Get Online: Naming Considerations

Before you make any decision, however, review everything I’ve listed here and do some research.  If you already have a business name, but haven’t yet set up any websites or social platforms, you should still review these items I’ve listed below.  It’s important to look at as much as possible and think about the future before making a decision.

This is something you really can’t ignore. You need to get your name out there and establish yourself online before someone else does.  If they have a similar name and do all the social media research I’ve listed below, and you’re not there, guess what? They may set something up and essentially be able to claim names everywhere. You’d end up being the one that has to adjust your name in Twitter and other places instead of them. That would limit you, no doubt. I’d like to clarify: I’m not advocating name-squatting. I’m suggesting that you be proactive and establish your existing company in various online platforms. Be ready to go, and once you set up accounts everywhere, start using them.

Business Name

If you don’t already have a business name, you’ll need to come up with one and research it to see if it’s in use or not. Also, think about trademarks and companies with the same or similar names.

Domain

Look it up. If there’s already a company with that name that also has an extensive online presence, you’ll want to know that before making your decision. See what their company provides. You also need to know if it’s something very different from your product or service, which would confuse any potential customer looking for what your company provides. You also need to see what another company’s online reputation is.  In this day and age, with the danger of social media mistakes very high and potentially extremely damaging to a company’s image, you need to know if someone else has a similar name or the same one in case it might reflect poorly on your company at some point in the future. You absolutely need to be proactive here.

• Check in Google and the search engines.
• Type in a URL with that name in the browser. Try .com, .net, and .org. Type in a similar name. If you don’t purchase all those domains, someone might swoop in and use your name under a different extension.
• Check Whois. Even if a domain doesn’t have a website, it may be taken. Always check Whois for current information, and to see when a domain might expire. Whois is (pronounced Who-is) is the ICANN domain record. ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It’s the ruling body of domain names.

Twitter

This is one of the more important social platforms, I think. There are also some important considerations to keep in mind.

Character limit: 15

Considerations: Make the name as short as possible to make it easier to include on retweets. Longer names take up much more space in a tweet. It’s not always possible to go with a short name, but do the best you can.

There are two parts to Twitter names: the username and the name. The username is the @name listing. The name is the listing that accompanies it. For example, here’s my Twitter profile. The username is @TailoredThought. The name is Tailored Thoughts.

There’s an ongoing great debate in the Twitterverse about what name to use where. For example, if you’re a small business, the question is this: do you put your company name as the name, or your own? Do you put a picture of yourself there, or a logo? An argument you’ll hear from one side is that people think it’s impersonal if there’s a logo and not a picture. The thinking is “I want to do business with a person, not a company logo.” I think it’s fine to use a logo and company name. It depends on the situation, IMO. I’ll explain with a few examples.

A tale of two of my Twitter accounts

• 2moroDocs: I set this up with same name in both places. I use a logo instead of a picture of me. So, over time, I’ve built a brand. It’s for my blog name, not me personally. While people came to know me as the person behind the account, I elected to keep the logo in place and used it for both the username and name.

• Tailored Thoughts: This is my company. I set up the site and Twitter account later. For this one, I use my picture instead of my logo. Plus I use the company name in both spots. One reason is that the 15-character limit forced me to shorten my name. After much agonizing, I decided to go with the company name in both. I want to build name recognition for that, not for me – particularly since I’m already and also known for 2moroDocs. There also was not an easy way to shorten the username. I wanted to get the actual company name in my profile, so put it as the name. By using my picture instead of logo, though, it puts a more personal edge on my profile.  I also include my name in the bio on all my Twitter accounts, so people should be able to search for and find me – and all my accounts and sites. I may replace my photo with my logo at some point, though. I’m not sure I like seeing my picture all the time. So that’s another consideration.

Other situations and examples

• It’s just you. Your Twitter account is one piece of your personal online presence.
• You’re a one-person business that provides services geared toward individuals

In this case, it might make more sense to use your name and photo. If you are your business, then by all means, go with that. Think about business people that are considered experts in their fields and are well-known speakers. If you’re building your own presence outside of your company, then use your name and photo. (In this situation, you probably would want to add a disclaimer such as “these tweets are my own and don’t reflect my employer’s opinions.”

• You have a company that you’re building a brand for.
• You might hire employees at some point.
• You plan on expansion at some point.
• You’ve designed a snazzy logo that you want people to recognize at a glance.
  

In these situations, I’d definitely go with a logo and company name in both places. Why tie your brand and Twitter account to one person when you’ll likely expand? There are also examples of people that established quite a following and reputation while tweeting for a company. When they left the company, they took their huge number of  followers with them. In one situation, this even went to court. Would all the trouble have ensued if that person had tweeted under a company logo and name instead of their own? Who owns the account? That’s a very serious question you need to answer. Remember: it can take a very long time to build a following in Twitter. So determine your plan before you set up the account. Make sure that your brand’s online presence doesn’t walk out the door when an employee does.

