Giving someone else the control of running your business’s Facebook page, Twitter account, or YouTube channel seems like a good idea when you’re too busy to manage your social media marketing.

Yet isn’t it an oxymoron to say you’ve handed over the reins of control to your social media platforms? You don’t own the platform or the content you post on the platform in the first place. How much worse could it get?

It’s true, you relinquish a measure of control when you market yourself on someone else’s site like Facebook, but that doesn’t mean you should forgo basic social media security.

Hold the Reins of Control

Handing over the reins of his business Facebook page, our client witnessed the growth of a reasonable audience and marketing presence. What he didn’t realize then was how quickly things would rear out of control.

The employee who was given control of the social media was eventually fired. The business owner who had been happily running his business up to that point was now left with no idea how to regain control of his Facebook page.

He didn’t know the password or email to access his business’s Facebook account. Worse, he worried over potential retribution of the fired employee who wielded the power to hijack the account.

You know what they say about payback, and it’s not a beach.

Social Media Hijacking

It happened to international media retailer HMV last January. Recent layoffs and alleged mismanagement led the frustrated social media manager to retaliate with a hijacked social media rampage.

HMV management didn’t know how to shut down the account because when they handed over the reins, they forgot to keep the master key.

Don’ t let this happen to you. Take these simple precautions to avoid a social media hijacking:

Keep the Keys to the Kingdom

Create the passwords and company email used for social media accounts. Don’t let social media managers do this. Limit and document who has password access.

Treat security of your social media sites the same as you would for your company website and any zombie hack threats.

Using a business-grade social media management system such as Hootsuite will allow employees to log in with the same username and password as their employee email, giving a straighforward accountability.

One Key to Rule Them All

Using a social media management system will also allow you to consolidate all social media accounts into one secure system. From this one interface, your social media managers can publish to multiple profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts.

You can also set your management system so certain employees have limited permission to draft social messaging before approved and published.

However you choose to manage your social media, know who’s in charge and with what information. Create a folder, a file, or a simple index card, and keep it safe. Sometimes you have to write certain passwords somewhere.

Issue a Training Manifesto

Anyone who has access to social media should be trained in security and compliance issues.

Be sure to teach them the basic expectations for your social media engagement. Set a foundation for what you wish to accomplish.

Holding the master key to your social media accounts means taking the responsibility seriously. Your social media presence is yours to protect.

If you want to win people’s affection, appreciation, and approval – the three A’s – there’s another set of vowels to adhere to. The 4 E’s of Social Media.

Apply them to your online persona, and your followers will learn to value your input and trust you as a conscientious and reliable source.

The Four E’s of Social Media to win friends’ and followers’ loyalty start with having some fun.

1. Entertainment

We love to be amused. Entertain and divert us from our daily regimen of tasks and more tasks, and we will gladly accept the distraction.

Give your audience something to smile about. Make them giddy. At the very least, show them your fun side.

Sharing visuals is an easy way to entertain. Create your own Pinterest pin or meme to express your whimsy, or share a video with giggle potential. Check out Buzzfeed’s collection for inspiration.

2. Education

Whenever possible, take the opportunity to enlighten your audience with information they didn’t know they wanted.

Take the Transportation Security Administration’s latest educational ploy. Despite the annnoyance we may have over security check hassles, their Instagram photos of confiscated contraband ranging from loaded guns to inert grenades gives us reason to check our own discontent.

It’s also a chance to answer your customer’s questions. Be a teacher and give them the information they need to make informed choices. Even if it means sharing your family jewels.

3. Engagement

A new study by the Internet Advertising Bureau found that 90% of customers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with them on social media.

Surprise, surprise. Social media paves the road to two-way conversation, allowing both parties to share their point of view.

This is a good time to remember the premier Social Media Engagement rule. As any good social media cocktail mix will warn you – it’s not about you.

For other ideas on engaging with your audience, check out Socially Stacked’s infographic on 10 Quick Tips and Examples for Better Status Updates.

4. Etiquette

The list of propriety no-no’s will continue to grow despite the efforts of the Condescending Corporate Brand Page to put a stopper on it.

Like stop asking people to “Like” your page. The new etiquette for Facebook is to be less shallow and more content-driven. Rather than settling for a cheap click of approval, focus on the previous three E’s and share valuable content.

This doesn’t mean you never include a call to action. Just give them in small doses.

One of the most obvious codes of etiquette is keep it friendly and positive. Somehow this isn’t as straightforward as one would think.

Okay, so no one’s thinking it’s at all straightforward. If you have a Facebook account, I don’t doubt you’ve experienced the depths people will lower themselves in order to mock, insult, and generally flaunt their bad manners, all in the name of sharing.

Don’t go there. Share your good side and leave your scorn at home, no matter how hilarious you think it may be. For those unwilling to behave, going completely invisible on Facebook is a solid option .

The loyalty you hope to achieve with the 4 E’s of Social Media can only bring you better business and better relationships.

“By making people love, not just like your brand, you’re more likely to drive future purchases and increase sales,” said Ian Ralph, Director of Marketing Sciences.

Who doesn’t want to be loved?