Top 7 Twitter Mistakes

Twitter can be a potent tool if used correctly, but a few common mistakes can prevent you from successfully promoting your business on it.

1) Tweeting only listings

If you just tweet links to your shop, nobody will 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

Many 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 many users and might make them much less likely to visit your shop.

3) Tweeting your listings directly @ other people

Yes- some people do this, and it's not cool (or likely applicable). Plus, you might get reported for spamming.

4) Complaining about your customers

I see this often, and it always surprises me because they might be listening! It also doesn't create an excellent impression for your Twitter followers, who might be considering purchasing something from you.

5) Not building up a follower base

Many 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

In addition to building up some good follower numbers, it is critical that you reach 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.