Twitter can be a potent tool if used correctly, but there are a few common mistakes people make that can get in the way of using it to successfully promote your business.
1) Tweeting only listings
If you just tweet links to your shop, nobody is going to be interested, and you'll find it difficult to get genuine followers. Twitter is all about building connections!
2) Setting up your account with auto DMs
A lot of people set up their minds to automatically send a direct message to any new followers- usually saying something like 'Check out my shop! I sell cute stuff shopname.etsy.com'. This irritates a lot of users and might make them much less likely to visit your shop.
3) Tweeting your listings directly @ other people
Yes- some people really do this, and it's not cool (or likely to be useful). Plus you might get reported for spamming.
4) Complaining about your customers
I actually see this a lot, and it always surprises me because they might be listening! It also doesn't create an excellent impression for any of your twitter followers who might be considering purchasing something from you.
5) Not building up a follower base
A lot of people only have a couple of hundred followers, and wonder why
a Twitter bot isn't doing much for them. Personally, I recommend having at least a couple of thousand to make it work for you.
6) Tweeting to the wrong audience
As well as building up some good follower numbers, it really is critical that you are reaching the right kind of audience. If all of your followers are sellers, you're unlikely to get very far with it (unless you sell supplies).
7) Using True Twit validation service
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make if you're trying to use Twitter to promote your shop to lots of new buyers (in my opinion). It's a service that automatically sends a DM to anyone who tries to follow you, asking them to click a link and confirm that they're a real follower. A very high percentage of people will just ignore the link, and you'll lose a lot of potential followers.
