Should Your Business Back Up Its Social Media Accounts?

by Missy Ward

Disclosure: If I'm not making money through affiliate links on the post you're currently reading, it's an oversight on my part and will be corrected soon.

You’ve spent years developing your brand’s voice online and harnessing a content marketing strategy that appeals to your target audiences. As a result, your number of followers on Twitter and Facebook has soared.

But out of the blue, some sort of system glitch occurs and you lose everything you’ve worked so hard to build. All the useful articles, infographics, videos and images have disappeared in a flash.

Even worse—your massive list of fans has been eradicated.

For businesses that regularly back up their social media profiles, a bulk of this data can be retrieved. But for those who have overlooked this pertinent step, they’ll have to rebuild from scratch. Depending on the nature of the business and industry they’re in, revenues could take a major hit.

Here are a few reasons why it's smart for your business to back up its social media accounts:

Preserve Followers and Supporters

As mentioned in the example above, if your account is somehow drastically altered or deleted, there’s a chance your list of followers and supporters will vanish into thin air. While the list may contain passive followers who’ve simply jumped on the bandwagon and do not intend to ever patronize your business, there may be others who’ve played a major role in the evolution of your brand. These individuals, who TheMuse refers to as brand ambassadors, are constantly joining in on the conversation about your company online or sharing their positive experiences with others through written testimonial. And while you may not place much weight on their feedback, their input may very well be the determining factor when prospects are making a purchasing decision. Don't risk losing these valuable customers in the event of a glitch.

Trend Analysis

Over time, your content marketing strategy will evolve as you determine which types of posts make your online audience tick, and subsequently boost conversion rates. But making that call spans beyond a rapid review of the number of retweets or likes on a particular post. Rather, it requires an in-depth trend analysis that scrutinizes post reach and other comparable factors.

In order to conduct a trend analysis, you need historical data—data which won't be available to you in the event of a crash. Also, bear in mind that Twitter only keeps record of your last 3,200 tweets, and there’s no way of retrieving the rest otherwise, beyond a back up service.

Aids in Dispute Resolution

Social media records fall under the e-discovery process mandated by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Any evidence collected via social media may be admissible in the court of law in the event a legal dispute arises. And if a comment to a status update is enough to make or break your chances at a victory in court, having a record of it is definitely in your best interest.

Privacy

The lack of privacy is arguably the biggest concern for businesses who are weighing their options in terms of backing up social media accounts.

Once you’ve decided backing up social media profiles will best suit your company’s needs, enlist the help of a reputable cloud-based service, such as Mozy. A variety of price ranges and privacy features are available from which to choose.

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Missy Ward

Co-Founder & President at Affiliate Summit, Inc.

Missy Ward has been in affiliate marketing since 1999. She is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Affiliate Summit, FeedFront Magazine, GeekCast.fm, Founder of AffiliateMarketersGiveBack.com and manages many of her own affiliate sites.