Seriously there is no hiding from spam! It doesn’t matter what social media platform you’re on or which email service you use. There is just no getting away from it. Now we’re getting spammed via Facebook direct messages for pages we need a strategy to deal with it. Here’s what you need to do.
image credit: mcfcrandall
Has Your Brand Been Spammed With Direct Messages On Facebook?
So, you’re a Facebook Page owner, and you’re getting used to this new Timeline – Even starting to like it. You are becoming familiar with the functions, finding the ways you like to navigate, and even having fun interacting with your fans. You like your fans!
Then…
From out of no where…
Comes THE PRIVATE MESSAGE.
You’ve Got Mail
You knew the box was there.
You knew this was possible.
In fact, as a Facebook Page owner, you have been hoping that you would receive business inquiries, and questions enabling you to offer your expertise.
But what you receive reads something like this:
“GREETINGS from Dreamy Travel Location and from www.facebook.com/clandestinelovelyfantasyvacationlodgingpage. Very pleased to discover your great page and like it. Best wishes for huge success. Please feel free to visit Lovely Fantasy Vacation Lodging Page, you will enjoy it and your like will be most welcome! Thank you.”
Not the message you were hoping for, was it? In fact, you feel a little bit……….. SPAMMED!
Pushing Personal
And rightfully so.
That’s not why the new Message feature was created.
It was created to give fans and customers a path to more personalized experiences interacting with brands on Facebook. It was meant for:
- Questions and answers about products.
- Sharing details relative to the brand.
- Thank yous.
- Collaborating with other brand leaders.
The Message button was not meant for “knock-knock split“-type like-my-page requests.
Personal Preference
As a Page Owner or Facebook Page admin, you have some choices:
- Ignore those message.
- Delete the message.
- Report the message.
- Warn all of your friends of the spammy offender.
- Respond with objective words encouraging the author to refrain from future like updates, but invite truly engaging interactions.
It’s your choice, depending on the type of result you prefer.
One note: Facebook is often not so responsive to reports, but has been known to revoke Facebook access to those with frequent reports. Objectively, it’s a roulette-wheel outcome.
Messages – To Enable Or Not To Enable
The entire purpose of utilizing a social network like Facebook is to keep your brand top of mind and create a community for people that like your brand. Also, to build that fan base, and nurture future customer relationships.
If that is your interest, then it is probably a good idea to enable the direct message function.
Your Facebook strategy may not have included accepting direct messages from Facebook fans, as this is a new feature released with the Timeline for brand pages. You can consider disabling the direct message function if:
- You are in the process of setting up the page.
- Your strategy is not yet defined.
- You do not plan to monitor the page regularly.
Optimally, you are open to contact with your fans.
Here is a visual of where to find the option to engage or disable the direct message function:
The “Manage Permissions” screen under “Edit Page”
Changing the social landscape on your page is as easy as a mouse click. You just need to decide how open your brand will be! 🙂
But most importantly, Facebook Page Admins and owners should be aware of the true intention with the direct message channel of communication, and refrain from spammy page promotion messages.
