Once upon a time, Facebook Pages were only unpublished for violations of the terms of service. Now, amidst a ton of other Facebook-related chaos, the social media giant is un-publishing Business Pages that are inactive for too long. Here’s what you need to know.
What does it Mean for a Facebook Page to be Un-Published?
To be clear, “un-published” is not the same as “deleted.” If your Page becomes un-published, it’s not gone forever, but you’ll have to appeal to Facebook’s notoriously unresponsive support team.
During the period in which your Page is un-published, it won’t be visible to the public. That means people can’t find it at all, either by searching Facebook or even entering the URL of your Page into their browser.
While you may not think of Facebook as a necessity for your business, the numbers don’t lie. Facebook is an invaluable branding and marketing tool that can provide incredible return on investment.
Why would this Happen?
Truthfully, we don’t completely know. The Facebook Pages Terms does not list inactivity as a violation. It focuses solely on explicit offenses, such as impersonating other brands/people and publishing inappropriate content.
Searching the Facebook Help Community (which is like a forum in which users can ask questions that may be answered by other users or Facebook officials) doesn’t reveal much. People have asked why Facebook has threatened to un-publish their inactive Pages, but haven’t received legitimate answers. Some speculate and say Facebook is just trying to tidy up their community, and considers inactive Pages to be clutter.
That’s probably the reason, but the truth is, it doesn’t really matter. Facebook is an essential marketing tool, and us small businesses are at the social media giant’s mercy. Unfortunately, we have to jump through hoops to keep our companies visible to the public.
How to Keep your Page Visible
Just Post!
Based on our experience handling Facebook Pages, the threat of un-publishing comes after about three months of inactivity. To prevent your Page from being taken down, just post!
Since your audience hasn’t heard from you in a while, center your post on your return to Facebook. Something like, “Hey, we know you haven’t heard from us in a while since business has been booming, but we’re back on Facebook and ready to engage with you all!” should do the trick.
It will prevent your Page from being un-published, and remind your audience that you still exist!
Update Page Settings
Alternatively, you can update some of the settings of your Page. This may include connecting your Instagram account to your Page, or even just allowing people to send it private messages. It’s a simple fix, but we still recommend posting and engaging with your audience.
Delegate the Responsibility
You’re a business owner. You have a lot on your plate, and Facebook might not be a top priority. We get it.
For that, we recommend assigning the responsibility of Facebook management to someone else. Whether it’s a third-party agency who creates full-fledged Facebook marketing and advertising strategies or just an employee who posts once a week to keep your followers updated, it’s worth it.
Remember, you don’t want your Facebook Page to become un-published because re-publishing it can be time consuming and frustrating. Just stay active, engage your audience and enjoy the benefits of social media marketing!