If you own a business page on Facebook, you may have heard about being Facebook verified. What appears to be a simple check mark next to your business's name, the purpose it serves means so much more. While the process may seem straight forward to make your business verified, there are some potential snags that can make the process seem more annoying than it should be. Worry no more, as we are here to help you with this process and some possible solutions for any issues you come across.
Why Should I Verify?
Simply put, it helps you show up when people search for your business and lets others know that your business is legit. This also helps distinguish yourself from unofficial pages, fan pages or other pages that may confuse potential clients and customers. One should note though that there are two separate kinds of verification, business verification (a grey check mark) and a public figure verification for notable figures and celebrities (a blue check mark).
How to Become Verified
Getting your business verified, in theory, is a straight forward process.
1. Click on "Settings" on the top right corner of your page.
2. On the right-hand side of the page, second option down if page verification. Click on the edit button.
3. The screen will pop up giving you the options to verify your page through either a phone number linked to the business or through submitting documents.
4. By choosing to call, you list the number your business is registered under and wait for an automated call. During this call, you'll receive a random 4-digit code. Enter the code.
4. After choosing your said option, you should get a message saying your page has been verified.
5. Congrats! You're now official in the eyes of Facebook.
Troubleshooting
Like all processes, some people come across complications when it comes to the verification process. The most common one being that the phone number being submitted is not being recognized as "valid". There are several potential reasons for this and while none have been officially confirmed by Facebook, these are some of the potential reasons we discovered.
1. A lack of history of native content posted to your page.
2. A lack of media references that have your name or image.
3. A lack of a website.
4. No smart device with an internet connection (iPhone, Android, iPad, etc.)
Users should also be aware of not trying to verify or make a call too often under your account. If Facebook detects that you are trying to do this too many times, it will prevent you from sending any more numbers to verify. You will eventually gain this ability back, but this hiatus can last anywhere from a few days to a few months.
What to Do if You Can't Make Calls Anymore
If your account doesn't allow you to have Facebook call for verification, the last options is to submit paper documentation to prove your business. This can be one of the following:
A business utility or phone bill
Business license
Business tax file
Certificate of formation
Articles of incorporation
Once you take a clear photo and upload to Facebook, you will then be notified if the photo and document were accepted.
Facebook is heavily pushing businesses to list, sell and engage with their fans making the need to become verified a much more significant factor than before. While it may seem frustrating having your phone number rejected or having to provide proof of business, it is just like any other process in life and is done only to protect your business and Facebook's from scams or other harmful entities.
If you'd like to talk more about becoming verified on Facebook or have any questions, please reach out to me at kyle@jm2marketing.com. I'd love to hear more from you and even help you out if I can.