In the world of influencers and business social media initiatives, individuals and businesses find it worthwhile nowadays to spend money on getting the username and content they desire for their social media accounts. They will even go as far as purchasing rare and collectible Instagram usernames. This shouldn’t come as a shock if we look at the price of Baseball, Magic the Gathering, Pokemon cards, and even what people are prepared to pay for unique single-digit vehicle number plates.
Now, on social media, there is a wide variety of collectors of usernames. A single username can easily go anywhere between $600 and $100,000 depending on the rarity and length of the username.
What makes this beneficial for these individuals and businesses? Well, the fact that they can now hold the username they desire, and it will always be one of the first to pop up. The shorter the username, the better, but most are targeting 4-letter usernames.
What Makes a Username Rare?
On any social network, any account can only have one chosen username. When choosing a username on social media, people usually go with their name and surname. However, individuals and businesses who want to use social media for marketing their services or business would want an easy username that can easily be remembered by others. For example, @dog or @beauty.
Your username is already unique, making it rare, but what makes it even more unique is the following:
- Length of the username (the shortest one will be more collectible);
- The first-name value or noun factor (whether it is a popular first name/noun);
- The cult-collectible factor (a fictional character such as @cinderella or @superman).
There will be some usernames that will be more sought after than others; these will go for a higher cost than others.
The Value of Hashtags
Usernames that hold a popular first name or noun also have a “hashtag value” to them. For example, @paris is a well-known noun, and there are hashtags with over 134 million posts using #paris. Having an Instagram username such as this would generate a huge amount of traffic to your page.
Any username that has millions of hashtags will easily be able to hundreds of profile visits every week organically. Imagine having such a popular username; every time someone searches that keyword, whether looking for a profile or hashtag, yours will pop up in the top ten. Understand now why people are buying rare and collectible usernames such as these?
Buying a Rare Username for Brandability
Similar to a domain name, having the right username that perfectly matches your name/brand is a critical aspect of your social media presence. Unique domain names often get put for auction at high prices. Brands nowadays are keen to spend the money on getting the perfect username, as they see it as an investment to their brandability/business growth opportunities.
Is It Legal to Purchase Rare Instagram Usernames?
By now you must be thinking, is it even legal to purchase Instagram usernames? Well, if the buyer is happy to pay the price, then yes, it is. It is not at all illegal to purchase rare usernames or even to sell them. It is, however, against the Terms of Service for any social network platform, so you will need to look out for this.
Is it Worth It Purchasing Rare Instagram Usernames?
There is a high return on investment having a username that is easy to remember, matches your brand name, and brings more traffic to your page. You cannot put a price on that! The value of such a username would be determined by the person who seeks having it. It is certainly worth it to buy the domain name you want, and the same goes for buying the username you want.
How Easy Is It To Claim?
A rare and collectible username can easily be claimed by a business such as ours offering username claim services. Bear in mind, though, that social media networks are well aware of the value of rare usernames and they want to curb this trading practice. Therefore, they don’t allow agencies to claim usernames. We are able to get you a username that matches your domain and verifies you on all social media networks though, which will equally benefit your business and marketing strategies. If you have a big budget, we can assist with both short and generic claims.
Final Thoughts
After taking a solid look at rare and collectible Instagram usernames, and why people pay big money to get their hands on them, we can see there is definitely value in doing so. It is not money wasted if you look into the level of brand awareness and profile visits you will receive having a more popular search for username that has big search counts on the same hashtags.