Six Strategies to Deal with Negative Posts

Worried about negative comments on your Facebook page?  Don’t be.

Social media is an opportunity for two-way communication with your community. The occasional negative comment provides an opportunity to understand which problems need fixing, to clarify rumors and misconceptions, and to truly listen to community members.

What’s the best strategy to deal with a negative post?  Here are six tactics to respond effectively:

1)    Wait. Very often, an involved, informed parent will counter-post  in defense of the school district, or provide the needed facts to clarify a misconception. Having a parent leap to your defense can be more effective than anything you say.

2)    Ask questions. If a post raises a new issue or a situation you are unaware of, this is an opportunity! Find out more. If this is best done privately, offer your phone number and ask the person to call you. If you are hearing the same message from several people, post an online survey to find out more.

3)    Provide accurate information. If the negative post is based on a false assumption or a lack of understanding, this is your chance to open a two-way dialog and provide the facts. Don’t just do this on your social media site; look for opportunities to spread the information using several communication strategies.

4)    Forward comments to district leaders. Does the post raise a safety concern? A complaint  A suggestion? Many top district leaders are not social media users, or might have missed the post. Simply copy and paste the comment, then email it to district leaders. It’s important to also send them the positive comments, which can be a real morale booster for staff.

5)    Enforce basic ground rules. Whether covered in district policy or not, a few simple rules will keep your social media site under control:

• No profanity.
• No personal attacks on any person: student, staff, or community member.
• Offending posts will be deleted immediately.
• Two-time offenders will be banned from the site.

6)  If trolls have taken over, go dark. If you are overwhelmed by negative posts, click the “unpublish” box. Figure out a plan to deal with the situation, then turn your page back on when you are ready.

Five strategies to grow your Facebook fan base

Whether you are launching a new Facebook page or running an established page, these five easy tips will help you grow your social media community at a steady pace.

1. Aim for two-way communication: Posting a photo, a video, a link, a survey or a question encourages fans to comment, share and explore your website. Use contests to engage your fans (“Guess how many classrooms the superintendent visited the first week of school”). The prize can be as simple as a school tour or a free ticket to a school play or sports event. Of all these strategies, photos rank number-one in boosting interaction.

2. Know your audience: Some school districts have a parent majority in their Facebook fan base. Others have mostly employee fans or a strong student following. Use Facebook Insights to understand the unique profile of your fans by age and gender, and post more of what they “like.”

3. Share breaking news on Facebook first: Tell Facebook fans they’ll be the first to hear breaking news like snow day announcements, then keep your promise. That will make Facebook the go-to strategy for folks who want to be in the know.

4. Post every day: Post twice a day, seven days a week. Research shows that frequent posting increases interaction. Recycling news items you distribute in other ways, such as podcasts and newsletter items, will ensure a steady supply of material with no added work for you.

5. Post during prime time: Statistics reveal that the best days to post are Monday through Wednesday. Facebook usage spikes weekdays at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Posts early in the day are “liked” more than later posts.