Businesses and brands of all kinds have one common challenge: the attention market. It isn’t about having the best product or the best service. Before any of that, it is about getting eyes on your brand. People can’t buy from you or support your business without knowing about you, and, unfortunately, this can be one of the most challenging aspects of getting started as a business.
It is also one of your greatest assets. There is a reason why influencers are so powerful in today’s world. Having a large audience means having eyes and ears on you. You can make an entire career out of that audience alone, without ever selling anything directly. Regardless of whether you are a business, a brand, a service, or an influencer, you need to protect your social media accounts from being hacked. They are your greatest marketing tool, and building up a large, active following is worth its weight in gold. To protect that gold, you will need to use this guide:
Protect Your Business
While personal accounts are very low targets, those with high follower counts are at a big risk of being hacked simply because the benefits are so lucrative. Business accounts of all types need to do more than keep their apps updated and use unique passwords. They need a full, comprehensive approach to their digital security. Businesses of all types can benefit from managed IT services and support, especially if you don’t handle an IT team internally.
Never put your business at risk because the second that one area of your business falls, others can fall as well. What may start as an internal issue can quickly spread to your customers or to your social media, where a hacker can quickly decimate your reputation and digital presence. While an internal hack may be cleaned up afterward, if the attack causes damage to your presence and reputation, you may never recover.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
On top of having IT support to protect your business as a whole, you will also want to take advantage of the available security features. One of the most popular ones is two-factor authentication. Always set this, and require a one-time-passcode to be sent whenever a new device uses your login or attempts to log in.
Use Unique Passwords and Change these Often
You should use unique passwords for everything. If you use the same password for every platform you have, then you are making the task of hacking very easy. A hacker could steal that login information from another account you completely forgot about and then use those login details to gain access to your email and your social media accounts and do their damage that way. This is why changing your passwords every so often to something unique is so important.
Stay on Top of Which Apps Have Access to Your Accounts
You need to know what websites and apps have your information, particularly the ones that are linked to your email or social media. The good news is that social media sites and mail companies like Google make this easy. If you don’t use the app or website anymore, then unlink it. Similarly to having your password stolen, having your accounts linked to a vulnerable app or site can also cause problems in the future.
