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When most people think about social media and cybersecurity, they typically think about hackers taking over Instagram accounts or Facebook Messenger scammers taking private information. It’s for good reason that this is top-of-mind. The Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2022 Consumer Impact Report revealed that social media account takeovers have grown by 1,000% in one year.
Putting yourself out there on social media platforms opens up your personal information to cyber threats. However, social media can be used for good, rather than evil, when it comes to cybersecurity. Learn how to educate your social media following on everyday cybersecurity risks.
Create Cybersecurity content relevant to your audience
Not every company or content creator posting on social media is in the cybersecurity niche, not to mention any offshoots or umbrella niches like technology. Of course, if you do fall into a tech niche and have an audience that’s interested specifically in cybersecurity, you can certainly post on social media about the topic.
However, virtually any industry could benefit from creating cybersecurity content. When planning quality content for your social pages, identify your content niche and determine what aspects of cybersecurity would be most beneficial and interesting to your audience. You can also capitalize on current trends on social media or in the news when designing an informational content campaign around cybersecurity.
Let’s look at how cybersecurity topics can be approached from a variety of industry angles.
B2B
If you are a shared workspace company, for example, your followers are likely interested in ways to establish network security in a hybrid workplace. Followers of a hiring software company likely want to see how to hire more securely online. If your business caters to other businesses, you can create educational cybersecurity content to help them stay safe while using your services or otherwise doing things related to your product or services.
Healthcare
While creating content aimed at public services is different than B2B audiences, cybersecurity information is especially relevant. In a time when interest in virtual healthcare services is booming, patients and providers alike need to be aware of HIPAA laws. For instance, a social media post about the security risks and ethical concerns of doctors emailing and texting patients is an important and highly relevant topic.
Education
Like many healthcare practices have incorporated virtual visits, many schools have started providing virtual classes. If your business is in the education sphere at all, your followers would likely benefit from engaging content about keeping student information private in online classrooms.
Lifestyle
If your brand is in a lifestyle category, you may not think this has much to do with cybersecurity. However, think about the ways in which your followers engage with your brand. If you sell products on a website, make a social post about how to create a secure login for your site when purchasing to reduce the risk of data theft. Further, you can inform your consumers how you’re taking steps to securely process payments and handle customer information. This will instill trust in your brand.
If you don’t sell tangible products or services in this way, you can still find something to do with cybersecurity that will benefit your audience. People use online services all the time, and not everyone is up to date with the latest ways to catch phishing scams or create safe passwords. If your followers are interested in a certain fashion brand and you are aware of an email scam under that brand’s name, you can post about it on social media to help spread awareness.
Pick the right platform and format
Regardless of your industry, it’s clear that all audiences can benefit from some level of cybersecurity education. Similar to how your content will differ, each creator will also benefit from posting on varying social platforms. Some of the most popular social media sites for sharing informative posts include:
- Twitter: platform for text posts, accompanying images, and links;
- Reddit: site for more nuanced, forum-style discussions;
- Quora: site with question-and-answer-style discussions;
- Instagram: app with primarily image-based with short-form video and live streaming options;
- Facebook: platform affiliated with and similar to Instagram but with longer text posts and groups;
- LinkedIn: professional networking platform with longer text posts and videos;
- YouTube: leader in the long-form video space with the option for Shorts and live streaming;
- Twitch: live streaming platform primarily for gamers;
- Pinterest: image-based sharing platform;
- TikTok: short-form video content platform with live streaming options.
TikTok, in particular, is interested in promoting cybersecurity education, so you may have enhanced luck on the platform. Short-form TikTok videos are brief enough to keep viewers’ attention, but you also have enough options to successfully pack in cybersecurity knowledge. For example, you could make a video using a trending sound about how to spot insider threats, pointing to each tip. The platform shows users the content they will be most interested in, so you are more likely to reach the right audience and spread cybersecurity awareness.
If you already have a social media presence, you likely know which platforms garner you the most engagement currently. Start by testing the performance of cybersecurity education posts on your chosen platforms. Then, analyze the data and adjust accordingly.
Using social media for Cybersecurity awareness
Whatever industry you’re in, your social media following will be able to benefit from cybersecurity education. Data privacy is top-of-mind for most social media users, so cater to their unique needs with your content.