As cyberattacks are quite common nowadays, securing your marketing campaigns online is more critical than ever. Small-sized businesses report cyberattacks like phishing scams every 11 seconds. The digital world is full of viruses and malware. Attackers work tirelessly throughout the day to exploit the vulnerabilities of your marketing campaigns. Thus, leaving it unsecured can be a welcome call for perpetrators.
But how can you pass through the forest of malicious software to reach safety? In this article, we will learn the common threats you might face online and how to secure your campaigns from the dangers using five simple and actionable strategies.
Common Threats to Marketing Campaigns Online
A few common threats to marketing campaigns are as follows:
Data Breaches
The first security concern is data breaches. Unsecure campaigns can risk not only your but also your customers’ sensitive data. Attackers can gain unauthorized access to your accounts via unsecured landing pages. Moreover, attackers can eavesdrop on information that users enter into contact forms, which are usually attached to campaigns. Thus, securing your campaigns is necessary to protect your customers’ and your personal information.
Phishing Attacks
A campaign means exposing your brand to hundreds and thousands of potential users but also hackers and attackers trying to hack your accounts or to install ransomware. Many attackers posing as an individual or a business trying to do business with you can manipulate you into spilling your sensitive information. These cybercriminals can use effective social engineering techniques to extract sensitive information from you.
Ad Fraud
An advertisement can also be a welcome message for fraudulent clicks, spam, or fake traffic. Fake traffic or spam clicks can hurt your search engine rankings and reputation. Ad fraud is highly common, and competitors may use such techniques to dismantle your advertising campaigns.
Ransomware
There are over one billion malware in the world right now. Cybercriminals can exploit vulnerabilities of an unsecured campaign to inject your devices with deadly malware such as ransomware. It holds your website hostage until you pay a declared amount or ransom. Such cyberattacks can cause immense loss of cash for a business or an organization. In fact, a ransomware attack can cost up to $4.54M.
5 Best Practices for Securing Your Online Marketing Campaigns
Now that you are aware of the common security complications, let’s examine five actionable ways to protect your digital campaigns from hackers and attackers.
Use Secure Platforms
The first choice is to secure your campaigns by using a secure platform. Choosing a secure platform should not be very difficult. Examine the important features that the platform offers. Such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and other essential security measures. Moreover, opt for platforms that are crystal clear about their security features and practices. Look for the frequency of security audits. Lastly, check for a robust support system. A platform must offer proper communication models in case your servers or devices have been compromised.
Regular Software Updates
Regularly updating your software can enhance security and help fight common cyberattacks! Outdated themes, plugins, extensions, and management systems are prone to known vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access to your business servers or devices. There have been several unfortunate events in which companies have been hacked, causing severe damage to the businesses in terms of cash and reputation. For example, the infamous Equifax data breach in 2017 , when private records of 147.9 million Americans, 15.2 million British citizens, and about 19,000 Canadian citizens were compromised. Therefore, enable auto-updates. It’s critical to save your website from the vulnerabilities of outdated software.
Use Secure Passwords
Another important step you can take to enhance your campaign’s security is using a strong password. An insane amount of individuals still use delicate passwords that can be easily guessed. To combat that issue, make sure you are using robust passwords for your accounts and never use the same password for multiple accounts. Cyberattacks like brute force use trial and error to crack sensitive information such as login credentials. Hackers also use credentials from previous data breaches to crack open accounts that use the same password for multiple accounts. Thus, it’s wise to choose strong passwords that are a combination of symbols, upper and lowercase letters and numbers. Also, ensure your passwords are at least 14 characters long, as small passwords are easy-guessable.
Secure Your Website
Unsecure landing pages can be a target for hackers and attackers. Therefore, it’s critical to secure your website. First and foremost, install an SSL certificate on your website if you do not already have one. Usually, hosting providers offer an SSL certificate with any plan; however, if yours does not, you can buy one for free using a service like Let’s Encrypt. If you use WordPress, install an all-in-one security plugin like Jetpack. The plugin offers multiple security features necessary to fight cyberattacks. Secondly, add reCAPTCHA. On WordPress, you can enable it using a single lightweight plugin like Password Protected. The plugin also adds another layer of security before accessing your website, keeping hackers and bots at bay!
Regular Monitoring
Regular monitoring can also help secure your online campaigns. By monitoring regularly, you can spot errors or unusual activities before they begin to do damage. You can then mitigate the impact by using antivirus software. Regular monitoring also allows you to analyze your campaign and alter your strategies based on its success. For instance, you can do more of what’s working and less of what’s not. Email marketing campaigns are especially vulnerable to phishing attacks and spoofing. Use email tracking and security tools to ensure your email marketing campaigns are not compromised or used to send malicious content to your audience.
Final Remarks
Cybersecurity is no joke, and businesses lose millions and millions of dollars every year. Therefore, taking every safety precaution to save your marketing campaigns online is necessary. By utilizing the aforementioned practices, you can save your campaigns from cyber threats. Thank you for reading! If you need help with your direct mail services, Compu-mail can help. We help businesses in the Buffalo/Niagara area to win clients using direct marketing services. Our tailor messages are sure to get a node from your targeted audience!
Author Bio
Sarmad Ali
Sarmad is a freelance technical writer with extensive knowledge of search engine optimization. He writes SEO-optimized content that converts. In addition to writing, he loves to read and do sports.
