The importance of social media for business owners cannot be underestimated. It is an effective and budget-friendly way to reach target audiences while marketing your products. Moreover, it enables you to engage with your audience, promoting customer loyalty and higher retention rates. However, your social media accounts in the wrong hands can wreak havoc on your business. Cybercriminals can post offensive content that repels followers and customers. Furthermore, they can access your client’s sensitive information, making it easier to perpetrate identity theft, data sales, blackmailing, and stealing money from their accounts. And this can damage your brand reputation and bring multiple lawsuits. Therefore, taking the right steps to secure your business social media accounts is necessary. Here are some helpful tips worth considering.
- Update your social media apps frequently
Admittedly, dealing with many app updates can be annoying, and skipping them can seem tempting. However, there are valid reasons why notifications prompt you to update your apps, and social media options are no exception. First, hackers can easily infiltrate outdated applications due to several glitches and bugs. Fortunately, app creators are rising to the occasion by continuously releasing new versions and updating their codes. This makes it difficult for hackers to hijack your social media accounts. Moreover, newer updates have certain features that can benefit your marketing strategies, so keep this in mind. Therefore, try not to ignore the notification to update your social media applications as much as possible.
- Limit access to your social media accounts
Contrary to public opinion, not every employee should easily access your business’s social media accounts. This is because too many people on your platforms can cause mismanagement, granting easy entry for cybercriminals. Moreover, you can’t be sure some staff isn’t secretly sabotaging your business. Therefore, taking responsibility for your business accounts is the best solution. However, this may pose a challenge, especially if you have to focus on other business operations. In this case, organizing a dedicated social media management team is ideal. These employees will be tasked with the sole responsibility of running your accounts and have unlimited access. However, you should consider their qualifications, experience, and credibility before hiring them. Working with someone with ample knowledge of your industry is a bonus, so feel free to consider this.
- Keep personal and business accounts separate
Separating your business and personal social media accounts is another way to ensure security. Regardless of your business size, getting corporate accounts is beneficial. Research indicates that 37% of Americans have had their personal social media accounts hacked. This shows how vulnerable your personal accounts can be. That said, conducting business transactions or engaging your target audience on these accounts can be detrimental. Therefore, create separate business accounts if you haven’t done so. Not only will you minimize your security risks, but your business can maintain professionalism and credibility. This, in turn, can leave a positive impression on potential clients and win their loyalty. Separate social media accounts can also prevent your business from getting mixed up with your personal issues.
- Delete unused accounts
Keeping unused social media accounts is a win for cybercriminals. They usually contain your personal information that anyone could easily retrieve. And this puts you at risk of fraud, identity theft, and damaged brand reputation. Therefore, cybersecurity experts advise deleting these accounts instead of leaving them unattended. This way, you can protect your PII, passwords, usernames, and credibility. Fortunately, each social media platform has its steps for deleting unused accounts, so you can leverage them to achieve the desired outcome. You can also look through your password manager credentials or email box to determine how many unused accounts you have.
- Use secure passwords and 2FA
While this is obvious, many still opt for passwords that are easier to memorize. While this may seem beneficial initially, it opens your business social media accounts to easier access from unauthorized sources. To prevent this, always use a complicated password that hackers can’t easily guess. If you’re worried about forgetting your password, consider writing it in your diary. As a tip, avoid using the same password for all social media accounts. Instead, create a unique one for each platform. While at it, consider using two-factor authentification (2FA) for your platforms. After entering your login information, this feature sends a time-sensitive and unique code through the app, verified email, or SMS. This way, hackers can’t access your accounts, even if they manage to guess your password. Here’s how to set up two-factor authentication to enjoy its benefits.
Money-Smart Millennials 
Leave a Reply