Verified and Trusted: Get Your Business Blue Ticked on Instagram and Facebook
Getting “verified” on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to tell consumers which profiles are your authentic presence on the social media platforms.
Especially when you start running into online “trolls” or “copycats” trying to misuse your brand – it can be an important step to grow your legitimacy.
That being said, getting verified can be difficult – and it’s worth noting that up top.
The process is largely handled at the discretion of Facebook and Instagram themselves. If they refuse to verify you, there’s not much you can do but try, try again.
Don’t fall for anyone that advertises being able to “sell” you verification – it’s almost always a scam, and if it isn’t it can get you banned from the platform.
With that being said, here’s our quick guide on how to get your business verified on Instagram and Facebook.
How to Get Your Business Verified on Instagram
Eligibility
In order to qualify for an Instagram verified badge, your business needs to meet the following criteria:
- “Authentic: Represent a real person, registered business or entity.
- Unique: Represent the unique presence of the person or business. Only one account per person or business may be verified, with exceptions for language-specific accounts. We don’t verify general interest accounts (example: @puppymemes).
- Complete: Your account must be public and have a bio, profile photo and be active when you apply.
- Notable: Your account must represent a well-known, highly searched for person, brand or entity. We review accounts that are featured in multiple news sources, and we don’t consider paid or sponsored media content as sources for review.”
The issue people most often run into are the criteria for being considered “notable”. This is obviously a very subjective term – so it’s largely up to them to determine who counts and who doesn’t.
In general, you want to make sure your brand is on as many prolific platforms, or new sources, as possible to increase your chances of success.
Process
Important: Instagram verification can only be requested through the Instagram App.
We also suggest gathering a recent business document that proves ownership before you begin, such as a tax filing, article of incorporation or utility bill.
To begin, sign in with your business Instagram account, and follow these steps:
- Go to your profile by tapping on your profile picture on the bottom right, or the profile button.
- Open the menu on the top right, and then tap the gear icon to open settings.
- Tap Account and select Request Verification
- Fill out the form with your business details and attach your business documents here
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process
Watch your notifications tab – because their answer will pop up there and not via email or anything else.
If it doesn’t work the first time – feel free to try again later after generating some more buzz or gaining more followers for your business.
How to Get Your Business Verified on Facebook
Eligibility
Facebook verification uses the same criteria as Instagram, meaning your business’ profile must be “authentic, unique, complete and notable.”
This is again largely to their discretion.
Process
Facebook verification can be done through this form on the Facebook website.
You can verify either a Facebook Page or a Facebook Profile. We highly recommend having a separate page for your business, if you don’t already.
Before beginning, we also suggest having a tax filing, utility bill or articles of incorporation for your business handy.
- Go to this form on the Facebook website
- Starting at the top, select your chosen form of verification for your business and upload the file
- Select “Business/Brand/Organisation” under “Category”
- Enter you country
- Optionally choose an audience and alias for your business
- Add up to 5 links that prove your business’ notability. For example, other social media platforms with lots of followers, big news stories about your business or otherwise.
- Click “send” to complete the process
You’ll once again receive the outcome of your request through Facebook itself.
If it fails, there is a 30 day period before you can try again. As above we recommend reviewing your supporting documentation and looking for ways to boost your online presence in the meanwhile.
What to Do If You Can’t Get Verified on Facebook or Instagram
Let’s say you keep trying, but you just can’t get your business verified on Facebook or Instagram.
Sometimes there’s simply nothing to do. If they don’t think your business is “notable” enough – according to their terms of service you simply don’t qualify for the “Verification Badge” yet.
Don’t fret, it’s not the end of the world.
While Facebook and Instagram verification are “nice to have” – they’re far from essential for most businesses out there.
It doesn’t stop you from accessing any features on the platforms – it’s just a nice way to show users which account is “real” – and there’s more than one way to do that.
You can also include official links on your business’ main website and cross-promote the names of your official channels if you have a lot of problems with copy-cats.
Conclusion
We hope this gave you a good overview of how to go about getting your business verified on Facebook and Instagram.
It can be a frustrating process – because of the subjective nature of their evaluations – but don’t give up.
If your business continues to grow and flourish, you will qualify eventually. And even if you don’t, it’s not a huge deal anyway.
Having a “Verified” badge can help your credibility – but not having one won’t hurt your business.
If you enjoyed this article or found it helpful, check out more e-commerce marketing content on the inSyte blog or listen to the inSyte Podcast.
This article was brought to you by Syte.
We’re a specialist e-commerce digital marketing agency dedicated to driving up your bottom line.
If you need any help running your business’s Facebook or Instagram marketing strategy, feel free to reach out with the form below or check out our case studies page to see what we’ve been able to do for our clients.
