How to become a Meta Verified business

Nowadays, social media platforms have become essential channels for businesses to market and provide services, because of the close connections they bring to customers. Yet, business presence on social platforms means that brands also have to pay more attention to their corporate image and reputation and foster a community.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular channels for businesses. With its high coverage and easy-to-operate business functions, more and more brands choose to use WhatsApp to market to their target groups, provide customer service and send verification codes. But with messaging fraud on the rise, businesses will need to earn credibility amongst their customers to be successful in their communication efforts. How? The Meta Verified badge is a great way to prove your business' credibility.

1. What is Meta Verified?

WhatsApp Business grants verified business accounts a certification mark, which appears in the form of a badge icon after the business name. This badge not only symbolises that the business has passed the official certification but also helps users easily identify the official account of said business. Having this official verification badge will establish a formal and credible image, a must-have for medium and large-sized businesses focusing on the long-term development of their brand.

2. What are the benefits of being Meta Verified?

Now that we know what being Meta Verified entails, you might wonder what the benefits of it are for your business. Well, there are many:

• Image: Verified businesses display the badge after the business name, instead of just a phone number. This helps create a formal, credible and trustworthy image for your customers.

• Trust: The badge is officially granted by WhatsApp Business, which indicates that the brand is legit, validated and authentic and that customers can interact and communicate with it with confidence.

• Visibility: The verified badge is more visible in WhatsApp Search, increasing the visibility of your brand profile.

• Security: Besides your official brand account being recognisable, verified business accounts will also get proactive impersonation monitoring, which helps prevent fraudsters from pretending to be your business on WhatsApp.

• Support: Verified businesses will receive prioritised support from Meta.

3. How to become Meta Verified

To be eligible for the WhatsApp verification badge, your business needs to fulfil the following criteria (as a WhatsApp Business API customer of CM.com):

• You must be using the WhatsApp Business Platform (API)

• Your account needs to be verified by Meta

• You need to have Two-Factor Verification (2FA) enabled

• Your business must be notable

A notable business is a business that has a high-quality website, is visible and is frequently searched according to Meta. To increase your chances of becoming verified, adding 3-5 media coverage links from news articles or magazines will help your case. It should be noted that paid promotional content is not considered valid for assessment.

4. What happens if your application is rejected?

First of all, it should be clear that the decision of whether or not your business passes the verification is made by the WhatsApp official evaluation. WhatsApp Business Platform service providers like CM.com do not influence this decision, nor do they provide additional value that is conducive to passing the evaluation process. It's the responsibility of the business to double-check the content they want to submit before requesting the verification.

Secondly, don't fret when you don't get verified on the first try. It will not affect your ability to use the original WhatsApp Business channel for messaging and you can apply again after 30 days.

Finally, understand the reasons for rejection. Correct the relevant issues (such as inaccurate company information provided) and apply again.

In addition, for some industries, WhatsApp does not support the verification badge. These businesses are operating in markets such as gambling, drugs, weapons, tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, etc. Please check WhatsApp's Business Policy to see the full requirements.

WhatsApp Business via CM.com

CM.com is a certified WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP), with over 20 years of experience in the field of international cloud communication. BSPs are exclusively selected by WhatsApp to offer direct API access to the WhatsApp Business Platform, which makes integration easier for your business. CM.com is recognised as a WhatsApp Business API Premier level BSP by WhatsApp, which means that we can support businesses to access the WhatsApp Business Platform in a compliant way and help maximise the benefits of this popular platform.