Today, social media provides an overwhelming amount of information about individuals—from their family details to personal interests, hobbies, friends, and even whereabouts. It is the perfect way to get to know people, even strangers you know nothing of.
But how can you find someone’s social media profile to begin with? In this article, we discuss four proven methods to track down accounts within a mere few minutes.
Why Search for an Individual’s Social Media Accounts?
Networking sites are massive data sources that allow you to build better connections, strengthen relationships, make more informed decisions, and, not to mention, ensure your personal safety.
For example, you can find common ground, such as shared interests in sports, by browsing the social media activities of a potential client. It can provide an excellent conversation starter to break the ice and build rapport.
And when it comes to reaching out to potential investors, their connection lists on networking platforms may enable you to uncover shared contacts who can help you with an introduction.
Finding an individual’s social media accounts is also important for making better decisions during the hiring process. According to studies, 74% of managers check candidate profiles to identify illegal activity, determine cultural fit, and understand the extent of their career focus.
Scanning profiles on networking sites can be useful in your personal life, too. For instance, when you meet someone you like on a dating app, social media can be an effective resource to get to know them better and ensure they are who they claim to be.
4 Helpful Methods to Find Social Media Profiles of Anyone
To discover the social media accounts of an individual, start by listing down all the information you already know about them. It can include their first and last names, nickname, age, high school, workplace, profession, email address, phone number, and the city they live in. You may even have a photo of them. The more information you have, the easier it becomes to find social profiles.
Once you have identified the available details, use one or more of the below methods to locate the relevant person on networking platforms.
1. Search on social media sites
All major networking sites offer search facilities, making it easier to track down individuals faster. If you have accounts with them, using these services will be easier and more effective, although this is not always necessary.
Here are a few techniques for you to try:
- Search using the first and last name and go through each listed result. If there are a large number of profiles with similar names, type in the relevant person’s profession, college, high school, or location with their name. If this doesn’t yield any results, try shortened names, nicknames, or aliases you are aware of. You can also search using their phone number or email address if you have those details.
- Some platforms allow you to sync your contact lists to find related profiles and send connection requests. This is an effortless method to locate people without resorting to manual searches.
- If you have mutual friends, you can also go through their social media connections to find the account of the person in question.
2. Check company or personal websites
Many businesses display the social media handles of the owner and senior team members to improve networking opportunities. Therefore, checking the relevant individual’s company website is a prudent option.
If they have a personal website or blog, go through it, too, since it will likely feature social links.
3. Try a search engine
The primary advantage of Google, Yahoo!, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and similar search engines is their ability to sift through trillions of indexed web pages and distinguish the ones related to your search. In fact, they can do this within a fraction of a second.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that every single online resource bearing information about the individual you are searching for will get picked up. Some pages will not be indexed due to technical faults. Others might get excluded when their publishers choose to keep them hidden from search engines. Nonetheless, these platforms are invaluable free search resources you cannot ignore.
To improve your search results, type in the full name together with the information you have gathered.
Adding “+ social media” after the name will help you identify the relevant social media pages faster. Alternatively, you can type the individual’s name and the name of a specific networking platform. For example, try [name] + Facebook or [name] + LinkedIn to find the respective pages.
Certain search engines, such as Google, even allow reverse image searches. So, if you only have a photo of the person you are searching for, these sites will help you find more information.
4. Use a specialized search tool
Some online platforms offer a more refined search service than the regular search engine.
Remember, sites such as Google list every related result they find. This means you must browse several result pages to find the necessary information.
However, specialized tools will do all the legwork on your behalf and assemble only the relevant details on a single report, enabling you to save a tremendous amount of time and effort.
Here are the top platforms to use depending on the information available to you.
Intelius – Best for people searches
When all you have is a first and last name, head over to Intelius for a name search. If you know the relevant person’s city and state, you can refine the search further, although this is optional.
PeopleFinders – Best reverse email search site
Sometimes, you might have access to an email address but not a complete name. In those instances, PeopleFinders can unearth social media accounts in an instance.
PhoneHistory – Best reverse number lookup service
When you have a reliable contact number of the person you wish to find on networking sites, you can use PhoneHistory to discover their social media profiles.
BeenVerified – Best reverse address search platform
This site offers reverse address lookups for you to uncover the social media details of just about anyone.
Wrapping Up
In those pivotal moments when finding someone’s social profiles is essential for whatever reason, you need effective solutions that can help you learn the information you require.
Searching directly on networking platforms, checking company or personal websites, using search engines, and opting for specialized search tools are proven methods that could get you what you need. Assess what personal details you already have related to the individual and select one of these search options for best results.
