As you ponder how to develop a social media strategy (or just try to figure out what is going on at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter), reserve your names in those places. Anyone can set up a business or fan page on Facebook. Anyone can set up an account at Twitter using whatever name they wish. Same with YouTube. So the idea would be to get your name at those sites even though you don’t know how you will use them, or even if you will.
Why bother? Grabbing accounts in your name will reserve that name until you do develop a strategy. Having that name will prevent someone else from getting it and using it.
What sites to get? Definitively start with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Set up LinkedIn accounts for key executives. Most popular blogging sites are WordPress and Blogspot. If you don’t own a domain name for all your business and ministry names along with names of all your programs, you can buy the domain name really cheap at places like GoDaddy.
What names should you get? Consider reserving your ministry name, legal business names, DBAs, major programs, maybe even personal names of visible people in your organization.
What will it cost? Only your time. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress, and Blogspot are all free to set up. Domain names will cost about $11 a year, or $9 if you get 6 or more at a time.