As an entrepreneurship consultant who assists small business owners with managing their social media presence, I often recommend using Snapchat‘s built-in blocking features. Unwanted interactions that border on harassment are unfortunately common, especially for women and minority business owners. In my experience, blocking disruptive Snapchat users can be crucial for protecting your peace of mind and your brand.
When Should Your Business Block Someone on Snapchat?
While using Snapchat to engage customers and highlight your products can benefit small businesses, not all attention is good attention. In the past year alone, 41% of Snapchat users faced harassment, often in the form of unsolicited explicit images. This inappropriate content understandably makes many users feel unsafe.
As an entrepreneur myself, I‘ve also had clients complain of customers or even competitors using Snapchat to send rude comments, spread misinformation, or spam promotions. According to my clients, reasons they‘ve blocked Snapchat users include:
- Former disgruntled employees trying to undermine the business
- Unsatisfied customers making exaggerated claims or posting private conversations
- Multi-level marketing accounts aggressively pitching unrelated products
While removing these disruptive users won‘t solve the underlying issues, it does provide a quick solution to stop the spread of negativity and misinformation. For your brand‘s reputation and your own peace of mind, blocking can be a powerful protective measure.
Step-By-Step: How Businesses Can Block Accounts on Snapchat
If an account is harassing your business on Snapchat or causing other issues, here is how to block them in a few simple steps:
- Open your Friends List – Tap the chat bubble icon in the bottom toolbar to view your connections.
- Select Their Profile – Tap the name of the account you want to block to open their profile screen.
- Tap the ⚙️ Button – Open their profile options menu located in the top right corner.
- Choose Block – Select the "Block" option to remove this user.
- Confirm Block – Verify that you want to block this account when prompted.
And voila! This account will now be blocked from contacting your business or viewing your Snapchat content.
Tip: Repeat this process to block additional accounts as needed. If you ever want to unblock an account, open your profile settings and select "Blocked" to manage your list.
Beyond Blocking: More Options for Managing Business Accounts
While blocking disruptive Snapchat users is a good starting point, there are a few additional steps I recommend to my clients for keeping their business social media safe:
- Use Separate Personal and Business Accounts – This ensures clear boundaries between personal and professional relationships.
- Restrict Story Access – Limit visibility using the privacy settings so only approved followers can view.
- Disable Quick Add – Turn off the feature allowing anyone to easily find and add your account if they know your username.
- Monitor Comments – Pay attention to follower engagement and responses to stay on top of any emerging issues.
- Create a Social Media Policy – Establish guidelines for employee usage and interactions to prevent internal misuse. According to Social Media Today, 97% of employees use social media at work, so protections are crucial.
I hope this overview gave you some applied context on the realities small business owners face online and how leveraging Snapchat‘s tools, like blocking, can mitigate harm. Feel free to reach out if you need any personalized guidance for securing your brand‘s social media presence! Stay safe out there.
