Watch your Administrative Access!! Don't get stuck without Access to your Business Facebook PAGE!

Up until recently, whoever created your Business Facebook Page (Facebook Business Pages are also known as FAN Pages, and  Like Pages) was always tied to your Page as the main Administrator, there was NO a way to remove the original Administrator.  This no longer is the case, now; any of your Facebook Business Page Administrators can remove each other.

In our Social Media Training Workshops we have come across entrepreneurs & organizational leaders, who currently own or run their organizations, however, they are thinking of their succession planning.  They’ll need to transfer their Facebook Business Pages & Fans to the new organizational team leader.  In the past, they would not have been able cut themselves away from the Facebook Business Page if they were the original administrator.  Now, they can.  They would simply add the new team’s appointed staff as an Administrator, and that new team can remove the old Administrators whenever everyone is ready. It’s that simple.  

However, we are also seeing organizations who are hiring external or staff to create their Facebook Business Pages, and only have that one human as the Administrator.  The issue becomes if that person for one reason or an other is no longer available, then the company losses all access to their Business Facebook Page. SO! YOU MUST ALWAYS HAVE TWO ADMINISTRATORS FOR YOUR PAGE!

In summary,  we suggest each organization always have two Administrators listed for their Business Facebook Account, one who does the actual Posting, and one who is in their Human Resource department. This simple two Administrator Policy will resolve two issues we have seen many times.

Issue ONE:  The person who created your Business Faebook Business Page is the only person who has Administrative access.  The issue in this case becomes, once that person is no longer employed by the organization the remaining staff could not get access to the Facebook Business Page.   

Issue TWO: We have heard of cases where terminated employees actually deleted the organization's Facebook Business Page.  So, we suggest a two step Social Media Policy be in place, first to make sure there are always at least TWO Facebook Administrators for each Business Facebook Page, and second that if one of one of the two administrators is being terminated, then their administration access needs to be removed immediately. First, please make sure that when your organization's Facebook Business Page is created, have a second “stable” staff member, preferably the Human Resource department or a business leader, immediately added as an additional Administrator to the Facebook Business Page.  

We suggest a the two Admin rule be added into the Social Media Policy for each organization using Facebook Business Pages as a Marketing tool.  It should state that there must be at least two people listed as the organization’s Business Facebook Administrators.  Furthermore, the steps to remove a persons' Administrators' access be removed before they are told that their services are longer required with the company.  When I was at larger organizations, we had a Human Resource check-list of what needed to happen if someone was being let go, ie their voice mail, building, and email access would be removed, this is needs to be added to that list. 

I hope that helps!
Sofie