In the last few days, two big brands’ Twitter accounts (Burger King and Jeep) have been hacked. While some steps taken deserve a pat on the back, there seemed to be a lack of action from both parties as the wildfire blazed.

We’re hoping this is the end of the hack-o-mania, but should your organization run into similar issues down the road, follow these three steps to minimize the damage:

1.) Change your password immediately – use the password reset form and then re-secure your account. Your password should be complex, including a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. “ilovemydog” or “password” simply won’t cut it these days. If you want multiple, authorized users to create their own passwords, you should check out Hootsuite. Also, review your list of authorized users and third-party applications. One option for multiple users one on account is Hootsuite, where each user can create their own password. If you don’t recognize them as an authorized app, delete it! Third-party applications have been the source of many account hacks.

2.) Remove any unwanted Tweets that originated from the virtual intruder. This is especially important if your account is now strung with inappropriate content. During the Jeep hack yesterday, it appeared as though they got control of their account and replaced the background image, the display photo, etc. but left some offensive Tweets up for over an hour.

3.) Respond publically to the incident promptly. Use all your social media channels to inform followers. To put it bluntly, waiting nine hours to respond is much like hammering a nail into your own coffin. While Burger King eventually responded with…

… it was many, many hours too late. Jeep came in with a much better, but still not an optimally timed post, about two hours after the incident had come and gone…

Your community manager has enough to worry about – don’t let hackers rain on your parade. If you follow these three simple steps, your social media channels will keep cool in a sticky situation. Have you have an experience with a hacker on social media? What did you think of the Burger King/Jeep responses? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you!