An abundance of content is created everyday and there’s tons of noise online. So one of the simplest ways to ensure that someone can find you and your hard work, is to make your social media handles are all the same.

For instance, all of my handles are @traciebraylock, so no matter what platform you search, you’ll find me.

Now, I understand there are some challenges to making this happen if this was not your original strategy.

Some names are common.
Some usernames are already taken.
Some platforms limit the number of characters you can use in your username.

So what I recommend doing is going to each of the major platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. and doing a search for your preferred username. Search all of the platforms before registering the username, just in case it’s not available.

If your username is taken, you may consider using an underscore or an abbreviation of your preferred username.

When it’s a business name or you’re using your own name and it’s already taken, it can be frustrating. I’ve known others who took the time to explain their situation and simply asked users if they were willing to part with their username. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it takes lots of time and patience. Sometimes, it will cost you whatever price you’re willing to pay.

Here are 2 reasons why your social media handles should be the same on every platform.

1 // It’s one of the easiest ways to be found online.

Let’s say you meet a potential client in a brief encounter. The client says, I’m sorry, I have to go, but I’ll look up your information later this evening and contact you. You say sure and tell them to find you @OnlyTheNursesWay.

You’re not really sure which social media platform this person prefers to use and you forget that on Twitter, your username is actually @OnlyTheNurseWay (subtle difference – missing the “s”) because of Twitter’s 15 username characters limit.

This may not seem like a big deal, but what you don’t know is that this potential client did go home and looked you up, only to find one of two things. They either found something totally inappropriate, with images and an outlook that’s less than appealing, leaving them wanting nothing to do with you or your business. Or, they found your competitor. The person who has secretly been undercutting your hard work and just gained the customer you are waiting to be contacted by.

2 // You’re losing potential customers

Whether or not either of these scenarios happen, (they may seem far fetched but I gave you 2 real, actually happened examples) you could be losing opportunities because most people don’t want to make the extra effort of digging deeper to find you. Most want the process to be effortless and each platform offers suggestions of other people they should follow, distracting them from their original intention of finding you.

Make it easy on yourself and your business. Take a few extra minutes up front to do your research and create uniformity in your branding. It’s worth the time and effort and ensures that your unique message is reaching your audience.

Tell me in the comments below, do you have the same social media handles across all platforms?