Tips for Claiming Your Social Media Real Estate

The housing market may be in a mess, but there’s one real estate sector that’s still busy: social media real estate.

For weeks, I’ve been wrangling for control of PRstore’s username at the top social media sites. The username “prstore” is available at some, taken at others, which makes consistent presentation of the PRstore brand tricky. I was finally scored victories at YouTube and Twitter, but not without some artful negotiation and maneuvering.

Gaining control of your social media real estate matters to every company. Here’s a quick rundown of the what’s at stake:

The Challenge

Suppose you’re Joe Smith and you want to set up a Flickr account. Only the Flickr username JoeSmith is already taken. You settle on JoeSmith1974 and head over to Twitter, only to find the name @JoeSmith1974 is unavailable. You snag the name JoeSmith, but over at Mashable, neither of your first two choices is available. Here, you go by JosephSmith74.

And on and on it goes.

When you’re a company, your name isn’t just a word; it’s part of your brand, a brand your customers interact with regularly. Consistent presentation of your brand is key to building brand awareness.

PRstore corporate would like to own the username “prstore” at established and emerging social media sites. So, for example, we’d like to own or control these accounts:

http://www.flickr.com/prstore
http://www.youtube.com/prstore
http://www.mashable.com/prstore

But as I’ll explain later, our desire to own these usernames is sometimes undermined by employees, franchises and squatters.

Why It Matters

• SERPs. Sites that have a targeted keyword in the URL(in this case, “prstore”)  tend to rank highly in search results. Each account PRstore owns is one more page whose message is consistent with ours. We’d like these pages to rank as high as possible in the search results.
• Brand Consistency. We don’t want to be seen as “PRstore” on one site, “PRstore 1” on another, and “PRstore LLC” on another. Most social media sites let you choose what name you’ll present to the public. Still, better to create a consistent brand experience across all platforms.
• Simplicity. Remembering half a dozen usernames is a pain in the neck.

Roadblocks

There’s no other PRstore in the world, so you’d think claiming the username “prstore” would be easy, right? Think again. With 30-plus franchises and the typical coming and going of employees, that prime real estate is often snagged before corporate HQ knows it exists. Here are some of the roadblocks:

Weak/Non-existent Social Media Strategy

Like many firms, PRstore is learning social media strategy by trial-and-error. We experiment, in part, so we can advise future clients of best practices. As a result, we sometimes rush to a new social media site with little thought toward a username real estate strategy.

Franchises

With more than 30 franchise owners nationwide, plus store employees and corporate staff, PRstore’s brand isn’t easy to control. Most folks in PRstore Nation are brand enthusiasts, but we need to do a better job explaining the best uses of the PRstore name in URLs, usernames and profiles.

The Twitter account @PRstore and the YouTube channel “PRstore” were both set up by energetic franchisees eager to promote their stores. It took several weeks of investigation to identify the owners of those profiles, negotiate their release, and help the affected stores re-create their social media presence.

Squatters

In the Web’s early days, cyber-squatters registered the domain names of well-known companies, hoping to strike it rich. Now, speculators register private sector usernames on social media sites. PRstore doesn’t have this problem yet, but we’re a growing company. It’s just a matter of time before someone sets up camp under our flag.

Strategy

A little forethought can help you avoid serious social media headaches down the road. Here are a few tips:

• Choose a Username. A unique company name might be available at every site. If your company name is a common one, though, consider a variation that is more likely to be available. If all else fails, try a unique personal username; you can always get your company name visible in other ways.
• Build a Social Media Target List. Rather than chasing every MySpace, Mebo and Orkut that pops up, do some research. Choose social media platforms that make sense for you and fit your marketing goals. Compile a list first – we’ll worry about creating accounts later.
• Check Username Availability. If you want to present yourself to the world as ABC Company, you’ll be competing with dozens of other ABC Company’s for online real estate. Review your target site list and conduct a search to see if your preferred username is available at each site.
• Create an Account. Once you’re confident your username is available at most of your target sites, go ahead and create an accounts. You’ll want to create a complete profile at each site, too, with strong descriptions and relevant keywords woven in.
• Review. When a new social media site attracts your attention, revisit your real estate strategy before creating an account. Is the whimsical username you’re about to create without a second thought consistent with your other usernames? Slowing down at the start could save you countless hours later.

Of course, locking up your social media real estate is just one part of a comprehensive marketing plan. But in marketing, as in real estate, it’s still about location, location, location.