Your LinkedIn Business Manager ID is an important identifier that allows you to access various tools and features for managing your LinkedIn business assets. However, the process of locating this ID is not always straightforward for users. In this article, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process to find your LinkedIn Business Manager ID.
What is the LinkedIn Business Manager?
The LinkedIn Business Manager is a free platform that allows business owners, marketers, and advertisers to efficiently manage their LinkedIn ad accounts, Pages, and other business assets in one place. Here are some of the key things you can do with LinkedIn Business Manager:
- Manage multiple LinkedIn ad accounts from a single centralized hub
- Quickly switch between the business assets you want to work on
- Collaborate with other team members by adding Users
- Keep track of assets, campaigns, and analytics in one dashboard
- Create and manage LinkedIn Pages from the same interface
Having all your LinkedIn business assets in one Business Manager makes it easier to optimize, scale, and gain insights across your LinkedIn presence. But to access the Business Manager platform, you need your unique Business Manager ID.
Why do you need the LinkedIn Business Manager ID?
Here are some key reasons why you’ll need your LinkedIn Business Manager ID:
- To login and access your Business Manager account, tools, and dashboard
- To add new ad accounts, Pages, and other assets to your Business Manager
- To give other users access to your Business Manager by adding them as Users
- To identify yourself when getting support for any issues with your Business Manager
- To merge Business Manager accounts if you have more than one
In other words, your Business Manager ID acts like a username that verifies your access and ownership of your LinkedIn business assets. Without it, you won’t be able to fully leverage the capabilities of Business Manager.
Where to find your LinkedIn Business Manager ID
If you’ve already used Business Manager in the past, here are the steps to locate your ID:
- Go to the Business Manager homepage at https://business.linkedin.com
- In the top right, click on the User avatar icon
- In the dropdown menu, select “Account settings”
- On the Account page, look for the Business Manager ID field. This is your unique ID.
However, if you’re new to LinkedIn Business Manager, you’ll have to create a Business Manager account first and then find the ID:
- Go to the Business Manager homepage at https://business.linkedin.com
- Click on “Create Account” and enter your LinkedIn login details if prompted
- Enter your business information to setup your Business Manager
- Once your account is created, follow steps 2-4 above to locate your Business Manager ID on the Account page
What does the LinkedIn Business Manager ID look like?
A LinkedIn Business Manager ID is a unique string of alphanumeric characters (both letters and numbers). It typically looks something like this:
c1ae6789Xz123AbC789X
All Business Manager IDs follow a similar format and are around 15-20 characters long. They are generated automatically by LinkedIn when you create your Business Manager account.
How to reset your LinkedIn Business Manager ID
In certain situations, you may need to reset your Business Manager ID, such as if you forget your ID and cannot log back in. Here are the steps to reset your Business Manager ID:
- Go to the Business Manager login page at https://business.linkedin.com
- Click on “Forgot Business Manager ID?” next to the login button
- Enter the email address associated with your Business Manager account
- Check your email inbox for a message from LinkedIn with your Business Manager ID
- Use the ID provided in the email to log back into your account
- Optionally, you can change or reset your ID under Account Settings
Resetting your ID via email allows you to access your account even if you forget your original Business Manager ID.
How often does the LinkedIn Business Manager ID change?
Your Business Manager ID generally does not change once it’s been assigned to your account. You’ll keep the same ID as long as you have that Business Manager account. Here are some scenarios when your ID could change:
- You manually reset it – You can optionally reset your ID under Account Settings.
- You merge Business Manager accounts – Merging accounts generates a new ID.
- Your account is closed – Deleting your Business Manager deletes the ID.
- You create a new Business Manager – Making a new account gives you a new ID.
Aside from these cases, expect your Business Manager ID to remain fixed and consistent as long as you keep the same account.
Can you use a Business Manager ID across multiple accounts?
No, a LinkedIn Business Manager ID can only be associated with one Business Manager account at a time. The ID essentially acts as the unique identifier for accessing that specific account.
You cannot use the same Business Manager ID to manage or access any other accounts. Doing so would be similar to trying to use someone else’s username to access their LinkedIn profile – it simply won’t work.
If you need to manage multiple Business Manager accounts, you would have to use the unique ID assigned to each separate account. There is no way to use a single ID universally across several accounts simultaneously.
Best practices when handling your Business Manager ID
To get the most out of LinkedIn’s Business Manager while keeping your account secure, here are some best practices to follow with your ID:
- Keep your ID private – Don’t share your ID publicly as it allows access to your assets.
- Only add trusted users – Be selective when adding User access to your Business Manager.
- Reset your ID if compromised – If your ID leaks out, reset it to prevent misuse.
- Use strong passwords – Have a complex password to prevent unauthorized logins.
- Be cautious of phishing attempts – Avoid entering your ID on suspicious sites or messages.
Following these tips will help you securely manage your Business Manager while leveraging all of its capabilities for your LinkedIn marketing and advertising.
