So, you’ve thought long and hard about creating the perfect company name – and after a gruelling few weeks, you’ve finally settled on the ideal branding. You’re setting up your social media channels but what’s this? Your handle is not available.
What a nightmare. Or is it?
Now you’re forced to create a name based on an evolution of your brand, but what’s the best way to go about it to avoid getting lost in the sea of users? It’s no surprise that with 335 million monthly users, getting your perfect Twitter handle might not be as easy as you first thought. We’ve investigated the best ways to play on your company name to create a snappy social media handle to get you noticed while avoiding unnecessary rogue punctuation (we’re looking at you ‘!’)
Where are you?
This is an excellent go-to option if your location is imperative to your business or brand. Bonus points – it will also help you in the search results!
Give Users A Clue
Saying what you do is a helpful and straightforward route to go down, particularly if your brand offers guidance and support to users using your primary product – we know you’ve all tweeted a brand @help account at some point for a faster customer service response.
Go Official
This is a great option if your company name is small, or you’re known by abbreviations. This is a popular choice for celebrities, but don’t be put off – a lot of brands also go down this route.
Introducing…
Another favourite of celebrities but also a solid choice for brands looking to introduce themselves to the world of social media. ThisIs… our next handle suggestion.
Hint at your Headquarters
This is an option for more prominent brands that want to convey their size or those who want to give the impression of gravitas. If your objective is enormous growth, you might want to head down the HQ route.
GoShort…
Shortening a brand name or using acronyms is an easy way to incorporate essential aspects of a longer name into a social media handle. However, be warned that this can be considered highly controversial in some branding circles, but the BBC seems to disagree…
How up to date are you?
If frequently updating your social media channels is a key aim for your brand you might want to aim to incorporate @daily into your handle and give users a taste of what you’re going to provide to the world of social media.
So, when your ideal social media handle is taken, there’s no need to panic. Follow our snapshot guide to pick a handle that still fits with your branding, and won’t deter potential consumers. After all, social media is the king of free marketing.
Our top tips for creating that memorable social media handle.
Be consistent! If users have found you on Twitter, they’re going to try the same handle to reach you on Instagram and Facebook. This is also widely helpful when speaking at events or on a podcast, “Find me on social media at…”
Avoid numbers. No one wants their brand to look too spam-like. Including numbers is often deemed an unimaginative route – we advise avoiding it at all costs.
Source: https://www.socialfresh.com/twitter-handle-hacks/
