To Block or Not to Block: How to Handle a Reputation Attack

Learn how to handle a reputation attack on popular social media platforms. 

Personal Facebook pages are pretty easy to manage. You connect with people you know, and should your friendship change in some way, you can disconnect from that person with a click of a button.

Business accounts are a little harder to manage, especially from an online reputation management perspective. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to control who has access to your page and the data it contains. Anyone with a Facebook account can write on your page, unless you take a stand and stop people from commenting or connecting.

But how do you handle a reputation attack on Facebook? When should you block someone from your page?
These are three hallmarks of people who really have no business connecting with you on social. If you see them, block them.

1. They never share positive information on Facebook.

Some people are born complainers, and when they see something they dislike, they speak up. These people may not think of their work as spiteful or damaging as much as simply communicating. And they may mix negative comments with positive comments from time to time.

People like this are simply expressing their inner curmudgeon on your page. But there are some people that always, every single time, say nasty things on public pages. If you write up something about an award, people like this suggest that you don’t deserve praise. If you discuss a pricing change, these people will suggest that your standard prices are too high.
Whenever you talk, these people attack. These are people you’ll never win over. Stem the tide of damage with a block.

2. They respond to your comments with more attacks.

Good Facebook reputation management begins with diligence. If you see comments that are negative or that contain misinformation, you can quell the damage by addressing the issue with a comment. But here’s the thing: Some people aren’t satisfied with a response. As soon as you respond, they respond with another attack, and then you have a nasty conversation all over your page. Anyone who responds to your response with another attack deserves to be banned.
This isn’t someone you can reason with. This is someone who is in it only to bother you.

3. They attack your fans, too.

Devoted fans can help to stop an attack by coming to your defense. This is especially valuable when attacks happen late at night (when you might be doing other things rather than monitoring your Facebook page). But devoted attackers will expand their attack and nail the people who defend you.

They’ll call names, take apart statements and otherwise make people feel foolish for sticking up for you. And unless you do something, those people might never come to your defense again. Or they’ll blame you for your lack of protection.

If you see this sort of behavior, it’s a clear sign that you’re dealing with a troll, and that person should be blocked from your page.

How to handle a reputation attack: the takeaway

Now, Facebook can be an important part of your reputation management strategy. You certainly don’t want to abandon this tool altogether because you’re worried about what might happen.

But if you need help managing your page or advice on how to handle a reputation attack, we’re here for you. Contact us to find out more about our products and services.