If your company’s social media account has not been attacked by trolls, you are lucky. That does not mean it won’t happen. What you should be asking yourself is, “What can you do about it once it happens?”
Make Use Of writes, “Trolling is internet slang for people who intentionally instigate conflict by posting hostile comments on social media to cause disagreements.” They believe trolls are easy to spot because “their favorite pastime is saying mean things just to get a rise out of people.”
Dealing with Trolls – The Remedies
In addition to ignoring trolls, which often makes them go away, you can try one or more of these tactics.
- Keep responses short and factual.
- Alert your social media team to the intrusion.
- Avoid taking the bait and acting like them.
- Share your company’s social media policy guidance.
- Mute, block, or report them on the platform(s) in which it takes place.
- Monitor your social media profiles regularly.
Josiah Hughes and Nick Martin, from Hootsuite, provide this guidance, “If you rise above the situation and communicate with poise, you can de-escalate a problem quickly. You can also win major brownie points from the rest of your followers.”
Share Company Guidelines
One way to hold trolls accountable is by sharing social media guidelines about trolls on your company’s page. Once the post is complete, pin it to the top of your company page or group (e.g., Facebook or LinkedIn). Another way to get the point across is by posting a link to your guidance in each social media profile.
Remember to include when/if you need to delete comments, report a troll, or even block someone.
Need a Template?
Download the Social Media Guidelines Template to help you formulate a plan.
If you need help writing your social media guidelines, give me a call.