Meta's paid verification for businesses will cost almost double what it does for individuals
Business owners who subscribe get the checkmark, higher ranking in search and easier access to customer service.
Meta’s paid verification service is no longer just for individuals. The social network is expanding its subscription service to businesses on Facebook, Instagram and, eventually, WhatsApp, Mark Zuckerberg announced during the company’s “Conversations” event.
Meta Verified first launched for Facebook and Instagram earlier this year, but wasn't available for those with business accounts. That’s now changing, though businesses will be paying extra for the service compared with everyone else. Verification for a single account (on either Facebook or Instagram) will cost $27.99/month for mobile sign-ups or $21.99 if the purchase is made via the web. Business owners signing up on the web can also bundle an Instagram and Facebook verification for $34.99/month. That’s significantly more than the $12- $15/month Meta Verified currently costs for individuals, but Meta is likely calculating that business owners will be more willing to shell out for the extra benefits.
Meta Verified bears some similarities to Elon Musk’s X Premium. It grants subscribers a checkmark and higher ranking in search results, as well as a fast-track to customer support channels and “proactive” protection against impersonation. The company also plans to feature "Meta Verified businesses" in its in-app recommendations on Facebook and Instagram.
When Meta Verified launches for WhatsApp, it will include a few additional benefits, like multi-device support for customer chats and the ability to create a business page that will appear in web-based search results. (Meta hasn’t said how much verified status will cost businesses on WhatsApp.)
Of course, unlike X Premium, Meta does require subscribers to verify their identities. For businesses, this means subscribers will need to provide proof of their association with the business, via a phone number or email domain. The company also requires subscribers to opt-in to two-factor authentication and meet a minimum level of activity. Meta says it will begin by making subscriptions available to business owners in “select test countries,” but declined to name the specific locations. Meta Verified for WhatsApp, on the other hand, will roll out sometime “in the future.”
In addition to the expansion of Meta Verified, the company also announced a few other updates for businesses that use its messaging tools. In-app payments on WhatsApp, which are currently available in Brazil and Singapore, will be expanding to merchants in India. The app will support credit and debit card payments, as well as other apps like Razorpay.
The company also introduced something called “WhatsApp flows” so that businesses can create customized features like appointment booking directly from in-app chats. The feature will be available to WhatsApp Business users “in the coming weeks.”
