Your reputation matters: Don’t get locked out of your Facebook Profile.

From a young age some of us may have attempted to bend the rules, learnt the power of a white lie or of a well-placed bluff. However, as we all grow we learn that higher standards of behaviour and the ability to not only build, but also maintain a good reputation is an essential factor of success across all aspects of our lives.

In this unprecedented time, more than ever before, our lives are moving into the online sphere and therefore our reputation will follow.

But how does this matter to social media advertisers?

For example:

Tom had been successfully advertising his products on Facebook for a while, until one day he was unexpectedly locked out of this account. Being a resourceful guy, Tom quickly created another identity and restarted his campaign, until the lock out occurred again. 

At this point Tom’s common sense kicked in and he contacted Facebook support. He had to get back into his account and he had to do it quickly! Every dollar counts and every lead creates new opportunities.

It took him a while to get back into the Facebook advertising game. Later it became clear that he had been locked out of his account because he broke some ad policy rules. His attempt to be clever and create a fake new identity as a quick fix didn’t improve his standing or help his claim.

So, why do advertisers get locked out of their accounts in the first place?

In cases where it is believed Facebook may have made an error in closing an account, an appeal can be raised. However, bear in mind there are ten million businesses advertising on Facebook and it may be a long line.

To increase the level of trust in adverts appearing on Facebook, the platform continuously monitors its advertisers. So, if you have a history of violations or have failed to practice due diligence, you may find yourself flagged by the system. It’s a bit like a police check revealing your unpaid parking tickets. 

The question is, what can you do to make sure your Facebook reputation remains intact:

• Brush up on the Ads Policies, read Community Standards, and practice good digital habits. If you amass a history of rejected adverts, disabled pages, and attempt to create new accounts to get around it, you will be flagged for poor conduct. Ensure you familiarise yourself with what you can and can’t advertise.
• Ensure your landing page is adhering to Facebook’s policies. If your landing page is misleading, unfinished, disruptive, and/or causes frustration for users, the quality of your ads will be low (not to mention you will end up paying extra to advertise!). 
• Be diligent with your own profile. Use your real name for a username when working with your business. If you become subject to an ID check and your ID doesn't match your information on your profile, then you may need to say goodbye to your access (this is especially relevant for business tools). 
• Remedy all previous assets before creating any new ones. Your past can come back to haunt you if past mistakes are not rectified. 

Most importantly, don’t try to be smarter than the system! Facebook won’t hesitate to remove advertisers from the system, in order to ensure the highest level of overall user experience.

And so, for Tom, the story would have played out much better had he behaved like a conscientious ‘citizen’ in Facebook’s advertising community. Smartbizowner is on hand to provide advice and guidance on ad policies for those that still have doubts, had Tom received this advice he would have been reminded to be patient as these processes may take time.