by threshold | Mar 20, 2023 | General
Ava Page
When designing (or redesigning) a custom website, there’s no denying that copywriting and design are going to be the two elements at the forefront of your mind during the creative process – but what really means more in the long run of your website’s success to gain traffic and enhance leads?
Lucky for you, we already broke it down.
What to expect from the design
It’s no secret that the main focus of website design is to accurately represent your brand’s message and image. You want to target your clients’ current and potential goals and desires – but how do you truly execute those ideas? Here are a few of our methods:
- Find the middle ground between your aesthetic, and the overall purpose of your brand
- Embrace minimalism – trying to incorporate too much in a single space will turn users away
- Create a design that speaks for itself, so your copy can focus on the product
- Tease brand design ideas by using shapes, lines, and colors that represent your overall tone
What to expect from copywriting
Although it may seem like a no-brainer, website copywriting is something that only some can do with the proper knowledge of on-site copywriting. While it’s true you want to focus your copywriting on the product(s) you’re looking to promote or sell, there’s more to it than just, “Here’s our product and what it can do.”
Here are a few of our methods:
- Keep the main focus on your products and services
- That’s what brought them there in the first place, right?
- Stick to one objective
- Bouncing around from topic to topic across your page is going to come off as scattered and unorganized
- Begin with benefits, close with features
- Research to get the best understanding of your topic
- It’s easier to break down the basics for clients and consumers when you have a full understanding
- Don’t abandon emotion for logic
- Combine both ideas into one compelling copy set
What brings the most conversions?
Data has shown that while a well-designed website is appealing to consumers, copywriting is what is really going to bring your work home and result in higher conversion rates. So, while you should never skimp on your website design, your copy should be the driving force.
Why you may ask? Website copywriting is where you’re going to be able to heighten your SEO capabilities. Don’t worry – we’ve got another blog that breaks it all down for you.
What comes first?
It’s not an uncommon practice to design a website first, and use that design to fill and create your copy. At the same time, it’s not at all uncommon to see the inverse of this process as well, which begs the question – is one more effective than the other? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each process.
Copy-First
When you choose the copy-first approach, you’re able to ultimately shape your website around your brand’s message, tone, and highlights, rather than having to write those copy points around a certain design space. Knowing what copy needs to be allocated during the design process will create a much more cohesive feel to your website. While there are many upsides to this process, there are some who see this as a downside in the overall creative process as it can add in some extra time that you may or may not have to allocate.
This isn’t to say that you can’t still create a high-conversion, visually appealing website by not following this process, whether it be for saving time or simply because it’s not the way your project management works.
Design-First
Looking in the opposite direction toward choosing a design-first approach, this process is often picked over its competitor due to its time-saving abilities. Rather than crafting around previously written copy lines, this process gives your design team full creative authority to design a stunning website that embodies exactly what your brand is about.
A downside of this process is that it can prevent you and your creative team from being able to design your website around what you’re wanting to express most in your copywriting, and would instead have to add in your copy later.
An easy way around this process would be to have your copywriter and design team work together in the creation of your site to ensure the proper areas would be included in the most efficient way for both departments.
So… is copywriting or design more important?
In terms of measuring conversions, copywriting will always be king over design when SEO strategies are correctly implemented. Luckily, we’re kind of experts in the matter.
However, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t put the same amount of time and effort into your designs, as an attractive website will always be seen as a plus to clients, and can add a level of enjoyment when scrolling through all your (equally amazing) copy lines.
Before you go
Don’t forget, we’re experts when it comes to crafting marketing strategies that drive leasing results and building high-ranking SEO-friendly custom websites! Need help? Reach out to a CSM or any of our team members to get started on taking your marketing and SEO to the next level, see an increase in traffic, and watch the leads roll in.
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Mar 10, 2023 | General
Ava Page
Spring is here and in full swing, which means if you haven’t ramped up your real estate marketing for move-in season, there’s still time! If you’re looking for tips on how to handle your marketing tactics, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at our top 5 frequently asked questions regarding marketing toward different audiences in senior, student, and multi-family housing.
