From what I see online, a lot of business owners are frustrated about their social media or marketplace accounts being banned sometimes for no clear reason, or for what seems like a minor violation of the platform’s terms and conditions. With the rise of AI-driven moderation, it feels like accounts are being flagged automatically, and the appeals process is often handled by the same type of automated system, making it even harder to resolve.
I started my business journey on a marketplace, and while I still use them, I made it a priority to move away from relying on them too heavily. Over the years, I’ve watched so many businesses build their entire livelihood on these platforms, never thinking about what happens if they get banned, if the rules suddenly change, or if one decision often made by an algorithm wipes out all their hard work.
I’ve even seen businesses put these platform logos on their vans, cars, websites, shopfronts, and marketing materials, almost as if they’re an extension of the company itself.
When I used to build websites, I’d always end up debating with clients who wanted their social media icons placed right at the top of the page. My point was simple: those platforms already have far more traffic than you do it, and therefore it should be the other way around. You should be directing traffic from social media to your website, not sending your hard-earned visitors straight back to another platform.
How did we allow this to happen?
How many of you rely on marketplaces and social media for your business income?
byu/Admir-Rusidovic inEntrepreneur
Posted by Admir-Rusidovic
3 Comments
completely, keep hustling
This is such an important point, and it’s something a lot of businesses only realise when it’s too late. Social platforms and marketplaces are brilliant for visibility and discovery, but they’re rented space. You never really own the relationship, the audience, or even the rules you’re playing by, and an automated moderation decision can flip everything overnight. The businesses that seem to weather these changes best are the ones who treat social and marketplaces as traffic sources, not home bases. Use them, don’t rely on them. Build your own channels, your own list, your own site where you control the experience and you’re not one algorithm change away from disruption. And you’re right about the social icons conversation. We’ve normalised giving away our most valuable traffic because it’s just “what everyone does”. The shift needs to be getting people *off* the platforms and into an environment you actually own. It’s not about avoiding social or marketplaces, it’s about making sure they support your business, not define it.
Yeah, we rely on third parties way too much. We’re in an era where YouTube accounts can get banned over one wrong word and shops over tiny violations. Businesses really need to focus more on building their own ground and spreading the eggs across more than one basket.
How did we allow it to happen? Comfort zone, mostly that *“nah, it won’t happen to me”* mindset.