Are you a new business owner looking to start your social media presence? Are you wanting to create the perfect handles and usernames to fit your business? Then check out these tips for scoring the perfect social media handles!

But wait — what’s a social media handle? Social media handles consist of public usernames with an @ symbol before them! People use it to search for your account and tag you in comments and shared content.

What exactly makes a good social media handle?

In general: short, memorable, easy to type and spell, distinguishable handles that tell the user something identifying about your brand and the perfect handles.

Select a consistent username

A username that is 15 characters or less is ideal. Since Twitter max’s out at 15 characters, you don’t want half of your username to get cut off.

Having the same username across all social media platforms makes it so your customers can find you more easily.

Check availability across various platforms

If you have an idea of a handle you want to use, confirm it is available on all platforms first. Digging around until you find the perfect username for you, that’s available on all platforms, will make your branding and cross-platform management easier.

There is a range of IT apps and websites you can use for this to speed up the process! Here’s a list of a few:

• Looka’ Business Name Generator
• Namechk
• BrandSnag
• CheckUsernames

Select a name that remains relevant

The name you choose for your social media handles should be relevant now as well as in the future. Instead of choosing a handle that is specific to a particular category, pick one that can grow with the business.

If you’re still having trouble finding a username that is not taken, there are a few workarounds you can use!

If your business has your personal first or last name in it, try adding “the” or “Iam” to the beginning of your brand name. You could even add your location for context, like @JohnDoe|TX.

There are similar workarounds for a business name, such as adding ‘HQ”, “Inc” or “Co.” to the end of the handle. You could even try adding “wearebusinessname” or adding an underscore.

Finding a social media handle can be very difficult, especially as social media continues to grow rapidly. Once you’ve come up with a great business name and social handles, it’s time to work on your brand identity — but that’s another conversation!

Written by Becca Bieda, Social Media Manager

Becca lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, and has her Bachelor’s in Business Marketing with a minor in Global Environmental Sustainability. She is a Social Media Manager here at Madwire and enjoys the creative range social media offers. Outside of work, Becca loves photography, road trips, and snuggling her 2 orange cats!