Social media is a public space for symbiotic relationships between a brand and the consumer to take place. While in most cases these B to C interactions are positive, it also creates an environment for consumers to give feedback, putting brands in a vulnerable position.

When consumers have bad experiences, they often turn to social media as an outlet to express their dissatisfaction – open for the online universe to see and potentially creating a platform for other consumers to “troll” or join in on the attack.

But, don’t let the risk of a negative interaction via social media discourage you from actively engaging with consumers. With the right preparation, the risk of a negative comment tarnishing your brand’s reputation can be significantly reduced, or even turned into an opportunity to display excellent customer service.

 

Here are 5 things your brand can do to prevent being trolled: 

 

  1. Monitor Daily

Log in daily to social platforms to check for new comments, reviews, or direct messages that may warrant a response. Be sure that multiple persons within your organization have access to the account and have notifications turned on. This will help you stay in the moment and on top of all activity, so you can act quickly when necessary.

 

  1. Actively Respond

When you do have a new comment, review, or direct message make sure to give them a response – whether or not the comment is negative. All messages/comments/reviews should be answered within 24 hours, even if it’s a simple acknowledgment until you can craft a more developed message.

 

  1. Create Generic Responses

You may notice that you get a lot of the same questions from multiple consumers that could be answered with a generic response. Sit down with your communications team or legal department to generate automatic replies that answer these common questions. It will save you a lot of time, and no message will ever go unanswered.

 

  1. Anticipate

Time is of the essence when dealing with online trolls, and it’s best to be prepared. Again, sit down with your communications team or legal department, and come up with different scenarios your organization might face, and develop a very detailed plan of action.

 

  1. Stand By Your Brand

Dealing with trolls can be intimidating, but it’s important to remember that you can’t please everyone. Do your best to display excellent customer service, but always stand by your brand’s values.