5 Cybersecurity Challenges in Digital Marketing

 

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As technology advances and expands over the years, so is the number of people who go online every day. Even the way people shop and buy changed along with it. This paved way for digital marketing, where businesses can market their products online. While digital marketing promises to increase brand awareness, this also opens more room for new security threats. 

 

Cybersecurity threats are dangerous and can ruin every business marketer's efforts.

It is also expensive once you become a victim of a security breach. Cybersecurity experts predict a staggering $6 trillion losses to cybercrime damages. In this article, we will discuss the most common cybersecurity challenges in digital marketing and tips on preventing cyberattacks in the future. 

 

What is Digital Marketing?

 

Before knowing the cybersecurity challenges marketers face, it is essential to have an overview of digital marketing. Digital marketing is the flow and extension of online e-commerce where businesses use social networking sites and search engines to reach consumers. 

 

While conventional marketing is static and uses one-way communication, digital marketing has a fresh approach to clients and a new understanding of how customers behave. 

 

Marketers face one or more threats while trying to present their brand online. Some have difficulty attracting enough traffic from Google and other platforms, while some face security breach threats. These attacks target small businesses and startups that do not care about data security. 

 

How Does Cybersecurity Affect Digital Marketing?

 

Part of digital marketing is sharing business information online. With cybersecurity, a business protects and secures its data from hackers through different systems. Companies spend billions to keep them safe from these attacks, but the risks are inevitable. 

 

Marketers are vulnerable to cyber attacks as they are the one that utilizes marketing strategies to reach a large audience. One way to do that is through keywords and hyperlinks. Providing customers with something to click on poses a business risk of a security breach. If a link contains a virus, all the people who clicked on it will be affected. 

 

A business needs to have solid digital marketing strategies, which also include the security of its website, email, and social networking sites. In doing so, you are not only protecting your business's data but also your client's privacy.

 

What are the Cybersecurity Challenges in Digital Marketing 

 

Understandably, digital marketers think cybersecurity is the techy stuff only the IT guys must learn. But with the rampant rise of cyber criminals, everyone should be responsible for cybersecurity. Good thing, that it is not difficult to prevent such attacks from happening. Here are the common cybersecurity challenges in digital marketing and how to solve them. 

 

Email 

 

Email is a crucial part of digital marketing because this is the primary target of hackers. Up to 91% of hacking starts with an email. The most common threat is phishing attacks. 

 

The risks of phishing attacks increase as more companies transition to digital space. Attackers might use attachments and hyperlinks. They may also use company email accounts to deliver spam and virus-related emails. However, you can reduce these risks through:

 

• Not opening emails from unknown senders
• Confirming if the ISP and the servers are updated and dependable 
• Ensuring that you have software that monitors and offers security for all email marketing needs 
• Encrypting emails to reduce the danger of phishing attack
• Educating the team to identify phishing emails

 

Social Media

 

Social media is a great and effective way to reach a large audience. Most businesses use platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to display and sell their products or engage with customers. However, it also comes with the risks of identity theft. 

 

Attackers use these platforms to find weaknesses and attack companies through their users. It can take the form of weak passwords or unauthorized downloads. To prevent this, you can:

 

• Enforce the use of strong passwords
• Keep track of all social media activity
• Implement strict privacy settings 
• Educate the team about social media attacks

 

Content

 

Content marketing aims to attract audiences and entice them to buy their products. However, this also comes with security vulnerabilities. The loophole lies in the content management system (CMS), which companies use to customize their content to meet their audience's needs. 

 

Platforms like Joomla, Drupal, and WordPress all use CMS and are prone to attacks. Cybercriminals use distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to compromise the infrastructure systems in your company, which might result in data exposure. To prevent this, you can:

 

• Maintain security practices when using any CMS platforms
• Regulate the creation of user accounts
• Make sure that the server operating systems and software are updated
• Enforce the creation of strong passwords 

 

Customer Relationship Management

 

Customer Relationship Management is the core of every business. It stores vital business information that makes the system vulnerable to cyberattacks. 

 

Oracle, mySAP, and Salesforce all use CRM systems. Attackers might exploit any vulnerability in the system through DDoS attacks, identity theft data breaches, and malware. Prevent these attacks through:

 

• Firewall
• Security software
• Using private networks, e.g., VPNs
• A firm password policy 

 

E-commerce

 

Digital marketers find it hard to convert potential customers due to the vulnerabilities in e-commerce systems. Weak links are the primary risk occurring in systems security flaws and identity theft. However, you can prevent this by:

 

• Using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocols and a two-step verification procedure
• Ensure to take all necessary efforts to give clients a secure payment mechanism 
• Make sure that hackers do not gain any access to the client's bank information 

 

Final Thoughts

 

There is always the risk of a cyberattack. That's why digital marketers must not ignore cybersecurity just because it is not part of your job. The success of companies lies in an effective B2B marketing strategy, and implementing effective cybersecurity is one of them. With this, you will not only protect the company but will shun any fears customers might have about their data privacy.