Senior Living
What content is right for senior living marketing?
Keep up with regular Facebook posts promoting the lifestyle, amenities, and community events for your property. Plan events like arts and crafts, cooking classes, movie nights, etc. and post photos & videos from these events to encourage your current and future residents to be engaged and active on social media.
Using your current residents as your brand ambassadors is a more personalized way to create content for your senior living community. Ask your current residents for quotes or video testimonials highlighting all of the reasons they love living in your community.
Boomers are also much more likely to engage on social media and ask questions than younger audiences, so be sure to keep up with those responses!
What social media platform is best for advertising to my demographic?
Keeping your website up to date is going to be your best bet when it comes to marketing for senior living. Because of this, it’s a great idea to include blog posts on your website highlighting amenities, answering questions, and even just providing tips and recommendations to your residents.
Increasing this engagement is a great SEO boosting tactic as well! Bi-weekly blog posts are the most common and are very effective in keeping prospective and current residents up to date!
Now, this is where it’s important to recognize that while it may not be the driving force for your digital marketing, social media is still going to be a huge part of your digital marketing campaign.
Facebook is the highest engaged social media platform for your target audience, so be sure to maintain a healthy and constant presence, not only for prospective residents, but current as well.
Posting regular updates, listing upcoming events, and sharing photos of your current residents and properties will be a great way to show your involvement with the day to day community.
What swag is best for my demographic?
Blankets and glasses cases are a great way to make prospective guests feel welcome and at home. Having something that can be regularly put to use is a great constant reminder of the care and thought you put into your residents’ day to day lives.
Subtle logo design will be the best for these products. Overwhelming and flashy designs are not what you are going for when it comes to this target audience. Simple, classic designs are going to be your safest bet when designing your swag for senior living.
Should I still be using direct mailers?
While direct mailers are a tangible way to get in front of your senior audience, have you considered digital direct mailers? Utilizing technology for our tech-savvy active adult takes your direct mailer targeting one step further.
Serve highly targeted ads and messaging using location-based technology that targets seniors looking to move or sell their home. Plus you can layer in demographic targeting to ensure that the households you are targeting meet your suggested age requirements for the community.
What are the most important features for seniors and how do I market them?
No one wants to move themselves or their family members into a community where they will be shut in and living sedentary lifestyles, so be sure and highlight all you have to offer in terms of keeping your residents active!
Health & wellness is incredibly important to seniors. They enjoy fitness centers offering group classes as a way to exercise and socialize. Whether it be yoga, aerobics / water aerobics, or dance class, these are must-have features for those looking into active adult communities like yours.
Community events like bingo night, dancing, movie nights, etc. not only encourage your residents to remain active within the community, but it also allows for engagement between residents and management.
This personalization goes a long way with prospective residents as it shows the attentive service and care that they will receive at your property.
Your senior living residents love to entertain family and friends. Pools and poolside areas, large community spaces, communal kitchens, and clubhouses are features to market to senior residents.
Bonus: it could result in increased prospective residents who could potentially come to visit current residents!
Student Living
What content is right for student housing marketing?
Video is the top content strategy when it comes to student housing marketing. This is the age of social media, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube being ranked as top online entertainment platforms for a student-aged audience. It only makes sense to follow those trends and include a variety of video content in your campaign.
Incorporate vlogs, reels, and Instagram stories in your marketing campaign while focusing on highlighting your amenities and lifestyle. Because many students are choosing between off campus housing and traditional dorm life, be sure to capitalize on the lifestyle and value that they can only get from your community.
Highlight what sets you apart from the norm – in this case, the dorm!
Have you heard about the rise of influencer marketing? Check out our blog on How The Rise of Influencer Marketing Could Enhance Your Real Estate Marketing can contribute to your overall student housing marketing plan and drive leases. To sum it up, people are looking for personalized experiences and they are highly influenced by people they trust.
