Meta Expands Verified Program to Businesses

Meta is expanding its verification program to businesses on its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms.

The program, first launched for creators earlier this year, is set to be tested in the coming weeks with businesses on Instagram and Facebook in select countries, before expanding to businesses on WhatsApp in the future, the tech giant announced Wednesday (Sept. 20).

“Meta Verified is built to help businesses more easily stand out on our apps and build confidence with their customers, including letting their customers know they’re chatting with the right business,” the company wrote on its blog.

“Businesses can choose whether they’d like to subscribe for one subscription on a single app, or a bundled subscription across Instagram and Facebook, and in the future WhatsApp.”

Subscriptions give business a verified badge, brand protection through “proactive impersonation monitoring,” and new ways to get discovered, such as appearing at or near the top of search results and as a recommended verified business to follow in feed.

Meta announced the launch of Meta Verified in February, saying it planned to pilot the $12 per month service in Australia and New Zealand before bringing it to other countries.

“Some of the top requests we get from creators are for broader access to verification and account support, in addition to more features to increase visibility and reach,” the company said in its announcement. “Since last year, we’ve been thinking about how to unlock access to these features through a paid offering.”

The launch is happening at a time when more than half of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) say they are increasing their social media footprints to up their sales numbers.

Meanwhile, PYMNTS spoke last week with Sujatha Mamidibathula — the head of SMB at another social media brand, TikTok — who said that businesses focused on going viral should think about authenticity and consistency.

As that report noted, TikTok’s algorithm rewards creativity and relevance, launching SMBs into the spotlight overnight, while its user-friendly interface lets businesses create and share content, even on a tight budget.

“I think misconception or rather one miss expectation is focused on virality versus focus on community,” said Mamidibathula. “My suggestion is for SMBs to focus on community. Focus on building that and virality will come to you.”