Do You Have An Online Presence Exit Plan?

It’s a serious but necessary question, one we might struggle to answer

What might happen to your online presence if:

🤷 You were no longer able to manage it?

🤷 You sold or closed your business?

🤷 You fell out with a business partner?

🤷 Do you have an Online Presence Exit Plan?

I recently assisted a local business close down their online presence, months after the closure of the business following the death of their business partner.

It was a real eye-opener!

😱 The website and social media accounts were still generating traffic enquiries

😱 Online tools were still being paid for

😱 and to repeat myself …. this was MONTHS AFTER the initial closure of the business

The angst, anxiety & frustration I worked through with the business owner could have all been avoided if an ONLINE PRESENCE EXIT STRATEGY  was in place.

So, let’s talk about this!

As business owners, we can’t afford to put our heads in the sand and pretend it’s never going to happen.

Beyond dealing with the emotional impact, having this in place will:

Protect your legacy:
Ensure your online presence reflects your wishes and honours your memory.

Safeguard personal information:
Prevent unauthorised access to sensitive data.

Simplify the process for loved ones:
Reduce the emotional burden on family and friends during a difficult time.

Maintain professional reputation:
Avoid negative consequences and financial expense of abandoned or neglected accounts and online business tools.

Preserve business value:
If you plan to sell your business, a well-managed online presence could increase its value.

Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve:

✅ Created an online presence exit plan

✅ Shared logins and passwords with someone you trust

✅ Discussed (or even documented) how your business operates with your immediate family, friends or colleagues so they could pick up the pieces or prepare your business for sale

✅ Set up a memorial account for your personal social media profiles

I’d no idea – where do I even start?

•  Learn how to create* a personal social media memorial account:

Google:
Submit a request regarding a deceased user’s account
Setup your Google Inactive Account Manager

Facebook:
Request to memorialise or remove an account

Instagram:
Report a deceased person’s account 

LinkedIn:
Memorialize or close the account of a deceased member

X:
How to contact X about a deceased family member’s account

Tiktok:
Manage/Delete Account

Pinterest:
Delete or temporarily deactivate your account

• PERMANENTLY CLOSE the local Google Business Profile account.  Google has the deciding decision when to remove the business from Google Maps.

• Create a list of ALL CURRENT online tools accounts in use + login information + when payments are due

• Appoint a Digital Executor or someone you trust to manage your online accounts after your death.

• Back up/make copies of important data and any valuable digital content, such as photos, documents, or videos.

* Disclaimer: Information changes regularly, please perform your due diligence and double check for updates 

This article is delivered with love and apologies for any sadness this may have caused 😢🫂

It’s not the most positive article you’ve read today, and it probably feels like it’s a lot to think about, but taking a few steps NOW will save your loved ones a lot of trouble later on.

Please share this article – we need to keep this conversation going, be prepared with exit strategies in place, so we create positive outcomes for when the time comes.

If you need my help, reach out to me here