There’s no denying the importance of your social media username. It’s pretty much one of the most important decisions you’ll make when it comes to your account. Your username is how people identify you on the platform. And it becomes even more important when you’re trying to build an online brand for yourself or your business. Asides from your username being an extension of your brand, it’s also how your customers will find you online. So what do you do if the username you want is taken? It can be especially frustrating if your other social media usernames match. This is where trying to claim social media usernames can come in handy.
We’re going to take you through all of the options when it comes to claiming social media usernames. But before we dive into all the tricks of the trade, let’s talk about when you can and why you might consider doing a username claim.
Not All Usernames Can Be Claimed
Before trying to claim a username there are a few things you should consider. Generally speaking, you can only claim usernames that are inactive. This means the account has not been posting and no logins have been detected. Every platform has a specific amount of time, roughly few years.
The only exception to this inactive account requirement is in the case that an account is using your brand identity in a way. It could be an account that is impersonating you, or just a fan account using your brand name. In any case so long as you own the rights to your brand name, you can file an investigation with the platform in question to secure the name.
If your situation doesn’t fit either case not all hope is lost. But before we take a look at the how, let’s see why you should claim your social media usernames.
Why You Should Claim Social Media Usernames
We’ll be honest and say that going through with securing a username isn’t the easiest of process. But depending on your purpose with social media, the rewards can be well worth the effort. Your usernames, similar to your domain name is a huge part of your online brand. This applies to not only businesses but those who are creating a personal brand online, like influencers and freelance professionals. In today’s world your social media presence is a huge part of validating your brand. Consumers will more often then not research brands on Facebook and Instagram even before Googling them online. The last thing you want is someone searching your brand’s name, and no social media accounts appearing.
That’s why not only do you want a username that fits your brand name, you also want to be sure you have consistent usernames across all the platforms you’re on. It will help you audiences effortless find you across different platforms, without having to remember multiple usernames. An added benefit is it makes your marketing efforts that much easier, and streamlines marketing materials like signage keeping things a lot cleaner. It’s never a good look to have a professional social media account with numbers at the end because a particular username was taken.
How to Claim Social Media Usernames
Based on what we’ve covered above you have a few options when it comes to getting the username you want. If you have a trademarked or other ownership of the brand name you should file a report with the platform to recover the username. Every social media network has a slightly different process for this including requirements and turnover time.
Besides trademark issues, when it comes to recovering an inactive username you want you have two courses of action. The first is to try reaching out to the account in question requesting if you can secure the username. You can either try sending them a DM, or if there is an email address available sending them an email. Keep in mind the account is inactive, so you may never get a reply back. And even then, the person might not want to give up the username for a variety of reasons.
Username Claim Services
If going about it that way hasn’t provided any results, you still have one last option. Social media agencies who have relationships with the social media networks can submit requests to secure inactive usernames. At Wolf Global, username claims is one of the unique services we specialize in for the major social media sites including Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. The process is fairly simple, although there are a few requirements. The account in question should be inactive for at least 2 years, and the username should be a minimum of 6 characters.
From there we submit a username claim request with the social media site in question, and they handle making the change to your username in the back end. What is so great about this process is we don’t require any login information and completed with the social media network. Meaning there are no chances of you loosing the username in the future. We can also perform this service if your account has been verified, without loosing your badge. Once you submit a request completing username claims generally take 3-5 days.
You can learn more about our Username Claim Services here.
The Verdict: Is It Worth It?
What will determine if going through this process is worth it for you is what your goals are with social media. If you’re just using social media for fun, or to be a silent participant it might not be worth the time, or investment. On the other hand if you’re trying to build your brand online it might be something to consider depending on your situation. Remember, consistency is key in the world of branding. So if you’re missing out on a social media username, or two, the answer is pretty obvious.
