AlterLabs guides
An agency checklist for connecting Meta ads to a client’s CRM
The campaign launch is only one part of a lead workflow. Before promising that enquiries will reach a client’s sales team, agree how the connection works, who owns it and how both sides will recognise a successful delivery.
1. Identify the accounts and owners
List the exact Page, forms, destination workspace and responsible client administrator. Use stable identifiers as well as display names when documenting the setup. Agree who authorises access and who retains it when the agency engagement ends. Keep credentials in an approved secret store, not in the project checklist.
2. Confirm compatibility and scope
Check whether the CRM supports the required import or API route and which fields are mandatory. Decide whether the work covers one form, several campaigns or multiple Pages. Clarify any hosting and third-party charges before quoting. A connector subscription is not the same deliverable as a tested client workflow.
3. Agree a field map and duplicate policy
Map source fields to destination fields, including source references and timestamps where supported. Decide what happens when the same person submits another enquiry for a different project. Ask the client whether that should update a contact, add an opportunity or create a separate record. Test the agreed behaviour rather than assuming an email or phone match is enough.
4. Define delivery and recovery expectations
Agree the intended delivery interval, what counts as a failure and who acts on it. Separate new-lead delivery from historical recovery: the latter depends on source availability and the connector’s capabilities. For retries, make sure the same enquiry cannot accidentally trigger repeated downstream actions.
5. Write acceptance checks before launch
Use a labelled test enquiry and verify the destination record, mapped fields, owner and next action. Test a duplicate and a missing required field in a safe environment. Check how a simulated delivery failure is surfaced and recovered. Record which tests passed, which were not run and what remains outside scope.
6. Hand over the operating responsibilities
Give the client a short runbook: where to check the last success, who can change access, how failures are escalated and how to disable the connection safely. Assign responsibility for source permissions, hosting, CRM changes and support. A server-based integration removes dependence on a desktop session; it does not remove the need for maintenance.
Start with one paid pilot
A bounded pilot can cover one Page, one destination and an agreed acceptance checklist. After that, estimate the work to add projects or more complex sales rules. AlterLabs can discuss implementation support alongside an agency’s campaign team, with access, responsibilities and commercial terms agreed before work starts.