Governance
Campaign Manager vs Business Manager for LinkedIn Ads
Deciding between Campaign Manager alone and Business Manager changes how access is controlled, not just how ads are built.
Is this your situation?
You are setting up a LinkedIn ad account and deciding whether Campaign Manager alone is enough or whether Business Manager should sit above it. You want to know who can add people, share accounts with partners, and keep control if someone leaves.
Where teams go wrong
- Treating Campaign Manager as permanent If an ad account has been claimed or added to Business Manager, user access must be managed through Business Manager instead.Why it happens: Teams set up access early without planning for Business Manager later.
- No account manager redundancy LinkedIn recommends assigning more than one account manager to an ad account.Why it happens: A single account manager seems sufficient until that person is unreachable.
- Assuming partners get automatic access No ad accounts or Pages are automatically shared when a partner is added in Business Manager.Why it happens: Adding a partner looks like sharing, but sharing is a separate step.
- Forgetting new accounts join Business Manager If you create a new ad account, it won't automatically be added to Business Manager.Why it happens: You expect a new account to carry the same setup as the rest.
What good practice looks like
| Scenario | Campaign Manager alone | With Business Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Adding a user | Added through Manage access, giving access to view, edit, or create campaigns and ads. | Users can be added at scale across multiple ad accounts. |
| Working with partners | Not stated by LinkedIn | Partnerships let organizations share ad accounts and Pages with each other at scale. |
| Managing billing | Billing admin adds or changes the card from the ad account's Billing page. | Monthly invoicing can be viewed and managed centrally for ad accounts. |
| Scaling access | Not stated by LinkedIn | Up to 1,000 ad accounts can be added to one Business Manager. |
How LinkedIn handles this
- If an ad account has been claimed or added to Business Manager, user access must be managed through Business Manager instead of Campaign Manager.
- Users added to ad accounts can see their access from both Business Manager and the ad account in Campaign Manager.
- Adding ad accounts to Business Manager lets you share Matched Audiences, allow lists, and block lists across ad accounts.
- If you create a new ad account, it will not automatically be added to Business Manager.
Before you start
- Confirm who created the ad account The person who creates an ad account is automatically assigned as the billing admin.Verify: Check who holds the billing admin role on the account.
- Check whether the account is claimed If claimed or added to Business Manager, access must be managed through Business Manager.Verify: Review the account's Business Manager status before adding users.
- Count current account managers LinkedIn recommends assigning more than one account manager to an ad account.Verify: List everyone with the account manager role today.
- Check partner sharing status Adding a partner does not automatically share any ad accounts or Pages.Verify: Review the Partner page for what has actually been shared.
Which scenario is yours?
- Does your business run one ad account with no agencies or partners involved? Users can be added to the ad account in Campaign Manager to view, edit, or create campaigns and ads.
- Does your business work with agencies or share accounts across business units? Business Manager partnerships allow organizations to share ad accounts and Pages with each other at scale.
- Does your business manage many ad accounts and need central oversight? Adding ad accounts to Business Manager allows central viewing and management of who has access.
- Has your ad account already been claimed into Business Manager? User access must then be managed through Business Manager instead of Campaign Manager.
Keeping this working over time
- Review who holds the billing admin role, since every ad account must have a billing admin.
- Check the Partner page to view how many ad accounts and Pages have been shared with each partner.
- Assign more than one account manager so access does not rest with a single person.
If control is already lost — Recover a LinkedIn Account Held by a Former Employee or Agency
Keeping track of who has access
Choosing between Campaign Manager and Business Manager is a decision about how access is structured across people and time. You want a view of roles, billing, and partner sharing that does not depend on which interface you happen to open. Delvia gives a clearer view of who holds which role across accounts, independent of either interface. That view supports the same oversight this page describes, kept current as people and accounts change.
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