Do you currently have a Facebook Page? Are you trying to grow your small business, company, or personal brand?
If the answer is yes, you should consider verifying your Facebook Page (or, if you’re an influencer, celebrity, or thought leader, your account) for several reasons.
For starters, being verified on a huge social media platform like Facebook gives your presence credibility and gives consumers a sense of trust.
Seeing a blue checkmark next to your account lets potential customers or fans know you’re the real deal. If you were able to acquire a blue checkmark, then you must be important, right?
Facebook’s recognizable verification badge is particularly important for those others may try to impersonate by creating fake accounts.
Facebook’s help center states that:
“The verified badge means Facebook has confirmed that the Page or profile is the authentic presence of the public figure or brand it represents.”
A blue checkmark serves as immediate, visible proof that people can trust.
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Fun fact: Facebook also offers a gray checkmark for Facebook pages or profiles. The gray checkmark signifies other authentic pages, for those who don’t meet the “public interest” qualification.
So how do you make it happen and get your Facebook Page verified?
Keep reading for a quick step-by-step guide.
Start by Filling Out Facebook’s Online Form
First, you’ll have to visit Facebook’s verification request page and fill out an online form, which is a part of their process and looks like this:
After completing the form, you’ll have to submit it and wait for a response from Facebook’s team. You’ll be prompted to do two things:
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- Confirm your identity by uploading an official document for yourself or your business/brand.
- After this confirmation, you’ll have to answer a short series of questions that prove that the account you are trying to verify is of interest to the public. Facebook will look at a number of things in order to determine if your business page or personal brand account is within the public interest as well as meeting their specific verification criteria.
Facebook is thorough with its application requirements. They need rock-solid proof that you are exactly who you say you are and that you and/or your business is legitimate.
Now, here are some tips on how to successfully complete the verification form in order to have the best chance of getting approved for account verification.
1. State Whether You Are Verifying a Facebook Page or Profile
Are you trying to verify an account for your small business or corporate company?
If so, you’ll want to select Page. If you are attempting to verify a personal profile for an influencer, celebrity, media personality, etc., select Profile.
2. Authenticate Your Identity
You’ll need to upload an official identification document for yourself or your business to prove that your Page or Profile is connected to the public figure, company, or brand it represents.
Your page must have the following:
- A cover photo.
- A profile photo
- A name that meets Facebook’s guidelines.
You will also need to provide a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, or passport (for profiles only). Be sure to read the requirements carefully before you submit to avoid rejection or delays.
For pages not representing a person, you will need to be able to provide proof of an original document such as your articles of incorporation or tax documents.
3. Confirm Your Notability as a Brand or Business
What category do you put yourself or your company in?
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Categorizing your account correctly is crucial as it allows Facebook’s team to establish whether you have enough influence in that industry to warrant a verified Facebook page or profile.
Be sure to select the correct category and the country or region where your business or brand currently operates.
You will also have the opportunity to describe your audience or consumers, depending on whether you are verifying a Page or Profile.
Including this optional information will help Facebook to see why your account should, in fact, be verified.
4. Add Relevant Articles, Social Media Accounts & Other Links
Providing relevant links to your other websites or social media accounts will give Facebook more reasons to see why your account should in fact be verified.
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If you have significant followings and traffic on your other accounts, your chances of being approved are that much higher.
Now Hit Send!
All there is left to do is sit back and wait for a response.
You should get a notification after Facebook’s team has begun to review your request.
Keep in mind that verification for large, international businesses and/or corporations may take a while, since Facebook’s team may need to dig deeper in order to manually review the supporting documents that will confirm your request is authentic.
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What Happens if Facebook Declines My Application?
Meeting the bare minimum verification criteria doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get verified.
Facebook might still reject your application — often without specifying a reason, unfortunately. When this occurs, you’ll be able to reapply for verification after 30 days.
During the 30-day waiting period, it would be in your best interest to put a bit of work into improvements to ensure that your chance of being verified next round is successful.
In the case that Facebook does decline your application:
- It wouldn’t hurt to try and reach out to the Facebook Support Team to get any information as to why your application was denied. If you can get a general understanding as to why you were rejected, you’ll know what you need to do in order to get the blue checkmark the next time you apply.
- Try to create more high-quality content, ramp up your Facebook marketing efforts, and try to continue to post on a regular basis.
- Write a solid author bio and make sure your personal or company site is well optimized for search. When a Facebook representative goes searching for information about the entity you’re trying to have verified, what do they see?
- If you have other social accounts such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, try to ensure that you’re increasing your presence there, as well.
This will also help you improve your chances of getting verified on those platforms.
More Resources:
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Featured image: Hasheb Anzar/Shutterstock
via https://AiUpNow.com September 23, 2021 at 08:45AM by Amanda DiSilvestro, Khareem Sudlow,
