On June 30th, on the day of launching the new digital edition of Sretna Žena Magazine ‘Iscjeljenje‘ (Healing), my Facebook account suddenly got suspended.

In a second, I lost access to 27000+ followers across my Facebook pages and Facebook group. 14 years of building a community — gone in an instant.

To make it more ironic, after a decade of running a completely organic business — I only started running Facebook ads for the first time this May with my mentor – as an additional way to promote our best-selling digital books.

The ads were working well – we were getting 3–4x ROI and had additional income coming in through sales funnels on the back end. But, when my Facebook account got suspended – so did the ad account.

So there I was—in the middle of a magazine launch—with 27,000+ in audience reach lost and Facebook ads paused.

I’ve been preaching for many years the importance sustainable marketing (’long-form content‘), and this experience proved exactly why that is so important.

Because here’s the bitter truth:

We don’t own our social media platforms.

We don’t control the algorithms.

And everything we post there—our content, connections, even years of relationships—can disappear in a click.

I filed a complaint, and after 40 days my account was reactivated, with a message from Meta stating that, after careful consideration, they determined there were no violations of their terms, and “We’re sorry you couldn’t use Facebook.”

Even though my Facebook account was eventually reactivated, during the suspension, one of my Facebook pages (created in 2013.) —with over 10,000 followers—was permanently deleted.

The saving grace in this experience is that my income did not dip, despite losing the access to the audience of 27000+ and paused ad campaign, as…

– I’ve been building email lists.

– My personal website and the magazine site are very well optimised, with automations that drive traffic and sales without me having to post daily.

– I have automated sales funnels, multiple income streams, and recurring revenue systems in place.

– I’ve built deep offline relationships with clients and friends over the years—many of whom immediately reached out to support me when they heard about the suspension. They shared our magazine graphics and links on their social media and email newsletter community. Thanks to this, Iscjeljenje became the most downloaded issue so far—even without Facebook promotion from our end!

– In addition, I still had 3000+ followers on Instagram, and 4,000+ followers on LinkedIn, so my online presence was at least somewhat diversified.

What Facebook Suspension Taught Me About The Importance Of Social-Proofing a Business

Your Digital Assets: Invest in What You Own

Your website, body of work (books, digital products, intellectual property), and email list are the assets that YOU own—invest in them.

Regularly back up your social media content. In case of suspension, you can start anew with another page or account, ensuring you don’t lose valuable captions, videos, graphics, or other content you’ve created.

Direct your social media audience to platforms that you own—like your website or email list.

Don’t rely solely on social media for website traffic and sales, especially don’t rely on one platform such as Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram. Diversify your presence. Don’t make your launches 100% dependent on Facebook or Instagram—social-proof them too. For example, if you’re running your launches solely in Facebook groups, it would be wise to reconsider this strategy. In case of suspension, your potential and existing customers would lose access to all your body of work and you!

The Power of Offline Connections

Build real relationships offline—they’re more powerful than algorithms. While digital channels are vital, offline connections remain incredibly powerful. Speaking at events, hosting retreats, networking in your community, or collaborating locally creates trust, loyalty, and long-term partnerships. Harvard Business Review notes that face-to-face requests are 34 times more successful than emails, highlighting the undeniable power of in-person relationships.

Social Media Is Rented Space — And We’re All Tenants

Social media is rented space. No matter how much effort, creativity, and heart we pour into it, it’s never truly ours. Every post, every story, every video is like investing in a property we don’t own—any day, we can be ‘evicted’ without warning.

This is why it’s essential to focus on platforms we own—our website, our email list, and our offline relationships. These are assets we control, where the content we create, the relationships we nurture, and the value we provide can endure.

Cherish genuine relationships. Build content that lives beyond the scroll. Prioritise long lasting assets you own over rented space. Diversify your marketing. Social proof your business. Social proof your launches. Social media is powerful and fun to use, but it should serve your long-term vision and drive your audience to the channel you own and control – not the other way around.

Your energy, time, and heart deserve to create something that can’t vanish in a second—a business and community that grow with you, not disappear with an algorithm update.