Due to the ever-changing Facebook algorithm rules, the explosion of AI bots instead of humans for ad monitoring, and more advertisers on the platform than ever, EVERY coach and course creator should have 2 Ad Accounts at a minimum.

Only having one Ad Account can be a risk due to the chance that one Ad Account is disabled unexpectedly, whether it’s due to a real policy violation or a glitch. Once your account is disabled, you might lose the ability to advertise from that account for weeks, months, or in some cases for good. 

Also, once an Ad Account is suspended that can mean that your payment method, IP, Facebook Page, or personal Facebook profile might also be flagged in Facebook’s system. Having a flag on your account can impact your ability to start another Ad Account.

If you only have one account, you need to start an additional account as soon as possible. If you have two accounts but are only using one, you need to start “warming up” the second account and using it as well.

 

You might be thinking, “ugh managing one account is hard enough, why the freak do I need two?”

Every business should have at least 2 Ad Accounts within Facebook Business Manager to hedge against any potential disablements. 

By advertising on Facebook, every business agrees to follow Facebook’s Advertising Policies, Terms of Service, and Community Guidelines. In the past, Facebook had bots monitoring for egregious violations and some employees who were monitoring ads for violations against their policies. 

Since Facebook ads have grown in popularity and COVID-19 impacted the number of employees that were available to monitor ads, Facebook has relied more and more on automation and “bots” to monitor and flag ad violations. 

This has led to a nightmare amount of false Ad Account disablements and very few employees to help repeal those undeserved flags. 

Plus, with increased scrutiny against Facebook in the media and US legislature, the number and strictness of policies and guidelines that the bots monitor has grown. 

The combination of these events has led to record-high Ad Account disablements for small businesses and a lack of information about what to do about it. 

Once an Ad Account is disabled, the appeal process can be long and incredibly frustrating. Facebook representatives are difficult to get in touch with and rarely can give you details about WHY your account was disabled and WHAT to do to get it reinstated. Also, there is mixed information about what to do when this happens, what Facebook assets are affected (page, Pixel, etc), and how to get ads back up and running. 

That’s why we suggest that EVERY business that wants to run ads on Facebook read the policies carefully AND have at least 2 Ad Accounts.

If either of those accounts ever gets disabled, then you have a secondary account that is primed and still able to advertise as you work to get the other reinstated. 

 

Wait, I can have more than ONE Ad Account??

Yes, you absolutely can! 

Let’s break down what YOU as a business owner have access to in Facebook Tools:

• Your personal Facebook profile (this is the way how you log in to Facebook)
• A Business Manager (Every personal profile can have 2 Business Managers)

• An Ad Account (Every Business Manager usually can have 3-5 Ad Accounts. Each Ad Account can only be OWNED by one Business Manager but can be accessed by up to 25 Business Managers.)

• Your Business Facebook and Instagram Pages (you can attach your pages to multiple Business Managers and Ad Accounts)

   

So while you can typically have up to 5 Ad Accounts, we are suggesting that each business has 2 at a minimum. 

Each new Ad Account will have a “warm-up” period where you are limited to a certain amount of ad spend per day before your campaigns will automatically be paused. Typically new Ad Accounts are stuck at a $50 spending limit to start. 

The only way to have this spending limit removed is to continue advertising according to policy and showing that your business and payment method are legitimate. 

Typically this process of warming up a new Ad Account can last anywhere from a few weeks to a month. This is why we suggest having at least 2 Ad Accounts warmed up as soon as possible so you aren’t limited during times you WANT to be spending more. 

Starting your first Ad Account can take a bit for the first time, so we have the information below to get started now. Click here to jump to this section. 

And then the second section is how to start your secondary account. Click here to jump to this section. 

The last section is all about additional steps you should take to protect your ability to advertise in the event of Ad Account disablement. Click here to jump to this section.

A Facebook Pixel (Each Business Manager can have up to 100 Pixels that you can attach to multiple Ad Accounts)

Many industry leaders speculate this is part of the ongoing effort to fight the effects of iOS14. 

Facebook is looking to counter some of the data loss that occurred when Apple gave users the option to opt-out of pixel tracking from Facebook and other advertising platforms.

Now, the system has less data to work with to decide which users to show which ads.

So in an effort to help Facebook’s system detect better targeting options, Facebook has made audience expansion mandatory in conversion campaigns.

Getting Started with Your First Ad Account

To start your first Ad Account, DO NOT just use your Facebook Page to go to Ads Manager and run ads from there. Every business needs to first start a Facebook Business Manager account. 

While this adds an extra step, you’ll thank us later for setting your business up for success from the beginning. 

