In today’s world of modern technology every Tom, Dick and Jane can go online and create an account.
This account should be only for them, but sometimes people dupe social media users into believing they are someone or something they are not.
Verification or the blue tick is a way to notify followers and potential followers that the account at hand is genuine.
Why does getting verified matter?
It is a way to establish credibility and gain the trust of your followers.
No one wants to be victim to any scams or being used for views and subscriptions.
Verification will let people know the information and links on your account are reputable and safe.
While you do not have to be verified to be legitimate, it is a visual sign of assurance for your followers instead of them wondering and guessing.
Credibility and Authenticity: A verified badge indicates that the account belongs to a genuine person or brand, helping to establish trust and credibility with followers.
Increased Visibility: Verified accounts are more likely to appear in search results and recommendations, making it easier for new followers to discover them.
Professional and Business Opportunities: Verification can be beneficial for influencers, celebrities, and businesses, as it helps to establish their official presence and can lead to collaborations and sponsored content opportunities.
Account Security: Verified accounts have an added layer of security, making it more difficult for hackers and impersonators to create fake accounts.
Prestige and Social Status: Let’s face it – having a verified badge can be a status symbol, indicating that you’re an important or influential figure in your field!
Facebook Verification
Page Verification
Not every Facebook page is subject to approval for verification.
You can enhance your chances of receiving verification by thoroughly filling out the “About” section on your page.
Furthermore, you must display a professional profile and cover photo.
It should be evident that your page is used consistently and has activity from followers as well.
Your chances will increase even further if you invest in content marketing to express a cohesive set of ideas that most accurately portrays your brand.
To get verified on Facebook, follow these steps:
1. Make sure you’re eligible: Verification is available for:
* Public figures (celebrities, athletes, musicians, etc.)
* Media and entertainment (TV shows, movies, magazines, etc.)
* Businesses and brands
* Organizations and non-profits
2. Ensure your account is complete:
* Profile must be fully filled out
* Profile picture and cover photo must be uploaded
* Must have a valid phone number and email address
3. Gather required documents:
* Official government-issued ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
* Official business documents (business license, articles of incorporation, etc.)
4. Request verification:
* Go to facebook.com/verification
* Click “Request Verification”
* Choose the type of verification (individual or business)
* Upload required documents
* Enter additional information (e.g., a brief description of your public figure or business)
5. Wait for review: Facebook will review your request and respond via email. This may take several days or weeks.
Tips:
- Make sure your account is active and follows Facebook’s policies
- Use a clear and recognizable profile picture and cover photo
- Provide accurate and up-to-date information
If approved, you’ll receive a verified badge on your profile, indicating that your account is authentic and trustworthy!
Business Verification
- You have to be an admin to be able to request business verification for your Facebook.
- Your profile should have an appropriate cover photo and profile photo.
- Then, you may click on settings found at the apex.
- Page verification is located under the general area.
- You will select “Verify this Page” and furnish a business phone number concurrent with your country and language.
- Next, you will select “Call Me Now”, and Facebook will call with your verification code.
- Proceed to enter the code you receive and then continue.
- Another method to obtain business verification involves furnishing an official business document.
- The other steps will still apply.
- The only difference is you select to verify with documents instead.
- Acceptable documents for verification include a phone bill, utility bill, articles of incorporation and certificate of formation among others.
- However, whichever form of documentation you select should have a watermark or official seal to demonstrate that it is veritable.
- Facebook should notify you of their decision within a few days.
Instagram Verification Steps
Instagram verification is harder to obtain since you cannot request verification.
The company will verify big-name celebrities, brands and public figures to prevent imposters.
As they validate these high-profile companies and individuals, it makes it easier for social media users to locate the actual person or brand they are seeking.
If you want the blue tick without being any of the individuals mentioned above, you should have a public profile with a professional profile picture.
It also helps to have a well-written biography and a link to your brand’s official website.
Gaining followers ( see our hashtag guide ) will only help you get closer to attaining Instagram verification.
To get verified on Instagram, follow these steps:
1. Meet the requirements:
* Your account must represent a real person, business, or entity
* Your account must be public
* Your profile must have a bio, profile picture, and at least one post
* You must have a strong online presence (e.g., search results, news articles, official website)
2. Prepare required documents:
* Official government-issued ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
* Official business documents (business license, articles of incorporation, etc.)
* Recent news articles or press coverage featuring your name or business
3. Request verification:
* Open the Instagram app and navigate to your profile page
* Tap the three horizontal lines (settings) and select “Settings and privacy”
* Tap “Account” and then “Request verification”
* Fill out the verification request form and upload required documents
* Tap “Submit”
4. Wait for review: Instagram will review your request and respond via email. This may take several days or weeks.
Tips:
- Ensure your account is complete and active
- Use a clear and recognizable profile picture and bio
- Provide accurate and up-to-date information
- Having a verified Facebook account can increase your chances of getting verified on Instagram
If approved, you’ll receive a verified badge on your profile, indicating that your account is authentic and trustworthy!
