagram app itself.

Create Your Ad Account

The Ad Account is where the magic happens. It’s the specific account that will house your campaigns, billing information, and performance data. You can have multiple ad accounts in one Business Suite, but most small businesses only need one.

• In Business Settings, head to Accounts >, Ad Accounts.
• Click the blue "Add" button. Again, you will have three options. Since this is your first time, you'll likely choose "Create a New Ad Account."
• A window will pop up asking for a few important details:
  • Ad Account Name: Make it clear and easy to identify (e.g., "[Your Business Name] Ad Account").
  • Time Zone: Set this to your local time zone. Your ad reporting and scheduling will be based on this.
  • Currency: Set this to the currency you want to be billed in.

Pay close attention here! You cannot change the time zone and currency once the ad account is created. Double-check that they are correct before proceeding. Finally, it will ask if this ad account is for your business or for another business/client. Select your business and click "Create."

Step 3: Set Up a Payment Method

Facebook needs a way to charge you for the ads you run. Adding a payment method is a final, critical step before you can launch a campaign. After creating your ad account in the step above, a box will likely pop up prompting you to add payment info. If not, follow these steps:

1. In Business Settings, right under "Ad Accounts," click on "Open in Ads Manager" for the ad account you just created.
2. Once Ads Manager loads, click the “hamburger” menu icon (All Tools) in the top left. Select “Billing & Payments.”
3. On the next page, click "Payment Settings" on the left.
4. Click the "Add Payment Method" button and enter your credit card, debit card, or PayPal information.

Your ad account is now funded and ready for action.

Step 4: Grant Access to Team Members or Partners (Optional)

If you have employees, a co-founder, or an agency who will be helping you with ads, this is where you give them access without sharing your personal Facebook login credentials.

• In Business Settings, go to Users >, People. Click "Add" to invite someone via email.
• You'll then assign them "Task access" or "Admin access." Task access is usually sufficient for employees, as it allows you to assign them to specific assets.
• On the next screen, you’ll select which assets you want them to work on. Select your Facebook Page and Ad Account, and toggle on the specific permissions they need (e.g., "Create & manage campaigns").

This process keeps your account secure and gives you full control over who can do what.

Step 5: Install the Meta Pixel

While not strictly required to *run* an ad, the Meta Pixel (now technically part of a "Dataset") is essential for running *successful* ads. It’s a small piece of code you install on your website that tracks visitor activity. It allows you to see how your ads translate into real-world actions, like purchases or sign-ups.

The Pixel powers three game-changing features:

1. Conversion Tracking: You can see which ads lead to sales.
2. Optimization: Facebook’s algorithm learns what type of user converts on your site and starts showing your ads to similar people.
3. Retargeting: You can create audiences of people who visited your site (or a specific page) and show them follow-up ads.

Here’s how to find it:

• In your main Business Suite menu (the "All Tools" hamburger icon), find and click "Events Manager."
• On the left, click the green plus icon to "Connect Data Sources" and select "Web."
• You’ll be prompted to name your Pixel. Call it "[Your Business Name] Pixel."
• Next, it will ask for your website URL. Enter it to check for easy setup options.
• Facebook makes installation quite easy, offering a few paths:
  • Partner Integrations: If you use a platform like Shopify, Wix, or WordPress, you can often add the Pixel with just a few clicks without touching any code.
  • Manually Add Code: If you're comfortable with your website's backend, you can copy and paste the Pixel code into the <,head>, section of your site.
  • Email Instructions to a Developer: Send the setup guide and code directly to your web developer.

Setting this up from day one will give you a massive advantage and much better data to work with.

A Quick Tour of Ads Manager

You’re all set up! Now, when you go to `facebook.com/adsmanager`, you’ll see the main dashboard. It can look a little intimidating at first, but it's organized logically into three tiers:

• Campaigns: The highest level where you set your overall objective (e.g., drive traffic, generate leads, get sales).
• Ad Sets: The middle level where you define your audience, budget, schedule, and ad placements (e.g., Instagram Stories, Facebook Feed).
• Ads: The final level where you upload your ad creative (your images, videos, and text).

When you’re ready, you’ll click the green “+ Create” button to build your first campaign and the Ads Manager will guide you through the process at each of these three levels.

Final Thoughts

Setting up your Facebook Ads Manager correctly provides the groundwork for an effective advertising strategy that moves your business forward. By organizing your assets in Business Suite, connecting your accounts, and installing the Pixel, you have the structure you need to launch, manage, and analyze high-performing campaigns.

And while a great paid ad strategy is powerful, it always performs better when backed by a consistent, engaging organic social presence. I've found that when an ad brings someone to your profile, having great content waiting for them builds trust and increases the chance they'll follow or buy. That’s why we built Postbase, to make the organic side of things easier. We designed it as a clean, modern tool that simplifies planning and scheduling content across all your key platforms, so your brand story is always strong and cohesive - the perfect foundation to support your paid advertising efforts.