If you are spending any time on social media, whether you are a business or an individual user, you are at risk of engaging with a troll. Social media is free and open to any person so there are bound to be some bad apples in the bunch!
Social media trolls are people who purposely try to provoke a response from others. They can be a small problem or grow into a larger issue. Often they don’t even believe what they are commenting and simply want to entertain themselves by annoying others. They often take something you posted and twist it into something it wasn’t. It is best to deal with trolls quickly.
Ignore them. Their main goal is to get a reaction, so when you don’t give them that, they usually move on to a new person. To make sure they don’t return you can block that account. This may not be an option however if they are harassing your followers as well. Take each new situation into account, but never respond in haste.
Create a policy. When making your affordable social media plan, you should also create a policy around trolls. This will keep your entire team in the loop about how you wish to react to a troll on your posts. You can use this policy across all social accounts and can even be shared to your Facebook group if you host one.
Watch your social media profiles. Even if you have a dedicated social media manager like 98 Buck Social, you should check in on your accounts daily. Check your comments and messages to make sure you can respond quickly to a troll.
Think hard before replying. If you have come to the conclusion that you need to respond to a social media troll, don’t react immediately. Take time to think about what you want to say back. Some businesses lean into the humor of dealing with a troll. The fast food chain Wendy’s has become popular on Twitter for its responses to trolls! If this is in line with your branding, this is an option for you too.
