No matter what the size of your business, social media definitely has a place for you.
With that being the case; what are you doing to take advantage of all social networking has to offer?
Most importantly, what are you doing to protect your investments in social media. Specifically, making sure you’re not opening the door to cyber criminals when using social networking sites and the Internet in general.
If your investment in social media and the web doesn’t involve protecting your brand’s assets, rethink that investment.
Cyber Security is a Must in Today’s Tech World
If your brand is a regular on the Internet, what are you doing to make sure your web investments are protected?
From cybercriminals on the outside to rogue employees on the inside, your brand needs to make sure it is protected online 24/7, including your time spent on social media.
With that being the case, do a double-take to make sure you’ve got these bases covered:
- Social sites – Never give out usernames and passwords to your social sites. Only employees truly working on social media for you (if you have people working for you) should have access to such information. While some businesses encourage their employees to share and tweet on their behalf, it is important that usernames and passwords are not randomly passed around the office. The best scenario is to have one individual (or a selected team) in charge of your brand’s social networking activities. This way, the log-in information is held by one or just a select few;
- Outsourcing – If you outsource some of your company’s work, it is crucial that you vet those doing the work for you. Make sure they can be trusted with access to your site. If they cease working for you, remove their accounts (including log-in information) so that they are not able to still access your admin page. As too many companies have unfortunately discovered over time, cyber-security is not just a buzzword, but a real thing. Without a true cyber-security plan in place, your business runs the risk of being exposed, something that can hurt your brand in both a public relations stance and of course financially over time;
- In-house work – Although you’d like to believe you can trust those individuals you hire 100 percent, examples of this not being the case have rung true in the news in recent years. Employees stealing information (money for that matter too) from their employers is a bigger problem than many business owners realize. As you are careful when outsourcing work, make sure that you follow the same rules with in-house staff. Usernames and passwords should not be randomly tossed around the office; only those individuals that truly need them to post items on social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. should have access to them;
- Dealing with consumer or former employee feedback – Face the facts that you will get some consumer feedback on social media regarding your products and/or services. As a result, it is important that you respond to such feedback in a positive manner. Not doing so could lead to some negative interactions with consumers, some of which can open your business up to cyber threats. If a consumer takes issue with you and/or your brand, they may resort to more drastic measures to make their point with you. The same can be said for a former employee that was fired under unpleasant circumstances. Always take the high road with customers and former employees, not giving them a reason to want to retaliate against you and your business.
The time and effort your business invests in social media can go a long way in determining just how successful you truly will be.
Social media opens up so many doors for your business, but you have to know how to walk through them and come out on the other side with success.
Take a step in the right direction by investing in social media the correct way.
That means guarding your brand against cyber-criminals from day one.
If you don’t, the demise of your business could be hastened, something that no business owner ever wants to think about.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com