Consider recruiting a local brand ambassador for your community, like a popular football player that may already live on-site, to drum up excitement by promoting your community and events through their social channels.
What social media platform is best for advertising to my demographic?
Instagram, Instagram, Instagram! We often get asked, are the days of Facebook & Instagram ads behind us? The short answer is no.
With Instagram being the top platform for students, take advantage of the variety of ways you can market on Instagram. Invest in ads, promotional posts, stories, and reels on Instagram to market your student housing property.
Plot twist, you have two demographics! Your students may be on Instagram, but their parents are on Facebook. We’ll address how to effectively market to parents later on in this post, but we encourage adjusting your Facebook ads messaging to cater more towards the parent demographic. After all, they are an important part of the decision making process.
A bonus question that often gets asked in regards to social media marketing is: How often should I post on social media? While there is no magic formula to exactly how often you should post in a week, month, etc.. Staying active on your social media accounts is what will drive the most traffic.
1-3 Instagram posts per week is your safest bet. While you want to make sure you are putting out enough content to boost your engagement, you don’t want to flood your followers either. If you can’t get everything out that you’re looking for in your weekly posts, take advantage of stories and reels!
These are excellent ways to post more personalized content to promote what’s going on in-the-moment. This kind of raw content feels more authentic and organic to your student following.
What swag is best for my demographic?
Student housing is a market where just about any promotional items you give out are going to be well-received. However, some of the top swag items for this target audience include: koozies, water bottles, drawstring bags, fanny packs, and (believe it or not) pens. Each of these items allow for functionality which will increase the likelihood of residents and prospective residents to use them and rep your brand.
Include your logo, tagline, location, and anything else you would like to promote on these products, just remember not to overwhelm your design with too much information. Only the most important pieces should be included in your swag.
How do I market to students?
Digital marketing is going to be your best friend when it comes to marketing to prospective residents at your student housing community. The days of flyers and bulletins posted around town are over, and it’s all social media, all day.
Students are already spending so much of their time on Instagram and TikTok, so this is where you should be focusing your marketing efforts. Instagram and TikTok allow for quality, engaging content which creates brand awareness and drives website traffic.
Just because Meta has received some negative press, ad spending on Facebook & Instagram isn’t decreasing anytime soon and these platforms are here to stay.
The rooms, amenities, and lifestyle you offer are going to appeal to students the most. Focus on differentiating your property from the dorms, your student housing competitors, and non-student apartments.
Here’s a list of selling points you can consider for students:
- Proximity to campus
- Proximity to bus stops
- Private shuttle service
- Private and shared room options
- Size of rooms
- Fully furnished
- Private or group study rooms
- Smart home technology
- TVs included
Remember: when it comes to student marketing, representation matters. When curating content for your organic and paid marketing campaigns, keep your content diverse.
The last thing you want is for someone to see your ads, visit your website, or scroll through your Instagram feed and think, “This place isn’t for me.”
How do I adjust my messaging to advertise to parents?
While the types of amenities offered to students are also important to parents, safety and value will resonate the most with parents. Here’s a list of selling points you can consider for parents:
- Courtesy patrol officers
- Surveillance cameras
- Well-lit parking lots or parking garages
- Gated community
- Secure entry
- Individual locking doors
Since most parents are going to be the ones footing the bill for their student, emphasize the value they will be getting by choosing your property.
- All inclusive rent
- WiFi included
- Individual, by-the-bed leasing
- Roommate matching
Multi-Family
What content is right for multi-family marketing?
In order to resonate with the multi-family market, there are a few areas you should be sure to focus on when it comes to deciding which content to create for your real estate marketing campaign.
Don’t forget, you’re not just selling a property, you’re selling a lifestyle. Think about your target audience and ask, “What do they like doing?” “What do they care about?” “Where do they like going?”
If your audience is primarily young singles or couples without children who love and spoil their pups, highlight your dog park and proximity to walking paths or hiking trails. Who doesn’t love a good adventure waiting just around the corner?
