Social media presents a wonderful opportunity to communicate to your market the benefits delivered by your business.
Businesses all over the World have seized on the ability, in a digital age, to deliver superb content that engages the attention of potential customers and drives their willingness to invest in products and services.
However, with that activity comes a risk of security glitches that can have serious implications for any business.
Just as you should ensure the best practices in data security apply to the way you hold customer's data and conduct your day-to-day business, you need to exert a firm grip over the administration of your social media channels.
Facebook, one of the titans of the digital age, suffered a severe dent in its reputation in 2020 when the personal details of more than 300 million of its users were hacked and posted online.
It's not only the risk to data security around social media that should worry businesses though. There are several examples of content posted that caused immeasurable embarrassment to the companies concerned:
Chrysler had to sack its media agency in 2011 after a single tweet in the company name cast aspersions on the standard of driving in Detroit;
Two years later, HMVs employees live-tweeted their own layoffs;
In 2015, a BBC reporter tweeted that the Queen had died, before hurriedly claiming it was an obituary rehearsal.
Now all those examples were manifestations of a lapse in administration or judgment on behalf of the organisations concerned.
However, if a cyber-criminal driven by malice were to obtain access to a business's official social media accounts, the impact and resultant notoriety could be the same.
Of course, most large brands now have detailed social media policies built in to the contracts that all staff sign. These make it very clear what is and what is not acceptable.
But that does not mitigate the risk of the damage that could be caused by someone who gains access to the company's public-facing accounts on a variety of platforms.
There is also a wider risk that a company's social media accounts could be a weak link in its data security.
If a cyber-criminal is able to hack into the firm's Twitter feed or Instagram account, they may try to go further to access customer names and addresses - with appalling consequences for the business in question.
Ultimately, the lesson here is that its's essential to apply the same rigors to your business's official social media accounts as to the rest of its data-focused systems and processes.
ACME is perfectly placed to advise on the best way to ensure your social feeds are compliant with current data-related legislation.
If can also advise on the best data-management processes that ensure you have peace of mind when communicating with your customers through popular platforms.
The result is you'll have peace of mind, knowing that if any hiccups or skips of the tongue appear n your social feeds, they're caused by a momentary operational glitch, rather than a malicious attack on your business.