What are social media identifiers? (+How to choose one for your business) | LocaliQName (2023)

Promoting your business can feel like a game of Tetris. You quickly think of your next move and adjust your strategy to deal with each block thrown your way.

One of the building blocks of your company's marketing strategy is social media. And one of the first steps to creating an account for your business is choosing a social media handle. Today we're going to walk you through how to (pun intended) manage your social media like a pro.

Index

• What are social media handles?
• Why are social media handles important for your business?
• Tips for creating great social media handles
• How to Create a Social Media Handle on Any Platform

Let's go in right away!

What are social media handles?

Social media handles are the usernames you choose for each social media channel. They start with the "@" symbol to make it easier for other users to find or tag your business on social platforms. Every social media account has a social media handle, so the social media handle you choose is unique to your business.

An examplea Facebook handle on the LocaliQ company page.

Social Media Identifiers vs Usernames and Display Names

With so much going on when it comesAdvertise your business online, it can be easy to confuse things like social media handles with other elements like usernames or display names. The tricky part is that many people use terms like identifier and username interchangeably. So, depending on the context and the specific platform you're talking about, your social media handle could be synonymous with your username or display name. However, these terms have their own unique purpose, so here's a quick rundown:

• Social Media Identifier:Your account name, starting with "@" and referenced in tags.
• User name:The name associated with your account or the word you use to log in on each platform. (In some cases, such as withTwitter, your username and your social media name are the same.)
• Display Name:What appears when you like, comment or appear in feeds.

While the z handlethis company's Instagram accountwould be @spindeleyeassociates, your display name is Spindel Eye Associates.

Why social media is important for your business

Do you think social media handles only play a minor role?your company's online presence, Think again. Here are some of the top reasons why social media handles are so important:

They help your business to be found on social media

Your social media handle will appear when someone starts typing to tag or search for you. While you want your business to be found organically or through social mediasocial ads, you can have othersMarketing channelsthat make people look for your handle later. A strong social media handle makes it easy to quickly brand your business or get found on social platforms.

If your social media handle contains a keyword, you'll show up in searches like this one.

Social media handles increase brand awareness

Social media handles can be great for building your brand because you can choose what your handle says. You can use your social media name to reinforce your company's unique identity and value. Because social media handles tend to be similar (or the same) as yoursCompany Name, they serve as an additional placement for your business name to be seen on social media.

This Twitter handle, @jumpstartkids, reinforces the nonprofit brand's early childhood education mission.

They can set you apart from the competition

Help dealing with social mediaSmall companies compete with big brandsin busy industries andmarket niches🇧🇷 For example, a clever social media stunt can drive a potential follower away from your competitor's pages and towards your business. If your competitors don't have social media handles or poorly designed social media handles, your business has a chance to surpass that mark with a solid social media management strategy.

Social media identifiers are required for most platforms

Most social media platforms require you to set up a social media handle for your business to have an active account. In fact, social media handles are more common across all platforms than you might think. For example YouTube easyrecently introducedHandles for all channels. Here is a short list of popular platforms that require handles:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• pinterest

Many other platforms like Snapchat, Reddit or LinkedIn require usernames instead of identifiers, but the tips discussed in this article can also be applied when creating them!

5 tips for dealing with your social media

These time-saving tips will make creating your social media easier:

1. Keep it simple

You want your social media handles to be easy to spell and recognizable to potential followers. The simpler your social media is, the better! Also, you don't want to confuse your audience with a social media name that doesn't clearly relate to your core business.brand identity🇧🇷 Try to stick to the basics by making your social media handle similar (or the same) as your business name.

This company's twitterHandle remembers the company name.

2. Be brief

Most platforms have a character limit, so having a concise social media handle is a must. However, keeping your social media handle short and sweet also makes it quicker and easier for people to find your account.

this trade markThe official name is quite long, so the shortened Twitter handle makes the site easier to find.

3. Keep your identifiers consistent across all sites

If possible, you want your social media handles to be the same or similar across all platforms. maintenancebrand consistencyis key when it comes to social media handles because whoever finds you on one platform will likely want to find your handle on other platforms as well.

Having consistency in your social media handles also makes it easier to brainstorm new handles as needed in the future. For example, a growingMultilocation Franchisecould start adding social media handles with locations to differentiate each franchisee's accounts.

This multi-local storedifferentiate your social media handlers by location, but keep your business name consistent across both.

4. Have a backup list

All social media identifiers must be unique. If a platform sees that your ideal social media name is already in use, it won't be able to use it for your business. You may encounter this popup every now and then, so it's best to make a backup list of other variations in case your ideal social media name is used. While it can be disappointing to find that the social media handle you want is already in use, avoid headaches by having a backup ready to go.

5. Run your social media handles on your website (and elsewhere!)

Once you've set up your accounts and chosen your social media handles, it's time to grow your following. The best way to do this? Promote your social media handles across all marketing channels! You must at least have your social media handles on yoursmall business website.

You can also try inserting your handlesyour company descriptionin others onlinewebsite listing, such as Yelp or Google Business Profile. Finally, be sure to include your social media handles from other platforms in your social account pages bio. For example, you want to promote your Twitter handle on yourFacebook-Bio, and viceversa.

From LocaliQwebsite ratercan help you find optimization opportunities to promote your social media handles on your business website:

How to create your social media handles on any platform

Follow these steps to create your own social media handles on major social media platforms:

How to Create or Edit Your Facebook Handle…

1. Navigate to your Facebook business page and click the buttonOneAba.
2. select the blueEdit page informationText.
3. Enter the desired social media handle in theuser nameto set up.

this exampleshows how facebook views handle business page usernames, so this is another case where the terms username and social media handle can be used interchangeably.

To create or edit your YouTube handle...

1. On the YouTube homepage, click your channel icon on the top right corner to open and select the main menuYouTube-Studio.
2. In YouTube Studio, clickadjustmentno menu on the left.
3. In the Personalization section, click the buttonBasic informationAba.
4. Underdeal withIn the Basic Information section, you can enter your unique identifier.
5. cliquePosttop right to save your changes.

To create or edit your Twitter handle...

1. In the main menu on the left, clicksettings and privacy(you may have to clickMostFirst).
2. cliqueyour account.
3. cliqueuser name.
4. Edit your username and click Save.

How to create or edit your Pinterest handle...

1. Once logged in,Click on your profileat the top right corner.
2. On your profile, clickedit profileTaste.
3. Scroll down touser nameoption to edit its grip, then clicksave.

How to Create or Edit Your Instagram Handle…

1. Navigate to your profile and click on itEdit profile.
2. edit youruser namefield and click Submit.

How Great Social Media Manipulators Can Lead to Even Better Results

Social media handles can seem like a small detail in your grand scheme.marketing plan,but they can have a big impact on your bottom line. Take a few minutes to review your social media accounts to make sure you aren't letting any of your social media handles slip through the cracks.

If you're still not sure how to unify your social media handles for a tight social strategy, give it a try.talk to one of our specialists.Our team is here to help your business handle anything and everything from social media marketing and beyond!