Health & wellness continues to be a priority across all target audiences, so promote your state-of-the-art fitness center, yoga studio, or ample green space/zen garden to encourage both physical and mental health among your residents. Bonus if you offer group fitness or meditation classes! Everyone’s wellness journey looks different, and it’s important to offer and promote spaces for those different journeys.
We recommend social video as the top content strategy when it comes to this audience, and here’s why: this is the age of social media, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube being ranked as top online entertainment platforms for this target audience.
Keeping that in mind, it only makes sense to follow those trends and include a variety of video content in your campaign. Incorporate social video content in your marketing campaign through vlogs, reels, and Instagram stories.
A bonus question that often gets asked in regards to social media marketing is: How often should I post on social media? While there is no magic formula to exactly how much you should post in a week, month, etc., staying active on your social media accounts is what will drive the most traffic.
1-3 Instagram posts per week is a safe minimum. While you want to make sure you are creating enough content to boost engagement, you don’t want to flood your market either. If you feel like you can’t get everything out that you’re looking for in those couple of posts, take advantage of stories and reels! These are great tools to focus on smaller content posts like individual amenities.
No matter what you decide to include in your content marketing, we challenge you to take it one step further. People are influenced by other people. Photos and videos of your community on your website are perfect for getting people in the door. Photos and videos of people and pets enjoying your community and surrounding areas keep them coming back.
What social media platform is best for advertising to my demographic?
We always recommend that you couple your paid advertising strategy with a strong organic strategy to increase qualified traffic to your website. We often get asked, are the days of Facebook & Instagram ads behind us?
The short answer is: no. Instagram is the most used social media platform among the multi-family demographic. Invest in ads, promotional posts, stories, and reels on Instagram to market your multi-family property.
You may not realize that Google Business Profiles can double as a social media platform. Building a strong Google Business Profile increases your legitimacy and can offer a look into real time reviews from former and current residents. Be sure to engage with them regularly and post responses to reviews to help boost engagement and your organic rankings.
GBP posts look and feel very similar to organic posts on Facebook & Instagram, and we highly encourage you to start posting to GBP if you haven’t already started. GBP posts are a useful tool in highlighting your community and special offers while also building upon your SEO. Stay active and keep your GBP profile up to date as you would other social media channels as a necessary SEO strategy for organic traffic growth.
What swag is best for my demographic?
Koozies and reusable shopping bags are going to be the most well-received promotional items within this target audience. Each of these items allow for functionality while increasing the likelihood of use, therefore reaching a larger audience.
Include your logo, tagline, location, and anything else you would like to promote on these products, just remember not to overwhelm your design with too much information. Only the most important pieces should be included in your swag.
How do I market to Millennials and Gen Z?
Digital marketing will be your best friend when it comes to marketing to both Millennial and Gen Z target audiences. Social channels, like Instagram and TikTok, allow for quality, engaging content which creates brand awareness and drives website traffic.
Just because Meta has received some negative press, ad spending on Facebook & Instagram isn’t decreasing anytime soon and these platforms are here to stay. In your advertising, be sure to focus on amenities and access to local attractions (restaurants, bars, sports stadiums, schools, employers, etc.).
Don’t forget, you are trying to appeal to your audience while also letting them know exactly what sets you apart from the rest.
Take your advertising one step further. Millennials and GenZ look for a more personalized experience as consumers and tend to purchase from brands who value what they value. Show them that you’re interested in what they’re interested in.
Sustainability ranks highest among GenZ, but they also value action. Dropping buzz words like “eco-friendly” isn’t going to cut it. Show them how you support sustainability through organizing a fundraiser for, and donating to, a local non-profit committed to sustainable efforts.
Display your commitment to sustainability by showcasing that your community is LEED certified and your commitment to maintaining LEED certification. Maybe you offer EV charging stations, community bikes, a recycling program, LED light bulbs, or that you are located on a bus route or near a train station.
What are the most important amenities to include when marketing multi-family living?
