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How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks: A Simple Go-To Guide

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How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks

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Introduction Did your company recently update its image by changing its name, and now you’re stuck figuring out how to reflect these changes on your social networks?

Changing a username isn’t as tricky as you may think, but finding best practices and instructions for each individual social network can be time-consuming. We’ve curated all the information you need to change your usernames and minimize any confusion that your networks may face. We’ll break it down into actions you can take before, during, and after the change.

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How do I change my Twitter username?

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

What you need to know about Twitter…

Changing your Twitter username will not affect your existing followers, direct messages, lists, or @replies. All of that information is tied to your Twitter account, which means you can easily change your username at any time.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Changing your Twitter username.

•  Log in to Twitter. •  From the upper right-hand drop-down menu where

your username is displayed, click “Settings.” •  Change the name listed in the “Username” field on

the first page you see. •  Save your changes.

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What to do after changing your Twitter username…

Although the transition within Twitter is relatively seamless, search engines will hold your old handle in their index, which means that if people are searching for your Twitter account on Google, they may reach your old page and see a 404 error.

Therefore, when changing your Twitter username we advise reserving your old username immediately after.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Reserving your old Twitter username.

•  Log out of Twitter and create a new account. (You can use the same email address.)

•  Use your old username for this Twitter account and set the profile URL so that it directs people to the new username.

•  In the bio, you can say something like: “This account has moved. Please follow @newusername instead.”

•  You can also post a tweet with the same message.

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How do I change my Facebook Page username?

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

What you need to know about Facebook…

At this point, it is only possible to change a Facebook Page name if the page has less than 100 “likes.”

If your Page has a larger user base, you will have to create a new one.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Changing your Facebook Page name if you have less than 100 “likes.”

•  Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage •  Click on the “Edit Page” link. •  On the “Basic Information” page, you can change

the name in the “Name” field.

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Changing your Facebook Page name if you have more than 100 “likes.”

•  Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php •  Create a new Page with the updated name, being

sure to brand it clearly with info, photos, and status updates.

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What to do after creating a new Facebook Page…

Everyone who “liked” your previous Page will have to “like” your new one. Your goal is to maintain the bulk of your fan base and to successfully communicate the switch to the new Page.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Making a successful transition from your old Facebook Page to your new one.

•  Set a date when the company will “officially” go to the new Page.

•  Communicate the change to existing fans. •  Post engaging things on the new Page, and encourage fans

from the old Page to check them out. •  The week leading up to your official change to the new Page,

post links to it on your old Page. •  Post simultaneous messages to the old Page and the new

Page for a couple weeks until people adjust to the change. •  Leave the posts directing people to the new Page on the wall

of the old Page after your “official” move. Delete the old Page after about a month.

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How do I change my LinkedIn company page?

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

What you need to know about LinkedIn…

You can change a LinkedIn company name, but in order to do so you must contact customer service.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Changing your LinkedIn company name.

•  Make sure you have a confirmed company email address registered to your account.

•  Contact LinkedIn Customer Service and provide the following information:

•  Company Name. •  The change you would like to make.

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How do I change my YouTube username?

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

What you need to know about YouTube…

Currently, you cannot change your username— there is simply too much information tied to each account. You may, however, sign up for a new account with the username that you desire, and re-upload each video to your new account.

How? è

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What to do after creating a new YouTube account…

Similar to when you create a brand new Facebook Page, your goal is to maintain the bulk of your fan base and to successfully communicate the switch to the new page.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Making a successful transition from your old YouTube account to your new one.

•  Post a video to the old account announcing the change and directing people to the correct URL.

•  Post information about the new YouTube account on your other social networks.

•  Leave the video directing people to the new account on the old YouTube. Delete the entire old YouTube account after about a month.

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How do I change my Flickr username?

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

What you need to know about Flickr…

You can easily change your Flickr username at any time. However, once you have created your customized Flickr web address (e.g. http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourusername), you cannot change it.

How? è

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Changing your Flickr username.

•  Go to http://www.flickr.com/account/ •  Click the ‘edit’ button next to ‘your screen name’

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks presented by

Creating a customized Flickr web address.

•  Go to http://www.flickr.com/account/ •  Click the ‘edit’ button next to ‘your Flickr web address’

How Brands Can Change Their Usernames on Social Networks

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Remember It’s important to maintain continuity between your social networks. Your audience needs to be able to quickly find you, so when you make any drastic changes, be sure to communicate it clearly to your fan base.

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We like to figure out the hard stuff. A fully integrated B2B/B2C agency with a strong focus on digital and social media, PJA Advertising + Marketing creates breakthrough marketing programs that engage sophisticated audiences, elevate your brand, and get you the credit you deserve.

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Jessica Weil Social Media Analyst PJA Advertising + Marketing