Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | December 12, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 19 www.wbjournal.com/ cybersecurity Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors and everyone who signed on to watch WBJ's annual Cybersecurity webcast. Webinar Sponsor WEBCAST PANELISTS: Gregory Berks SVP and Director of Operational Risk, Vendor Management and Information Security, Middlesex Savings Bank Patrick Tracey Partner, Bowditch & Dewey LLP MODERATOR Allen Falcon CEO, Cumulus Global Andrew Anderson CEO, Datastream View the recording at the link below to learn how you can identify and protect your business from these constant cyber threats. C Y B E R S E C U R I T Y F O C U S Best practices on social media To some businesses, one of the major advantages of social media over other ways of reaching customers is that posting is free. But, if time is money, it's still important to consider how much effort to put into it. Gardner maps out three resources businesses have: time, money, and expertise. "If you don't have money but have a lot of time, because you're just starting out, you may do it on your own," she said. But, she said, as a business grows, it may make sense to either hire someone to run the social media accounts or outsource the work to a specialty firm. Similarly, business owners and managers should consider whether they have the expertise to use social media well. For example, do they know how to make effective graphics for a particular network? If not, do they want to learn how, or might it be best to hire someone else? Another important question is whether, or how, to use paid advertising on social media. In general, this kind of advertising is far less expensive than running ads in traditional media or forms like billboards. Wong said advertising, or boosting posts, even for as little as $5 or $10, can get information in front of a particular audience. For example, a company could specifically boost a Facebook post about an upcoming event to target business owners in Worcester. When companies launch a social media campaign, they should focus on the creative content and the call to action, Pagano said. A/B testing can help determine which image, video, or other material wins the most clicks, aer which a company can use its budget to get more eyeballs on it. And a strong call to action can turn clicks into something valuable for the company, such as sales leads. While social media can be a huge asset for companies, it has its risks. Among these is employees posting content not reflecting well on their employer. Companies should have clear social media guidelines and communicate them to workers, Wong said. "e biggest issue is people don't know," she said. Vision is fine with employees posting political content on their own accounts, even though Vision Advertising itself stays politically neutral. But, Gardner said, if an employee is posting offensive content, even on their own time, it can reflect badly on their employer. "ere can definitely be times when something's going to come back and bite your company," she said. But, she said, the best way to address this isn't necessarily making rules about what it's acceptable to post. Vision focuses more on ensuring the people it hires are aligned with the company's values. at not only helps ensure they won't post anything offensive customers might see but helps promote a harmonious relationship with coworkers. Happy employees posting what they like about their jobs are a big asset from a public relations standpoint, Gardner said. "Your staff can be great ambassadors for your brand if they love what they do," she said. Chicago-based business service provider UpCity polled 600 U.S. and Canadian small business owners in 2022 to see which social media platforms were most valuable. Social media % listing as top platform Facebook ........................................... 32% Instagram ........................................... 17% TikTok ................................................. 13% LinkedIn .............................................. 11% YouTube .............................................. 11% Twitter ................................................... 8% Pinterest ............................................... 4% Other ..................................................... 5% Source: UpCity Most valuable social media platform for small businesses Brittany Wong, CEO of Studio Jade Emma Pagano, strate- gic director of Pagano Media W

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