How To Merge Two Twitter Accounts
It is absolutely OK to use more than one Twitter handle, according to the official Twitter regulations. However, there are certain limitations. For starters, you can only have one Twitter account connected with your email address at a time.
Second, you cannot manage many handles under the same account. If you wanted @YourBusiness and @YourBusinessCustomerService, for example, you’d need two distinct accounts with two unique email addresses.
Twitter, thankfully, makes it simple to handle many accounts at the same time. You may use many browsers. Log in to your primary account in Firefox and your CS account in Chrome, and none will conflict. If you’re using the mobile app, you may create several accounts and instantly switch between them.
On desktop systems, you may manage them using a program like Tweet Deck. Nambe and Twirl are two more Tweet Deck alternatives. Twible or Digby may be used on a Mac. If you prefer a web interface, you may use Twit Bot or Splitter. Alternatively, the Hootsuite app provides you with access to all of the professional choices you want.
The Twitter Way to Merge Two Accounts
To return to the original question, you wish to combine your accounts like two half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Is it possible to consolidate these accounts via official Twitter channels?
Regrettably, the answer is no. Just a flat-out no. “At the moment, there is no method to manage several Twitter profiles from a single account, nor is it possible to consolidate many accounts into one.”
So, how about transferring the data? Is it possible to export your followers and import them into a separate account? Can you transfer your greatest tweets to preserve data on likes and retweets? No, once again. “We are unable to transfer data (Tweets, followers, or followers) from one account to another.”
That’s not going to work. But it makes sense. It would be fantastic from a commercial standpoint if you could import followers. However, as a user, you’d find yourself suddenly following companies and advertisements you had no intention of ever following, just because they imported your contacts.
What is Twitter’s recommended approach to dealing with this situation? “If you no longer desire one of your accounts, we suggest that you leave one dormant (or deactivate it, if you wish) and direct your followers to your preferred account.”
How to Manually Merge Two Accounts
Okay, let’s take Twitter’s advice. That’s all there is to it.
Step 1: Determine which account will be your main. It’s not a tough challenge; choose the one with the most active and engaged following. You may always rename it afterwards.
Step 2: Send a tweet from the account you’re leaving. Tweet something like, “This account will be canceled shortly; to stay updated, follow @PrimaryAccount.” This tweet has been pinned.
Step 3: Send a tweet to the account you’re interested in. Users from the previous account are cordially invited. “Welcome to @AbandonedAccount migrants!” This ensures that your migrating followers are following the correct account and that your previous account was not hijacked to redirect followers. Change the name of this account and tweet about it if you’re doing so.
Step 4: On the abandoned account, schedule a few retweets or repetitions of the pinned message. This increases the likelihood that your followers will notice the message and migrate.
Step5: There is no such thing as a fifth step. If you wish to preserve the pinned tweet as a message to anybody who comes in later, you may keep the abandoned account alive. If you don’t believe you’ll capture any more migrants, you may turn it off.
A Practical Method for Merging Two Accounts
So, what if you don’t want to leave everything up to chance, with individuals who don’t want to follow a name they don’t recognize? Here’s another, tougher way to get the same result.
Step1: Determine which account will be your main. Assume you have the accounts @MoreFollowers and @GreatName in this example. You picked @MoreFollowers because it has more followers.
Step2: Change @GreatName’s name to anything else. It may be as easy as adding a number to make @GreatName2.
Step 3: Change the name of your main account, @MoreFollowers, to @GreatName. This will enable it to temporarily use the former account’s name recognition.
Step 4: On @GreatName2, tweet that they should follow @GreatName, the new hotness. The comparable name will capture their eye and entice them to move over.
Step5: After your followers have transferred, update @GreatName to the name you want it to be. The original name was @MoreFollowers, however if you’re rebranding entirely, you may use a more cohesive name. Maybe @MoreName?
Without the ultimate name change, this approach enables you to effectively switch the names of your two accounts, giving the better name to the better account and moving any followers across.
You may send direct messages to your existing followers to persuade them to follow your new account if you want a more personal, direct touch. If you’ve already obtained information from them, such as their email address, you may alert them through a newsletter. You may do it nonetheless, which may attract new fans. Of course, you should post a notification on your website regarding the new name that your users should use.
One Last Thought
Be sure to update your social sharing buttons and any integrated Twitter plugins with the new name.
