How to Set Up Facebook Business Manager

Setting up Facebook Business Manager is one of those foundational tasks every marketer or business owner needs to tackle. This completely free tool, now called Meta Business Suite, is the central control panel for all your Facebook and Instagram marketing activities. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough to get your Business Manager set up correctly from the start.

What Exactly Is Meta Business Suite (and Why Do You Need It)?

Before we jump into the setup, let's quickly clarify what it is and why it's not optional for serious businesses. Meta Business Suite (formerly Facebook Business Manager) is a dashboard that lets you manage all of your Facebook and Instagram business assets - your Facebook Pages, Instagram profiles, Ad Accounts, Pixels, and product catalogs - all in one place.

Here’s why it’s so important:

• It keeps business separate from personal. Your personal Facebook profile is used to create and log into your Business Manager, but your colleagues and agency partners will never see your personal details. All business activity happens cleanly inside the Business Manager environment.
• It simplifies team collaboration. You can grant different people - employees, freelancers, or agencies - specific permission levels for different assets. Think of it like giving spare keys to your housecleaner and your dog walker, each gets access only to what they need, and you remain the owner.
• It provides advanced security and control. With everyone operating from a central dashboard, you can easily see who has access to what. When a person leaves your company, you can remove them in two clicks, instantly revoking their access to everything.
• It’s required for serious advertising. To unlock powerful advertising tools like the Meta Pixel, custom audience creation, and dynamic product ads, you absolutely need a Business Manager account.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Facebook Business Manager

Ready to get started? The initial setup takes about 10 minutes. Grab a coffee and follow along.

Step 1: Go to business.facebook.com/overview

Open your browser and navigate to business.facebook.com/overview. Once there, click the blue “Create an account” button in the top right corner. You’ll be prompted to log in with your personal Facebook profile to confirm your identity. Remember, this is only for login purposes, nobody will see your personal profile.

Step 2: Enter Your Business Information

Next, a pop-up window will ask for some basic details:

• Business and account name: Use your official business name here. This is what will appear across the platform.
• Your name: This should pre-fill from your Facebook profile.
• Your business email: Enter your work email address. Do not use a personal @gmail or @yahoo address here. This email is for an administrator, so it should be one you check regularly for important notifications about your account.

After filling this out, click "Submit."

Step 3: Confirm Your Email Address

Check the business email you just provided. You should find a message from Facebook with the subject line "Confirm your business email." Open it and click the "Confirm Now" button inside. That’s it! Your Business Manager… well, Meta Business Suite… account is now officially created. You’ll be redirected to your dashboard.

Adding Your Business Assets: Pages, Ad Accounts, and People

With the account created, your next job is to populate it with your assets and team members. This happens in a section called Business Settings. Think of Business Suite as your day-to-day dashboard and Business Settings as the setup wizard or engine room in the background.

You can find your Business Settings by clicking the gear icon ⚙️ in the bottom left sidebar of your Business Suite dashboard.

1. How to Add Your Facebook Page

Your Facebook Page is likely the first thing you'll want to add. In Business Settings, go to Accounts > Pages in the left-hand menu. You’ll see a blue “Add” button with a dropdown menu offering three choices:

• Add a Page: Choose this option if your business already has a Facebook Page and you are the admin. You'll just need to type in the page name or URL, and since you're already an admin through your personal profile, it will be added instantly.
• Request Access to a Page: Select this if you are an agency or contractor who needs to manage a client’s page. The page owner will receive a notification and must approve your request.
• Create a New Page: If you're starting from scratch, you can create a business page from right here inside Business Manager.

For most users, "Add a Page" is the right path.

2. How to Add Your Ad Account

Your Ad Account is where you manage your campaigns, billing, and payment methods for all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Go to Accounts > Ad Accounts in the left menu.

