Imagine this situation.
First, you create a social media account for yourself or your business. Then, you spend weeks, months, or even years posting amazing content to organically garner more followers and create engagement.
Things seem to be going well for you…
…but then the social media platform you’re on suddenly erases your account from existence. Without warning. Without reason—or so it seems.
Ouch.
We’ve recently gone through this exact experience. So if this has happened to you as well, we truly feel your pain.
With all that being said, today’s blog post is meant to shed some light on why this might have happened and give you possible courses of action that you can take to retrieve your account.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Why Is My Account Erased/Blocked?
To get to the bottom of this, we must first understand why this happens. There are various reasons why a social media platform would take down an account so suddenly.
Here are some examples:
- Your account may have been reported or flagged by other users.
- You may have posted something that went against the social media platform’s rules or terms of service.
- Your account might have experienced an abnormally high volume of profile views or click-throughs, a potential sign of automated/bot activity.
These are just some of the reasons why an account may get suspended or erased. Now, your account may have been suspended for an entirely different reason; these are just to give you a better idea of why this might have happened to you.
What Can I Do Now?
And now for the more important part.
In the unfortunate event that your account gets taken down for no clear reason, here’s what you can do to resolve it.
The traditional way of getting your account back is to follow the platform’s dedicated account recovery process. For a more specific example, let’s take a look at how it’s done on LinkedIn.
First things first, access LinkedIn on your preferred device. Next, look for the “Verify Your Identity” button and click it. Then expand the drop-down list and pick your country.
You’ll then be prompted to pick an identification document, so check which ones are permissible based on your location. Be sure to take high-quality snapshots of both sides of your chosen document, and then upload them for submission.
Finally, sit tight until you receive LinkedIn’s official response to your inquiry.
Additionally, you can file an appeal with the platform and try to argue your case. Be sure to state concrete reasons why you deserve to have your account reinstated. In case you violated any rules, make it a point to reassure them that you won’t make the same mistake again.
If worse comes to worst, you may be forced to create an entirely new account and start from scratch. But be warned, some platforms can detect if a banned or restricted user tries to open a new account and take that one down as well.
And while you wait for updates on your account’s status, your business can’t afford to stop. So what can you do to convert while having little to no access to one of your social media platforms? We’ve got some important, last-minute pointers for you.
As one last failsafe, keep a backup file containing the contact information of your customers and/or clients. If the worst does happen to your social media account, you can manually reach out to them and maybe direct them to another platform, such as your website or a different social media site.
But here’s the catch—you can only do this if you’ve collected their details.
As an example, let’s say you have an event coming up. When you ask people to sign up, make sure to ask for their contact information as an additional requirement. That way, if your social media goes belly-up, you can still get in touch with them and push through with your event.
The Final Word
There’s no way to sugarcoat it—getting your account suspended or taken down is a bummer. And unfortunately, there is no foolproof solution that exists for recovering an account right away.
Don’t lose hope, however. The appeal process may take time, but if you have a strong case then you will most likely recover your account. Just be patient, follow up as needed, and keep your eyes peeled for any updates on your appeal.
Hopefully, we’ve given you some much-needed clarity on account suspensions so you are better prepared for them should they ever happen to you.
