IN 2018, I embarked on my journey of online advertising on the Facebook platform and within a year, I had opened more than 5 ad accounts, all of which were subsequently banned for violating advertising terms and conditions. Facebook has significantly transformed the landscape of online business and enabled advertising.
Paid Facebook ads have become increasingly popular, and lately, many businesses are resorting to them. Recently, many individuals engaging in paid advertising on Instagram and Facebook have been complaining about their accounts being banned.
Why ad accounts get banned
Unfortunately, Facebook often doesn’t provide a clear reason for why they ban an account. If you receive a notification that your account is banned, you’ll need to review their ad policies. In this article, we will explore the main reasons for ad account bans.
There are many reasons for ad account bans, and here are some, as outlined in Facebook’s advertising policy: Payment Issues: Your ads may be in compliance with Facebook’s social advertising guidelines. If this is the case, log into your account and ensure that all payments are up to date.
Verify that your payment information is correct. For example, if you’ve obtained a new bank card, make sure you’ve updated your payment details on your ad account. Once you’ve made the payment, your ads will continue running. Personal Attributes: Facebook’s policy regarding personal attributes states, “Ads must not contain content that asserts or implies personal attributes.
This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person’s race, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation, gender, disability, medical condition, financial status, criminal record, or name.” To avoid getting your account banned, it’s important to consider the language used in both graphics and captions to ensure it complies with Facebook’s terms and conditions.
For instance, an ad that says, “Feeling lonely? Call us to find a partner!” would likely result in a ban as it targets personal attributes and is seen as deceptive by Facebook. Use of Facebook’s Branding: Avoid mentioning or using Facebook’s branding in your ads. Doing so could lead to your ad account being banned or your ad being rejected. While you might think using Facebook’s branding will make your ad more legitimate, it’s not allowed.
Logging in from Different IP Addresses: If you frequently travel and log into your ad account from different computers, this could raise red flags with Facebook. They often suspect fraudulent activity when an account is accessed from various IP addresses.
To circumvent this, consider logging in from a mobile device when you’re not at your office. Spending Too Quickly: New Facebook advertisers are subject to limits on how quickly they can scale their ad campaigns.
Spending a large sum on ads immediately or significantly increasing the daily budget on a successful campaign can trigger concerns at Facebook.
The correct way to scale up without arousing suspicion is to do so gradually, increasing your budget by no more than 15% per day until your ad account matures and has a higher spending limit.
Too Many Disapproved Ads: Before you push to get more ads approved, make sure you don’t have a history of numerous disapproved ads. Facebook takes these disapprovals into consideration when deciding whether to approve your next ad. Your chances decrease significantly if you have more disapprovals than approvals.
After multiple ad rejections, your account may be shut down. Leaving a History of Disapproved Ads: It’s crucial not to leave disapproved ads in your account, as Facebook may scrutinise your ads more closely and potentially shut down your account. Deleting disapproved ads won’t hide them from Facebook, which maintains a separate record. Leaving them in your account is like waving red flags.
Failure to Limit Access to Your Ad Account: Facebook monitors fan pages, individual user accounts, and ad accounts to see how they are associated with each other. If a recently banned user is associated with a fan page or ad account, it can result in an automatic shutdown.
Be stringent about whom you grant access to your ad account, whether it’s a client, manager, or vendor. Facebook flags accounts where banned users have access and may shut them down immediately. In addition to the mentioned reasons, there are other grounds for ad account bans.
For these, you need to request permission from Facebook by contacting them directly. Some reasons depend on the specific local laws where you’re advertising.
Content that is allowed and prohibited without prior permission includes the following:
Gambling
Dating services
Gambling
Online drug stores
Financial services and insurance products
Advertising related to social issues, elections, or politics
Alcohol cessation drugs
Weight loss drugs
In Summary
Facebook has emerged as a powerful platform for advertising, but to maintain a successful ad account, it’s vital to adhere to Facebook’s policies and guidelines. This includes ensuring your payment information is up to date, avoiding content that targets personal attributes, refraining from mentioning Facebook’s branding, logging in from consistent IP addresses, scaling your budget gradually, and closely managing your ad content. By adhering to these practices, you can avoid the frustration of having your ad account banned.
About the Author
The author of this article (Mrisho Selemani) is an SEO expert, content strategist, and digital marketing specialist with a proven track record in optimising online presence and crafting effective digital marketing strategies. You can reach out for consultation or inquiries at 0753288167 or via email at selemannasoro@gmail.com