Similar to adding a page, click the blue "Add" button for three options:

• Add an Ad Account: Choose this if you've already been running ads through your personal Facebook profile. You'll need the Ad Account ID, which claims ownership and moves it permanently into your Business Manager. Note: This action is irreversible.
• Request Access to an Ad Account: The option for agencies and freelancers to gain advertising permissions on a client's account without owning it.
• Create a New Ad Account: This is the most common option for new businesses. Click this to set up a fresh ad account inside your Business Manager. You’ll need to enter your business name, time zone, and currency.

Once your ad account is created or added, don't forget to set up your payment method under the Ad Account Settings > Payment Settings section.

3. How to Connect Your Instagram Account

Connecting your Instagram account lets you manage comments, DMs, and run ads across both platforms. In the left menu of Business Settings, go to Accounts > Instagram Accounts and click "Add."

Click "Connect Your Instagram Account." A pop-up will appear prompting you to log in with your Instagram credentials. Make sure your Instagram account has been converted into a Business or Creator account first - you can do this in the Instagram app settings.

4. How to Add People and Assign Permissions

This is where the real collaborative power of Business Manager comes alive. You can add your team and delegate tasks without sharing login credentials or making everyone a full Facebook friend.

Adding Team Members

Go to Users > People and click the blue "Add" button.

1. Enter their email address: Use their work email. You can add multiple people at once.
2. Assign Business Role: You have two choices.
   • Employee access (recommended): This is the standard setting. Users can only work on the specific assets you assign to them.
   • Admin access: Full control. Admins can add or remove people, change settings, and delete the entire Business Manager. Only grant this to people who absolutely need it, like a co-owner.
3. Click "Next."

Assigning Access to Assets

After you click "Next," a new screen appears where you'll tell Facebook which tools and assets this new person can use.

1. In the left column, select an asset type, like "Pages."
2. In the center column, select the specific asset you want to assign, like "Your Business Facebook Page."
3. In the right column, turn on the specific task permissions for that asset. For a Page, you might grant someone the ability to "Create content" but not "View Page revenue." For an Ad Account, you might give "Manage campaigns" access.
4. Repeat this process for your Ad Accounts, Instagram Profiles, Catalogs, and Pixels.
5. When you’re finished, click "Invite." The person will receive an email invitation to join your Business Manager.

5. Consider Adding Partners (For Agencies/Freelancers)

If you're working with an outside agency or a social media management company, don't add them under "People." Instead, use the Users > Partners section.

This allows your partner agency to access your assets through their own Business Manager account, which is a cleaner and more professional way to collaborate. They will give you their Business Manager ID, and you can grant them access to your Pages and Ad Accounts without them becoming a user inside your account.

Important Next Steps for a Healthy Account

Once you've structured your account, there are a few final housekeeping items to keep it secure and powerful.

• Set Up the Meta Pixel: Even if you aren't running ads yet, install the Meta Pixel on your website. This snippet of code tracks visitor activity, which is priceless for understanding your audience and for retargeting later on. Find it under Data Sources > Pixels.
• Turn On Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Security is paramount. Go to the Business Info tab and set the 2FA option under Business Options to "Required for everyone." This single step dramatically reduces the risk of unauthorized access.
• Verify Your Business: In the Business Info tab, you may see an option to "Start Verification." Submitting your business documents to Meta proves you're a legitimate entity, which can help unlock certain features and improve your account's standing and stability.

Final Thoughts

Going through the steps to set up Meta Business Manager properly is a one-time investment that pays off immensely. It provides a secure, organized, and scalable foundation for all your social marketing efforts, letting you collaborate effectively and grow your brand with confidence.

Once you have this back-end infrastructure in place, the focus shifts to creating, planning, and scheduling great content. This is a point of friction for many teams, especially with older tools that make simple tasks feel complicated. We built Postbase specifically to solve that problem. While Business Manager organizes your assets, we streamline your actual workflow, giving you a beautiful visual calendar, hassle-free scheduling for video and Reels, and a unified inbox that brings all your conversations together. It's the modern front-end to complement your newly organized back-end.