Hiring a marketing agency to manage your Facebook and Instagram advertising should give you more time to focus on your business, not create a new headache. But before add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio, you need to understand Meta’s structure.
Who actually owns your Meta assets?
Your Facebook Page, Instagram account, ad account, Pixel, audiences, and other assets should generally remain under your business’s control. Your agency can have the access it needs to manage them without taking ownership.
That distinction may not seem important when everything is working. It becomes very important when you switch agencies, an employee leaves, or you suddenly lose access to an ad account.
Should My Marketing Agency Own My Meta Business Portfolio?
Generally, your business should own its own Meta Business Portfolio and the assets inside it.
Your agency doesn’t need to own your Facebook Page or ad account to manage your advertising.
Instead, your business can grant the agency the appropriate permissions to work with those assets.
Think of it like giving someone a key to your office.
They need the key to do their job, but that doesn’t mean you give them the deed to the building.
Your business should ideally control:
- Meta Business Portfolio
- Facebook Page
- Instagram account
- Facebook ad account
- Meta Pixel or datasets
- Audiences
- Catalogs
- Other important business assets
Your agency can then be given access to the assets it needs.
What’s the Difference Between Ownership and Access?
This is one of the most important things for a business owner to understand.
Ownership determines which business controls an asset.
Access determines who is allowed to work with that asset.
For example, your company can own a Facebook ad account while your marketing agency has permission to create campaigns, manage ads, view reporting, and make changes.
The agency can do its job.
Your business still owns the account.
That’s the arrangement you generally want.
How To Add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio
The exact steps and terminology inside Meta can change, but the basic concept is straightforward.
Your business should have its own Meta Business Portfolio with your important assets connected to it.
Then, your marketing agency can be added as a partner and given access to the specific assets they need.
The structure should look something like:
Your Business → Your Meta Business Portfolio → Your Assets → Agency Access
Rather than:
Your Agency → Agency’s Meta Business Portfolio → Your Assets
The first structure helps keep ownership with your business while allowing your agency to manage your advertising.
What Access Does My Marketing Agency Need?
This depends on what you’re hiring the agency to do.
An agency managing paid advertising may need access to your:
- Facebook Page
- Instagram account
- Ad account
- Pixel or dataset
- Audiences
- Reporting and analytics
An agency that only handles organic social media may not need access to your ad account at all.
The goal isn’t to give your agency as much access as possible. It’s to give them the access they need to do their job.
That’s an important distinction.
What If My Agency Already Owns My Ad Account?
Don’t panic.
This is more common than many business owners realize, especially if your Facebook and Instagram advertising was set up years ago.
Before creating a new ad account, figure out what you already have.
Ask:
- Which Meta Business Portfolio owns the ad account?
- Who has admin access?
- Who owns the Facebook Page?
- Who owns the Instagram account?
- Who owns the Pixel or dataset?
- Which employees have access?
- Which agencies have access?
- Are former employees still connected?
- Are there multiple Business Portfolios?
You may discover that everything is there, but the ownership and permissions aren’t structured the way you thought.
And that’s important because creating another ad account isn’t always the solution.
We covered what to do when this happens in our previous article, Lost Access to Your Facebook Ad Account? Here’s How to Fix It.
What Happens When You Switch Marketing Agencies?
This is when ownership really matters.
If your business owns its Meta assets, changing agencies can be relatively straightforward.
You can remove the previous agency’s access and give the new agency access to the same assets.
Your business doesn’t have to start over with a new Facebook Page, ad account, Pixel, audiences, and advertising history simply because you’re changing marketing partners.
But if your previous agency owns some of those assets, the transition can become much more complicated. When the new company asks you to add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio, make sure you remove the old agency.
That’s why ownership should be established before there is a problem.
What If My Agency Set Everything Up for Me?
That’s perfectly fine.
An agency can help you create and configure your Meta Business Portfolio, ad account, Pixel, Facebook Page, Instagram connection, and other assets.
The important question is where those assets were created and who owns them.
Having your agency set something up for you doesn’t necessarily mean the agency needs to own it.
If you’re working with an agency now, it’s worth asking:
“Does my business own these assets, or does the agency?”
If nobody can give you a clear answer, it’s probably time to take a closer look.
How Can I Check Who Owns My Meta Assets?
This can be more complicated than it sounds.
Businesses often have years of history inside Meta. Former employees, previous agencies, duplicate Business Portfolios, old ad accounts, and forgotten permissions can all create confusion.
A quick audit can help you identify:
- What you own.
- Who has access.
- Which Business Portfolio controls each asset.
- Whether former employees or agencies still have access.
Knowing this information before something goes wrong can save you a lot of frustration later when you add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio.
Don’t Give Up Control Just to Give an Agency Access
Your marketing agency should have the access necessary to manage your Facebook and Instagram advertising. When you add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio, make sure they’re just partners.
That doesn’t mean they need to own your business’s digital advertising infrastructure.
Your business should remain in control of its Meta Business Portfolio and important assets. Your agency should have the permissions it needs to help you grow.
If you’re not sure how your Meta Business Portfolio is structured, Bad Rhino can help.
We’ll take a look at your Meta setup and help you understand who owns your assets, who has access, and whether there are potential issues you should know about.
Not sure who has the keys to your Meta Business Portfolio? Let’s find out.
Meta Business Portfolio Agency Access: Q&A
How do I add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio?
To add a marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio, your business should first make sure it owns the Business Portfolio and the assets the agency will manage. You can then add the agency as a partner and give it access to the appropriate assets.
Should my marketing agency own my Meta Business Portfolio?
Generally, your business should retain ownership of its Meta Business Portfolio and important assets. Your agency can have the permissions it needs to manage your advertising without owning those assets.
Can I give my agency access without giving up ownership?
Yes. You can add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio and provide access to specific assets while your business retains ownership.
What should I check before giving an agency access to Meta?
Make sure you know who owns your Business Portfolio, Facebook Page, Instagram account, ad account, Pixel or dataset, and other important assets. You should also review which employees, agencies, and partners currently have access. This is important when you add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio
What happens when I switch marketing agencies?
If your business owns the Meta assets, you can generally remove the previous agency’s access and give the new agency the permissions it needs. That’s one of the biggest reasons to add marketing agency to Meta Business Portfolio rather than having the agency own your advertising assets.
