Balancing Promotion and Protection on Social Media
Social means business. It’s no longer a question of if your marketing team should use social media as a way to engage prospects and generate leads, but rather which channels to invest in and what types of content to use. From employees sharing company updates on LinkedIn to e-commerce sites and web marketplaces used as selling tools, it’s critical that brands understand their social footprint and how to protect it against account hacking, phishing, customer scams, impersonators and unauthorized resellers/counterfeits.
Social Sharing
Social networks are centered on an inherent desire to share. From the second you log on to one of the top social platforms, you’re greeted with a welcoming variation of, “What’s on your mind?” or “what’s happening?” or “what do you want to talk about?” These messages encourage users to share personal details and opinions.
This opens great opportunities for marketing teams looking to understand buyer motivations and preferences. And users aren’t shy about their preferences. A study found that 40% of users follow their favorite brands on social media. This is particularly interesting when considering another stat: only 41% of users say they use social media to keep up with friends. There is a wealth of opportunity for brands to share on social, engage followers and receive critical customer feedback.
Smarter Sharing
It’s a pretty well known fact that social media is a necessary tool for modern marketing teams. But with every business from local mom and pop shops to Fortune 100 companies promoting on social, how can you make your brand stand out from the rest?
The key to a successful social media marketing program is not to share more but to share smart. This means assuming a buyer-centered mindset when it comes to what you share and meeting the buyer where they are when delivering content. Consider a typical Facebook user. Most users go to Facebook as a way to share personal updates with their friends and do so in off-hours: in the evening, on break at work, and first thing in the morning. The types of content you deliver on Facebook should reflect that usage. Consider using a more informal tone and sharing more engaging or dynamic content.
On the flip side, the content you share on professional platforms like LinkedIn can be more academic, article-based assets that focus on education. For Twitter, focus on short, digestible content that can be read on mobile devices. Understand what types of content work best on certain platforms will help you effectively spread your social and digital presence.
Safer Sharing
With an increase in overall engagement efforts on social media comes inherent risk. ZeroFox has been in the business of finding bad stuff on social media for many years now and over those years the risks posed to brands and businesses on social have increased and evolved. From accounts impersonating your brand and executives to malicious links targeting your customers and employees, understanding the risks posed by using social media to drive business will allow you to share successfully and securely.
Know the early warning signs of account hacking, from image and bio change to erratic posting so you can take action if an attack to your brand occurs. Develop strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts. Enable two-factor authentication wherever available. And don’t stop there. Creating a social media and digital protection plan for your organization is key for both preventing and reacting to an attack.
Learn More
We’re just scratching the surface of how you can promote your brand and business while protecting your reputation and brand integrity. Join our webinar on February 21, Protect While You Promote, where Evan Blair, ZeroFox Co-Founder and VP of Worldwide Channel Sales and Jeremy Wood, Hootsuite VP of Product Marketing discuss tips to help brands increase their social footprint while protecting against reputational risks. Register here.