Twitter has released a new function for their users that is a mute feature allowing you to operate in the middle ground of blocking and unfollowing a user. This unique feature will basically allow a user to mute someone they are following without actually cutting ties with them. You might be wondering why not simply block a person or stop following them if there is an issue. The mute button actually can help your business on Twitter in ways you might not even have thought about.
When you block another user, you are basically cutting all ties with them by ending all the interaction. You can no longer send them a direct message or see their posts on your feed. Unfollowing a member is perfect if they are posting inappropriate items and you do not want to see them in your timeline. The Twitter muting feature still allows you to get mentions and all @replies from those users. By muting them you are removing them from your feed without them having any idea you are no longer interested in seeing all their posts. Even though you can not see their posts anymore, they can certainly still see yours. This is extremely important when it comes to your business.
The key to growing your business on Twitter is getting your message to as many people as possible. You are going to come across users however, who are simply impossible to deal with and their posts are so frequent it becomes distracting. They still however can bring you new business if they have a large following and frequently retweet your posts. The Twitter muting feature allows them to conduct business as usual, but keeps you from having to be bombarded with all the junk they post on an hourly basis. By still following them you are showing a sign of respect, even though you are sick of their insane daily rantings.
Certain people who have been interacting with you might have appeared at first to be normal. You come to find they are crazy on Twitter and have a dangerous quality that screams trouble. These are the people who will spend a week posting negative comments about your business if they feel they have been slighted. If you unfollow this type of user you could become the next business they focus their hate attacks on. The Twitter muting allows you to gently go away without them having any clue you are no longer paying them attention, avoiding any personal attack they might have had lined up for your business.
When it comes to business on Twitter, the more followers that you have the more impressive your business looks. It is a popularity contest on Twitter, but that doesn't mean you have to read each post in your feed. Now you can follow those who are important to you, and mute all the rest. You still retain your impressive number of followers, but you aren't forced to read rants of people not interested in your niche and industry.
The biggest benefit to using the Twitter muting feature is that you get to see what your stream will look like when that user is gone, without actually blocking them or unfollowing them. You get all the benefits without actually cutting ties with them for good.
