Social Media conversations drive online sales, e-commerce businesses, brand reputation, and customer outreach. By now, most brands, businesses, and influencers have come to terms with this. A well-shot photo post on Instagram, a funny one-liner on Twitter, a targeted post on Facebook – these are the drivers of your brand identity, your online reputation, and your business.
The vast majority of the people who interact with your brand on social media are either prospective customers looking to engage your services or to buy you products or existing customers reaching out for query or complaint resolution. As most brand and online reputation managers know, social media is also home to trolls.Trolls are people who intentionally criticise, create conflict and hostility, and argue in an online community. They are cantankerous and impossible to please. Quite often, they are intent on creating a negative reputation for your brand without even availing the services or buying the product. Here are our top tips to dealing with a Social Media troll.
The most important difference you will learn when dealing with interactions on social media is to tell apart irate customers and trolls. Learn to listen with patience and gather all the facts before you decide which one is which. Genuinely aggrieved customers can be placated when then concerns are addressed. They will be willing to take the discussion offline and also appreciate the solution/resolution you provide.
Trolls are often very vocal but most of their comments and criticisms are inflammatory and offensive rather than based on facts. The best way to counter them is with measured interactions and fact-based arguments. Respond with factual data and correct their mistakes. Do not engage them or respond using their own style of sarcasm or unsavoury language. Remain detached but polite at all times.
Very often Social Media managers and administrators feel tempted to ban trolls or delete the posts that are particularly hateful. This is a mistake. While trolls are clearly not helpful for your brand or business, deleting their comments and even engaging in arguments with them will only feed their attention seeking behaviour. Curt, polite replies are best if you are unable to completely ignore them.
If you are a brand or an enterprise intent on building your business through social media, it is often a good idea to engage the services of one of the top social media marketing companies in India such as RepIndia. RepIndia’s team of creative and passionate social media experts are just as good at online reputation building as they are with designing digital marketing campaigns.
In this digital era, social media is the key to establishing and growing your brand and business. Trolls are a menace that try to bring down your growth with unnecessary hostility. As a brand manager, you will have to learn to deal with trolls. Being detached yet polite is the right way to go about it. Engaging social media management experts is the best way to build your digital presence.
