How to Safely Grant your Marketing Agency Access to your Organic Social Media Accounts
By Analiese Ross | September 24, 2024
Okay, let's be real. Giving a marketing agency access to your social media accounts can feel a little like handing over the keys to your kingdom. You want your brand to shine, but you also want to keep things safe and secure.
Don't stress! We're here to spill the tea on how to grant access safely and confidently, so you can focus on sipping that latte while your agency works its magic..
The Need-to-Knows:
Social media platforms offer different levels of access, so you can tailor what your agency can do. In some cases, simply granting "editor" or "admin" access is enough. They'll be able to create and manage content on your behalf, but won't have access to sensitive account settings or payment information. Other platforms will need your full username and password to effectively manage the account on your behalf.
For paid advertising, "ad manager" or "business manager" access is separate from direct account access.
Now before we dive in, a few preparation steps:
1. Ensure your account recovery information is accurate. This is the backend email and phone number that is linked to your account in case you lose access to the account or are hacked. The recovery information is not public and should always link back to you (the business), not your agency. Here are instructions for how to update that information on each platform:
Facebook: Go to "Settings & Privacy" > "Settings" > "Security and login."
Instagram: Go to your profile > "Settings" > "Security" > "Two-Factor Authentication" and "Account Recovery."
Twitter: Go to "Settings and Privacy" > "Security and account access" > "Security."
LinkedIn: Go to "Settings & Privacy" > "Sign in & security."
TikTok: Go to your profile > "Settings and Privacy" > "Security."
2. Update your passwords. Strong passwords are your first line of defense. Ditch "password123" (seriously!). Use a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. And please, do NOT use the same password on every platform!
3. Bonus Security Tip: You can also set up two-factor authentication (2FA) for an added layer of security. Just let your agency know you have 2FA turned on, so they can get the code from you initially. Once they're in, they can usually set up an authentication app on their end, so they won't need to bug you every time they log in!
Alright, get into the nitty-gritty! Here's how to safely grant access to your agency, broken down platform by platform.
Instagram:
Full Access: If your agency is managing all aspects of your Instagram presence, you will need to share your login credentials (username and password) with them.
Partial Access: If you only need them to handle specific tasks like running ads or viewing insights, you can grant access through Meta Business Manager. Here's how:
Go to business.facebook.com and make sure your Instagram account is connected to your Business Manager.
Click on "Business Settings" > "People and Assets" > "Partners."
Add your agency's Business Manager ID (we'll provide this to you) and assign the appropriate permissions.
FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE:
Full Access:
Log into Facebook, then click your profile photo in the top right.
Click See all Profiles, then select the Page you want to switch to.
Click your Page's profile picture in the top right to go to your Page.
Click Settings & Privacy, then click Settings, then click Page Setup on the left sidebar.
Next to Page Access, click View.
Next to People with Facebook Access, click Add New.
Click Next, type the name or email address of the person you want to give Facebook access to, then click their name.
From here, Scroll down, click on the toggle switch to allow this person to have full control (if you only want to grant partial access, you can leave this toggle off), then click Give Access.
Type your Facebook password, then click Confirm.
FACEBOOK PERSONAL PROFILE:
Full Access: If your agency is managing your personal brand and posting on your personal profile, you will need to share your login credentials (username and password) with them.
tiktok:
Full Access: Unfortunately, there are no admin options for a TikTok profile so if your agency is managing all aspects of your TikTok presence (creating and posting videos, engaging with comments, etc.), you will need to share your login credentials (username and password) with them.
LINKEDIN BUSINESS PAGE:
Full Access:
Login to your LinkedIn
Go to your Page super admin view.
Click Settings in the left menu and select Manage Admins.
Click the Page Admins or Paid Media Admins tab.
Click the Add Admin button.
Enter the name of the member, associated employee, or advertiser you’d like to add in the Search for a Member field.
Select the admin’s name from the list that appears.
Select the required admin role. Only one page admin role can be assigned per person, but more than one paid media admin role can be assigned. Paid media admin roles can be granted without an associated Campaign Manager ads account.
Click Save.
LINKEDIN PERSONAL PROFILE:
Full Access: If your agency is managing your personal brand and posting on your personal profile, you will need to share your login credentials (username and password) with them.
YOUTUBE:
Full or Partial Access:
First, make sure your YouTube channel is categorized as a Brand Account. To check if you have a Brand Account already, sign in to your YouTube, then go to https://myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts. If your account is not listed under “Your Brand Accounts”, then you will need to switch it to a Brand Account. Click here for a video with instructions on how to do so.
Once you have a Brand Account, then you can grant your agency permissions:
Go to studio.youtube.com
On the left-hand side, click Settings.
Click Permissions.
Click Invite and enter the email address of the person you'd like to invite.
Click Access and choose the role you'd like to assign.
Click Manager for full access
Click Editor or Viewer for partial access
Click Done.
PINTEREST:
Full or Partial Access:
Go to pinterest.com and make sure you're logged in.
Click on the downward-pointing arrow in the top-right corner.
From the dropdown menu, select Business Manager.
In the left-side navigation panel, click on Employees.
Select the Add Employee option.
You will be prompted to specify the role you wish to assign to the individual you're adding.
Choose Admin to grant full access.
Choose Editor to grant partial access.
Enter your agency’s email.
To finalize the process, click Add Employees.
Remember, when in doubt, grant lower permissions initially. You can always adjust access levels later if needed — your agency will tell you if they don’t have access to the things they need. Trust is essential when working with a marketing agency. You need a team you can rely on to keep your information safe and act in your brand's best interest.
At AMR Digital, we prioritize transparency, security, and open communication. We want you to feel confident handing over the keys to your social media kingdom, knowing we'll treat it with the utmost care and respect. We're here to collaborate with you, not just execute tasks. Together, we'll craft a strategy that helps you achieve your goals and allows you to focus on what you do best – running your business!
Ready to see the difference a trusted partner can make? Let's chat! Click here to schedule a free consultation today!