Pet friendly properties are going to be the most popular across the board, especially if you also include pet friendly amenities such as dog parks, dog washing stations, and fenced in yard space to accommodate for their furry friends.
Remember, your target audience is going to be mostly millennials and GenZ, and boy, do they love their fur babies!
Highlighting access and proximity to local hot spots are a great way to entice potential residents. How close are they to downtown? The best restaurants? Best bars? Best coffee shops? Take advantage of what your area has to offer!
Because Millennials and GenZ are environmentally conscious, more and more people are looking to take advantage of public transportation, so highlight your proximity to public transit options or if you offer a bike share program in your community.
After all, location is a huge consideration for prospective residents, so be sure to let them know in your marketing efforts exactly what they can get from your location.
Millennials especially love the extra space to be able to work-from-home or turn a spare bedroom into an in-home office.
GenZ on the other hand is looking for more of a hybrid working situation, so if you have an area for co-working in your community where there may be an opportunity to work around others and even potentially network, GenZ will be all about it.
Updated properties are going to be a huge promotional point to capitalize on when it comes to multi-family housing marketing. Updated kitchens, bathrooms, flooring – whatever it is that you have to offer them, be sure to highlight it!
Now that you’ve got the answers to these common marketing FAQs, what are you waiting for? Let’s get this marketing campaign started!
Before you go
Don’t forget, we’re experts when it comes to crafting marketing strategies that drive leasing results and building high-ranking SEO-friendly custom websites! Need help? Reach out to a CSM or any of our team members to get started on taking your marketing and SEO to the next level, see an increase in traffic, and watch the leads roll in.
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Mar 8, 2023 | General
Gabe Sheridan
In today’s digital age, businesses are increasingly turning to digital marketing to reach their target audience. But simply implementing a digital marketing strategy isn’t enough – you need to measure and analyze the effectiveness of your efforts. That’s where tracking tags come in. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of implementing tracking tags for your digital marketing efforts.
What are tracking tags?
Tracking tags are snippets of code that you add to your website or landing pages. These tags track specific actions that visitors take on your website, such as filling out a form, making a purchase, or clicking on a link. By tracking these actions, you can gain insights into your audience’s behavior and preferences.
Why are tracking tags important?
Tracking tags allow you to measure the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts. By tracking specific actions, you can see how many people are responding to your ads, how many are completing a form, and how many are making a purchase. You can use this information to analyze what’s working and what’s not, and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
Improve conversion rates
Tracking tags can help you identify specific areas of your website or landing pages that are causing visitors to drop off or abandon their purchase. By identifying these issues, you can make improvements to your website, such as changing the design, improving the copy, or simplifying the checkout process, which can improve your conversion rates.
Personalize your marketing
Tracking tags can also help you personalize your marketing efforts. By tracking visitor behavior and preferences, you can tailor your marketing messages to their specific interests and needs. For example, if a visitor has shown an interest in a particular product, you can use tracking tags to show them ads or promotions for that product.
Optimize your ad spend
Tracking tags can help you optimize your ad spend. By tracking the actions of visitors who clicked on your ads, you can determine which ads are driving the most conversions and adjust your ad spend accordingly.
Stay competitive
Finally, implementing tracking tags can help you stay competitive. Your competitors are likely using tracking tags to measure and analyze their own digital marketing efforts. By not implementing tracking tags, you’re missing out on valuable insights and opportunities to improve your marketing strategy.
In conclusion, implementing tracking tags is crucial for any business that wants to succeed in the digital age. By measuring and analyzing the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts, improving conversion rates, personalizing your marketing, optimizing your ad spend, and staying competitive, you can stay ahead of the curve and achieve your business goals.
Before you go
Don’t forget, we’re experts when it comes to crafting marketing strategies that drive leasing results and building high-ranking SEO-friendly custom websites! Need help? Reach out to a CSM or any of our team members to get started on taking your marketing and SEO to the next level, see an increase in traffic, and watch the leads roll in.
