I don’t always take my own advice, and with a name that’s not so unusual, sometimes I just miss out. Vanity URLs give your personal brand a consistent message.
Ideally – your Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ profile vanity URLs are all the same: @susanfinch . No, I was not able to get those due to my friend in New York. I’ve talked about her before – Susan E Finch – amazing voice coach, writer, artist.
Sometimes you have to get close, or perhaps you can add a suffix to it that better identifies you:
@susanfinchweb is my business Twitter account. I have @susanmfinch for personal posts and griping, customer service issues and rants. Since FINCH is my second married name, I missed out when they were passing out the vanity URLs in a few venues, so I have varied accounts.
If you aren’t sure where to go for each venue, here are a few links to help:
Facebook vanity URLs – How to.
LinkedIn personal URL – how to
Pinterest, Instagram, Blab and some of the others are your account you set up from the start. Choose it carefully – say the letters out loud so you don’t risk sloppy typos. Hey, while you’re at it, go grab a domain with your name, that of your children and just tuck them away with a 10 year secured registration. Make it private to cut down spam, but get them. You never know when you or they will need them. Great christening or graduation gift too.