If you probably think you will never be victimized by social media attacks, you are clearly in the wrong. There are several mischief mongers whose pastime is to deliberately post defamatory remarks in the social media.
You must necessarily know about the tools and techniques how to respond to social media attacks and protect your online reputation.
You must create a social media attack response plan. Every individual or business organization will occasionally have a bad day in social media regardless of your popularity Please know that there will be a time when you do something that upsets your followers.
Be ready to counter all possible social media attacks ahead of time and create appropriate responses for a various social platforms. If your business organization is attacked, you can quickly send the negative comments to the PR and corporate affairs team. These teams can then act suitably to contain the damage.
Identify the social media attack sources, go to your social profiles and engage with them directly. This engagement will send the right signals that you are willing to boldly address the defamatory remarks rather than tamely evade them.
The best advice is – Never stick your head in the sand. Be transparent with your social media followers – particularly on the channels the protestors attack you. Take protestors’ remarks seriously and make firm commitments to investigate their concerns or redress their grievances.
You must learn to be prompt in handling social media attacks. They say ‘An hour is a long time in the social media world’. Respond to your community as quickly as possible. Prolonged silence will suggest you are trying to think of ways to wriggle out of the situation. At least, write immediately to confirm you are investigating further and let your followers know when they can expect an update.
Patiently listen and politely respond to all social media attacks. Please remember that negative comments on Facebook and other social media sites are like a barometer of your customers’ feelings toward your brand/products. You can afford not to listen to your customers only if you are prepared to lose business to your competitors.
For all the praise that businesses have for social media, they must also be aware that social media is a double-edged sword. Your relationship with your customers can quickly turn sour unless you learn the art of timely handling of social media attacks.
Sathish, I feel that ignoring low energy responses and responding to upset but somewhat intelligible responses works best. Some people need not take up a second of your time. These social media trolls do not deserve a response. Ignore them, starve them of their attention and they will disappear quickly. I have learned this over the years; trolls go when you stop responding to them.
Heavy, or harsh, but higher energy criticisms can be addressed. Smile, then thank them for their feedback. You have nothing to hide or defend if you are clear, or transparent. Everybody can share their opinion. If however you did mess up on some level, or can improve through the comment, simply admit this and again, thank them for their feedback. Avoid taking criticism personally; it’s always about the other party and never about you.
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