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Feb 24, 2023 | General
Ava Page
In today’s digital age, it’s not enough to rely on a pretty website. In order to truly grow your online presence and generate leads that drive real results, you need a website that reaches your prospects wherever they are.
Luckily, we’re experts in this arena. From our creative team to our developers and digital marketing experts, you’ll never be left disappointed with a Threshold website at your service.
As if that’s not enough, we’re practiced and well-versed in the real estate marketing industry, so we’re confident in our abilities to secure leads to your properties. Unlike most, our team delivers websites that aren’t just pretty, they’re optimized specifically for your needs to drive leads and secure leases.
Now that we’ve given you our schpiel on why Threshold can (and should) be your choice for website design and development, here’s how we highlight the differences between our fully custom websites and our template websites. That way, there will be no questions left when deciding on your next project with us – we can get right into it!
Template Sites
Template websites from Threshold provide a sense of structure for those who don’t wish to have the responsibility, or dedicate the time necessary, for designing a website completely from scratch.
Don’t let the word “template” get you thinking that you’ll receive the same cookie-cutter website as hundreds of other hosts. In fact, it’s the opposite. You’ll still get all of the same creative personalization in terms of your brand fonts, logos, colors, photos, copy, images, and more.
The main difference is, instead of having to build a website from nothing, you’ll be able to choose a templated design that matches your vision, and our creative team will get to work to ensure it is 100% your own.
Our website developers will also remain diligent in creating a user-friendly experience for all current and prospective clients, so you know you’re only putting out the best of the best in real estate websites, and more.
Overall, here are the key highlights of what a custom website from Threshold will bring:
- Lower Cost
- Shorter Timeline
- User-Friendly Experience
- Branded User Interface
- Personalized Copywriting
- Custom Sites
The best part about choosing a fully custom website for your brand is that it allows our creative team a full range of options to create a truly personalized, one-of-a-kind website experience to showcase your talents to potential clients.
You’ll also receive a customized user interface, crafted directly from your own vision, and a made-to-order user experience tailored specifically for your audience.
From your own brand guidelines to SEO copywriting, you have all the creative freedom one could desire to build a truly unique website for your brand.
When you choose a Threshold custom website, you’ll receive our premium SEO services included for free. This means, you’ll have the advantage over competitors when it comes to search engine rankings, and you’ll see a higher organic traffic rate resulting in leads.
You don’t have to take our word for it, though. Take a look at some of our verified results from past projects and see all that we can do for you.
Overall, here are the key highlights of what a custom website from Threshold will bring:
- Custom User Experience
- Custom User Interface Design
- User-Friendly Experience
- Custom Site Map
- Custom Digital Tracking
- SEO Copywriting
- Site Hosting
- Free SEO Services
See for yourself
We pride ourselves on being trustworthy advocates for our clients. We’ve been designing custom and template websites for a while now, and you can schedule your own demo on our websites page after you’ve checked out our portfolio.
If you see something you like, we’re always available to answer any questions or inquiries you may have about our work and what we can get started for you and your business.
Before you go
Don’t forget, we’re experts when it comes to crafting marketing strategies that drive leasing results and building high-ranking SEO-friendly custom websites! Need help? Reach out to a CSM or any of our team members to get started on taking your marketing and SEO to the next level, see an increase in traffic, and watch the leads roll in.
For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
by threshold | Feb 17, 2023 | General
Alex Pullen
What is Cyber Security?
As more companies rely on computers, the internet, and cloud-based technology for everyday business services, more and more threats to these systems emerge. Cyber security is the body of policies, processes, and technologies designed to protect networks, devices, programs, and your data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access.
Why is Cyber Security Important?
Security may not seem that important at first glance, but depending on the industry you are in, it may have major consequences if your network or systems are breached. Generally, the government, military, corporate, financial, and medical organizations hold data that malicious actors would like for themselves, or to sell to others on the “dark web.” In the last year though, traditional targets are expanded upon as society is now being affected by mass misinformation campaigns, ransomware attacks, and botnets.