Umm.. why do I need a Business Manager? 

Because just running ads from your personal account or from your Facebook Page without a Business Manager can lead to your personal account being flagged if you ever have your Ad Account disabled. Plus, this can cause account security problems (sharing passwords with a team member or VA or agency) instead of using the tiered permission options that Business Manager will give you. 

Alright, enough chat. Let’s set this puppy up…

 

How to Set-Up a Business Manager Account

In order to start a Business Manager Account, you have to have a personal Facebook account and we suggest already having a Facebook Page to attach it. 

To create a Business Manager:

1. Go to business.facebook.com/overview.
2. Click Create Account.
3. Enter a name for your business, your name, and your work email address, and click Next.
4. Enter your business details and click Submit.

 

How to Set-Up Your First Ad Account

 

Now that you have created your Business Manager, (whoop whoop), now you need to create an Ad Account. Most new Business Manager accounts can create up to 3 Ad Accounts, let’s start with one. 

1. Go to Business Settings.

2. Click Accounts from the left side menu. Then, click Ad Accounts.
3. Click the blue Add dropdown menu.
4. Choose “Create a new Ad Account.”
5. Give your Ad Account a name (usually the name of your business)
6. Select the time zone of your business.
7. Select the currency you’d like to view your reports in.
8. Click “Next”.
9. Click “My Business”.
10. Click “Create”.
11. Add yourself with full permissions to this Ad Account by toggling each setting

 

How to Set-Up Your Payment Method

 

You will need to set up a way to pay for advertising by adding payment information. 

Facebook is sensitive to fraud and will pause campaigns if this payment method fails for whatever reason. (I.e. you travel and your bank put a hold on your account, etc.) 

Make sure to use a dependable method of payment in order to avoid an account shutdown during a launch. 

1. Open Business Settings again.
2. Click Payments.
3. Click + Add.
4. Enter your payment information.
5. Click Continue, then follow the instructions to add your payment method.
6. You can use Debit, Credit, PayPal, or Online Banking.

 

How to Add Your Pages + Pixels + People to Your Ad Account

Now that you’ve got your account all squared away, now it’s time to start attaching your Facebook accounts to this new Business Manager.

Note: In order to add a Facebook Page to your Business Manager account, you must be the owner of that Facebook Page.

To add a Facebook Page to your Business Manager:

1. Go to Business Settings. It looks like a gear icon in your sidebar.
2. In the Business Assets section, click Accounts. Then, click Pages.
3. Click Add in the dropdown menu.
4. Select Add a Page.
5. Enter the Facebook Page name or URL.
6. Click Add Page. 

Business Manager is that cool that you can also manage your Instagram account at the same time as managing your Facebook Page. This also allows you to show ads via Facebook and Instagram without additional effort.

To add an Instagram Page to your Business Manager:

1. Go to Business Settings.
2. Click Accounts.
3. Click Instagram Accounts.
4. Click + Add.
5. Enter your Instagram username and password. Click Next.
6. Select the Ad Account you created and your Facebook Pages you’d like to assign and click Next.

Now we need to connect your Facebook Pixel to this Business Manager and Ad Account. If you don’t have a Pixel, follow the steps on this link.

To add a Pixel to your Business Manager:

1. Go to Business Settings.
2. Click “Data Sources”.
3. Click your Pixel.
4. Click “Ad Assets”.
5. Click “Ad Accounts”.
6. Click on your Ad Account.
7. Click “Add”.

Once you’ve created all the tools to start, now let’s bring on the workers!

It’s best practice to add a backup login for yourself in case you ever get locked out of your Business Manager. You will do this by adding a secondary email address that you have as an Admin to your Business Manager.

 

This is also the time to add any employees, contractors, or VAs that may need access to your Ad Account or Facebook Page.

 

To add People to your Business Manager:

1. Open Business Settings.
2. Below Users, click People.
3. Select the person you want to give access to.
4. Click Add Assets and select Pages.
5. Select the Page you’d like to share access to. Toggle on the tasks you’d like to grant to the person. Or, toggle on admin access to allow them to manage the asset and perform all available tasks.

    

6. Click Save Changes.

 

Now you can get started warming up your new account, click here to jump to the section about warming up a new account

 

Getting Start with Your Second Ad Account

As mentioned above, you can have up to 3-5 Ad Accounts per Business Manager so let’s get started on creating your second one. 

