“How is it possible, being a Facebook content creator, that you never were trolled?”
Right? After all, it is usual to have haters in any business, but especially in the social media business. You will encounter haters online, and your brand will get trolled, with nasty comments sometimes. They will stir up trouble and end up having the last laugh. However, the critical question here is – are you worried about your brand getting trolled? Because that is more important than knowing more about the inactive status of the troll’s thinking.
Reading what the trolls are writing about your brand is like being in a therapy session; them bombarding you with their problems at a time when you are least suspecting it and expecting you to understand it and worse, sometimes even provide solutions to it.
I am sure that being a therapist to the trolls is not what you want your brand to be and thus, here I am to help you with tips on how to handle haters on Facebook. There are various ways of handling haters, and there is no rule which says ‘ignorance is the best policy’ because sometimes, responding is better than ignoring. However, you should respond to the haters, not react to them.
It is easy to take everything they say to heart and let it get you down, but you have to learn how to handle them. Here are six handy tips for handling haters on Facebook:-
Hear them out
One of the best ways to manage a social media hater is listening to them and addressing them with patience. As I mentioned earlier, you should learn to respond to them, instead of reacting in the heat of the moment.
If the comment is feedback that makes sense and is not just a gibberish rant from a jealous observer, you can reply by thanking them for their review of your content and that you would keep this in mind while making future content. After all, not everyone knows how to write feedback in a right way, and genuine reviews will help you create future content that resonates well with your audience.
In some instances, if your content has managed to get on the wrong side of someone’s beliefs, do offer an apology and mention that your intentions were not to offend their beliefs. However, don’t give an excuse on why you created that kind of content, as it can escalate the matter even further.
Another way to respond to Facebook haters is by offering a genuine solution to their problem. For example, if a hater comments on your brand page and is asking why you publish such lousy content, you can reply asking them for suggestions on good content and that they can always send you links to content they think is impressive.
Act Smart – Hide all the bad comments
Sometimes, a simple gesture can prevent many problems. Facebook gives you complete control over your feed, and I suggest you take advantage of this by controlling what you and your audience will be able to see on your feed.
You have two options on Facebook – either hide the comment or delete it.
Hiding a comment is always better than deleting it as deletion shows the hater that you were affected by what they said. Instead, when you hide a comment entirely from public view, it is still visible to the hater who added it and therefore, he knows nothing of it. This trick shows the hater that they were not able to affect you in any way and can be considered a personal triumph.
To hide a comment, go to the comment that you want to hide and click on the upper right section in the comment box. An “X” will appear there, along with the option to hide the comment. Click on it, and the comment will be hidden.
Be Kind and calm
Another way of dealing with a troll situation is being kind and understanding them. Arguing with a hater always adds more flame to the fire, escalates the matter and has a negative impact on your brand. Plus, they are always expecting an angry tweet back.
Instead, you could drop a genuine message of consideration, devoid of sarcasm and then carry on. This act will kill two birds at the same time – kill your troll’s talk and help you gain some appreciation from your followers and other social media users. On some occasions, you will find that your hater will reply with an apology and sweet talk their way into becoming a part of your fan base.
Report to Facebook
If a hater is being abusive or a bully and is continuously trolling your brand, then it is time to report the troll to Facebook. In such extreme cases, it is necessary that you do not stay quiet.
Facebook has strict policies to avoid their users being bullied, harassed, threatened or attacked by a troll. You may also bag the golden chance of getting his/her account suspended or deleted.
You can visit the Facebook Safety Tools & Resources page where they share useful tips and recommended courses of action in case you are being harassed or bullied by a user.
Be witty in your answers
If you are choosing to reply to your haters, do so with some quirk instead. Usually, brands take themselves too seriously, and that should be avoided. You can always explore your brand’s humorous side while addressing the haters on Facebook. You can also humorously address petty grievances to add to the fun.
Many brands and famous personalities have addressed trolls with commendable wit and humour. When Netflix announced its collaboration with Aditi Mittal for a stand up special, a troll asked why Netflix was lowering its brand by associating with Aditi Mittal. Smartly, Netflix replied, “Because we like dropping it like it is hot!”
Such witty comebacks are always applauded by users and should be encouraged more.
Ban specific keywords
Discovered as a hidden golden feature by Facebook, this option helps you manage the negative comments more easily now. Merely add particular keywords that you do not want to see on your feed and Facebook will filter your content accordingly. Any feedback that includes those keywords will get automatically hidden.
The process is simple – you need to go to Settings > General Settings> Page Moderation. Here, you can add all the keywords which you don’t want to see on your feed.
Dealing with haters on Facebook is not easy, especially as we tend to become more technical when communicating from a keyboard, to someone whom we cannot see. Therefore, we need to put more effort to sound genuine and relatable while replying to the haters.
According to human psychology, most people who raise complaints only want to receive an apology in return. Thus, while fighting haters on Facebook may seem necessary, you need to ensure that you keep your cool as well and not let it affect you personally.
Let us know how you are going to confront haters on Facebook, in the comments below.
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