It’s no secret that social media is an invaluable tool. Creating strong social media content is an integral part of successful marketing strategies, especially for brands looking to build awareness and establish trust.
Social media can be used for good, but there are plenty of accounts – run by real people and bots – with less than good intentions.
June is internet safety month; what better time to learn more about protecting your accounts against spam? Here are some places to start.
Know common spam trigger words
Maybe you noticed a lot of comments on a post about your organization’s free concert fundraiser. (Why are people commenting they have reduced price tickets to sell? We don’t have tickets, and the event is free!) YOU know tickets aren’t required to get in, but spam accounts don’t care. It simply saw the trigger word “free” and left a comment to try to lure in some of your unsuspecting fans.
Spam can tarnish the quality of your content and potentially alienate or even harm genuine followers.
Certain words and phrases act like magnets for internet “pests” like bots and spam accounts. Here are some of the most common trigger words:
- Giveaway or Free: Posts mentioning giveaways or free products/services often draw spammers trying to exploit these opportunities for personal gain. (We’ve seen this on one of our own nonprofit clients’ posts about their annual, free festival fundraiser.)
- Help or Support: Posts seeking help or offering support can attract spam accounts promoting false solutions or services.
- Buy or Discount: Words related to purchasing or discounts can invite spam comments advertising counterfeit or low-quality product promotion.
- Follow and Like: Posts encouraging follow-backs or likes can attract spam accounts looking to increase their visibility.
- Win: Mentioning contests or chances to win something can be a magnet for fake contest promotions.
- Depression and Mental Health: Sensitive topics like mental health can attract spammers promoting fake therapies or harmful solutions. (We’ve actually seen this on one of our own nonprofit clients’ posts highlighting the way volunteering can help reduce depression.)
- Weight Loss: Discussions around dieting or fitness often attract spam promoting questionable supplements or diet plans.
- Crypto and Bitcoin: Posts about cryptocurrencies can attract spammers promoting investment scams or fake giveaways.
- Job and Income: Job searches or discussions about income can invite spammers promoting fake job offers or get-rich-quick schemes.
- Hack: Mentioning hacks, especially related to account hacks, can attract spammers promoting malicious software or phishing schemes. (Again, this one comes from personal experience with a client who posted on social media after their email account was hacked.)
Implement strategies to minimize spam
It’s frustrating to have a well-written post overtaken with irrelevant or misleading comments. But there some steps you can take to help protect your accounts, and your followers, from malicious content.
Add moderation assistance criteria
Here’s a way to up the protection of your Facebook accounts right now! In your account’s professional dashboard, select Moderation Assist. There, you can customize what help you’d like Facebook to provide in filtering out potential spam comments, such as accounts with no profile photo or that have no followers.
You can also enable keyword filters. Under Settings & Privacy, scroll to Audience and visibility, then choose Followers and public content. From there, you can add specific keywords so Facebook knows to hide comments that contain them.
These settings can significantly reduce spam and reduce your moderation workload. While you’re enabling them, be sure to view your other privacy settings to ensure they’re up-to-date and protecting your account well.
Another simple action to take is reporting and blocking suspicious accounts. Not only does this clean up your own posts, but it also helps the platform improve its spam detection algorithms over time.
Level up your content
Hashtags are no longer the engagement powerhouse they used to be. Not only do excessive hashtags make your content look dated, they also appear spammy. Avoid using overly popular or generic hashtags that spammers commonly target (the keywords above count for hashtags, too). Instead, use more specific or community-oriented hashtags.
Also, get creative in the phrasing of your posts. Always fall back on the rule of “clear over cute”, but when possible, use unique phrasing that doesn’t include these common trigger words.
Balancing Engagement and Security
It’s important to avoid spam, but it’s equally crucial to maintain genuine engagement with your audience.
Encourage genuine interactions by asking open-ended questions and responding to comments promptly and thoughtfully. Make sure it’s clear there are real people behind your account who truly care about their interaction!
Videos great for engagement, and they – along with photos – are less likely to attract spam than text alone. Implement these rich content mediums whenever possible for more real interactions and less spam!
The takeaway –
Creating great social media content requires vigilance and strategy, especially when it comes to avoiding spam. Through awareness and taking proactive measures, you can maintain the integrity of your social media presence.
This not only protects your brand but also fosters a genuine, engaging community around your cause.
Want help crafting great content? We’ve got the expertise you need. Get in touch today!