Connections to ad and social platforms
What connecting Google Ads, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profile and X needs, which accounts and approvals are required, and how to connect.
Connections let MotoDealerHQ import your ad spend from Google Ads and Meta, and publish social posts to Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profile and X. Each connection uses your own account on that platform. None is connected by default, and none works until the setup below is complete.
What each connection does #
| Connection | Used for | You need | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads (spend import) | Importing monthly spend per campaign | A Google account that can read the ad account, and its customer ID | Requires credentials and Google approval |
| Meta ads (spend import) | Importing monthly spend per campaign | A Facebook login with access to the ad account, and the ad account ID | Requires credentials and Meta App Review |
| Facebook Page (publishing) | Publishing social posts | A Page admin login, and the Page ID | Requires credentials and Meta App Review |
| Instagram Business (publishing) | Publishing social posts with photos | An Instagram Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page, and its account ID | Requires credentials and Meta App Review |
| Google Business Profile (posts) | Publishing posts to your Business Profile | A profile manager login, and the account and location IDs | Requires credentials and Google API access |
| X / Twitter (publishing) | Publishing text-and-link posts | An X login | Requires credentials (paid X API tier) |
Connect a platform #
- Open Marketing › Connections.
- Find the platform. Its status shows Not connected, and a blue note lists anything the platform owner still has to configure.
- Enter your account details, for example the Google Ads customer ID, and select Save account details.
- Select Connect. The button stays greyed out while the platform owner's setup is missing.
- Sign in on the platform's page and allow access. You return to MotoDealerHQ, and the status changes to connected.
(open full size)- Status. Not connected, pending, connected or error.
- What is missing. Setup the platform owner still has to do.
- Your account IDs. Saved before you connect.
- Connect (sign in). Opens the platform's sign-in page.
To stop using a connection, select Disconnect. The stored access is deleted.
For platform operators #
The app credentials live in the server's environment file, not in the console:
| Setting | For |
|---|---|
MKT_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID, MKT_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET | Google sign-in (Ads and Business Profile) |
MKT_GOOGLE_ADS_DEVELOPER_TOKEN | Google Ads API, with Basic access approved by Google |
MKT_META_APP_ID, MKT_META_APP_SECRET | Meta app (ads_read, pages_manage_posts and instagram_content_publish need App Review) |
MKT_X_CLIENT_ID, MKT_X_CLIENT_SECRET | X OAuth 2.0 app (paid API tier for posting) |
Each app's redirect address is shown under each connection, in the form https://dealer.<your platform domain>/marketing/connections/<provider>/callback. Outbound requests must also be switched on for the server. Demo dealerships never connect.
How your access is protected #
- Sign-in tokens are stored encrypted and are never shown or written to logs.
- Each sign-in attempt can be used once and expires after 10 minutes.
- Disconnecting deletes the tokens.
Tips #
- Ask your platform operator which connections are available before you plan around automatic publishing or spend import.
- While a channel is not connected, use Copy and download on each social post and post by hand. It records the post in the history all the same.
- Use a shared business login (not a personal one) when you connect, so the connection survives staff changes.
Permissions #
Limitations #
Screenshots show the fictional demo dealership. Something unclear or out of date? Tell your MotoDealerHQ contact or email support@motodealerhq.com.