Social media security: How to safely represent your store online

by charlene_voisin | May 1, 2015 9:00 am

By David J. Sexton

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With the rise of online marketing, it is likely your jewellery store has a social media presence. Yet, have you given proper thought to what you should and should not be posting? Before you share anything and everything about your store, it is important to think strategically about a direction for your social media channels and to set some guidelines to avoid putting your store at risk.

There are many factors to consider when planning your social media strategy. How much time will you and your staff devote to these pages? How often do you want to post? Who is monitoring and responding to feedback? And maybe most importantly, what type of content do you want to promote to your audience? Here are a few tips to consider to minimize the risk to your business when creating your social media approach and developing an online presence.

Who are your posts reaching?

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Content can make or break your social media platforms, so it’s important to have a plan. All types of people will frequent your Twitter feed or Facebook page, for instance, so create content for a wide variety of followers, including first-time jewellery buyers, your favourite customers, fellow business owners, and, of course, people who have never visited your store.

All this attention can be great for business, but beware. It’s not uncommon for criminals to hide among your followers, taking specific interest in your store and your personal activities. If you think about it, social media can help a criminal case a store without ever walking in the door!

As you consider content for your pages, be careful you don’t share information that could put your store at risk. For example, if you post several of your employees are headed to a trade show, a criminal could conclude your store won’t be as closely monitored in their absence. Closed for the holiday? Don’t broadcast your store is unattended. Criminals could see these as opportunities to strike, so sometimes it’s better to share your activities afterward when your store or business is operating normally.

A picture is worth a thousand words and angles

Photo sharing is very popular across most social media platforms. Think back to one of the last pictures you took and shared of your store. If it included your showroom, criminals could use that image to better understand your store’s layout. The same is true when including photos of your store on your website.

Online services allowing users to see a 360-degree view of your store from the comfort of a user’s own device can spell disaster for jewellers. While this may sound like a fantastic promotional idea, consider these photos make casing your business even easier for criminals anywhere in the world.

Your business’s online reputation

In addition to security issues, you should also be concerned about your online reputation. As you develop your social media plan, consider these dos and don’ts:

DO

 

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• “¨Know who has access to your social media channels. Employees may leave your business or take on new roles, so make sure to change your passwords and administrative rights to include only those who are currently involved in maintaining your store’s online presence.
• Monitor what people are saying about you. Keep a close watch on all your channels to monitor the conversation and respond in a timely manner to any customer comments/concerns.
• “¨Take action if you are experiencing suspicious or undesirable activity. If a user is violating your page guidelines and is not receptive to taking the conversation offline, you are able to block them when the situation escalates to an uncomfortable level.

 

DON’T

 

• Don’t lash out online. When you receive a negative review, address the issue and take the conversation offline. It shows you responded to the complaint and are taking actions to resolve it.
• Don’t post political or religious views. While you may want to comment on current events, do not post any content that is controversial and could offend your customers.
• Don’t advertise private events. While awareness is important, protect the safety of your VIP guests, employees, and store merchandise during special events (especially if they are offsite) by not publicizing the location or time in advance. You never know when a criminal is watching.

Social media can be a great tool to promote your business. Share these safety techniques with your staff to strengthen your online presence without putting your company at risk.

David J. Sexton, CPCU, is vice-president of loss prevention consulting at Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., in the United States. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Sexton serves on the Underwriters’ Laboratories’ (UL) Security Systems Council, where he is a corporate member of the insurance category. He also sits on the board of directors for Jewellers Vigilance Canada (JVC), and worked on the Central Station Alarm Association’s (CSAA’s) Insurance Liaison Committee that assisted in the development of the UL burglar alarm modular certificate program and revised UL standard. Comments and questions can be sent to lossprevention@jminsure.com[4].

For training resources regarding safety and security when carrying or working with jewellery, visit JM University at JewelersMutual.com[5]. Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company is the only company specializing exclusively in jewellery insurance in the United States and Canada. It is licensed in all 50 U.S. states and Canada.

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/features/social-media-security-how-to-safely-represent-your-store-online/

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