If you are a digital marketer or a business owner, it’s probably part of your social media marketing strategy, to be verified and get a blue badge on Facebook and Instagram. After all, this small check icon on your profile can significantly increase your credibility and authority on the platform.
To get this icon, marketers and content creators have to consistently work hard and produce high-quality content on their pages. However, things are about to change after Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced a new subscription model called Meta Verified for its social platforms Facebook and Instagram.
What is Meta Verified?
Meta Verified is a monthly subscription service on Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, which will allow content creators and users (and soon businesses) to verify their accounts using a government ID and get a blue badge.
According to Zuckerberg, the new Meta Verified will provide more security and increase authenticity to subscribers.
“This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services,” Zuckerberg said in his announcement posted on Facebook and Instagram
With the new Meta Verified, subscribers on Facebook (now Meta) and Instagram will have extra protection against account impersonation and will get direct access to customer support.
Currently, at this early stage, Businesses aren’t eligible to apply for Meta Verified. This new program was intended for content creators and users who are looking to expand their reach.
5 Features you can get When you are a Meta Verified
Meta listed 5 benefits that subscribers can get on Meta verified. These are the following:
1. Verification badge
As Zuckerberg mentioned in his statement, Meta Verified Facebook and Instagram accounts can secure account authenticity. Since you need to present a government ID to get verified, you gain extra protection against people or organizations who will try to pretend to be you. You can let your audience know that it’s the real you with a verified badge.
2. Proactive account protection
Aside from the verification badge, Meta also guarantees proactive account monitoring for verified accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Furthermore, you can also secure your account with the required two-factor authentication.
3. Exclusive stickers
When your account is Mata verified, you’ll get exclusive stickers on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Facebook Reels. You will also receive 100 stars that you can use on Facebook. According to Meta, you can use these to support other creators.
4. Increased visibility
As a marketer who wanted to create more leads, this is probably the most important feature for you. With Meta Verified, your posts will have increased visibility and reach with prominence in some areas of Facebook and Instagram. This visibility includes searches, comments, and recommendations.
5. Direct account support
You will gain access to faster customer service when you have a verified account. You can get help faster from Meta representatives on common account issues that matter to you.
How Much is Meta Verified?
Getting a Meta Verified account isn’t free. You have to pay $11.99 USD or approximately PHP 660 per month on the web to get authenticated. For some reason, iOS and Android users have to pay PHP 830 for the verification.
You cannot use your Meta Verified subscription on both Instagram and Facebook. This only means that you are required to subscribe to both apps separately if you want to enjoy their features on both platforms.
How to get the Meta Verified Badge?
Meta Verified is currently available in Australia and New Zealand for people over 18 years old. Meta is yet to announce the launch dates for other regions. However, people from other regions may also join the waitlist to stay updated on when Meta Verified will be available in their specific region.
Once the new subscription model is available in our region, you can follow the simplified step-by-step guide below to get a Meta Verified account:
- Open your Facebook or Instagram account
- Go to “Settings”
- Choose “Accounts Center”
- Click Meta Verified. (You’ll see Meta Verified available” under your name and profile, if it’s available for your account.
- On the tab that will appear, select your preferred payment method for your monthly payment.
- Complete the verification process.
- Provide a government-issued photo ID to confirm your identity.
Keep in mind that the ID you submit should match your profile name and photo of your social media account.
The verification process can take up to 48 hours on Facebook and Instagram platforms. But you may experience a longer verification process due to high volumes of submissions.
Once your profile is verified, you can’t change the profile name, username, date of birth, or photo on your profile. Should you wish to change some info, you need to go through the Meta Verified subscription and verification application process again.
Is Meta Verified worth the cost?
As mentioned, as of this writing, the Meta Verified program is currently targeted to content creators and is not available to businesses. If you are a marketer and a business owner, you still need to go through the initial process to get verified.
But let’s say, Meta Verified became available for businesses in the Philippines. Is it really worth your money?
The answer will vary depending on your business goal. If you are not looking to expand your reach then it is not for you. However, for businesses that want to reach more audiences and convert more leads, then Meta Verified is still a worthy investment.
As Meta promised that you’ll increase more visibility in some parts of Facebook and Instagram platforms. This is a game-changer. Your target market can easily find you thanks to the blue check badge. The Meta Verified program is still in its early stage. We might see more features that you can benefit from.
Develop a social media marketing strategy that works
With the availability of Meta Verified, the blue check badge may lose its exclusiveness. Before, you have to work hard in creating high-quality content to be verified. But in no time, the blue tick will be everywhere on the platform as more users pay for the badge.
Your Facebook and Instagram marketing strategy shouldn’t stop at having a blue check box. You should develop engaging content that your audience would like. Don’t know where to start? Let our social media experts create marketing campaigns that will work for your business. With our social media marketing solutions, Be Global E-commerce will help you increase social media traffic that counts.
