To become successful at digitally marketing yourself and your brand, it is important to have a presence across most social media platforms. Since Facebook expanded its ad platform to include Instagram as well, it’s important to build your presence there as well.
Along with a presence, it is even more important to have an identity on social media.
One of the first steps in creating that identity is picking out a strong Instagram handle, or username.
For those of you who already have an Instagram account, you may even want to go back and change that username if you find yours isn’t as strong or identifiable as it could be!
First, Here’s What NOT to DO
Before we get into the ‘Do’s’ of picking out a name, there is one ‘Don’t’ that needs to be addressed.
The number one thing we do not recommend is having a generic handle like ChrisScottRealEstate4473.
Why is this handle so bad? Because it is not identifiable. Viewers don’t usually distinguish ChrisScottRealEstate v. ChrisScottRealEstate4473. You don’t want viewers, potential clients, and leads getting you confused with someone else because of your username.
The good news about Instagram usernames is that, unlike Facebook, you can change your username as many times as you want!.
Changing your username on Instagram is easy. Simply go to Edit Profile, and you’ll see your username (usually the second line). From there you can change your username to whatever name you’d like as long as what you are changing it to is not already in use.
The number one tip in choosing your Instagram name is first deciding how you are going to represent yourself on Instagram.
How to Choose a Strong, Memorable Name
First, you’ll need to decide whether you want to represent yourself as an individual personality OR as a brand.
There is no right or wrong to this, but it should be based on how you are viewed by most. If you are viewed by most as a brand, like GoodLife Luxury, go with the brand.
If you are viewed by most as a personality, like Chris Scott, we would recommend you go with personality.
So, now you’ve chosen how you want to represent your Instagram page, you’ve picked out a creative and memorable handle to use, you go to change your username and….it’s already taken! What do you do!?
If the username you want to use is already taken, you have some options:
- You can add your area, for example ChrisScott_Austin, or if you are using your brand, GoodLifeLuxury_Austin.
- You can add your niche, for example ChrisScott_Realty or if you are using your brand, GoodLifeLuxury_Realty.
- You can just use your domain if you have a good one, for example the domain for GoodLife Luxury is GoodLife.Luxury, so we would use Goodlife.Luxury as our username.
- You can use a brand prefix, for example WeAreGoodLife. For a personality prefix you can use IAmChrisScott, or TheChrisScott
Once you’ve picked out your unique Instagram handle, you’re ready to start posting!
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What happens to mentions of your old handle? Do they change to your new one? This is one thing I'm nervous about losing. I've read that tags will switch over to your new name, but haven't seen much about mentions.