16 Sep 5 tips to stay safe online

Online security has never been more prevalent than it is right now. We’ve all heard the horror stories of social media accounts being hacked, data being stolen, businesses being impersonated. A social media horror story in the making!

But there are ways you can ensure that your business stays safe online. Here are our 5 top tips –

1. Choose a strong password

This may sound obvious but it is easy to use the same password across every platform, meaning if you get hacked on one, you could easily be hacked on another! A strong password should contain a variety of numbers, letters, and symbols to make it hard to guess, but not too hard to forget.

Also, be sure to change your password fairly often, so former employees or outsiders who may have your login details are locked out for good. If multiple people need to access the business’ social media channels, either add them as Admin status or share the password via LastPass or similar, to keep your login details as secure as possible.

2. Educate your employees

Even if you have staff who do not manage the company’s social media accounts, all employees should undergo at least a basic level of training on social media protection. Make them aware of a few factors that could put your social accounts at risk, such as:

– Clicking on hoax links or ads

– Sharing passwords with outsiders of the company

– Engaging with suspicious posts

– Accepting friend requests from strangers

– Using public Wi-Fi when out and about or on personal devices while conducting work-related business

3. Create and implement a social media policy

We recommend creating a formal social media policy to guide how your employees conduct themselves online as it’s related to work, with a focus on the kind of information they share publicly. While it’s important to give them enough creative space to create engaging and interesting posts, it’s important that revealing private or sensitive
information about the company be prohibited. It’s also advised to request that all staff members add a little blurb to their social media bios stating that their opinions are their own and not the responsibility of their workplace or employer.

4. Use two-factor authentication

You should ensure that every person signing into your account is legitimate by using two-factor authentication. Whenever an employee logs in from a new or unrecognized device, they will then be asked to enter a unique pin code into the login page, which is usually sent to the account owner via email or text or via an authenticity mobile app. This is an effective way of alerting staff members that an unknown user is potentially trying to hack into the accounts.

5. Share personal information cautiously

We’re encouraged on many platforms to declare a lot of personal information; work history, birthday, professional experiences etc, but be cautious. Any data that hackers can find about you can help them to create a fake persona or have a stab at guessing your passwords. Once your information has been released and used, it’s very hard to regain control of the damage that has been caused to you and your business.

Social media is hugely beneficial for gaining recognition for your brand, as well as being able to communicate effectively with customers, yet, there are also many complications that come alongside social media marketing when it comes to safety and protection. Ensure your accounts stay safe!

We hope these tips have helped – any questions, drop us an email!