As a medical aesthetic practitioner, social media is a vital tool for growing your business and reaching potential patients. However, if you’re not careful, you could fall victim to “shadow banning” – a sneaky technique that can leave you losing business every second. In this post, we’ll discuss what shadow banning is, how to test if you’ve been banned, the main causes, and most importantly, how to fix it.
What is Shadow Banning?
Shadow banning is when social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, limit the visibility of your content, without notifying you. Your post won’t be visible on the explore or hashtag pages and your searchability will decrease, making it difficult for potential patients to find you.
How to test if it’s happening?
Unfortunately, most people don’t even realize that they are being shadow banned, and testing can be tricky. So it’s important to stay proactive and take measures to prevent this from happening in the first place. If you suspect you’ve been shadow banned, whether its from a lack of engagement or a stagnant follower count – one way to test is to create or use a separate account and check if your post appears under the hashtag or explore pages.
How long does it last?
The length of shadow banning varies from social media platform to platform. Instagram, for example, is known to shadow ban for up to 14 days, but the banning period can be prolonged with reoccurrence of back-to-back incidents.
What are the main causes?
Several factors can cause shadow banning, including using inappropriate hashtags or keywords such as “antiaging” and “botox.” Bot-like behaviours including mass DMs and comments can also trigger shadow banning. Also, inappropriate content, violating regulations or community policies, or even lack of trigger warnings before graphic or sensitive content can cause your page to get reported, from both your competitors and the public.
How to fix it?
The best way to remove your shadow ban is to go in and remove any hashtags or keywords you think may have triggered the shadow ban and ‘reset’ your page by not interacting on it for 24 hours.
To avoid shadow banning, stick to using industry-approved hashtags and keywords, and avoid negative words such as “anti” or “fake.” Be selective with bot activity and mass DMs, aim for a maximum of 15 per day and mix things up to avoid being repetitive. Engage with followers authentically, and don’t purchase likes or followers as this won’t give you the results you need. Focus instead on providing consistent, quality content and scheduling posts using a professional platform or hiring a qualified social media manager. You can use location pins and geotagging to bring more local patients through the door.
In conclusion, shadow banning is a common phenomenon across different social media platforms and can be a frustrating experience for many business owners. So, it’s crucial to be aware of this issue across all networks and be mindful of what you’re posting, commenting, and DMing. Be patient, keep putting out great content, and soon enough, you’ll gain more followers and bring more patients through the door.
If you are interested in learning more about shadow banning and other social media tips & tricks to help you grow your medical aesthetic practice, please connect with us at marketing@xcitetech.com or follow us on Instagram @xcitetech.
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