Social media is critical to a dealership’s marketing plan, and with nearly 3 billion active global users, Facebook remains the biggest platform out there.
But tread carefully: It’s easier than you’d think to violate Facebook’s terms of service.
Breaking the guidelines might negatively impact your business and even land you in “Facebook Jail” where you’re prevented from posting for a while, or even get you all-out banned.
4 Tips to Avoid Facebook Bans (& What to Do if One Happens)
Let’s look at four common reasons why a dealership page might get banned from Facebook. We’ll cover a few actionable steps on how to fix each issue and how to prevent them in the first place!
Personal Page Violation by Business Page Owner
If you violate Facebook’s Terms of Service (ToS) or Community Standards on your personal page, Facebook will lock all associated business accounts tied to your personal account.
Facebook’s Community Standards prohibit content that its systems identify as bullying, harassment, spam, graphic violence, sexual content, and more. In its efforts to stem misinformation, it also prohibits content produced and distributed by fake accounts.
How to Prevent Personal Page Violations:
If you manage the business Facebook page, read the ToS and Community Standards very carefully and take care not to violate them on either your business or personal page. Be wary of content you share on your personal page.
It’s also good practice to take special care when exiting employees who have access to company social media accounts. Follow a process that includes removing access to these accounts to keep ex-employees from abusing your company page. Assign someone to review your page permissions regularly so only authorized personnel can access your page.
What to Do if Your Personal Page (and Business Page) Get Banned
If you or an employee managing the company account have violated Facebook’s guidelines on your own pages or on the company page, first remove the offensive content ASAP.
Next, contact Facebook to appeal the ban by requesting a review. Provide evidence that supports your claim for account reinstatement. If the review fails, you may just have to wait it out in “jail.”
If a rogue employee has posted inappropriate content, you might even need to seek legal or crisis PR advice to keep the situation from escalating, which could impact your business reputation.
Chronic Copyright Violations
Using copyrighted material without permission, like audio, videos, or images on Facebook usually doesn’t lead to an immediate ban, but repeated violations certainly can. The social media giant takes intellectual property rights very seriously. Its algorithms flag and remove the content immediately if it violates copyright rules.
Avoid Posting Copyrighted Content
To prevent copyright issues, generate original content or obtain explicit permission from copyright holders. You can avoid copyright issues by only including media you’ve created yourself, or by using royalty-free stock images, video, and music.
Working with a digital marketing agency like AutoSweet is a good way to be sure you’re generating safe and effective content. To be sure you don’t have a copyright problem when you post, review Facebook’s Community Standards.
What to Do If Your Content is Flagged for Violating Copyright Rules
Typically, Facebook just automatically removes content that violates copyright law. If a piece of content has tripped this wire, you’ll get a notification and an email from Facebook.
If your account becomes disabled, you can ask Facebook to review the decision by logging in and following the on-screen instructions. You can also appeal the decision by requesting a review.
Inactive Account Owner or Email
Sometimes, the person who originally created the dealership’s Facebook page leaves the business. This can be a problem if they used their email address – which is now disabled – to create the account. Suddenly you can’t access the page!
How to Avoid Getting Locked Out of a New Facebook Account
When creating a Facebook account for your business, use an email that multiple people at your dealership can access, like [email protected].
What to Do if You Get Locked Out of Facebook
If you can’t get into your Facebook account, Contact Facebook support on their Help page, or contact them via this online form to explain the situation.
They might request information to verify your identity and ownership. Be prepared to provide the necessary documentation, like legal documents or your business license.
Avoid the Temptation to Create Fake Reviews
Thinking about creating a fake account to give your dealership glowing reviews? Bad idea. Using a fake name on your account or impersonating another individual is explicitly forbidden in Facebook’s Community Standards and may result in a ban.
Facebook uses sophisticated technology to automatically detect these accounts and it is very clear about what it calls “inauthentic behavior” on its platform. It could even take legal action.
How to Get Legitimate Reviews
Encourage genuine customer feedback and testimonials through legitimate channels to build trust in your brand. Ask for reviews. As many as 70% of customers will leave you a review if you ask them for one. Build this step into your process by automating your reviews.
What to Do if You’ve Already Created or Posted with Fake Accounts
Delete any accounts you created to bolster your dealership brand immediately and ensure any posts or reviews made with these accounts are removed.
If Facebook identifies fake accounts or suspicious activities connected with your dealership, they’ll let you know. Cooperate with their investigation and demonstrate your commitment to authenticity and transparent business practices to restore trust.
Stay Out of Facebook Jail
Facebook offers dealers incredible opportunities for business growth, but you must follow their Community Standards to play nice. The easiest thing to do is to have ethical, fool-proof posting processes to avoid a ban in the first place.
If you land in Facebook Jail?
Take action immediately, communicate with Facebook effectively, and demonstrate good faith to rebuild trust and get back on the platform to keep building your business.
Working with a digital marketing partner like AutoSweet can keep you on Facebook’s “nice list” and help you generate sales and leads on Facebook. Contact one of our digital marketing consultants today for a free 5-minute review of your Facebook practices.