 

How to create a new Ad Account:

1. Go to Business Settings.
2. Click Accounts from the left side menu. Then, click Ad Accounts.
3. Click the blue Add dropdown menu.
4. Choose one of the 3 options: Add an Ad Account, Request Access to an Ad Account or Create a new Ad Account.
5. Once you click “Create new Ad Account” you will go through similar prompts as to when you created your first Ad Account.
6. Give your second Ad Account a different name than your first Ad Account so you can tell the difference between your two accounts
7. Select the time zone of your business
8. Select the currency you’d like to report in
9. Click “Next”
10. Click “My Business” 
11. Click “Create”
12. Add yourself with full permissions to this Ad Account by toggling each setting

Now, this is where things are DIFFERENT than the first time you set up your first Ad Account. You need to give this secondary Ad Account a DIFFERENT payment method than the first account. 

Payment methods can be flagged in an Ad Account disablement so you will want to keep these Ad Accounts as separate as possible within Facebook’s guidelines. 

Also, remember Facebook is sensitive to fraud and will pause campaigns if this payment method fails for whatever reason. (I.e. you travel and your bank put a hold on your account, etc.) Make sure to use a dependable method of payment in order to avoid an account shutdown during a launch. 

 

How to create a secondary payment method:

1. Open Business Settings again.

    

2. Click Payments.

    

3. Click + Add.

    

4. Enter your payment information.
5. Click Continue, then follow the instructions to add your payment method to your secondary Ad Account.

    

6. You can use Debit, Credit, PayPal, or Online Banking

 

Finally, you’ll need to add your main Facebook Pixel to your new secondary Ad Account. 

 

How to add your main Pixel to your Ad Account: 

1. Go to Business Settings.
2. Click “Data Sources”.
3. Click your Pixel.
4. Click “Ad Assets”.
5. Click “Ad Accounts”.
6. Click on your Secondary Ad Account.
7. Click “Add”.

Great job! Now you’re ready to start warming up your new ad account!

Wait… shouldn’t I also create a secondary pixel too?

Well, the answer is complicated and the short answer so far is we don’t know if having two pixels is worth the effort. So at this point, we suggest sticking with one pixel unless you are at a higher risk of Ad Account disablement that would affect your Pixel too due to the nature of your ads. 

The longer, nerdy version: 

While creating a secondary Pixel can help hedge against data loss from an Ad Account disablement that affects the Pixel, there are still some questions about how Pixel tracking is affected by iOS14. At this point, we don’t suggest creating and installing 2 Pixels unless you are at higher risk of Ad Account disablement due to the nature of your ads. 

Facebook’s Aggregated Event Measurement is a protocol that allows for the measurement of web and app events from people using iOS 14.5 or later devices. This Facebook protocol limits the number of events that will be passed to Facebook ad tracking from iOS14 devices. 

You will only have 8 events that can be used to optimize your ads. If you optimize your ads for events that you haven’t selected in the Aggregated Event Measurement system, your ads won’t deliver to or report conversions from people who opted-out of the ATT prompt in their Facebook or Instagram apps on that iOS 14.5 or later device. 

Having 2 Pixels can further limit the number of events since each event will be counted twice, once per Pixel. At this point, we don’t have a definite answer as to whether the benefit of having two Pixels is worth the cost of tracking events. 

For more information on iOS14 and the impacts to Ad Tracking, click here.

How to Warm-Up a New Ad Account

Now that you have a brand new Ad Account, now it’s time to warm it up to remove any ad spend limits that may affect your goals. 

Typically, every new Ad Account will have a daily spend limit that once you hit it, your campaigns will automatically pause until the next day. This limit can vary but usually, it’s around $50 per day. 

Facebook limits new unverified, unproven Ad Accounts to protect their users from fraud, scammers, or shady businesses. But that means all Ad Accounts get restrictions when they first start. 

The best way to warm-up Ad Account is to start a “video view” or “engagement” campaign with very compliant, safe copy and creative for a few weeks. Target a few different audience segments that are relevant to your business and could be used for retargeting. 

This type of campaign keeps Facebook users on Facebook (which Facebook likes) and it verifies that your payment method is valid. Keep your ad spend under the daily limit and don’t touch the campaigns for at least 3-5 days. 

Editing and re-editing campaigns can raise flags for new campaigns as does starting and stopping campaigns often. 

The main goal of the warm-up phase is to show Facebook that you’re a legitimate business with a real payment method and that you’re not sketchy. 

Once you’ve run your campaign for a week or two and you no longer have a daily spend cap, you can start running conversion campaigns instead of engagement campaigns. 

Make sure that your copy and creative is as in line with Ad Policies as possible since any ad disapproval, in the beginning, can be detrimental to the health of your Ad Account. 

Once you’ve established a longer history of advertising on Facebook, the occasional ad disapproval won’t have as much impact. 

