We’ve talked a lot about what benefits being on social media brings both to your company and to your brand. We’ve also covered in a previous article the risks that you might encounter during the usage of social media.
However, since giving it up entirely is also not a very wise path to choose, what can be done is either impose some limits, find a policy that best works for your business and try to follow this tiny guide that we put together in order to help you avoid any further threats!
1. Educate your staff about the correct usage of social media platforms
I know this sounds like a pain in the… back, and most of your employees are just going to roll their eyes at this suggestion, but it’s really important. First of all, you can let your employees know about what you want to go online regarding your brand and what image you would like to create around your business.
You can then create a responsible within each time that handle one specific social media. You should also offer them certain guidelines regarding confidentiality and copyright. You can also let them know what the best response would be in case they identify a scam or a threat.
2. Limit social media access
This is a policy that a former company where I’ve been working adopted. At first I thought it was outrageous, it’s a scream against basic human rights, but then I started to think about the matter at a deeper level. I mean, coming to think of it, work is a place where you come to… work, not stay on Facebook.
There will always be that team within the company that works on social media platforms and hence, needs to have access. But that does not mean that it’s ok for everyone to access all sort of social media platforms from their work computer. Not just because it means they don’t work, but because employees are the number one threat when it comes to hackers to access your business.
3. Check before posting
You might use another company that will deal with your social media accounts and that’s fine. Just take care that no post goes live within the online before you had a fair chance of reviewing it. You are the person who knows best what you want to go viral about your brand and what you would prefer not to be associated with your name.
Hence, maybe think about not giving your contractor full access to posting directly.
4. Invest time in social media
I know how hard it is to pay attention to social media with so many things going on around you and how it might seem purposeless to waste time by checking your account. Especially if you put someone in charge with the social media part already or if you hired a third party.
However, keep in mind that this is also part of the deal, part of the business. Maybe it might not seem as important as attending a meeting, but on the long term social media can become your best asset. Unless you leave your account unattended and leave room for threats.
5. Keep track of your social accounts
We’ve already mentioned how easy it is for hackers to track your unused accounts and they represent an easy target for hacking also. You can for instance assign someone who can check the posts from social media and make sure that they match with your marketing calendar. You can also keep an eye open for anything out of the ordinary that should not be there.
I hope these tips will help you maintain a better security level when it comes to working with social media platforms. Don’t forget that social media has dozens of benefits that can boost your business instantly. You just have to be careful when preparing a marketing strategy and incorporating social media platforms in your day-to-day business plan.