Once the preserve of the uber celeb, social media’s blue tick of authentication has become omnipresent in recent years. Twitter was the first platform to use the symbol to help the real McCoys stand apart from fake accounts and fan pages but, where they led, others have followed. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tinder, TikTok, and even wunderkind Clubhouse, all use the verification mark to help the public sort the wheat from the chaff. Now any public entity can boast the tick, from sports stars and reality stars to influencers and brands.
So, the question is, how do you get this money can’t buy status symbol? And is it really of benefit to brands, or just a kudos-boosting exercise?
The ‘how’ part is very easy, but frustratingly for brands there is no official checklist that you can cross-off to make sure you are blue tick-ready. The good news is that any brand can apply, and it is simple to do so. There are nuances to the process on each channel, but with all of them you essentially go to settings, then to your account, and there is a verification option from there, that takes you through it step by step. It is quick and painless and can be done in minutes. The bad news is that verification is discretionary, and the lack of official criteria makes it difficult to know ahead of application whether you will be successful. As standard, brands need to comply with the various channels’ terms of service and guidelines to be considered, but after that things get more subjective. Brands have to be considered notable, which has less to do with follower numbers (the tick has been given to entities with less than 1,000 fans before), and more to do with their prominence and credibility in the wider world. If you aren’t successful first time, try, try, and try again; your brand is growing all the time so while you may not make the cut at first, you can apply again after a month.
Moving onto ‘why’ brands should do it, the number one reason is to protect themselves from fake accounts. These dupe accounts often look highly unprofessional and do not represent the brand in the right light, so by having a bona fide blue-tick against your account, it steers the public to follow the right one and feel reassured they are getting official brand content. A secondary reason is that other brands and influencers are more inclined to work with brands that are authenticated, so it ups your kudos in that respect. Thirdly, and specifically to Instagram, if you are verified then you can access the invaluable ‘swipe up’ function on Stories, which is only otherwise accessible if you have more than 10,000 followers. Finally, the blue tick is social media’s way of saying “you’ve made it” – and who doesn’t enjoy the cachet that comes with that?
If you want support getting verification for your brand or to discuss your wider social media requirements, please drop us a line on hello@stormcom.co.uk.
