At some point during the life of your business, the time may come where you need to change your business name. It may be a merge with another company or an evolution and rebranding to a new name and feel. Or you might just want to streamline all of your social media accounts to use the same username.

You might be thinking about starting with new social media pages or you might want to change the name of your existing pages. Either way, you don't want to lose the fans you have on your current social media pages. You've worked hard to get them and we can't promise that they'll follow you to new pages. So, if you decide to keep your existing pages and just change the name, how are you supposed to handle this change?

First and foremost, it is imperative that you communicate this change with your audience. You should post frequently and at varied times about the upcoming changes. Let your audience know when the change will become effective, what the new name will be, and how the new brand will look and feel. If they have gotten used to seeing your current name in their feed, you want to make sure they know what name to look for in the future and that you're one and the same!

People don't like change - we all know that. You can make the change easier on your audience by including them in the process. Maybe they can contribute to choosing your new logo or color scheme. Or you can offer giveaways and promotions exclusive to your page fans. Find ways to involve them in the transition and make them feel like they are a part of the experience.

So now that you've made the commitment and involved your audience, how do you actually go about changing your page name? Here are instructions for the major social media sites.

Facebook

From your admin panel, hover over the Edit Page tab and select Update Page Info.

Once you're in the page info section, you'll notice the first two fields are your name and page address. At the right side of each is and Edit hyperlink.

If you have less than 200 fans, you can change your name freely. Click on the edit hyperlink, enter a new name and then click Save Changes. That's all you have to do!

If you have more than 200 fans, you have to REQUEST a name change. When you click to edit your Facebook page name, you will be prompted to "Request Change." Fill out the form and click Send. Once approved by Facebook, your name will be changed. IMPORTANT: If Facebook accepts your name change, you CANNOT change it again. You are only permitted to change your name ONCE if you have more than 200 fans.

Changing your Facebook name does not change your page URL or username.

If you want to change your page URL, click on the Edit hyperlink on the Page Address line of the Page Info section. Then click on the "Change Web Address" hyperlink. You will be taken to a new screen to enter the new URL/web address you want to use. Type in your preferred selection and Click on "Check Availability". If the new username/URL is available, click Confirm to select it. IMPORTANT: You can only change your URL/username ONCE. So make sure you are confident with the new selection.

Twitter

If you want to change your NAME on Twitter (the name that is displayed above your handle) go to the Settings tab and select the Profile tab from the left menu. Change the Name field to your new name and select Save Changes.

Your USERNAME (or your Twitter handle) is the name attached to the @ symbol. To change this username, go to the Account tab on the left menu of the Settings page. Change the Username to field to your new name and select Save Changes.

As far as I know, there is no limit to how many times you can change your name and username on Twitter.

LinkedIn

If you need to change your personal name on LinkedIn (maybe you got married or divorced and are changing your name), you can do this by clicking on the Edit button on your profile page. Once you've done this your page will show a bunch of little blue pencils in all the fields that are editable. Click on the blue pencil next to your name. Enter your new first and last name. If you want to show your former name as well, click on the Former Name, enter your previous name, and select who can see this name. Click Save to save your changes.

If you want to change your LinkedIn page name, go to your business page and click on the Edit button in the top right corner. From the pull down menu, select Edit Page. A new page will open with all of your page information. You can change the name of your business page simply by filling in the new name in the Company Name field and then clicking Publish. Please note that this changes your page name but not your page address/URL. You will need to contact LinkedIn Customer Service and request they change the URL. It seems that they typically grant these changes without any questions, however, it may take a few weeks to actually get a response and complete the process.

Instagram

Have you ever noticed how easy Instagram makes things? I know, shameless plug here! 😉 But seriously, changing your name and username on Instagram is one of the easiest processes of all the social media sites. Go to your profile and click on Edit Profile. The first two fields are your name and username. Click in each field, type in the new name(s), scroll down and click Save to save changes. Done!

Google+

Changing your business page name on Google+ is so simple that it's almost impossible to figure out. Seriously, it's not in any setting or menu option. To change your page name, go to your Profile page and hover your mouse directly over your business name. You'll notice a little pop-up window that says "Click to Edit Your Name". Click on this and a new screen will open where you can edit your name. Type in the new name and click Save. Told you it was easy!

Pinterest

To change your name on a Pinterest account, click on your name in the upper right corner. Choose Settings from the drop down menu. Once on the Account Settings page, click on Edit Profile. You can change your name or username by simply typing in the new name(s) and clicking Save Profile. It's that easy!

I hope this information helps you quickly change your account names. Remember to include your audience in the announcement of changes and make the transition as easy as possible for them!

Have you ever changed your name on your social media accounts? What were your experiences? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!