Keeping tabs: why you’re storing your login details wrong and how to fix it

Many of us have been there. Started a small business – let’s say it’s a handmade jewellery brand – and set yourself up across all the social media channels, full of enthusiasm. Sadly, it didn’t work out, so you abandoned the plan. Years down the line, handmade jewellery is having a resurgence. You revive your business and need access to your old accounts again. Or, even worse, an agency or freelancer needs access.

Cue panic. You frantically search archive folders. You select ‘forgot password’ – but the reset email goes to the inbox of a long-departed intern. You wonder briefly where they are now, four years on. Meanwhile, you’re no closer to accessing your account.

Knowing your assets – and how to access them – is crucial

Social channels exist to direct users to your brand. They’re a platform to raise awareness for your product or service. Consumers will often research a brand to see whether they’re trustworthy and reliable and social media can provide that first step towards a purchase or enquiry.

So, whilst you can create a new page, the chances are, your handle has been ‘taken by another user’ – i.e., past you. Even if you do manage to create a new page, a search will yield two different pages – the old one and the new one – and who knows which a user will click first.

It’s not just your social assets you need to worry about though. What about your chosen email newsletter platform with your previously registered list of subscribers? What about the administrator passwords to all your business management tools which you will no longer be able to access? You risk losing a lot of hard work, simply by not keeping tabs on your asset log in information.

It’s easier than you think to keep track of your logins

The solution? Prepare for a true ‘why didn’t I think of that’ moment. All you need to do to mitigate this is create a password master file that contains all passwords and usernames associated with your business. This way, everyone who has access to this file can log in. Make it a live document and save it on an online storage platform like in your Outlook/OneDrive account or your Google Drive account, for example, if this is the email platform that you choose to use, so that if anything changes users can amend it in real time . Make sure, however, that you know the password to your online storage platform and for extra security, you may wish to password protect your assets document or use your storage settings to ensure that it can only be viewed by you – be careful who you share it with.

Seems obvious right? Absolutely, but these things happen. Ultimately, you may choose to rebrand everything you did before and start again anyway. But on the other hand, you don’t want to lose existing followers and likes because organic growth is so precious for your business these days.

Password storage checklist

Follow these simple steps and enjoy a lifetime of easily accessible channels for your business. Your team will thank you, and so will your future self.

  1. Add as many trustworthy admins to your social media pages as you can.
  2. Create a list of passwords that need storing and add them to a master document.
  3. Password-protect your master document. This is one password you can’t forget.
  4. If one of your account admins leaves the team, change the password to ensure your precious data is secure.
  5. If it all goes wrong, start again.

Alternatively, you can employ the use of a paid password protection facility online – there are loads out there but a few good ones include Lastpass, Password Boss, Bitwarden, Zoho and Dashlane, which can all securely store your log ins so you only have to remember one master password and your password platform takes care of the rest. Some have free features, some require payment – either way, the investment is worth it to save you a headache in the long run.

We hope that you have found this blog useful. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for regular updates, fun stuff and helpful marketing advice.

Make sure, however, that you know the password to your online storage platform and for extra security, you may wish to password protect your assets document or use your storage settings to ensure that it can only be viewed by you – be careful who you share it with.

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