Can you merge or separate Business Manager accounts?
Yes, LinkedIn allows you to both merge and separate Business Manager accounts if needed. Here is an overview of how to do each:
Merging Business Manager Accounts
If you have two or more Business Manager accounts that you want to consolidate into one, you can request LinkedIn to merge them. Here are the steps:
- Go to the Business Manager login page and click “Merge Accounts”
- Select the accounts you want to merge
- Choose a primary account – this will be the main account after merging
- Confirm your email and submit merge request
- LinkedIn will review and merge accounts within a few business days
Once merged, you will have one unified Business Manager containing all combined assets and ad accounts.
Separating Business Manager Accounts
If you need to split up a Business Manager into two or more separate accounts, you can also submit a request for this. The steps are:
- Go to the Business Manager login and click “Contact us”
- Select “Split Business Manager” as the topic
- Provide information on how you want accounts separated
- LinkedIn will review and split accounts within a few business days
Splitting allows you to divide up assets however you want across new separate Business Manager accounts.
Can pages and ad accounts be transferred between Business Managers?
Yes, LinkedIn allows transferring individual Pages, ad accounts, and other assets between different Business Managers. This provides flexibility to move things around as needed. Here is how it works:
Transferring Pages
To transfer a Page from one Business Manager to another:
- In the source Business Manager, go to the Page
- Open the Page Settings and click “Transfer this Page”
- Enter the Business Manager ID to transfer to
- The Page will be moved and show up in the destination Business Manager
Transferring Ad Accounts
To transfer a LinkedIn ad account between Business Managers:
- In the source Business Manager, go to Accounts tab
- Select the ad account and choose “Transfer”
- Enter the Business Manager ID to transfer the ad account to
- The ad account will be moved and show up in the destination Business Manager
Transferring allows flexible movement of assets while retaining ownership within Business Manager.
Can a business have multiple Business Managers?
Yes, it is possible for a single business or organization to have multiple LinkedIn Business Manager accounts. Here are some common reasons for having more than one Business Manager:
- Separate teams/divisions – Different divisions in a large company using LinkedIn separately
- Regional accounts – Managing LinkedIn for different countries in separate Business Managers
- Agency client separation – Agencies keeping client ad accounts in separate Business Managers
- Granular control – Isolating data, billing, and permissions into more granular Business Managers
The downside of having multiple Business Managers per company is that assets, data, and reporting can become fragmented across accounts. But the separation also allows for more precise division of permissions and responsibilities.
Should you use separate Business Managers for branding vs. direct response?
Using separate Business Manager accounts for branding/awareness campaigns vs. direct response/performance marketing is a best practice recommended by LinkedIn.
The rationale is that branding and direct response activities have fundamentally different objectives and audiences:
- Branding campaigns – Focused on general reach, brand lift, broad audiences
- Direct response campaigns – Focused on conversions, optimization, targeted audiences
Keeping these two domains in separate Business Managers provides a few benefits:
- Clean separation of campaign types and performance data
- Ability to customize permissions, users, metrics per Business Manager
- Dedicated account managers from LinkedIn for each Business Manager
- More relevant recommendations, insights, and tools from LinkedIn per account
The consensus among marketing experts is to leverage distinct Business Managers for branding and direct response activities where possible.
Can a LinkedIn Page exist across multiple Business Managers?
No, each LinkedIn Page can only live within one Business Manager account at any given time. Here are some key reasons why:
- The Page URL is tied to the Business Manager ID
- Analytics for the Page consolidate under one Business Manager
- Editing access for the Page is controlled through a single Business Manager
- Avoid duplicated Pages and consistency issues
While you can request LinkedIn to transfer a Page from one Business Manager to another, the same Page cannot actively reside in two Business Managers simultaneously.
This restriction allows each Page to be uniquely tied and managed through one Business Manager account for accuracy.
What happens if you use the wrong Business Manager ID?
If you incorrectly enter someone else’s Business Manager ID instead of your own, here are some of the potential issues:
- You will see the wrong Business Manager account/interface
- Unable to access your own LinkedIn ad accounts, Pages, and assets
- The other account owner may get notified of unauthorized login attempts
- Any changes will wrongly impact the wrong Business Manager
- You could be temporarily IP blocked for unauthorized access attempts
Generally, entering an incorrect Business Manager ID will prevent you from accessing your own LinkedIn business assets. At worst, it could look like an attempted security breach by you.
Be sure to always enter the exact Business Manager ID tied specifically to your own LinkedIn business accounts.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn Business Manager ID serves as the key that unlocks access to all your LinkedIn business assets and tools. Treat it as securely as a password and leverage it to maximize your use of Business Manager capabilities.
Following the steps in this guide, you can easily find, keep track of, and utilize your Business Manager ID for your LinkedIn marketing efforts. Just be sure to keep it private and exclusive to your own account access.