5 Social Media Tips To Avoid Twitter’s Dreaded Mute Button

Getting weary from those folks you follow on Twitter who are constantly reminding you of what they just ate, who they saw and what they’re about to do? Take a deep breath. Twitter on Monday rolled out a muting feature, which keeps you from seeing any Twitter activity from the person you just muted.

The new Twitter feature gives communicators a way to keep the online chatterboxes at bay.

But if you miss them, you can unmute those folks at any time.

Think of the mute button on Twitter as similar to the mute button on your TV’s remote control.

You hit it when you’re watching the Brooklyn Nets lose to the Miami Heat and want to tune out the commercials or need to focus on something else (read: your laptop or iPad) for a few minutes, but then unmute to continue watching the game.

Of course, Twitter is best served as a PR vehicle that can expand your audience (rather than limit it).

The microblogging site, with 650 million active users, continues to have a major impact on marketing communications and getting your message out to people who otherwise might not be exposed to it.

Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, brands and organizations need to be consistent with their social media strategy.

Here are a few tips on ensuring brand consistency on the various social channels, compliments of Cathy McPhillips, marketing director at Content Marketing Institute. The bonus is that you attract a legitimate (and engaged) audience and avoid being a victim of Twitter’s mute button.

• What is your biggest marketing goal? Be sure you aren’t sabotaging that with your channel plan.
• Create a calendar to help the process seem less daunting. Watch times of day and days of the week that work best for your audience.
• Listening is as important as sharing. Instead of pushing out content, why not ask a question to preface that content? Give people a reason to engage.
• What is your voice? Is it light and conversational? Professional and authoritative? (Hint: It can be both. Make it work best for you, your audience and your channel.)
• There are very few universal rights or wrongs in the world of social media. Create your own rules while using common sense. Test, fail, learn and improve. Strive for innovation.

To learn more about social media trends, order a copy of PR News' Media Relations Guidebook, Vol.  2. 

Follow Matthew Schwartz on Twitter: @mpsjourno1