GIRL POWER OCTOBER 2013 | Page 29

www.globalsocialmediacoaching.com Making your Twitter username as close to your name as possible will make it easier for people to recognize you offline 2. A variation of your name (JDean) 3. A combination of your name and your company (CompanyJane) 4. A combination of your name and your industry (MarketingJane) Making your Twitter username as close to your name as possible will make it easier for people to recognize you offline. That said, sometimes people will even put their Twitter handles on your name tag at events to avoid confusion. Using your real name on Twitter helps you look like a real, authentic person if someone stumbles upon your profile. If you will be the only person representing your company on Twitter and you do not plan to make the company Twitter account - why not use the third option and make your username a combination of your name and company? Don’t feel obligated to do this. You will have the opportunity to indicate the company you work for in your profile. Twitter Handle DON’TS: 1. Don’t make your Twitter handle something completely random (TigerMan). This is a lost branding opportunity for you and your company. 2.Don’t use numbers (Joanne123). Unless there is a reason for the specific numbers, it looks juvenile. It also conjures the old AOL cat room days. It gives you to appearance that you aren’t putting thought into your username and it looks unprofessional. 3.Don’t use an underscore (PR_Max). Using an underscore won’t hurt you, but be aware that it generally is never done and you’ll be at risk of seeming unaware of the “Soci