There is isn’t anything more annoying than going to register your Twitter @username, only to find out that it has already been taken.

A Twitter @username is also sometimes referred to as a “Twitter handle”, but the two are exactly the same, just so you know.

Now, there isn’t a lot you can do unless you have a registered trademark and the account in question is impersonating your brand or is in-active. I’ll explore this in more detail in my next post.

This only really leaves you with the option of registering a variation of the username that you wanted. Although this may not be your first choice, you can have lots of fun with it and add personality to your brand!

Here are a few ideas

1. Add a location – consider adding a county or regional reference to your username. For example, SocialbullUK or SocialbullGB or city.
2. Try adding an underscore – you often see businesses adding an underscore to names when their username is taken. For example – @social_bull or @socialbull_. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this, just as I wouldn’t recommend adding a dash to your website’s domain. It can make things confusing when communicating your @username to customers.
3. Make it official – add “Official” to the front of your name so people know they are engaging with the official account for your business. For example – @OfficialSocialbull etc.
4. Signal your base – Add HQ to the end of your Twitter username to hint the location of your business. Adding “Zone” can work well too or “Lab” or “Workshop” if you’re creating something.
5. Add “Be” to add action – this is a great one for turning your business’s name into an adjective. For example @BeSocialbull (sadly this one is taken).
6. Try your strap line – your Twitter username doesn’t have to be your brand name, it could be your strap line. Obviously, this only works if you have a short strap!
7. Add “The” – this doesn’t always work, it will depend on your organisation’s name. However, “The” can used to point forward to your brand’s name. I.e. @TheSocialbull
8. Add “We Are” – this is growing in use, but the more words you include, the quicker you’re going to run out of characters. Twitter usernames are limited to 15 characters in length, so this only works if your brand name is short to begin with.
9. “Get”, or “Join” – similar to “Be” mentioned above, Twitter usernames (handles) that add action work really well, it’s just about what works best for your organisation / products / services.
10. Involve your “Team” – let’s face it, a brand’s Twitter should be the voice of the organisation as a whole, not just one person. Add “Team” to signify wider involvement.
11. Namedotcom – a really good variation for e-commerce and businesses that are primarily based online. Oh yeh, and you need a .com website address to match 🙂
12. Ask / Support your customers – Whether they plan to or not, Twitter is often used as a customer support tool. Back in September, Twitter launched a dashboard for businesses to help make customer engagement easier. These username variations are perfect for those businesses.
13. “App” – great, but limited to those of you who are selling apps 🙂

These are all great alternatives to use if you find that your brand’s name has already been taken on Twitter.

The important thing to remember is to register your social media usernames as soon as you can to avoid this happening in the first place.

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Rhys Gregory

Digital Account Manager at Effective Communication

Responsible for delivering PR and digital marketing campaigns for a wide range of clients.

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