Not updating can be far more costly.
Social Media Platforms are always changing, constantly reinventing themselves, and updating can feel like a full-time job. This is the fluid life we are living. The Information Highway just upped its speed limits by adding zeros instead of single digits. 0 - 60 is now 0-600. And it’s not going to slow anytime soon. Not keeping up can cost you big time. Your business’s online presence may be sidelined, restricted, or worse taken out.
So how do you keep up?
Tip#1
When you get a notice respond.
Data security is why they are contacting you. Your accounts if not updated on a regular basis can be hacked and when they are your only recourse is to close the account. Meta, Google, TikTok, Pinterest, and just about all platforms see your inaction as a liability, and they do not see any ROI in helping you get it back. So when they tell you it’s time to update take heed and don’t put it off.
Tip#2
Keep Your Info Current
Every 3 months I go in and check all my platforms and my clients. I jump down the rabbit hole for a few hours. Checking that all business information is correct, responding to all notifications, checking the numbers, reviewing people's access, and looking for hackers or hacks. In February I found a hacker on one of my client's accounts. A simple update and they were cut off and out in seconds. 6 years ago I moved from the Tahoe Basin and I still find references to the old address. I just found a billing address almost a decade long gone the other day.
Tip#3
Contact Points
Make sure you have at least 2 points of contact and that they are current. Your phone # and 1-2 email addresses. If there is a sudden change in your info you will have an alternate way to get into the account. Can’t tell you how many times a client has abruptly changed a phone number/email without making the platform change FIRST. There is no help, no way to recover. Think of the crypto people who didn’t take their passwords seriously and lost millions. (Before the crash). Your account security is your responsibility.
Tip#4
Backup Contact
Get a second admin on your account. Someone you trust. If anything happens to you they will be there to access. This should be a family member or close friend. They don’t need to be involved in your business, and hopefully, their access will never be needed. Review your people access 2-4 times a year depending on how many are on your team.
Tip#4
Compliance
Social media platforms are under close scrutiny by governments and patrons. During the Twitter transfer the bot issue became apparent and Twitter was not the only one cleaning house. The Meta data numbers dropped in 2022, drastically, because Meta was taking notice and cleaning house. It was a nightmare for reporting back to my clients why the numbers were half from the month before. Talk about a confidence killer, yet riding it out and adjusting to the new data it was quickly apparent that the new numbers actually made sense, now that the nasty little bots were removed. This circles back to responding to notices. The platforms are looking for bots and if you do not respond like a human you are cut off and your account disposed of.
I must say, I feel this article has quite a bit of “the sky is falling” theme. I wish I could have a lighter hand when it comes to updating your account info and security, but sadly I have witnessed some pretty big accounts go down. So far I have only one successful save under my belt so I’m a stickler when it comes to following the tips above. All new clients go through an extensive onboarding process that includes following every tip above because when an ad account goes down I lose the client, there is nothing I can do for them except start completely over. An hour of prevention is worth the time and focus to keep your social media account from being taken off the platform.
Tip#5
Maintenance
Carve out a few hours every couple - 3 months and jump down the rabbit hole. Do a little cleanup and get re-familiarized with your platform's internal workings. I always find some new tool to use making it a worthwhile investment of my time.
Reach out for a talk over coffee or a hike I give information freely. I only ask to be paid when I do the work. tgold@bigwaterci.com
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Trina Gold
Master Creator