Use this post as a starting point for understanding the vanity URL phenomena, and as a catalyst for thinking about online branding for your small business. If you can reinforce your company, product, or service using vanity URLs, and publish great content, then you'll be way ahead of the curve.
Some web services are built with default vanity URLs, which means that whatever username you create during the registration process will become the base of your vanity URL. Twitter is an example of this, so your Twitter name becomes your Twitter vanity URL, which looks like http://twitter.com/twittername.
What's the Point?
For small business, vanity URLs should play an important part of your web and social media strategies. You'll have to decide what your default username will be, but it should be your company, the name of a product or service you offer, or something directly associated with the company. The bottom line is that your social presence, by way of vanity URLs, can greatly improve your branding across the web.
Depending on the size of your company and the types of products you offer, you may consider having an online presence with a username/vanity URL for each product or service you offer.
Vanity URLs to Grab
Facebook just released vanity URLs for profiles and pages, so you'll want to claim your company name as soon as possible should you plan to leverage the social media marketing potential of Facebook Pages. For tracking purposes, you might also consider setting up a Social Too Facebook URL. You'll also want to verify that someone else hasn't already claimed your trademarked name. Should you find that to be case, you can fill out this form.
As Twitter becomes a more effective way to promote your business, you'll want to make sure you secure your Twitter name of choice now. Eventually Twitter will offer verified accounts to businesses, but until they do your only recourse for false representation is to fill out this form.
If you're thinking about using video for tutorials, how-tos, or other business objectives. Both YouTube and Vimeo support vanity URLs, so you'd be wise to lock down the same username there as you do on other social sites.
Of course there are hundreds of other sites that support vanity URLs, so the important thing to keep in mind is to remain consistent and remember that the social content you publish can really improve the SEO for searches on your company name or products.
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