Social media platforms have become a powerful tool for businesses and content creators to connect with their audience, build their brand, and promote their products or services. One of the ways to gain credibility and trust on these platforms is through verification badges. These badges were created with the intention to assist users that the account has been verified as authentic by the platform. These have historically been reserved for public figures, celebrities, and high-profile accounts but is now expanding to an ever growing group of influencers. Recently, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has launched a new paid verification subscription service called Meta Verified for Facebook and Instagram users.
What is Meta Verified and How Does it Work?
For a monthly fee of $11.99 on the web and $14.99 on iOS and Android, qualified users will be able to subscribe to the service, submit their government ID, and get a blue verification badge. This new service is different from the previous verification system in that it is a paid subscription service that offers additional benefits such as proactive impersonation protections and direct access to customer support.
Meta Verified vs. Twitter Blue
It is clear that it is a departure from Twitter’s move into paid verification with Twitter Blue. While Twitter allowed anyone to start paying for Twitter Blue, Meta is maintaining some pre-qualifications, such as an account must meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history before subscribing. Meta’s subscription is also geared more towards actual content creators and influencers, whereas Twitter Blue is a premium subscription service for its users that offers exclusive features for a monthly fee.
Benefits of Meta Verified for Users
Meta Verified’s proactive impersonation protections could be a game-changer. Impersonation and account security are growing problems on social media, with many individuals creating fake accounts to impersonate public figures and celebrities, deceive others, or to spread false information. By providing additional security features, Meta Verified could make it harder for people to impersonate others, and offer additional support to verified accounts. This could help to build more trust amongst creators and influencers towards Facebook and Instagram. The new verification system also comes with direct access to customer support, which is a welcome addition. Customer support has long been an issue for social media platforms, with many users feeling frustrated by the lack of support available. With direct access to customer support, verified users can get assistance with any issues they may have, reducing frustration and making the process of resolving issues more efficient.
Concerns for Businesses
Meta Verified is currently only available to personal accounts and not to businesses. This could create confusion and frustration for businesses that rely on influencers to promote their products or services on Facebook and Instagram. As more users get verified badges through the subscription service, it could dilute the value and credibility of the verification process and make it harder for businesses to identify authentic and trustworthy influencers. Moreover, Meta Verified is another example of how social media platforms are trying to squeeze more profits from their users without offering any clear benefits or improvements for them. Businesses that use Facebook and Instagram for marketing already face many challenges such as low organic reach, algorithm changes, and poor customer support. While Meta Verified promises priority access to customer support, many business owners are skeptical about its effectiveness and quality. They feel that Meta should focus on providing better service and features for all users instead of charging them extra for verification badges that should be free or based on merit.
Meta Verified is a new way for Meta to monetize its Facebook and Instagram platforms by offering a subscription service that grants verified badges and other perks to users who pay a monthly fee. While it could appeal to content creators and influencers who want to boost their presence and credibility on these platforms, it could also create a divide between verified and unverified users, or even diminish the current trust and credibility that the current verification checkmark has to users. Ultimately our recommendation is that you invest more in your website and search engine optimization to organically attract business online.