Note: Instagram has specific guidelines and requirements for verification, and not all accounts will be eligible.
Twitter Verification Steps
There are five steps involved in the Twitter verification process.
You will initiate the process by filling out their verification request form while logged in from the target Twitter account.
Your profile must contain both a contact number and email account that have been verified.
The biography portion of your profile should reflect the values and goals of your brand.
Your profile photo should be consistent with Twitter and other major social media platforms.
Overall, you need to make sure your profile is complete in its entirety because this will increase your chances of obtaining verification.
Companies and brands do not have to supply a birthday, but individuals most certainly should.
Additionally, you should include your website as this further helps Twitter determine your legitimacy.
All of your tweets should likewise be public since you want to be recognised as a public figure.
Once your profile is complete, you will enter the username of the target account.
Secondly, you will be prompted to fill in any missing information because otherwise, your account will not be eligible for review.
Next, you can submit up to five websites that will help Twitter determine your authenticity and prove your credibility.
The best sites will be those that receive considerable traffic or any news articles that had specific mention of your brand.
You will proceed to sell yourself essentially in 500 words or less.
You will express to Twitter why your account should be verified due to the impact you can have.
Lastly, you want to check everything to make sure your verification request is complete and accurate.
If you find that your request was not approved, you can reapply after one month.
Snapchat Verification Steps
Snapchat verification is another way to say you are a poster of official stories.
Someone with official Snapchat stories, or the blue tick, receives tons of views on their stories regularly.
Verified Snapchats have a little emoji next to the name to let you know they post official stories.
First, make sure your details reflect that you are a real person.
You then want to make sure your stories receive enough views to be considered official Snapchat stories.
Popular Snapchat stories are those receiving 50,000 views or more.
Sharing your Snapchat on YouTube or other social media platforms where you are active can increase your story views.
Next, you will contact the company to express concerns that someone has possibly been duplicating your account.
You do this by reporting a safety concern on their website.
Your concerns will be that others are using your likeness in the form of photos or videos, and this is bound to be true considering how many views you will be receiving.
Your concern should similarly express your story counts and how imposters affect your brand.
You will either hear back from Snapchat or hear nothing at all. If you were unsuccessful, continue building your following and try again.
Pinterest Verification Steps
Pinterest like Instagram does not grant verification to everyone. It is only available for select celebrities, brands and media.
Your profile picture should be set to your brand’s logo to boost your potential for getting verified and build trustworthiness, and there should be your company’s website on your profile as well.
These simple acts, however, add your brand logo to any pins that originated from your site.
You can accomplish this by either doing a meta tag or HTML. To add a meta tag, you will select your moniker and then click the gear menu.
Next, go to account settings and select Website field. You will confirm the website, receive your meta tag and copy the supplied tag.
Return to your personal webpage and place the HTML marker in the page’s header. Next, you will go to Pinterest and choose finish.
For HTML, you follow the first few steps the same.
However, after you click confirm website, you will instead select download to receive the file. This file should not be altered in any manner.
Next, you will open uppermost directory (the root) of the server and transfer the webpage encoding data. Lastly, you will return to Pinterest and choose finish.
YouTube Verification Steps
YouTube distinguishes verified names with a grey check mark.
You can select to either verify your YouTube account or YouTube name.
Your account is generally verified once you create your account. You supply the company with a cell phone number, and they will then send you a verification code via text.
After receiving this code, you will enter it into your account to certify your identity.
By doing so, you prevent spamming and multiple accounts from a single person with this intended purpose. YouTube verification enables you to upload videos with a duration longer than 15 minutes. Plus, you can appeal copyright claims and use personalised thumbnails.
When you verify your YouTube name, this will award you with the grey check mark.
You cannot apply to verify your account name.
Google automatically reviews accounts based on specific parameters and will verify the users it deems worthy.
You can do a few things to improve your chances of verifying your account name. For example, you should connect your channel to either your Google Plus profile or page.
The said profile or page needs to be certified by your brand or company, and you should also have a verified organisation website.
Lastly, the more subscribers you accumulate, the more likely you are to achieve name verification on YouTube.
This is especially true if you have already implemented the other changes to enhance your chances of being verified.
Social media verification is vital for multiple reasons.
What appears to be a simple check mark can help propel your social media presence by helping you gain the trust and confidence of those on the platform. It will also help your attempts at social media marketing be way more successful.
If your followers know you are legitimate, they are less likely to feel you are a scammer.
As a result, they may share your links, profile and posts with more individuals to generate more views and potential revenue.
Choosing to verify your account is a no-brainer.