Ah, internet trolls—the digital mischief-makers who thrive on chaos and attention. Their power lies in provoking, upsetting, and confusing people, but there are ways to upend their mission. When you don't bite—or clap back effectively—they wither, left shouting into the void or slinking away in embarrassment.
Businesses, even small businesses in the franchising world, all encounter their own internet trolls at some point. And in honor of Valentine’s Day, we suggest showing your haters a little bit of love. After all, if someone cares enough to make a nasty comment, they do care about your business. (It’s almost like they’re your #1 fan!) 😍 Their silver lining is that your brand is expanding!
In this guide, we’ll teach franchise social media marketing teams how to love their haters—aka how to deal with and defeat social media trolls that are bound to show up in their comments.
This is a preview of the trolls ahead.
Below, we examine 8 distinct internet troll types & how to defeat them:
The Provocative Commenter
The Attention Seeker
The Repetitive Complainer
The Sarcastic Expert
The Excessive Critic
The False Information Troll
The Guilt Tripper
The “Humorist”
Internet Troll #1: The Provocative Commenter
Trolling Strategy: This social media troll makes exaggerated or inflammatory statements to provoke an emotional reaction. These are often insults, hyperbolic claims, or baiting statements meant to spark controversy.
These people are always soooo edgy.
Example: “Your food is garbage and I can’t believe anyone buys this crap!”
Franchise Marketing Response:
Don’t engage emotionally: Acknowledge their commentary, but don’t escalate. Keep responses factual and calm.
Redirect to solution: “We’re sorry you feel that way. Can you please DM us with details, so we can help resolve the issue?”
Block or delete: If the troll continues, don’t hesitate to block or delete their comment to maintain a positive environment on your profile.
Internet Troll #2: The Attention Seeker
Trolling Strategy: Some internet trolls just want attention, whether through exaggerated praise, complaining, or simply getting a reaction. They may ask provocative questions or demand responses.
Yeah, this is basically what they're like.
Example: “Your always posting this stuff. So cringe!”
Franchise Marketing Response:
Avoid feeding the troll: Sometimes, it’s best to simply ignore these people.
Polite acknowledgment: A light, polite, carefree response can sometimes de-escalate a situation. “Thanks for your feedback, we appreciate your thoughts!”
Redirect: Offer them an opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation privately.
Correct: Let them know that you do, in fact, offer variety in your content. Provide examples! And if there’s a grammatical error in their critique, correct them. 😉
Internet Troll #3: The Repetitive Complainer
Trolling Strategy: This type of social media troll keeps posting the same complaint over and over again to create frustration and drown out other voices.
If you don't reply, they may ask to see a manager.
Example: “I’m STILL waiting for my refund, it's been 3 weeks!” repeated multiple times.
Franchise Marketing Response:
Address the complaint directly: Provide a clear, concise update on the situation.
Take the conversation offline: Invite them to reach out via direct message or email for better resolution.
Use automated responses: If the same complaint is repeated often, set up an FAQ or automated response addressing common issues.
Internet Troll #4: The Sarcastic “Expert”
Trolling Strategy: These internet trolls position themselves as experts, often acting condescendingly to undermine your authority, services or products.
Their expertise outranks that of the real experts . . . so they think.
Example: “Yeah, that’s real cute. Maybe if you actually knew what you were doing, you wouldn’t need this ad.”
Franchise Marketing Response:
Keep it real: While it might be challenging to remain polite, we suggest you do so while also keeping your response focused on facts.
Invite constructive conversation: “We appreciate your expertise! Feel free to share suggestions on how we can improve.”
Don’t lower yourself to sarcasm: Acknowledge your own expertise without getting drawn into their tone. You’ll be factually correct and your maturity may annoy them.
Internet Troll #5: The Obsessive Critic
Trolling Strategy: A wise woman once asked, “why you so obsessed with me?” 🎵Have you thought that yourself? That’s because these internet trolls continuously criticize your business, often going beyond simple complaints to undermine your credibility entirely.
Trolls are basically just mean girls. Or guys.
Example: “I had a horrible experience here last year, and I’ll never recommend you to anyone!”
Franchise Marketing Response:
Respond professionally: Acknowledge their experience and offer to rectify it.
Showcase social proof: Highlight positive reviews from other customers to balance the conversation.
Internet Troll #6: The False Information Troll
Trolling Strategy: These social media trolls spread false or misleading information, in order to confuse or mislead your potential customers.
They speak with absolute confidence.
Example: “They use low-quality ingredients in their products—do your own research!”
Franchise Marketing Response:
Correct with facts: Gently correct the misinformation, providing facts and links to reliable sources so they can do their own research!
Stay factual: Keep your tone neutral and avoid being defensive. Followers are more likely to side with straight facts here.
Internet Troll #7: The Guilt Tripper
Trolling Strategy: These social media trolls try to manipulate emotions by presenting themselves as morally superior, trying to shame the business into a certain response.
You should feel bad . . . Because I said so!
Example: “It’s really sad that you can’t even answer your customers. You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
Franchise Marketing Response:
Stay calm: Acknowledge their concern when you can, but don’t let them guilt you into responding under pressure in the moment.
State your position: “We’re sorry if we missed your message. We’re committed to providing great service and will respond as soon as we can!”
Set expectations: Be transparent about your response times, products, services, and more.
Internet Troll #8: The Humorist/Troll with Memes
Trolling Strategy: They use humor, memes, or mocking to belittle your brand or business while fancying themselves comedians. This is often a tactic to make your brand seem out-of-touch or embarrassing.
Is it wrong to want to bring back the tradition of throwing tomatoes?
Example: Posting a meme mocking your logo or recent campaign.
Franchise Marketing Response:
Play along carefully: If it’s lighthearted, sometimes responding with humor can humanize your brand. Duolingo pretty much sets the gold standard here!
Don’t let it devolve: Avoid getting caught in a meme war or responding too much.
Shift back to professionalism: “Glad you find it funny! We take customer feedback seriously and would love to help if there’s anything else we can assist with.”
Key Strategies When Getting Trolled on Social Media:
Here’s a quick reference guide for franchise marketing teams when getting trolled on social media, so you can assess and understand how to handle things in the moment!
Don't engage immediately: If you sense a troll, take a moment to collect your thoughts. Responding out of frustration can escalate the situation.
Take the conversation offline: Whenever possible, move the conversation to private messages or emails.
Maintain a positive tone: Your response should always be professional and empathetic, even if the other person isn’t.
Encourage feedback: Invite genuine suggestions, and if the troll has a real issue, resolve it behind the scenes.
Leverage Positive Feedback: Highlight happy customers who leave genuine praise. This can counterbalance negative comments and promote positive social proof.
Use Humor (When Appropriate)
Humor can defuse tension, but be cautious—it can easily backfire if not handled well. Know your brand’s voice and whether it’s appropriate to respond in kind.
When small businesses are empowered to recognize and respond to internet trolling effectively, they create a more positive, supportive online environment. Eventually, your trolls will leave you alone . . . Or who knows?
They may come out to support you (publicly) as your brand’s #1 fan! 😍
