Cybersecurity has evolved from being one issue for an IT team to becoming a whole division within itself. Every year, there are more dangerous cyberattacks and security breaches happening, which has only made us realize the importance of cybersecurity.
Sometimes, you may think you have the best VPN to use for Netflix, but even it becomes vulnerable. At this stage, what we see is a need to understand cybersecurity, especially marketers.
If you are a company marketing guy and your company is exposed to the outskirts of data loss, it is your responsibility to revitalize the trust in people.
Marketers are entrusted during sales and purchases, and we would not want cyberattacks to hurt the sentiment. That is why in this article we will take you through some of the reasons why marketers need the knowledge of cybersecurity in 2022.
Marketer’s guide to data breaches
We start with firstly acknowledging the data breaches that come in four different steps. With this basic knowledge, you’ll be able to detect and act accordingly:
- Reconnaissance is when the hacker learns about the organization in detail, including employee details, structure, security level, etc.
- Infiltration is when the hackers gain access through successfully running schemes or phishing (quite possibly a malware download)
- Exploitation is when the hackers spot the Achilles heel (weak point) in the data which can grant them a big chunk out of your company data
- Exfiltration is when the hackers gain complete access and acquire whatever data they can get their hands on. This can be company documents, fiscal data, customer data, and more.
This defines the stage of hacking, and a marketer should have the base knowledge of determining at which stage they are currently in.
We can imagine that the reconnaissance phase is ongoing for every company, which is why we need to strengthen our knowledge. To understand the kind of areas marketers, need knowledge in, here are a few pointers below:
Marketing Tools Privacy:
Firstly, let’s understand the marketing tools nowadays. Throughout the age, more tools are being automated and improved that increases the risk of hacking and cyber threats. Even design tools like Canva or writing services like Grammarly have higher use in marketing but are also at risk to the company.
These tools have become of everyday use to marketers and the errors that come with them, only educate the marketers to do better. Imagine if you employ design tools for sending out important e-mails with important letterheads.
What are the chances hackers can replicate it to pose as your company? You can’t control the hackers, but you can use authentic marketing tools and use the knowledge of cybersecurity to protect your files and data.
A wave of cyber threats includes spear-phishing where users can get an e-mail (with identical logos, themes, colors, etc.) stating that they need to upgrade immediately or clear payment.
It includes a suspicious link leading to a webpage where you need to log in your credentials. What the user doesn’t see is the fake link that collects your login credentials and acquires your data.
It’s not the customer’s fault, it was the identical e-mail design that grabbed your audience. By gaining the right security knowledge, you’ll be able to separate your marketing strategies and steer clear of security breaches.
Data Collection
In the world of marketing, the journey from viewer to customer is built on the exchange of information. In some cases, we collect e-mail addresses, sometimes money in exchange for subscriptions and purchases.
During this, certain credentials are collected for data collection use. They can also be used to point out targeted ads, but marketers need to know what data to collect and what not.
We’ve seen in the past how websites ‘read our minds’ based on the way we do stuff. That is because of the data shared by customers after trust. But marketers must understand why some of their information is better left unanswered.
Marketers simply cannot ask to save their credit card information at the promise of faster purchases. Imagine if a company starts saving your card information and it has no further verification process that can authenticate the purchase. It may sound like a convenience, but it can also pose a serious threat to your accounts.
To develop customer trust and credibility, the marketers can ask basic stuff like name, e-mail address, and contact numbers. These should be asked after pointing out that these are used for security purposes.
Educating the masses
Throughout time, the company will inform you about incentives and offers. It will also use the same channel for sharing important changes in policies and updates. But here is another way marketers are winning customers: by educating them about their security practices.
What we mean by this is the customers are made aware of the security methods and measures to ensure a safe transaction takes place. For example, you may have seen a message from your bank that tells you that they will never contact you from any personal number other than its dedicated helpline.
They also frequently text you about policy updates and mention features to improve security in online transactions. I have received the text once about how they will never ask for my login credentials, security details, or important credentials on call or through text.
These types of alerts ease the customer’s mind with the thought that security measures are getting tighter every day. Marketing teams can further their services by promoting their constant efforts at improving security. It may sound like something you find every other company endorse, but it still wins customers.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is a growing industry, and it is evolving as a need for the future. Big companies like Netflix, Amazon, Meta, etc. have dedicated teams and trainers who educate the entire team about cyberspace. If you’re a marketer, this knowledge is just as important to you.