Don’t @ Me! A Real Estate Pro’s Guide to Claiming Handles on Social Media

Your social media handles are your virtual identity - choose them wisely.If you plan on having an online presence for your brand, social media is a crucial part of that presence. And if you’re going to be on social, you’re going to want to think about your handles. This is the one time we recommend moving forward without too much advanced planning. If there's any chance you'll want to use social media for your business, even if you’re months away from making it happen, start thinking about your handles now. 

Social media handles are the @names on your account. It’s what people will see when they search for you and what is used to tag you. In other words, handles are a big part of your social media identity. This goes for agencies (@RealEstateCo) and brokers (@JaneDoe).

Claiming handles refers to setting up an account on a social media platform with the handle you want. Handles can’t be used more than once within a platform, so once it’s being used by someone else, it’s gone. Handles get snatched up pretty quickly - which is why we recommend getting a handle on your handles ASAP! Even we had trouble securing @ListingManager, so we settled for @LisingManager_ on Twitter… whomp whomp. (Shameless plug - follow us on twitter!)

Ready to claim your online names? Here’s your quick and easy guide!

Brainstorm handle options.

Think about different handles that you’d want to use online. Your profile name will be the straightforward title of your business, so the handle can be more creative. 

For example, if you’re an agent who works for a company in Pittsburgh, your profile name would just be your full name and possibly your company name. Your handle could be some version of your name, your area of specialty, your tagline, etc. The options are pretty limitless in this initial brainstorm.

Here are some ideas you can mix and match to create a unique handle:

• Your name

• Your company name

• Your specialty (homes, commercial, city living)

• The neighborhood you serve

• The area code of your service area

• The zip code of your service area

• Add underscores between words

• Keywords from your slogan or tagline

• Your initials

• “Team”

• “Homes”

• “RealEstate”

• “RE”

• REALTOR (if you are a member)

Pro Tip:

If you are considering using Twitter, keep in mind that handles can’t be longer than 15 characters. And if you want your handles to match on all platforms (which is ideal) that means you’re limited to 15 characters across the board.

Check to see if your handle is available on each platform.

Now that you have your list of options, start searching on each platform. Even if you don’t think you’ll want to use a specific network right now, it’s worth looking up the handle. Sure, you may want to start by only using Facebook. But if you expand to Instagram or Twitter in a year, it’s better to know you’ll have the same name on all networks.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Go back to step one. Keep this loop going until you land on a handle that’s fairly consistent on all platforms.

Here’s an example of how to keep track:

Lock it down!

Claim it! Like, right now. Handles go fast, and once they’re gone they’re gone. Create an account with your chosen handle on each platform you plan to use now or in the future. Got it? Great! Pause now for a brief celebration because you’ve officially claimed your handles!

Pro Tip:

Because Facebook and Instagram are connected, creating a business account on one will automatically trigger the option to create an account on the other. That means setting up both accounts at the same time is super easy!

Set up your basic profile.

Of course, you’re not quite done yet. Once you’ve claimed your handles you should set up at least the bare-bones profile fields on each platform. Just worry about the basics here - a profile picture, short bio, your name, and any relevant contact info. By doing this, you prove to the network that you’re serious about claiming your handles to use them and not just trying to keep them away from others. Which brings us to our last point...

Don’t be a squatter.

Squatting is expressly prohibited by both Twitter and Instagram. Squatting refers to claiming a handle and then doing nothing with it. So if you create an account but never add the most basic profile info and then never post or engage on the platform, you’ll be considered a squatter. 

Twitter further clarifies how they identify squatters as follows: 

“Some of the factors we take into consideration when determining whether conduct is username squatting include:

• the number of accounts created;

• the creation of accounts for the purpose of preventing others from using those account names;

• the creation of accounts for the purpose of selling those accounts; and

• the use of third-party content feeds to update and maintain accounts under the names of those third parties.

Please note that Twitter may also remove accounts that are inactive for more than six months.”

So basically, use it or you might lose it. All the more reason to develop a content calendar!

Bottom Line

Choose your handles, claim them, then do the bare minimum required to show that a real person is behind the account and not some shady social squatter. You may not plan on using all of the accounts you claim right away, but it’s worth doing all of them at once. That ensures no one else can snatch up your handle (and direct your clients away from you). And of course, if you decide you definitely don’t want the account in the future you can always delete it!