Information bad actors look for can include:
- Embarrassing information that could damage the company’s reputation
- Digital services you and your company use
- Emails, passwords, account names, phone numbers
- Donor information, client lists, board information
- Financial corporate data
- Proprietary information
- Access to your hardware to do criminal activities or to mine bitcoin on your systems
- Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
- Credit cards, bank account info, addresses – fraud and identity theft
- Medical records, SSN, insurance information, etc.
What is Ransomware?
A malicious actor may not be satisfied with just entering, and stealing information from your company’s network or your private network. Ransomware is encryption software a malicious hacker uses to encrypt your files, and they keep the decryption key. Once all of the files on your computer are locked, you are notified that you must pay a fee usually in bitcoin, to have your hard drive unlocked/decrypted. Ransoms in 2020 were measured in the $10s of millions of dollars as institutions were brought to their knees by these state-sponsored bad actors. Ransomware is increasingly being used across all sectors including the medical sector.
Learn more about how to prevent ransomware.
What Can I Do?
If you are looking for some tips to get you started check out the notes below.
Proper Hardware & Network Configuration:
Before we can secure a system, we need to know the components of that system. The foundation of network security is knowing and maintaining an inventory of all the hardware that is on your network. This includes the endpoints (desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, sensors, cameras switches routers, databases) that are on your network.
Quick Network Security Tips:
- Inventory everything in your network
- Keep all operating systems up to date and all software and services up to date
- Implement Network Access (NAC) controls to keep unauthorized devices off the network
- Implement an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to alert you of suspicious activity
- Maintain an antivirus/malware scanner
- Subscribe to newsletters for the services you use (they will let you know about vulnerabilities)
Password Management:
Password management is an essential part of developing a more advanced security posture. With current computer technology, a six-character password can be “brute forced” in a matter of minutes or seconds. Requiring passwords that are 12-16 characters long and that use special characters and upper and lower case can increases the time needed to crack these passwords to ~250 years.
So, requiring your customers, staff, and faculty to have strong passwords significantly hardens the attack surface malicious users have access to.
Strong Password Tips:
Try to think of a “passphrase” to make your password longer and easy to remember
- Ex. Wat3rMakesmeh@ppy
- Ex. MountainsoverR!vers
Ex. Fun/<ySnowd@nce
- Don’t like remembering long passwords? Use LastPass, the industry standard for password management. Check them out here: https://www.lastpass.com/
- Rotate your passwords every 90 days or annually, or if you suspect compromise.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Use the “have I been pwned” service to see if your email and password information was breached in the past: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
- If your information is on the haveibeenpwned.com site, be sure to update all associated information with those accounts or other accounts with the same passwords.
Tips for Securing Your Home Office
Just because you are working from home does not make your data safer. In 2020 there was a major spike in Phishing scams averaging 1,185 phishing attacks per month per organization. Malicious actors are capitalizing on the global pandemic crisis to get people to give up personal information online or click a link that downloads malware to your computer.
Due to the fact that people are working and studying from home and using new services, companies may have less control over the hardware that you use and it may not be maintained as consistently. This environment is ripe with opportunities for malicious actors to steal your personal information, identity, and possibly ransom your data or allocate your hardware to a botnet used for criminal activity or mining bitcoin.
Watch Out for Phishing Scams: Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information or data, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an email, text, or phone call. Never click on links or attachments in emails that look suspicious and especially if you don’t know the sender.
Remove Unnecessary and Risky Applications: If you don’t need an application or service it should be removed. Also remember that your favorite free game, a free font, or a free service may also set up your computer or phone as part of a botnet and be mining bitcoin for someone else.
Antivirus and Malware: Antivirus and Malware scanners are a great tool for discovering if known malware, adware or viruses are on your systems. The limitation is that they don’t always catch “new” exploits or viruses that are released.
Enable Your Firewall: A firewall is a list of rules that allow or deny traffic through your network. Enabling your firewall will allow it to reject network information that could be malicious or seems strange.
