When special ad categories apply
Meta requires advertisers to declare a special ad category when ads relate to housing, employment, credit or other financial products, or social issues, elections and politics. Declaring it limits targeting: age, gender and ZIP code targeting are restricted, some detailed targeting options are removed, and lookalike audiences are replaced by a more limited option.
This catches some B2B advertisers by surprise. A recruiting agency, a lender to small businesses or a property management company may fall into a category even though they sell to businesses. LinkedIn has its own advertising policies for similar areas.
A provider should ask about this at the start, because a campaign set up in the wrong category can be rejected or restricted. Whether an offer falls in a category is ultimately your call, ideally checked with your own counsel.
How a social campaign runs from week to week
Once campaigns are live, the routine settles into a pattern.
At the start of each week the manager checks delivery. Are ad sets spending, or stuck in learning? Has anything been rejected? Did lead form submissions reach the CRM, and does the count match what the platform reports?
Midweek is about creative. Frequency is checked against each audience. Ads whose click rate is sliding while frequency climbs are marked for replacement, and new variations go into the queue.
Toward the end of the week, budgets are rebalanced between ad sets if one is clearly doing better on cost per lead and lead quality, as judged by the feedback you give on the leads themselves.
Changes go into a short log you can read, and the monthly summary pulls the threads together.
Who owns the business portfolio and ad accounts
On Meta, your Facebook Page, Instagram account, ad account, pixel and customer lists live in a business portfolio, which Meta used to call Business Manager. That portfolio should belong to your business, with at least two people from your company as admins. A provider is added as a partner with the permissions it needs.
On LinkedIn, the Campaign Manager ad account and Company Page should likewise be yours, with the provider added as a user at a chosen role.
If a provider builds everything inside its own portfolio, the pixel history, audiences and lead form data may not come with you when you leave. Settle ownership in writing before setup starts, and keep billing on your own payment method.
Questions about paid social campaigns
Should I use Meta or LinkedIn?
It depends on your buyer. LinkedIn targets by job title, seniority, company size and industry, which suits offers aimed at specific roles, and clicks usually cost more. Meta reaches business owners in their personal feeds and relies on interests, website visitors and customer lists. Many advertisers test one before adding the other.
What is the difference between a lead form and a landing page?
A native lead form opens inside Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and is often prefilled, so it is quick to submit. A landing page sends people to your site, where more drop off but those who finish have read more. Many advertisers test both. See landing pages and forms.
Can I upload my customer list for targeting?
Both Meta and LinkedIn accept customer lists and hash the data before matching. You need the right to use that data for advertising under your own privacy policy and any consent you collected. Lists also help exclude existing customers from prospecting ads, so they see fewer offers they do not need.
Send your request with a work email and a few notes about the campaigns you have in mind.
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Search ads
Ads that show when people search for what you sell. Includes search term checks, negative keywords and budget pacing on a regular schedule.
Landing page tests
Two versions of a page run against each other once there is enough traffic, with changes logged so you can see what moved.
Tracking and CRM
Measurement and lead handling set up around the tools you already use, with access kept in your name.