Facebook Announcement – Deactivating Inactive Accounts

“It’s not you; it’s me.” Well, actually, it is Facebook. Starting March 12, Facebook has declared that it will be purging their database of all inactive accounts. Their announcement states, “Over the coming weeks, Page admins should expect to see a small dip in their number of Page likes as a result of this update.” This Facebook announcement has a purpose. This eradication is to help companies, not hurt them.

This also comes with an update to how likes are counted. This two-fold update is to help deliver more accurate information and metrics when it comes to page fans. This makes sense given that if people aren’t active on their Facebook profiles, then they aren’t engaging with the content on company pages. So, don’t think that your fans are leaving you.

What if they aren’t all inactive?

Facebook Announcement

The new Facebook announcement could show a decrease in likes on your business page in the upcoming weeks.

Luckily, they are providing those fans the ability to reactivate their accounts, and those likes will be re-added to your pages like count. Therefore starting March 12th you may see a slight drop in likes and could continue over the next few weeks. Facebook wrote, “Removing inactive Facebook accounts from Page audience data gives businesses up-to-date insights on the people who actively follow their Page and makes it easier for businesses to find people like their followers through tools like lookalike audiences.” We agree.

It’s quality over quantity. While having more likes is great, you still want users who engage with your posts. Inactive users can’t do that. Facebook already does the same process with deactivated or memorialized accounts, so this just helps create a consistency across the platform. In the end, while your business page might lose likes, you also gain more accurate data insights.

If you have any more questions regarding this update or any other platform updates, make sure to contact us.