Tip: Search for existing names in Twitter.com itself. Then you can search and see if the name is in use. This is critically important, as there may be a similar name in use (or a variation of yours) that differs in values from your own. Of course, if it’s your business name or your personal name, there’s not much you can do, but it’s best to check anyway. If you have a business name already which is fairly long, you can perhaps abbreviate it somehow in Twitter. If the name is taken, you can create one with an underscore.

It doesn’t work as well to search in an app such as Hootsuite, as a list of accounts with potentially the same name as yours, or one similar, isn’t possible to see.

Changing your Twitter Names: Unlike Facebook, you can change the username and name at anytime. However, a username change could cause much confusion with your followers. You retain all your followers, but you’d need to let them know of the change.

Facebook

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. (She says, shaking her head a bit.) It’s always tricky. Facebook makes feature changes continually, often without notice. However, over time, I haven’t noticed any major changes in page name requirements. Assume nothing, though. Be sure to do your research, as noted below.

Character limit: None that I find

Name requirements: Facebook has many rules for page names. For instance, at the time of this writing, you can’t use symbols. There are also capitalization rules and requirements regarding use of acronyms. Because requirements can change, as can page links, I advise you to look it up in their Help system before setting up a page. Just type in “page names” or something similar, and you’ll see topics listed.

Research Required: See if the name is taken. Facebook displays a list of pages and groups that have words in use on existing pages. Check that, and always check See More Results at the bottom of the list, and then select Pages from the list of options on the left.

Warning: There are also two page names in Facebook. One is the username (used in the URL). The second is the page name (the name on the actual page).  While you have fewer than 200 fans, you can change the page name. However, you can change the username only once. Be extra careful when creating your page. People have been know to misspell it when entering it, or you might just change your mind. Be sure of the name before you set up the username.

For further research, go to the Facebook help and type in “page username.” Then read everything there. Do the same for “page name” and review everything. Be sure you understand the requirements and differences between the two before you set something up.

it also may not be possible to “claim” your exact name for your username, as it may already be taken in Facebook. You won’t know this for sure until you try to claim it. You may have to select one with a number appended, or use hyphens, or something similar. So even after all the research, your username might differ slightly from what you intend. However, the correct page name should be Ok for searches. It might not be perfect, but you do what you can.

Until you get your 25 fans and can claim your username, your page URL will be very long and include many numbers. Try and get those page fans and claim your name as soon as possible.

Google+

I can’t find any information about character limits or any kind of requirements. I’ve set up a few pages and have never had an issue as far as naming goes. I suppose you may if one is already taken. That’s something you might find if you searched for a name and Google+.

YouTube

Definitely research here and see what’s there already. As video becomes increasingly important, YouTube is something you’ll need to have at some point.  YouTube generally ranks high in search results, too. If you have a fairly common name for your business or online presence, you might want to set up an account here as soon as you can. Check the requirements note below before you do so, though.

For current information, search for Username Policy in the help section.

Character limit: None of which I’m aware. I’ve seen some very long YouTube channel names, though.

Considerations: Use the full name if possible. Google owns YouTube, so it’s best to use the same name if possible. The name is longer, though, as “channel” is appended to each name.

Requirements: There are basic requirements such as no profanity and that sort of thing. They also prohibit what they call “namesquatting.” Basically, you have to use the account once you set it up or risk closure. If you have a fairly common name for your business or online presence, you might want to set up an account here as soon as you can. If you do so, be prepared to upload videos periodically. You don’t have to make your own. You can add some from other channels.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has company pages. You’ll want to set one up for your company. This is another place to research your company name.  See if there’s a company page already set up. Also, run an advanced people search, and type in your potential business name. If there’s a company in existence with that name, people may already have that listed on their profile. Might that be confusing? Or does it even matter? Only you can determine that. Definitely check it, though. Definitely see if your competitors are in LinkedIn. This is a business network, and is very important. You want your company listed in LinkedIn, for sure.

Once you have a name selected or have one in existence, create a company page for your company.

Pinterest

There are two names: username and your page name. Like Facebook, the username is the URL. Depending on your business, Pinterest may be a very important platform to consider. For instance, if you sell products, Pinterest can be an excellent way to generate sales. Some companies have made quite a bit of income from that.

Username character limit: 15 characters

Summary

Do your best to use the same name in all platforms. Focus on your domain first. Social platforms may come and go, but your domain and site should be your mainstay.

While it may be Ok to abbreviate in Twitter some, try and be consistent in username in Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest. You want people to be able to search for you and find the same set up as much as possible in as many places as possible. If you’re late to the online and social media game, this may not be easy or possible. Just do what you can. LinkedIn will just be whatever your company name is.

Like anything with getting your business online, research name choice from all angles. It could save you much time and work in the future. Get it right the first time. Once you start building your brand and presence online, it’s difficult to change. Not in terms of changing account names here and there, but in the time it takes to rebrand your company or image.

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