NOTE: There are no hard and fast guidelines to this warming up phase and no mention of it on Facebook’s Help Center. But after warming up so many new client Ad Accounts, this seems to be the best way to warm up a new Ad Account as efficiently as possible.

How to Run Both Ad Accounts for Success

Just setting up or warming up a secondary Ad Account isn’t enough if you don’t continue to use both Ad Accounts. Letting an Ad Account sit empty without using it can actually hurt the health of that Ad Account and eventually, Facebook might just close it after non-use. 

While running the same campaigns in both Ad Accounts is totally possible, you may end up bidding on the same audience against yourself. Plus, you would be adding extra work to your reporting by having to combine the data from both accounts. 

Here are a few other ideas of how to your desired campaigns between Ad Accounts to keep both of them operational and healthy:

• Designate one Ad Account as more top-of-funnel campaigns (like engagement, video views, clicks, lead magnets, etc) and the other Ad Account as sales and retargeting campaigns.
• Designate one Ad Account for one product or course and use the other Ad Account for a different product or course.
• Designate one Ad Account for your evergreen campaigns and use the other Ad Account for your launch-related campaigns.
  

The most important part is to keep campaigns live on both Ad Accounts at all times even if it’s only a few dollars per day on an engagement campaign. 

What to Do if One of Your Ad Accounts are Disabled by Mistake

If your Ad Account has been disabled, you can visit Account Quality to find out more information and request another review.

Note: You must be an admin on the Ad Account you want to appeal.

1. Go to Account Quality. If your Ad Account has been disabled, you’ll see a What You Can Do section.
2. Click the Request Review button.
3. Follow the on-screen steps to submit a review.
4. Then go to https://www.facebook.com/business/help/support  and scroll until it says, “Need help with advertising?” and click “Contact Advertising Support” (Available during EST business hours)
5. You will then need to select the Ad Account that was disabled and click through until you are able to Chat with a Representative. 
6. You will then be able to chat with a representative to find more information on the status of your appeal/review. 
7. You can also email them as well, but chat is preferred. 
8. Be persistent. You may need to follow up multiple times to finally get more information or your account reinstated.
9. Do not give up contacting them until they give you a final decision that your account is disabled for good. 
10. If you stop following up, after a few weeks your Ad Account may be permanently deleted. 
11. Follow what Facebook representatives tell you in regards to starting a new Ad Account or starting a new Business Manager. 

While this process can be long, frustrating, and full of waiting, you can get your account reinstated in most cases. So don’t give up!

Two other options to try and reinstate your Ad Account:

1. If you think your Ad Account was disabled because you violated a policy or standard, request an Ad Account review by filling out this form.
2. If you think your Ad Account was disabled by mistake, provide Facebook with detailed information by filling out this form.

If allowed by the Facebook representative you are communicating with on your case and your Ad Account is disabled per a final decision, you can start another Ad Account under your same Business Manager Account. You can then start to warm up this Ad Account to regain your ad momentum that was lost from the disablement.

What If You’ve Lost Your Ad Account for Good?

If you’ve lost your Ad Account due to a final decision with Facebook and they’ve advised you to NOT start a new Ad Account or Business Manager, you may need to take additional steps to advertise again. 

 

If your Business Manager has been disabled, you can also follow these steps as well. 

Entrepreneur.com advises the following protocol to advertise again for your business:

1. Choose a business partner, trusted friend, colleague, or family member willing to work with you and that has a Facebook personal profile.
2. Go to the person’s house (so you’re on a different IP address).
3. Have the person open up a brand new business manager account under their personal profile (since your personal profile may have a flag against it. Do not start another personal profile for yourself to start one yourself. This is against Facebook’s policies could get you banned from Facebook altogether.)
4. Set up a new Ad Account in the new Business Manager.
5. Set up a new Facebook business page or in some cases, you may be able to add your Facebook Page to this Ad Account if the Page is in good standing.
   
6. Get a new type of payment, such as a new credit or debit card. (Your previous payment method from the previous Ad Account may be flagged).
7. Have them make you an admin on the new page and account so you have full administrative privileges with a new email address that wasn’t associated with the previous Ad Account or your personal profile. 

You might even need to run ads to landing pages that are on a different domain than you were previously.

Want More Tips on How to Keep Your Ad Account Happy and Healthy?

You should check out our Ultimate Guide to Maintaining a Facebook Account that details all of the tips and tricks we use to keep our accounts and our clients’ accounts as operational and healthy as possible. 

All in one 30+ page guide. 

Get it for free here: https://tools.badassmarketingmoms.com/ultimate-guide