The online business world is booming; that’s not in doubt. Retail e-commerce sales surpassed the USD$4.1 trillion mark in 2024 alone. That’s slightly more than the entire GDP of Italy and Canada combined. [1]

However, as follows, every massive growth has bad actors. Cybercriminals have taken notice, and the digital sector is a prime target. In 2022 alone, about 83% of organizations faced some sort of cyberattack, leaving sensitive data exposed. [2]

As a digital marketer, you can’t afford to be sitting ducks when it comes to data security. To stay ahead of potential breaches, you need actionable strategies. This guide offers a few ways to ensure data security in digital marketing and protect your business from common threats.

Educate Your Team on Cybersecurity Best Practices

About 80% of all data breaches stem from human error. That’s why training your team on cybersecurity best practices should be at the forefront of your plans. [3]

Start with phishing awareness. Show your team examples of phishing emails and what happens when they click on suspicious links. Such classes can go a long way.

They’ll put your team on alert for red flags, like strange URLs, misspelled domains, or unexpected attachments, and give them strategies to handle them. You can use insights from email attachment security resources to teach your staff other critical steps that can come in handy in similar instances.

But it doesn’t end here. You should also mandate strong, unique passwords and create a data-sharing guide to teach your team to securely share information.

Use Secure Third-Party Tools

Marketing often relies on third-party tools for everything—email campaigns, analytics, ad management… you name it. But they can be an open door for attackers. If a tool you’re using is compromised, your data might be too.

Before you integrate a tool into your business, make sure it passes a security audit. Look for certifications like ISO 27001 that indicate strong security practices. But don’t just trust what’s on the website. Look deeper into resources like Fixed Fee IT’s SOC 2 journey to establish how exactly these third-party tools got their certifications.

This way, you’ll know whether they truly adhere to rigorous security standards or are simply using certifications as a marketing ploy. Also, remember to check privacy policies to understand what data the tool collects and how it’s used. Avoid tools that collect unnecessary information.

Use Secure Data Encryption

Think about all the sensitive data you handle in digital marketing. Customer names, addresses, credit card details, etc. Without encryption, this data is out in the open, vulnerable to theft. Encrypting it keeps it protected, even if a breach occurs.

To get started here, you’ve first got to secure your website. Make sure it uses HTTPS (not HTTP). This requires an SSL/TLS certificate, which encrypts the data transferred between your site and visitors.

You should also make sure you encrypt stored data. If you store customer data in a database, use encryption algorithms like AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). Encrypt your backup files as well. If a hacker gets access to unencrypted backups, all your efforts are wasted.

Implement Strong Access Controls

The more people who can access sensitive data, the greater the chances of a mistake or intentional leak. To reduce the odds, assign role-based permissions within your team. For example, your social media manager doesn’t need access to customer payment records.

You should also put multi-factor authentication (MFA) in place. Even if someone guesses a password, they can’t log in without a second verification step—like a code sent to your phone. Remember to check access logs and permissions monthly too. You might find that someone who left the team still has access.

Regularly Update Software and Systems

Hackers are constantly looking for weaknesses in popular software. When developers discover these vulnerabilities, they release updates or “patches” to fix them. Fail to install these patches and you’re basically handing hackers a roadmap to exploit your system.

So, automate updates to ensure you’re always protected. Also, if you’re using platforms like WordPress, outdated plugins are a huge risk. Check for updates weekly or remove unused ones.

Conduct Frequent Security Audits

Data breaches often happen because of unnoticed vulnerabilities. When you make it a habit to conduct regular audits, you can catch these issues early and fix them before they become a problem.

Kick off your audit with your website. Check for outdated code, weak passwords, or unprotected admin panels. There are more than enough tools online to help you with the process.

Once you’re sure your website is clean as a whistle, review your third-party tools. Look at every platform you’re using—email marketing, social media scheduling, CRMs. Give them a clean bill of health too.

The ultimate test at this stage is to then test for breaches. Use penetration testing tools or hire cybersecurity experts to simulate an attack and see how your system holds up.

Develop an Incident Response Plan

Even with strong defenses, no system is invincible. That’s why having an incident response plan can go a long way. This outlines exactly what to do in case of a data breach or cyberattack, minimizing damage and speeding up recovery.

Having such a quick, well-coordinated response in place matters because it can prevent a breach from escalating, protect your reputation, and reassure your customers.

If you’re keen to set up such a plan in your organization, you should first start by assembling a response team. Make sure that you’ve designated unique roles for key team members. Have some in charge of IT, legal, PR, and customer service.

You should then define response steps by outlining specific actions for identifying, containing, and resolving a breach. Include steps for notifying affected parties. Once this plan is in place, test it. Run mock breach scenarios to ensure your team knows their roles and can execute them effectively.

Also, make sure to update the plan at least once a year or after any significant changes to your business systems.

Closing Thoughts

The digital world will keep growing, and so will the risks. However, proactivity can be your saving grace. This guide has introduced a few ways you can achieve that. Use these strategies.

In places where you feel you can’t single-handedly pack a punch, involve the pros. Your customer data, revenue, and reputation are worth their weight in gold. Protect them.