Guide to Social Media Handles – What could be more satisfying than seeing your name shine in the spotlights?

Do you have a chance of securing the perfect handle to launch your company onto the social media map?

It may not look as glamorous, but it can certainly give you more than one or two minutes in fame.

If you need to find out whether a domain name is available, you can use a domain name checker or social media name checker. In this section, you can view domain names and usernames.

Social Media Handles

Social media marketing won’t be going to disappear anytime in the near future. It’s essential to maintain an effective presence on the platforms of choice. How do you begin? Create an account by using an appropriate handle on social media.

Let’s take a look at:

• What exactly is a handle on social media is and what does it mean, and why it is important?
• How do handles appear (or aren’t) across various platforms?
• How to select the best handle for your company’s brand.

A 200-Year History of the Handle

We’ve used the term “handle” to mean title or pseudonym for a long time.

In the 19th century, a person who was ascribed with the title Sir or Doctor would be thought to “have a handle to his name.” However in the event that the revered knight or doctor was known as Skip and was calling himself the name of his “childhood handle” or nickname.

In the 70s, this term was introduced to be useful as the use of citizen band radios exploded in the 1970s in commercial truck drivers. In the face of an imposed speed limit for all drivers and fuel shortages, truckers turned the CB radios in order to make calls using assumed callsigns and dubbed their handles.

The first time this kind of semi-anonymous chatter popped up on chat rooms on the internet and instant messaging The name was a constant. In the early days of social media platforms, the term handle was an informal term to refer to the screen name.

So, What is a Social Media Handle Today?

On any website, you’ll find that your username is an online name that is associated with the account you are using to connect with and broadcast to other users.

It’s important to remember from our brief historical lesson Social handles are more than a name It’s a tools for communication.

Your followers or audience will utilize this unique identifier to discover your brand on Facebook and Twitter. You can also mention your business on Instagram stories and tweets and include your handle in posts on social media. If you consider it you will realize that a handle is the key to all social media interaction.

Social Media Handle vs. Username

A username that is a public handle is often used as an account login credential. In fact, the majority of social networks use the term username, not handling.

However, not all usernames are handles.

Everyone else is interested in the username of your bank account because nobody else will be able to see or access it. But anyone can view your Twitter handle even if you are tweeting secretly. This is why picking the right handle is crucial for your brand’s image.

Social Media Handle vs. Display Name

Based on the network you’re using depending on the social network, you’ll probably be able to select a display title that is distinct from your handle. A number of accounts could have identical display names however a handle will be exclusive to you.

In that way, it’s something other than a Gmail email address, as well as a Social Security number. It’s an original piece of art. Unfortunately, the perfect handle might not be readily available. But, as we’ll learn there are solutions to overcome this.

What Your Profile Looks Like With Social Media Handles?

After you’ve got an understanding of the basics Let’s look at how this helpful sobriquet can be integrated to your profile on social media and how your followers will perceive the profile through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

• Facebook

In the settings of Facebook you’ll be able to control two identifiers that you can use:

• Name Display Name: This is your display name. It is displayed in a more prominent font in the upper right corner of your profile. However, it’s not exclusive to you.
• Username Unique Handle: It appears following an @ symbol on your Facebook profile, and also in the URL that is associated with it.

Brooklyn-based jewellery company Catbird employs “catbird” as a Facebook display name. However, the handle of the company is @catbirdNYC. This means their profile URL is facebook.com/catbirdnyc.

If you are choosing a handle to use for your Facebook page or profile it is important to adhere to Facebook’s guidelines for usernames:

• It must be five characters in length Up to a 50-character limit.
• May contain only characters, numbers and letters.
• Periods do not differentiate usernames (e.g. @johnsmith can be identical to @john.smith).

 

• Twitter

If you sign in to your account and the settings for your profile, you can use the exact same settings:

Name Your Display Name. It is displayed in larger and bolder fonts directly in front of your name.

• Username Your Twitter username. It’s specific to your account and is followed by an @ on your profile. It’s also part of the URL of your Twitter URL.

Again, Catbird uses “catbird” as its display name, and also @catbirdnyc as a Twitter handle. As a result, the company’s Twitter URL is twitter.com/catbirdnyc.

When choosing a handle to represent your company, you’ll need to adhere to Twitter’s rules for usernames:

• There is a possibility of a maximum length of 15 characters.
• The letters may be only comprised of numbers and underscores.
• Scores can differ between accounts (e.g. @johnsmith and @john_smith differ).

• Instagram

Once you’ve gotten to the settings for your Instagram profile You’ll be familiar with the process:

• Name Your Display username on Instagram. The only distinction is that it is displayed in a smaller font lower down in your account.

Username The handle is what you use that is displayed alongside an @ symbol and the form of your Instagram URL. However, it appears at the top of your Instagram screen, and then in bigger letters.

It’s likely that you’ve noticed the pattern already. Catbird utilizes “Catbird” as a display name, and @catbirdNYC as an Instagram handle. 

Remember these Instagram guidelines in mind when choosing your username:

• It could be a maximum length of 30 characters.
• It may only contain letters, underscores, numbers and periods.
• Periods and underscores are two distinct accounts.

Elsewhere…

Not all platforms use the handle for account login tools or communication instruments.

For example, LinkedIn and YouTube will ask you to log in with a phone contact number, email or other. In the next step, you will be able to change your display name so that it matches your company name.

When your target audience members seek you out on websites that don’t have handles Display names will appear in the results.

Let’s see what it looks like.

No Handle? No Problem

When you do the Instagram search, handles are displayed in bold fonts, followed by display names that are grey. Here’s what it looks like when you search for the jewellery brand Mejuri.

The content appears differently on YouTube and the video titles are most prominent and the handles aren’t there. The display name of each account is grey, and some have two words that have spaces between them.

Let’s take a closer look at the first result of the search. On YouTube, the account is titled “Lisa Wei.” On Instagram the social media influencer posts lifestyle posts under the hilariously clever username @getawei. She also writes on her blog at getawei.com.

However, a YouTube search of “getawei” still pulls up her channel even though the handle isn’t technical. What’s going on?

It’s made using a small amount of red and powder called the vanity URL.

With Vanity URLs, You Can Dress Up Other Social Media Profiles

Like many other influencers and companies, Lisa uses a custom URL, youtube.com/getawei, to tie her name to the YouTube channel she runs.

Here are some advantages of having a custom and/or vanity URL

• Your brand remains constant.
• This makes your content easier for users to find.
• It’s sweet and short.
• It’s simple to spell, pronounce and remember.

As we’ve observed with Catbird platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are able to use social media handles to assist in making custom URLs that are unique to every profile. But, other platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn let users create their own.

• YouTube

To be able to create a custom Channel URL for YouTube the channels must satisfy the following requirements:

• You must be at a minimum of thirty days of age.
• You must have at minimum 100 subscribers.
• Create a profile picture and upload channel art.

In essence, YouTube wants to make sure that your channel is a genuine channel with a real audience prior to giving away this important virtual space. When you’re certain that your business is dedicated to social media, you’ll have the option to make a customized URL via the settings of your account.

• LinkedIn

Making a vanity URL for LinkedIn does not require meeting these kinds of eligibility requirements. You can create one when your account is up and running.

If you are deciding the contents to include, make sure your slug is in line with these guidelines:

• The characters must be between 5-30 characters.
• May contain only numbers and letters.