Protect Your Social Media Accounts With Strong Passwords And Good Habits: 4 Steps To Online Safety For You And Your Business

Make Your Social Media Accounts Hacker Proof.   

I see too many businesses and creators lose their communities and all their hard work because of hackers. It’s a terrible feeling and can have serious consequences for your business! So how do you protect yourself from being hacked? 

Two words: secure passwords. 

Part of running a legit business is keeping your information (and your clients’ information) safe. That means taking steps to create, store and protect your passwords.  It might not be sexy stuff, but it’s important! 

Ready? Let’s do this. 

Here are four steps that will help you keep your accounts, content and online communities safe! 

Step 1: Creating Strong Passwords 

Whether it’s Instagram or Gmail, you can’t login to an account without a password. So, make it a good one. 🔐

When you’re creating a password: 

✅ Use different passwords for each account. 

Yes, that’s A LOT of passwords. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about storing and managing your passwords later! ⬇️

✅ Make sure each password is unique and something a hacker is unlikely to guess. 

Sadly, that means your trusty Mydogsname123 is off the table. So is your birthday.

✅ Use an online tool to generate secure passwords that are a random mix of letters, signs and numbers. 

Once you have all of these super secure passwords, you might be wondering how you’re going to remember them all. So, let’s talk about that next. 

Step 2: Protecting Your Passwords (Put It In The Vault, Baby!) 

To keep your passwords safe, I recommend using a secure password management and sharing app like LastPass, 1Password or Keeper Security. 

Password management tools keep your information safe by encrypting it. (That’s fancy tech-talk for turning your passwords into code). They also help you keep your passwords organized and accessible. And, most have an “autofill” feature for easy login. That means you can delete your word doc and toss out the post it notes with old passwords. They’ll all be safe and ready to use in your password management app. 

Every Great System Has A Back Up. 

If someone gets a hold of a password, there’s another line of defense you can use to block their access to your accounts. It’s called 2-factor authentication and it’s a simple-to-use security tool. 

When you enable 2-factor authentication, you’ll need a code in addition to your password to sign in to an account. You can choose how you’ll receive these codes when you get started. The most common options are: 

➡️ Having a code sent to your phone 

➡️ Using a backup code provided by the platform (Instagram, for example) 

➡️ Using an authentication app

If you share access to an account with your team, a client or your friendly neighbourhood social media manager (#ItsMe 👋) the second option is the most convenient. 

You can share the list of backup codes (sometimes called recovery codes) with the people who need them. That way they can access the account when they need to without having to contact you for a code. Remember, each code can only be used once. So, you’ll need a system (like a shared Google Drive doc) to keep track of which codes have been used and which are still up for grabs. When they have all been used, you can have the platform generate a new list of recovery codes and start again. 

Step 3: Building Password Updates Into Your Workflow 

When it comes to online security, there’s no “set it and forget it” option. It’s important to schedule time every few months to update your passwords. That means creating new passwords for your accounts, updating your password management tool and deleting passwords for accounts that you no longer need access to. 

Make it part of your workflow by blocking out time at the beginning or end of every quarter. That way you won’t forget and your passwords will stay strong. 

Step 4: Being Cautious & Trusting Your Gut 

Having strong passwords, a reliable password management tool and a plan for keeping your online security updated are going to help keep you safe. But, nothing is 100% foolproof–especially when there are icky hackers looking for chinks in your armour. So, you have to be cautious.

⛔ Don’t click on links in emails or DMs unless you are confident they are legit.

⛔ If you get a DM from a known account but the message feels off,  trust your gut. Ask the person identifying questions to make sure they are who they say they are.

⛔ Check in your app to verify if emails from social platforms like Instagram are legit. (It’s easy to do. Head to your settings, then security, then “emails from Instagram” to see what Instagram has emailed you 👍🏻.)

Remember to trust your gut and do your due diligence before giving anyone any personal or sensitive information online!

Good Habits And Strong Passwords Are Your First Line Of Defense For Protecting Your Social Media Accounts From Hackers. 

If you’ve been hacked it’s not your fault. It can happen to anyone. These people are sneaky and know what they’re doing!

But, with strong passwords, a “think before you click” attitude and regular updates you can help keep yourself and your business safe from hackers and online scams. 

Make updating passwords part of your quarterly workflow by scheduling time to do the work. It’s not a glamorous task but investing the time will give you peace of mind and save you from possible headaches (or worse!) later.