As many people have already heard, Burger King recently had its Twitter account hacked. The same can be said for Jeep’s Twitter account and a number of other business accounts on Facebook. If not handled as well as Burger King handled their social media hacking, the situation can cause chaos, not resolve.
Has your company’s social media ever been hacked?
Twitter and Facebook can be great tools for businesses when networking through social media. Companies are able to reach out to clients, share information and expand their fan base by using these social media platforms. The ability to build an image up or down becomes apparent, and if this ability falls into the hands of a hacker, there is no saying what will happen. Here is how companies can manage and protect against a social media hacking.
How to Manage a Hacking
The number one rule when a social media account is hacked is to be honest and transparent to your online community. Do not ignore or deny the situation. Companies should approach the hacking head on, and be ready to answer questions about what happened. Speed is also a factor here; it is important that the hacking be addressed as soon as possible so that fans can be protected against potential spamming or hacking themselves (should they be prompted to click on something posted by the hacker). Burger King is a great example of how companies can publically deal with this kind of issue. Only a few hours after being hacked, the company tweeted, “Interesting day here at Burger King, but we’re back! Welcome to our new followers. Hope you all stick around!” The quick, direct and lighthearted response on Twitter was well received by others on the social media platform.
Protect Your Company against a Hacking
Although such large-scale social media hackings happen to national brands, protecting smaller company’s social media accounts is just as necessary. This can be achieved by using a more complex password that is unrelated to the business. In addition, implement a two-part authentication to all social media platforms, and back everything up! These simple steps can alleviate hacking potential.
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Photo Credit: JanetR3