Staying Safe As You Build Your Company's Online Presence

Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

If you want to make it in the current business world, you’re going to need to have an online presence. And while that might sound easy when it comes to living in the modern world of the internet and social media, it’s a lot harder than it sounds! After all, there are a lot of online threats out there, and you could fall prey to any if you’re not prepared for them. So here’s what you need to know about keeping your new online presence safe as you create it especially for your business. 

Keep Personal Information Private
If you’re going to build an online presence for your business, it only needs to be about your business. You can take yourself out of the equation, apart from professional images such as your LinkedIn profile. 

Because the less people know about your personal life, the better! Most of all, make sure you’ve set all of your personal social media profiles to private, and only accept requests from people you truly know. 

Keep Up to Date with Your Company Name
Your company name is going to get a lot of attention, even as a small business. So make sure you keep up to date with how it’s being used and what’s being said about it. For example, a lot of companies tend to make a ‘Google Alert’ that pings every time their company or brand name is mentioned somewhere online. 

When you know what people are saying about you, you have the chance to get ahead of the curve of competition. And not only that, but if you find serious negativity online, you have the chance to involve a social media attorney at an early stage before any damage is done to your online reputation. 

Use Encryption Layers with All Online Data
If you’re going to build an online presence for your company, you'll need to store your data online as well. And because of that, you’ll need to use as many encryption layers as possible to keep yourself safe. 

If you’re handling customer data, or you’ve got the profit figures for the month, you’ll need to keep them behind figuratively locked doors. So ensure any cloud storage you use has trusted encryption seals, and always be aware of who has access to the server itself. 

Stay Aware of Online Scams
As a business, you’re going to be much more of a target for online hackers. You’ve got a lot more assets to lose, after all. And when it comes to daily internet use, you could come across at least 5 or 6 every single time you log on. So learn how to spot a scam from far away. You won’t always know if you’re always talking to a scammer, but you can use some general rules to help yourself stay safe as you grow. 
An online presence can stretch out in many different directions. Make sure you always know where it's going and who can access it.