What would your fashion business look like if you lost access to your social media?
Hands up know who knows someone who has ever lost access to their business’ social media? 🙋♀️
I know a good few people personally who have lost access to their Instagram or Facebook in the last year. Some thankfully only temporarily, but others permanently, unfortunately.
And I get tagged in posts often by other folk in business to see if I can help their friends or clients regain theirs after being hacked. Sometimes I can, and other times unfortunately I can’t.
There was the poor fashion business owner who lost their whole Instagram account to hackers because of a security breach on a well-known and respected third party scheduling platform.
Platforms like Instagram have been integral to kickstarting most small responsible fashion brands, and it would be next level stress to log in one day only to find that you can’t.
These are folk like us; small business owners who have spent time, energy and in most cases, money, building a community and growing our business on social media. And it’s pretty devastating to think losing it all.
Whether from hackers or because Zuckerberg's Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been turned up high, there are a lot of good business folk being caught in the nets with heartbreaking consequences.
So I've spent a wee bit of time securing my own social and digital spaces a little more before the nasty happens, and I care about you and your business so wanted to share this so that you can too.
In this blog there are seven steps listed that I recommend you take. You can do steps 1-4 in a matter of minutes. The other three points will take a little longer.
I've also linked to a couple of stories from social media folk who have been hacked so you can read about their experiences. Yep, it happens to us too.
Let's get into it!
Secure your account before the nasty happens
1️⃣ Check that your account is registered to the correct email address. This is especially important if you weren’t the one to set up your social media account. Change it as needed.
2️⃣ Change your password. Make sure it’s not one that you use on another platform.
Why? If a hacker gets their mitts on your password for say your Canva account, and you use that password for other platforms, it’s the easiest thing in the world to try your email and password combo and take over your digital spaces.
If you have a problem remembering or storing your passwords, you could use a password manager like Last Pass.
3️⃣ Set up 2-factor authentication (2FA)
You’ll be offered a few different options for 2FA. Pick the one that best suits you.
4️⃣ Save the backup security codes in a safe space.
You may be provided with backup security codes which they ask you to keep in a safe space.
TIP: If you choose SMS as your 2FA option, don’t save your backup codes on your phone. If you’ve lost your phone, you’ll also lose your backup codes.
📲 Here’s where to turn on your 2FA for Facebook and for Instagram
🚨 Essential reading: Mari Smith (Facebook expert) has written this detailed blog on what to do if your Facebook or Facebook Business Manager has been hacked
👓 Further reading: Cherie from The Digital Picnic talking about their experience of being hacked.
NOTE: It does state on The Digital Picnic story that having 2FA set up means you can’t use a third party content scheduler, but I don't believe that’s correct for all scheduling tools.
If you’re using a scheduler that isn’t compatible with 2FA, try Creator Studio instead. This is Facebook and Instagram’s own (free) scheduling tool which means you don’t have to give password access to a third party app.
What to do if your account is disabled
There are typically two reasons for your Facebook or Instagram account being disabled: Because you violated Instagram or Facebook’s community guidelines, or by mistake.
If you've violated community guidelines, your social media platform's word is final on that.
If it’s by mistake, you have a better chance at getting your account back up and running. But it can take a bit o’ work.
Because of the political and world events in the last year, think elections and pandemics, Facebook and Instagram's AI has been cranked up and it's been disabling accounts by mistake.
5️⃣ If you don’t have Facebook’s Business Manager set up, I urge you to do that and link your Instagram to it.
People with Business Manager can access live support, meaning you can talk to a real live human at Facebook which is rarer than seeing a unicorn in a velour leisure suit🦄
ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE: I’ve had two clients in recent months who have lost access to their Instagram account and I’ve directed them to the live support in Business Manager.
This can be hit and miss in here - no one can give a definitive answer, BUT, if you’ve been disabled by mistake, there’s a good chance you’ll get your account back up and running.
And yes, both of those clients got their accounts back after a week of unnecessary stress.
👓 Further reading: Take a read of this social media coach’s personal experience of losing and then regaining access to their account
Back up your content
6️⃣ If your fear of losing your account extends beyond the loss of the community you’ve built up and you’re as attached to the digital record of your brand’s journey, you can in fact download your content.
HEADS UP: Unless your account is new, this file is going to be quite large so make sure you’ve got space to save it somewhere 💾
Here's where to find out about downloading your Facebook data and your Instagram data.
Build your email list!
I know this sounds strange coming from a social media coach, but social media isn't your most important digital channel.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s an incredible platform for fostering a community, growing your business and making sales. And I love it.
But it’s merely a stepping stone along the path to your actual digital home: which is your online store, your website and your mailing list.
I asked a question on social media the other day: ‘How would your business look if you lost access to your social media?’
If you put all your eggs in the social media basket, you could be in trouble.
But if you have a thriving and active mailing list, it’s going to look pretty good and you're going to be fine.
Someone trusting you with their email address is far more valuable to you than someone passively hitting the follow button on Instagram.
It means you still have access to the people who are most invested in your brand and the people who are most likely to buy from you.
What a relief!
7️⃣ If you haven’t got a list, or you’re not actively trying to grow and nurture it, this is something you should really be integrating into your marketing strategy.
You don't need a big list to engage with it. In fact, a small list is a great place to start experimenting with and learn what works for your community.
There’s a whole session dedicated to this in my Signature Style Strategy program.
BOOKMARK THIS BLOG
I know you're busy and this can feel like a lot to do at once. Don't try to. If you've found this blog useful, save it to come back to and work through it as is relevant for each of your most precious digital platforms.
THE DISCLAIMER: Please bear in mind that I'm not a cyber security professional and you should do your due diligence when it comes to securing all of your digital platforms.
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