Trolls on social media are an unfortunate reality.
So, what’s the best way to mitigate the negative impact of abrasive, abusive, or flat out mean comments?
We recommend the following steps:
- For comments that are clearly mean spirited, simply hide or remove them
- For comments that are strongly made or direct, but ultimately helpful and/or valid, respond to the commenter. Generally, there are a couple of approaches:
- Thank them for the comment and apply their feedback
- Thank them for the comment initiate a private conversation
- Thank them for their feedback and ask for clarification
Occasionally, when using locked content, you may notice people voice frustration that they can’t read an article without submitting their email address.
What’s the best way to think about this?
We view it through the following lens. You’re an ecommerce business, and you’re trying to interact with legitimate prospects. If a person isn’t willing to share their email address for access to something on your site, then they’re probably not a likely prospect. Don’t worry about these folks. Instead, focus your energies on nurturing the people who do share their email addresses and converting them into customers.
We’ve seen our most successful customers reply to these types of comments with the following types of responses: "We actually happen to find this piece to be really valuable" or "We think our emails are pretty great and want you to be able to get them too". Positioning your brand with positive responses amidst rude remarks showcases your business's thoughtfulness, puts you in the driver's seat, and may even encourage others to click on the ad.