Live Life Team
Inadequate social media password management can derail a company’s marketing strategy and expose its data to criminals. Effective password management means making passwords easy to use without risking a company’s social media presence or its data (and the data of its customers/clients). A successful social media presence requires effective password management.
Passwords are hard to manage when they’re hard to remember
Because password usage is so ubiquitous, managing those passwords has grown increasingly difficult. Most people have trouble remembering four or more passwords, each eight to fourteen characters long with at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one special case character. At home, this is a nuisance. But if a team member on a social media campaign forgets the company’s Twitter password, they could lock out the entire team. Further, if not everyone on the team who needs that social media account is alerted to the new password, they could re-lock the account by using the old password. Being unable to use social media doesn’t just disrupt the implementation of a company’s social media strategy. Being locked out of an account prevents a company from responding to crises, providing customer support, and other customer outreach goals.
Passwords are hard to manage when they’re easy to remember
Due to the complexity of password management, some people choose to use the same password for multiple accounts. This practice makes all accounts, and their associated data, vulnerable to malicious hackers. Should a hacker crack the password for one site, they’ve cracked them for all sites. In a best-case scenario, the hacker hijacks and vandalizes the company’s social media platform. In a worst-case scenario, the hacker mines the social media accounts for data to gain entry to more sensitive areas of the company’s digital infrastructure. Such intrusions have cost companies billions in dollars, not to mention the precious confidence of their customers.
Even complex and unique passwords have vulnerabilities. Because they’re hard to remember, some people write them down. While this strategy is probably suitable for the home, it’s riskier at work. A written down password is at risk from anyone who has access to the workspace where it’s kept. And since the password hasn’t been memorized, it’s of course at risk of being lost.
Social media password management software makes remembering passwords easy
Companies that successfully manage multiple social media passwords often use password management software. These tools simplify securing a company’s social media presence to one password. In general, password management software stores the credentials for each social media account. An administrator can then add or remove teams, team members, and clients to the software, granting and denying access where appropriate. Each person added is then only responsible for their own unique password to the management software. Lost or forgotten passwords will no longer disrupt the company’s marketing efforts. Granting access to a company’s social media accounts, or adding new social media accounts, will no longer risk the company’s security or data.
Responsible and effective social media initiatives require good password management
Passwords that are too complex or too simple, and passwords spread across multiple personnel, are neither effective nor responsible. They risk too much for the veneer of simplicity or security. Managing social media passwords with a software tool ensures a company’s accounts are secure, its marketing efforts are unimpeded, and its opportunities on new platforms are open
