Social Media & The Security Risks
The top security risks brands fear on social media and how to avoid them
Consumers have rapidly adopted social media as a way to communicate directly with companies online, and businesses have developed marketing plans for effectively engaging with these online audiences. It’s important to be aware of the security risks involved with having a social media presence and multiple team members running the accounts.
One study shows almost a quarter of small businesses have been compromised in some way by an employee’s misuse of social media. This, however, shouldn’t stop your business from integrating social media into your online marketing efforts; there are effective ways to avoid the social media security risks involved. Here are some of the most common security risks brands fear on social media and how to avoid them.
Damaging Your Brand’s Reputation
One of the greatest challenges to a business active on social media can be managing the brand’s reputation, which an inappropriate comment can hurt.
How to avoid the risk: All team members should be well-trained in appropriate social media usage and you should have an approval process that involves a senior manager on your team.
Malware & Bugs
With running multiple social media accounts on multiple platforms comes the risk of malware and other bugs infecting your networks. This means confidential company information could be leaked.
How to avoid the risk: Be sure proper security and privacy settings are in place before you start your social media campaigns and your team is trained to spot unusual behavior and scams. Work closely with your IT department or consider hiring a professional to set up the proper security measures so your company’s information can stay secure.
Public Criticisms
Marketing on social media can allow your business to communicate and interact directly with your customers in real time. However, this also means those same customers can vocalize their dissatisfactions with your brand publicly on social media.
How to avoid the risk: Addressing customer feedback and providing support quickly is key when your brand is on social media. Find the best way to monitor and check for mentions of your brand each day so you can be sure to respond accordingly. Dealing with negative feedback may involve the technical members of your team as well as your Public Relations team, so make sure there is a process in place to answer your customers as quickly as possible.
Lack of Consistency
Businesses with multiple locations or employees located in different places can suffer from a lack of consistency with social media posting. It can also be difficult to keep a consistent voice for the brand when multiple employees are creating content to share.
How to avoid the risk: Social media management tools can help your business maintain a consistent flow of social media posts. Developing a process for content creation and deciding on specific categories of content you’d like your brand to share on social media will also help your team stay on track with the content that conveys a steady brand voice.
Social media is here to stay and proven to be one of the best ways for brands to build up a competitive advantage and interact with their customers on a daily basis. As a business, just remember to acknowledge the risks that come with social marketing and know how to reduce those risks as much as possible. Do you have any tips on avoiding any of the social media risks listed above? Share with us in the comments.
Fernando Cuscuela is the Founder and CEO of Everypost, a social media posting application. He is an experienced entrepreneur who likes nothing better than to start new businesses and make them profitable. Fernando has a background working for international companies including America Online, Cartoon Network and Grupo Infobae. Follow him @fercus
