What to do if you don’t own company social media handle?
You are launching your business and settled on the perfect name that epitomizes your brand. After purchasing your domain, you go to claim your social media handles only to realize…they are taken.
What do you do? Do you scrap your name and start over? Do you try to negotiate a purchase of the taken handle? Fortunately, the answer is no.
There are many misconceptions around social media handles, marketing, and branding. Companies know the importance of branding their social channels. After all, social media marketing and utilizing platforms like DrumUp is a prominent part of lead generation and an extension of your brand. However, companies don’t necessarily need exact match social handles to be successful.
Even if you don’t find the exact match social handles, don’t feel held back from using the business name you have your heart set on.
1. Name > Handle
Your business name matters more than your handle. Finding a name that speaks to your business and resonates with potential customers is an important one. Studies have shown that a strong name performs up to 33 percent better on the stock market than weaker names. Once you settle on a name, social media handles should not deter you from your decision.
We analyzed the social media handles of LinkedIn’s annual list of the 50 fastest-growing startups. Our findings show that the majority of these top startups do not have an exact match social handles.
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In fact, we found that only 20 percent of these thriving startups have matching social media handles for all the accounts utilized. 34 percent of the companies have no exact match handles on any of their social media channels. Finding exact match handles across three, five, or even seven social media platforms is an unrealistic expectation in most cases. With millions of businesses starting every year as well as thousands joining social sites every day, claiming exact match handles is difficult and competitive. We anticipate finding an exact match domain will also become an obstacle in the coming years. We’ve found that even businesses that require or prefer exact match domains do not need exact match social media handles. A handle should not be an enormous factor in choosing a business name.
2. Prospects won’t have trouble finding your business on social media.
By properly linking your social handles on your website and promoting throughout collateral, prospects will be able to find your business on with a quick search. On Instagram and Facebook specifically, once a prospect searches for your business, your handle will be saved in their search history unless manually deleted. The search also signals to Instagram’s algorithm that they enjoyed your account’s content and may show more of your content in the feed via the explorer page.
Just be sure that your social media handle variations are short and memorable. Apply the best fit for your brand tone and business vertical to your own name to develop a searchable social media handle. That way, you’ll be sure to stick in your prospects’ minds and show up when people search for you.
3. Tactics to work-around exact match handles
When you’re looking for your social media handles don’t be afraid to get creative. There are several naming strategies if you can’t lock down your companies exact match handles. One of these alternatives is an industry add-on. These variations take relevant words from industries, usually ones that directly describe what a company does, and applies them to the name. An example of this is HaloTop, @HaloTopCreamery or Away, @Awayluggage. Another strategy is relevant verbs and add-ons, creating memorable, impactful phrases. Not only does this keep your username short, it also makes it easy to recall. For example, Ripple, @RipplePay or Bird, @BirdRide. A very simple work-around is adding your domain extension or platform to the name. For example, Robinhood, @RobinhoodApp or DrumUp, @drumupio. Lastly, many companies simply add Inc to the end of their handles such as Affirm, @AffirmInc or Plenty, @PlentyInc.
The only time you should be worried about a social media handle conflict is if you find that a similar business is already occupying that username. You risk confusing your customers or possibly running into trademark conflict. If this isn’t the case, data and research are clear that exact match social media handles won’t hinder your startup’s growth. As the businesses on the LinkedIn list prove, your business can advance without exact match social media handles. While it’s important to attempt to snag your social media handles if possible, a username being taken should not deter you from utilizing an effective business name.
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Grant Polachek is the Head of Branding at Inc 500 company Squadhelp.com, the world’s #1 naming platform, with 25,000+ customers from early-stage startups across the globe to the largest corporations including Nestle, Philips, Hilton, Pepsi, and AutoNation. Get inspired by exploring these winning business name ideas.
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