Digital media created more opportunities for companies to engage with consumers than ever before, but such increased interconnectedness has a price. Attacks are becoming progressively advanced, targeting not only a company’s IT systems but also departments with valuable data and web pages. Is yours on the list?
The cultivation of strong cybersecurity habits is key for all employees, as Apu Pavithran rightly noted in his Cyber Defense Magazine article Fortifying The Digital Frontier: Everyday Habits That Shape Your Company’s Cybersecurity Posture. You must also take a closer look at the specific weaknesses of marketing teams because they are directly affected by online usage and therefore in a constant state of deliverable pressure. That makes them ideal targets for cyber-criminals.
The Marketing Department: A Hacker’s Happy Hunting Ground
Why are marketing groups seemingly putting on LEDs announcing, “Hack Me!”? Let’s unpack it:
- Imagine marketing teams as honeypots teeming with all that sweet, sweet customer data. Names, email addresses, phone numbers, maybe even your most embarrassing online shopping list—all of it, just waiting for grabs. This stuff makes the scammers salivate. They can steal it for identity theft, devise convincing phishing attacks, or even swindle it off to the highest bidder on the dark web.
- Brand marketers are virtual every moment of every day. They are running social media platforms, coding emails, and diving right into online advertising. They’re like the ‘Hey hackers, over here!’ They’re like sending a giant warning all the time. That kind of internet presence renders them vulnerable to an entire menu of online menaces.
- Marketing isn’t easy to get right. And they want those sales, engagements, and amazing conversion metrics. This unrelenting tug can get even the best marketer to feel the pressure. An email offer that is going to give you a magical lift in traffic? A near-miss deal for the best tools in the market? Then, the “click here” button suddenly becomes incredibly desirable and hey presto – they’ve run right into a well-trodden rabbit hole.
Common Scams Targeting Marketers
Hackers use many methods to exploit these vulnerabilities. These are some of the many digital marketing scams that most commonly plague marketing departments:
- Guaranteed top rankings in search of a dubious minimal price. These scams tend to be in the form of black-hat SEO that can affect your website’s reputation and result in a search engine penalty.
- Methods that guarantee explosive followers or interactions through infected accounts, bots, or other tricks. They can damage your brand as well as violate the policies of social networks.
- These companies promise you premium leads but provide inaccurate, out-of-date, or even fake contact details. It is time-, money-, and cost-consuming and also can hurt your sales pipeline.
- Emails or messages cloaking genuine emails from trusted contacts in order to trick marketers into giving away private data such as passwords or banking information.
The Crippling Consequences of Cyberattacks
Falling victim to online scams can inflict devastating damage on businesses, leaving lasting repercussions that extend far beyond financial loss. These attacks can cripple a company’s reputation, disrupt operations, and erode customer trust. Let’s delve into the specific consequences businesses often face:
- The immediate financial impact can be substantial. Direct losses from the scam itself, coupled with the expenses of data recovery, system restoration, and potential legal battles, quickly accumulate. Businesses may also face regulatory fines and increased insurance premiums in the aftermath of an attack.
- A cyberattack can severely tarnish a company’s reputation. Negative publicity, loss of customer confidence, and brand erosion can have long-term consequences for revenue and market share. Rebuilding trust after a breach is a challenging and often expensive undertaking.
- Cyberattacks can bring business operations to a grinding halt. The time and resources required to investigate the attack, implement damage control measures, and restore normal operations can be significant. This disruption can lead to lost productivity, missed deadlines, and dissatisfied customers.
- Scammers may gain control of a company’s online properties, including websites, social media accounts, and promotional materials. This can be used to spread misinformation, redirect customers to malicious sites, or further damage the company’s reputation.
In today’s interconnected world, safeguarding against cyber threats is paramount. Businesses must prioritize cybersecurity measures and educate employees about potential risks to mitigate the devastating consequences of falling victim to online scams.
Digital Asset Management: Wrangling Your Marketing Assets and Locking Out the Cyber Bandits
Consider the following scenario: your marketing department is a bustling saloon in the Wild West. Design assets are being sent through the air like tumbleweed, copyrights are being smuggled around like gold dust, and access is stolen like during a dusty pub fight. This disorganized environment is inefficient and leaves your business susceptible to cyberattacks.
That’s where Digital Asset Management (DAM) shows up: a local sheriff who takes his town back. DAM is the concrete hut for all your precious sales collateral – photos, videos, logos, forms, you name it. It offers a unified platform to store, catalog, and manage these assets so that they can’t be accessed, accidentally deleted, or abused.
Why DAM is Your Secret Weapon Against Cyberattacks
DAM is your two-layered protection from the cyber-gangsters:
- No need to hunt the internet for that newer version of that logo or that approved marketing picture. DAM becomes the master data warehouse, the one point of access to all your assets. This helps ensure that all members of your group are pulling information from the same place and with the latest and approved materials.
- DAM stores all edits done to an asset so that if you lose sight of it, you can always jump to the most recent version. In addition, you can configure special permissions to enable access to or edit sensitive documents only by authorized staff.
- Want to find that photo from last year’s campaign? DAM’s got you covered. Metadata and tags are well-equipped to search, organize, and map your assets. This saves you time, as well as letting you know about any suspicious activity or misuse.
DAM and the Third-Party Posse
Even with third parties, DAM is your security guard protecting your investments:
- Create Specific Instructions and Rules: If you have assets you are sharing with freelancers, agencies, or other third parties, have very strict rules about who can view, use, and share your assets. This eliminates any confusion and keeps everyone on the same page.
- Secure Your Equipment: Think of watermarks as your brand’s cow brand, telling the world what equipment is yours. Create access controls, encryption, and other protections that can keep your intellectual property safe from theft or dissemination.
- Audit Access and Permissions Regularly: Never just leave it to do later! You will get busy and forget – we all do. Always review who is on your assets and who has what permissions regularly. This allows you to see if there are any security holes and who has access to your precious documents. And when someone leaves, remove their permissions immediately.
Now cybersecurity doesn’t just fall under the IT department. Likewise, marketing departments should be on guard, seeing the specific ways they could fall victim and doing what they can to secure themselves and their companies. Understanding the common frauds targeting marketers, adopting strong digital asset management strategies, and developing a cyber-savvy culture will help companies beef up security and protect their valuable digital assets.
About the Author
Mushegh Hakobjanyan is the Founder and CEO of Andava Digital, with 10+ years of experience in digital marketing and a focus on SEO and organic channels that drive traffic. Graduate with a degree in Management of Information Systems, Game Theory enthusiast, and Management 3.0 follower.
Mushegh can be reached online at [email protected], LinkedIn, and at our company website https://www.andava.com/
