Email marketing has become a vital part of any business’s digital strategy. Your email marketing efforts must be secure, especially with ever-evolving security risks. You can protect your small business from data breaches and malicious activities. Below are several tried-and-tested security tips to protect the integrity of your email marketing efforts:
1. Pick a secure email marketing service
There are several email marketing services that prioritize security. It ultimately depends on your specific needs and preferences. It’s recommended to do your own research and compare features to determine which one is the best fit for you. Outdated systems can be compromised, so it’s essential to do your due diligence. It can help ensure that the content of your newsletters stays safe and prevent any unauthorized access or tampering with your data.
2. Utilize unique passwords and multi-factor authentication
Every account must have its unique password to prevent attackers from gaining access. If multiple accounts are in use, get yourself or your business a Password Manager like LastPass or 1Password to generate and store passwords securely. Additionally, you can also tap multi-factor authentication (MFA), or a system that requires two or more independent methods for verifying a user’s identity when they log in. By requiring a combination of credentials, MFA can provide an extra layer of security against unauthorized access, hackers, and other cyber threats.
3. Leverage analytics for safe monitoring
Web analytics tools like Google Analytics can provide insights about website-visitor interactions. This lets you track traffic patterns and identify potential security risks in real-time. With this technological innovation, you can be alerted if a sudden spike in suspicious activity is detected. This enables you to take immediate action to mitigate threats before they can turn into full-blown problems.
4. Educating your team members and avoid using public Wi-Fi
Train anyone from your team with email access or who manages emails on how best to protect against data breaches or malicious actors. Also, update them on which links and attachments to avoid. It’s critical to remind your team not to use public Wi-Fi, where anyone can potentially intercept and access sensitive information. Thus, when accessing their emails and ESP accounts, use a secure connection to protect login credentials, content, and subscriber data. They can also choose to use a virtual private network and other reliable mobile email management solutions.
5. Safely connect your small business website and email newsletter service
As a small business owner, it’s important to prioritize website and email security. Thus, it’s essential to use a reliable and secure web hosting service that provides SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) encryption. This helps to protect by encrypting the data transmitted between your website and visitors’ browsers. By choosing a web hosting service that offers this security feature, you can help defend your business and your customers’ sensitive information from cyber threats. One email newsletter service with good reviews is Mailchimp, which is encrypted with TLS 1.2 or higher.
6. Keep software up to date.
Speaking of the need for updated software, always upgrade with the latest security patches. Small and midsize businesses can level up their security game and proactively mitigate potential security threats this way. This includes the server hosting your emails and the client application you use to send emails. Without regular updates, your software and other applications could be readily hacked.
The Bottom Line
By following these tips and keeping up with the latest developments, even micro-entrepreneurs or small-scale business owners can enjoy peace of mind knowing their email marketing programs are safe and secure. More importantly, this will allow them to focus their energies on their main goals: generating leads, driving conversions, and increasing ROI!
Need a hand with email marketing? Contact us today to learn how the full-service digital marketing experts at Fisher Green Creative can help grow your small business.
Chatty Garrate is a freelance writer from Manila. She finds joy in inspiring and educating others through writing. That’s why aside from her job as a language evaluator for local and international students, she spends her leisure time writing about various topics such as lifestyle, technology, and business.
