If you’re new to using Twitter as part of your social media marketing strategy—or if you need to make changes to your existing account as part of a rebrand or renewed social efforts—coming up with your brand’s Twitter handle is an important first step. The “handle” refers to your account’s name, the word or words preceded by the @ sign on the platform.
Coming up with your brand’s Twitter handle deserves some thought and attention. After all, it’s the most identifiable part of your profile and a big part of your branding on the social network. In many cases, it’s very simple and straightforward, but sometimes you need to go beyond the most obvious option.
And, if you’re new to social media marketing all together, also check out these social media marketing beginner tips and these smart goals for social media marketing.
Best Practices for Coming Up with Your Brand’s Twitter Handle
- The best option is just to use your brand’s full name. This makes you instantly recognizable and also promotes greater brand awareness.
- Keep it as short as possible. If your complete brand name is long, look for sensible ways to shorten it that don’t detract from how easily people will recognize you. For example, if you have “Company” at the end of your brand’s name, drop it or just use “Co” as an abbreviation.
- Consider using a short version of your brand’s tagline if its name and close, logical variations are unavailable. If your brand’s name is trademarked, you should be able to report the infringement to the offending account and Twitter to claim it for yourself.
- Be consistent with other social platforms. If you’re already active on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, or other social networks, use the same handle on Twitter that you use elsewhere. Consistency is such a crucial part of branding.
- Don’t use digits or symbols in your Twitter handle—unless they’re actually part of your brand’s name. They can just make things confusing for people.
- Don’t use a witty Twitter handle. While it’s great for personal accounts, it’s counterproductive for business accounts.
- Take it easy with the underscores. If your brand’s name includes multiple words, you could use them. However, it’s preferable not to, and certainly don’t use more than one or two of them.
