At some point it will happen. You’ll be promoting your business online, interacting with your customers, attracting new business, getting folks into that sales funnel, when you’ll encounter a troll.

Not just relegated to the dark corners of the Internet, these malcontents exist simply to harass, harangue and spread unhappiness simply “for the lolz.” And when they take their rancor out on your social media channels, it can do more than just ruin your mood.

Simply ignoring the trolls also ignores the impact their bile has on your other followers. It can make them uncomfortable, and at worst it can make them tune out your message. But direct engagement with a troll rarely works, as that’s by and large the precise reaction they’re going for.

So how do you deal with a troll?

An Ounce Of Prevention

Make it clear to users that you have an acceptable use policy in place to monitor and deal with inappropriate comments. It may not deter trolls, but it will certainly protect you from accusations of silencing dissent. Just know that policy or not, someone will compare you to Big Brother. Simply point to the policy and keep on moving.

To augment your own policies, you can look to some channels’ built-in tools. Facebook offers a large suite of tools for moderating what visitors can post on your business’ page, from banning individual users to filtering out certain words and profanity. Instagram, following its CEO’s mandate to clean up the Internet lets you simply block “inappropriate comments” with a single click. This feature utilizes a unique machine learning protocol that defines what is and isn’t inappropriate, blocking a constantly evolving set of keywords.

Assess and Address

But if one does get by the filters, it’s important to determine their veracity before you engage. Sometimes it’s a troll, but sometimes it’s simply a dissatisfied customer who has chosen to make their private beef public. In general, it’s better to err on the side of caution and assume you’re dealing with a genuine complaint. Start by providing them an email address or invite them to message you directly.

If it’s a troll, they won’t be interested in resolving their issue. If they are a genuine customer with a genuine complaint, now you don’t have to do damage control in a public forum.

But let’s assume you extend the olive branch and in true troll fashion they slap it away. At this point you know you have someone who’s just looking to mess with you. It’s very important at this point you remember one cardinal rule of the Internet…

…Do Not Feed The Trolls

Everything you put out there is a reflection of the brand, so you’ll need to take the high road. If you choose to respond, don’t respond emotionally. Instead, kill them with kindness, shut them down with a thank you, and address any falsehoods or inaccurate accusations being made by the troll.

But all things being equal, your best course of action is not to engage them directly. Simply flag their comment and then monitor any responses to the troll. You never know – you might find your followers rallying around your business to expel the heckler in their midst.

Do Not Ignore the Trolls, Either

It’s important to know, however, that trolls aren’t picky about who they choose to harass, and often times not responding at all is worse.  H&M Sweden learned this the hard way when one of their followers, after complaining about an article of clothing she saw for sale in their store, was barraged by thousands of angry comments and threats of physical violence. H&M did nothing in response, and faced an enormous backlash when the comments were allowed to remain up for nearly a month.

Simply flagging the comments, removing them from public view and offering to address the customers’ concerns in private would have saved H&M Sweden from damaging their brand. You always run a risk when deleting comments, but again that’s where an acceptable use policy comes in handy.

Keep Your Guard Up

The price of a robust social media presence in an Internet crawling with trolls is eternal vigilance. If you really want to ensure that trolls keep their anger and discontent out of your social media feed, you need to constantly monitor your channels, comments on your posts, and any posting out in the wild that slanders or misrepresents your business.

Need help in fighting the trolls?  Give us a call at 904.274.4768, or fill out our contact form.

Also, don’t forget to download our Guide to Digital Marketing for the latest insights.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This