Let’s set the stage: Your company has three or four social channels that have been managed by numerous associates over the last few years. Social has not been a primary focus, but you have been active for the most part and you still have all your passwords. What could go wrong, right?
Unfortunately, this type of scenario could mean your company is not the rightful owner of the social channel. Ok, I hear you. That doesn’t make sense, I know. Yes, I can see that your company name is labeled on the social channel and all posts are about your brand. Yes, you’re an admin of the page and have all the social passwords and history of the account. However, per the standard set by social platforms, your company could be barred from gaining access to the account.
Since Facebook, which is the parent company of Instagram, recently updated their policy on Administrator Disputes, let’s focus on Facebook and Instagram as we examine what is ownership of a social channel, how to regain ownership and how to safeguard your corporate social channels.
What is Ownership
Ownership means you are an admin of a page or account or are an admin of the Business Manager account that has ownership rights of the page. Since admins can easily be changed, removed or have their accounts hacked, it is best to ensure your company establishes a Business Manager (Business Manager) account to own your Facebook and Instagram accounts. This Business Manager account allows you to add multiple Facebook pages and their linked Instagram accounts under the umbrella of one account which is helpful if you have multiple social pages or team members. Additionally, you can create an ad account within your Business Manager to manage all your paid social for each of your pages. With a Business Manager account, gone are the days of determining if a team member should be an Admin, Editor, Reviewer or Analyst. Simply add the team member to the Business Manager account, assign them to a page and denote what they will be allowed to manage for the page. Now, you may be asking what is the benefit? Since users are added to the Business Manager account as Business Admins or Employees, your corporate Business Manager account and associated pages are protected from a potential toxic employee’s removing other page admins and claiming page ownership for themselves, a team member’s account being hacked and your accounts being placed in jeopardy, and you reap the benefits of a streamlined interface for managing your accounts.
How to Safeguard Your Corporate Social Channels
If you don’t safeguard your corporate social channels, you run the risk of losing ownership and having to dispute with the big Facebook machine to try and regain it. That process is called an Admin Dispute, and it is a hassle you’ll want to avoid. Below are our top suggestions to avoid the dreaded dispute. Some of these suggestions are common sense, but usually these are the areas that are overlooked as your organization focuses on garnering successes on many fronts. If you can take these steps, you’ll mitigate the risk of losing ownership over your accounts.
- Ensure only those who need access to the account are granted access
- Ensure only the access needed is granted to users
- For example, does your data analyst need full control of the social page and ad account? In some cases, yes—but most likely no.
- Ensure your organization has created a Business Manager account and owns all your associated Facebook and Instagram accounts
- Ensure two-factor authentication is established for your accounts and that all team members have two-factor authentication established for their personal accounts
Hopefully, you never run into an issue where you must complete an Admin Dispute; but if you do, we have provided a helpful download here. These tips based on our experience will make the process seamless for you. If you are looking for support for an issue with your social accounts, need our team of experts to support you in claiming ownership or are looking for a partner to manage or consult on your social media, let’s connect and find success together.
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