Social Networking and Security…or Lack of When Promoting Your Brand

The explosion of social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate. 56% of people use social networks and this number only seems to be going up. In this day and age, online presence is extremely prominent so it makes sense for not only people, but also businesses to use social networking as a tool for communication.

Social networking is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways in order to promote your brand. It is extremely easy to create a facebook page or get a twitter account for your business to easily promote your business. Small or local businesses can get away with not using social networking but it is absolutely crucial for larger businesses to have an online presence in order to promote their brand and communicate with other people. It is one the best ways to create a connections between your brand and other people. Also, it is a great way to get other people to talk about your business and provide feedback. It's great to use tools like Google Alerts or Hoot Suite to track what other people are saying about your company on the web.

            When promoting your brand, it is important to remain consistent in all aspects of your business. First, it is crucial that the business has the same name across all platforms. The website http://namechk.com/ allows you to check if your desired username or url is available on multiple social media platforms.Not only is the name important, but so is the consistency in the voice and the image of the brand. Many companies now have a presence on multiple social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and many more. It is important for people to feel like all these different social networks provide the same brand experience. 

           Social networking is a great tool but with it also comes numerous security risks. Hackers can inject malicious code into a business social networking site. Not only that, but hackers can also obtain access to your account and post as your company like the time when Burger King's twitter account was hacked. Employers also pose as a great security risk because if they make a work-related comment on their social media account, then it can affect the company's image. Lack of a social media account can also create a security risk because it invites imposters to represent your company. Although there are security risks to using social networking to promote your brand, the positive aspects greatly outweigh the negative.