Updates and Software Patches: Updating your host machine’s operating system and keeping all software up to date and patched is an important part of your home office cyber security posture. Updates fix bugs and vulnerabilities and retire old code so that your machine can run more efficiently and securely.
Keep Your Network Secure: Maintaining a strong password on your home network and changing it annually is a good start. If you have lots of guests using the network, you could set up a separate network for guests so they wouldn’t have access to any tools like cameras that would be connected to your network. Your network’s name or SSID can also be hidden.
Regularly Schedule Backups: Backups are an essential part of a home office. Ensure you have on-site or cloud-based backups and that you’ve tested them.
Switch off voice-controlled smart devices at your home workstation and cover the webcam when you’re not using it: Personal Privacy in the digital age is a huge issue and now more so with people working remotely from home. Cameras and microphones in smart devices can be attacked and your data could be stolen. Ie. Pictures of the inside of your home office and audio recordings in your home.
Public WIFI? Use a VPN: All the traffic that goes through the router at your favorite coffee shop is available for others to see. Before you log into your bank account, remember that, and make sure you are using a secure HTTPS connection and ideally using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to both encrypt the data you’re sending and hide your physical location.
Log off and secure devices when not using them: Even if you’re only walking away for a second log off from your machine so that it is not accessible during your absence. And, when you are done working log out and put all of your devices and hard drives in a secure location. This is imperative not only from the malicious actor’s standpoint, but also, accidents happen… Water or a pet could damage your computer or hard drive.
Updates and Security Implications
We all see those pop-ups on our mac or windows operating system or mobile device telling us it’s time to update the software or operating system.
It may seem convenient to do it later, but the reality, by leaving your device or service out of date, your personally-identifying data are vulnerable to being sold and/or ransomed.
The sooner you update the more secure your data will be and your device. You will have more peace of mind and better functionality as well.
Note – PCI Compliance: Businesses that process transactions or personally identifiable information online are required to update and patch systems within one month of critical release.
What Do Software Updates Do?
There are plenty of benefits to updating your software. These include filling holes in the infrastructure for security reasons, updating functionality, and removing bugs. Since there are so many users now, big companies like Microsoft and Apple get lots of data on user feedback and experience so in general the software is getting better, more user-friendly, and more secure.
How Do Updates Help Patch Security Flaws?
Just like any criminal, a hacker is looking for flaws in your security system. Bad actors can take advantage of the “gaps” in your security and do many things. They can download malware or back doors into your systems allowing complete access and stealing the information, possibly selling it, or lock you out of your own system and ransoming the information back to you.
The community of software engineers and beneficial hackers helps find these errors in security in different applications and are reported and “patched” in the next update. In some cases, there can be major flaws not seen upon initial release, that are discovered in the wild, and then multiple critical patches can be pushed out in one subsequent update. If you haven’t updated in a year, there could be multiple critical known vulnerabilities on your system.
It’s also important to note that some software is so old it is no longer supported or deprecated. A good example of this is Windows 7. Windows 7 is a highly vulnerable operating system used in teaching the next generation of hackers how to hack. It should not be used in the business environment.
How Do Software Updates Protect My Data?
We all keep lots of important documents on our computers and mobile devices. We keep copies of things like our taxes, passports, all of our account login information, photographs, and videos. These documents hold important details about our lives.
It’s called Personally-Identifying Information, with this data, people commit identity theft and fraud. They can take out loans in your name, guess your security questions, and possibly ruin your credit, which can take years to fix.
Think of the Community
The internet is a community of devices that delicately interacts to perform all the tasks we ask of it. We ask it for information, products and media, and data constantly. By keeping our own software and operating systems up to date, we help ensure that we are not a means of transmission of malware and viruses.
Long Story Short
In summary, we recommend updating your systems after being notified of critical vulnerabilities, or quarterly, every 90 days. The longer you wait, the more vulnerable your systems are. Also, waiting too long may mean your software licenses have expired or, that other services you use may not be compatible with the updated software. So update often to avoid being hacked or having your system fall apart because it’s not supported any longer.
